I truly believe it’s almost inherent in human nature to eventually gravitate towards being selfish and self-centered the more one grows older. For recovering addicts like myself though, being so can become deadly, because this type of behavior generally tends to lead us straight back into addictive behaviors. Hence why it’s so crucial for each of us to get out of oneself on a regular basis by getting active in our recovery.
The first way this can normally happen is to take on a position in one’s home group such as coffee maker, chairperson, or moderator. Along the same lines, another early-on way of getting out of oneself in recovery is to greet newcomers and be open to helping them get to and from the meetings if possible.
But once an individual truly starts to grasp the 12 Steps, the next way they can become more selfless is to sponsor another person through the same process they were brought through. Taking someone through the 12 Steps can be richly rewarding in the long run, as the sponsor often gets to see the sponsee grow from a state of misery to one of happiness.
Down the road, once an individual gains a few years of recovery under their belt and worked those steps consistently, another way of steering clear from their former life of selfishness and self-centeredness is by volunteering their time in places that could use a positive and hopeful message. Places such as hospitals, detoxes, halfway houses, mental sanatoriums, and prisons are just a few of those where this can be done.
Currently, I’m spending a good portion of my free time staying active myself, because the last thing I want to do is return to that selfish and self-centered person I once was. This is why I’m sponsoring five individuals, four of which are presently knee-deep in the 12 Steps. It’s also why I regularly attend recovery meetings, because there I do take the time to talk to the newcomers, helping them not feel so alone. And it’s also why I’m on the hospital committee in my current hometown, as through it I’m able to go on a weekly basis to those places where people are still trying to break free from the deadly grips of their addictions. There I get to share my experience, strength, and hope with them, because all I want is for each to be motivated onto their own path of recovery.
So hopefully you now understand the overall point I’ve been trying to make here. It really is that crucial for every person to get active once they make their way into recovery from a former life of addiction. If they don’t, it often becomes all too easy to drift back into selfish and self-centered behaviors and even the addiction itself. But by staying active and regularly getting out of oneself, there’s a far greater chance of not only becoming more selfless with every thought, word, and action, there’s also a much stronger surety that one will remain clean and sober for many years to come…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
