Understanding Principle One of AA Alcoholics Anonymous
#1 - The Principle of Honesty
Most of us get sober because we find ourselves spiritually, mentally, and physically broken. Hitting this kind of “rock bottom”, as they say, provides a great perspective for many universal principles and virtues that are spiritual in nature. In my years of recovery from addiction, I have come to learn a lot about the benefits of maintaining my sobriety with a spiritual program.
There are 12 spiritual principles of AA and virtues that correspond to the 12 steps of AA, the program of recovery from alcohol addiction. Although every step of AA is considered to be a spiritual principle in and of itself, “The Big Book” also outlines twelve principles which are single words encompassing universal virtues. When worked on together it’s easy to see that the principles are in alignment with each of the twelve steps.
The universal principle of “Honesty” corresponds to the first step in the AA program of recovery. In Step 1 of AA Alcoholics Anonymous, after admitting that our lives had become unmanageable, we admitted that we were powerless over alcohol. Even though admitting something like this to ourselves and to another person required an inordinate amount of honesty, the reality is that we need a daily reboot of “Honesty” to maintain healthy sobriety. As a recovering alcoholic or addict, we get a daily reprieve by practicing a program of recovery, but this is seriously contingent on first maintaining our spiritual condition.
The Benefit Of Honesty In Recovery
In my experience and struggles with addiction, I’ve come to realize that there are many benefits to delving further into the spiritual principles and virtues. In fact, the very first principle of “Honesty” is an absolute requirement for maintaining my sobriety. The lack of honesty was one of the key factors that kept me in a cycle of addiction. At that time I wasn’t capable of always being honest with the people around me; and most importantly, I wasn’t honest with myself. The lack of complete transparency and a willingness to be honest was ultimately what kept me sick. If you are anything like me, you probably think that some of the things you did while using shouldn’t be disclosed to anyone… like, Ever. Or maybe you occasionally feel like there is nobody that you can be completely transparent with… But the truth is that “we are only as sick as our secrets” and there’s a reason they say, “rigorous honesty brings real recovery”.
While it is easy enough to read about AA principles and virtues such as honesty, it is quite another thing to actually practice them in our day-to-day lives. Most of us can “talk- the –talk” but practicing the principle of “Honesty” means that you speak the truth and act truthfully. Putting principle number one into practice effectively means that on a daily basis, your actions are truthful too.
Honesty One Day At A Time: How Honesty Works In My Recovery
Everyone practicing a ‘one day at a time’ life in recovery has to figure out how honesty works in his or her program of recovery. In early sobriety, I struggled with honesty and other concurrent issues that I didn’t identify as a problem, which essentially kept me sick. This is a common situation that many of us in recovery experience and ultimately it comes down to the principle of honesty.
For me, honesty is about humility, which in a nutshell is having the honest desire to do my higher powers will. As a recovering addict, I get a daily reprieve by communicating with my Higher Power, or God, asking for help to stay sober and for “Good Orderly Direction” for the day. Allowing my words and actions to be led by God and not indulging in self-will is part of how honesty works in my recovery. I start my day wanting to be honest, open, and willing and every morning through prayer and meditation I ask God what I can do to be the best version of me. Then at the end of each day, I take a personal inventory of where I fell short of practicing the principles in all of my affairs, and where I may need to make improvements or amends if necessary.
There’s no way I would be able to talk about honesty or sobriety without mentioning my core group of fellow men in recovery. For me, honesty and trust go hand-in-hand and for the longest time I didn’t trust other people- and I certainly did not trust myself! Let’s face it; being honest is a very vulnerable state to be in. It takes great humility and trust to be able to get honest and to stay honest. Feeling like you have a safe space and safe people around you in recovery is essential!
I feel very fortunate to have a small core group of guys in recovery that also seek long-term results and freedom from the grips of drug addiction and alcoholism. Mutual trust and rigorous honesty are what informs our relationships, and the best part is that being transparent provides such a great opportunity to support one another! Knowing that we are not alone, and hearing the truth from one another ultimately helps us all to experience growth. Together we are making a commitment to our life in sobriety and to cultivating personal change and empowerment. We remind each other of the necessity for honesty and being held accountable so that we have a chance to form an entirely sustainable and sober lifestyle.
With a network that spans the world, people in addiction recovery have the most amazing resource for a strong community and peer support. Together we have a daily reprieve, a spiritual connection, and a step-by-step program that helps us to stay sober. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction and want to learn more about the steps and principles in recovery, reach out to me today!
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