Squeezing Joy into My Lifestyle

Every Detail

When I started attending Al-Anon, I was in a verbally abusive relationship with a recovering alcoholic. I felt unloved, unwanted, and alone. My previous relationship was with a practicing alcoholic who lived in his car. I was desperate for a solution, willing to try anything.

My Sponsor encouraged me to accept a service commitment and to start working on the Steps immediately. Working Step One, I realized that Al-Anon had the potential to drastically alter my attitudes, relationships, and the course of my life. That's exactly what happened.

As I worked Steps Two and Three, I learned to depend on a Higher Power for every detail of my life. I wrote my life story in Step Four and shared all my secrets with God and my Sponsor in Step Five. I discovered my character defects, defined them, and asked God to remove them. I made a list of people I had harmed, made amends, continued taking my inventory, and prayed and meditated.

My husband and I met a few years ago in our Friday night Al-Anon meeting. I told him how to fulfill our meeting's "cookie commitment," and we hit it off. We developed a close friendship based on mutual respect and caring, something I didn't realize was possible. We married two years after we met and this is the happiest I've ever been.

My spiritual awakening was gradual. It was a slow process of building faith in my Higher Power, trust in myself, and love for others. As part of putting Step Twelve into action and carrying the message, I spent many months working with a committee to organize a Forum Writing Workshop. I felt gratified seeing the workshop come together.

The Al-Anon program is a miraculous gift in my life and being a part of it is a blessing. My recovery has been a journey of discovering myself. Because of Al-Anon, I have six close women friends and I am a new person when I am out in the world now. Everything good, true, and real in my life is a result of this program.

By Aimee H., California
The Forum, March 2005