We have not failed. We have just found 10,000 ways that don’t work for us.
For many recovering addicts, Step Nine is a key step on the road to lasting recovery and a life changed for the better. This change for the better occurs so often that the book Alcoholics Anonymous lists what are commonly called “The Promises” at the end of Step Nine. The Ninth Step Promises, as delineated by AA, read as follows:
If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
These promises are equally applicable to Step Nine with other addictions, including sex addiction.
Just for Today
Think about the promises. Which are you most looking forward to? Have any of the promises come true for you already?