It is a great honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to be of service to my fellow warriors at Warriors Heart Lodge in Bandera, Texas. I understand that I cannot keep the promises of sober recovery without freely giving it away by acts of service; namely sponsorship.
A warrior that I respect and became friends with – we worked out in the gym, broke bread in the chow hall, and walked in Bandera State park- he and a group of other warriors helped me and my wife move into our new home. This stud of a man, in whose life I could see positive transformation over the course of months, relapsed the day before he got his one year coin of continued sobriety. He called me after a week-long bender in some hole in the wall rental stating that he wanted to kill himself and didn’t deserve to live.
We spoke several times and it was difficult and painful to listen to and watch on the video chat. I had to meditate on it for a while, thinking what was the cause of this, how could this have happened? What sunk in is the same thing that happens to almost everyone I know that has relapsed, including myself multiple times – not working a thorough program of recovery. Not working the 12 steps with a sponsor. Isolating, not going to meetings, and being of service. And the biggest one – when I am at that breaking point of about to pick up a drink or drug, not calling anyone in my sober circle that I am about to use. Isolation and lack of accountability are my greatest enemies.
Service to others, especially service to another addict is the most powerful antidote to relapse.
The greatest solution to the dilemma of alcoholism is one alcoholic helping another. This is how Alcoholics Anonymous and every 12 step program and subsequent genres of addiction recovery started and grew and how millions of people transformed their lives of hopelessness and despair into sober recovery, meaning, and purpose.
Service is the essence of sober recovery. We learn that spiritual principles will solve all our problems, and those principles are best applied in service to others. Sponsorship makes me accountable and on point. I learn a tremendous amount about myself and those I serve, and continue learning as we read through literature together, sharing our experiences – the real day-to-day, relationships with others, our struggles, and our victories.
Having a service mindset is in alignment with an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude destroys fear and uncertainty, through strength in numbers of my sober circle, we all continue to grow together on our spiritual journey.
