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Commitment To Recovery

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It is eleven something at night and the phone begins ringing. I am working on a current research paper and wonder who could be calling me this late. It is one of my mentees who is struggling with loneliness and addiction. Balancing time between homework, job, home and my commitment to helping others in my local 12-step program is no simple undertaking. I have been involved with this commitment to recovery for over twenty-three years. In the beginning recovery was effortless as I was married with a young child and I just worked, went to meetings and called my sponsor. Recovery was my focus and there was ample time to serve my group by bringing doughnuts, making coffee and handing out anniversary tokens. After my son went off to college, I …show more content…

How was I to keep my GPA up while being a sponsor to a needy newcomer? I went back to meetings, engaged in the service structure, met new people in the area and volunteered my time as a sponsor. I also obtained a new sponsor, who assisted me with digging deeper into the steps of recovery to resolve my own issues, so to better help another. It was astonishing how I made the time for my renewed commitment to my local group and still managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I am frequently humbled be being asked to share my story of recovery in a sizable group setting. Sometimes it can be for a local recovery group, at a convention, a fund-raiser or a recovery facility. I enjoy speaking in front of substantial groups and if my story inspires one other person to change their life, then it is worth it. I have sponsored numerous women and one man over the past twenty-three years. I have hosted meetings in my home and have had the opportunity to volunteer in the woman’s prison so that they, too, could learn about recovery and the 12-step way of life. I owe my life and my ability to succeed in school, in part to this program. I have learned that in spite of having a full plate, there is ample time to serve “my community.” It is truly gratifying to be a part of the solution and serve the community in whatever capacity I

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