š„ Primary Focus
In order to achieve sobriety on a daily basis there can only be but one primary purpose in my lifeā¦
To stay sober and help other drunks like meā¦
Every day consistently and persistentlyā¦
My primary purpose has to be my primary focusā¦
My primary purpose of serving outside of my own needs every day has been the only effective solution for my alcoholismā¦
Focusing on others needs treats my internal condition of selfish and self-centered needs effectively enough to live free of the bondage of meā¦
Freedom from the bondage of me means freedom from my life being all about meā¦
The minute my life becomes all about me again, the insanity of alcohol will gradually and incrementally returnā¦
When my primary focus is about:
My problemsā¦
My wants and needsā¦
My moneyā¦
My possessionsā¦
My plans and designsā¦
My wayā¦
My controlā¦
My management of my lifeā¦
Mineā¦mineā¦mine
The anger, fear, depression, anxiety, guilt, resentment returns and I begin to feel that sick and awful feeling about myself once again.
This has happened to me on many occasions in my recovery and it will happen to you without you knowing it..
Alcohol is indeed cunning, baffling and powerful and it is deceitful enough to attack not through the bottle, but through where you direct your focus every day, every hour, every minute.
Ask yourself this question:
Where has my daily focus been lately?
Not your daily actions but your daily focus, your primary focusā¦
You can be doing meetings every day, working with others every day, praying every day, but these become meaningless if your primary focus is you.
In Step 3 we are asked to make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God by making a commitment to helping God’s kids, serving others, helping drunks just like meā¦
The ONLY way a guy like me can turn his will and life over to care of God is to no longer make my will and my life all about meā¦obviously!
Turning my focus away from me and towards helping God’s kids is the act of turning my will and life over to his care and as a result and abundance of God’s power abides over me.
Paul