Promises

1.  FREEDOM   I know it must seem strange to draw a fly trapped inside a window screen. However, I know of no other way to tell you about my escape to freedom, unless you yourself have already experienced it for yourself. Let’s forget about the fly for a moment and come back to it…

2. PAST   Promise 2 — “We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.”   I enjoyed creating this drawing, but I find myself having very little to say say about it. My image of a new clock hanging where a grand old clock resided for many years illustrates the…

1.  FREEDOM   You don’t need to tell me…. I it seems strange to draw a fly trapped inside a window screen. But I know of no other way to tell you about my escape to freedom, unless you yourself have already experienced it for yourself. Let’s forget about the fly for a moment and…

4. PEACE   Promise 4 – We will know peace.   The phrase “We will know peace” seems as simple as it can be. There are no complex words that might cause us to reach for a dictionary. Surely words have not changed in meaning very much since the Promise was written back in the…

5. SCALE During my years in Twelve Step recovery, I have been a sponsor and I have been a sponsee (someone who receives sponsorship). This drawing is about both of those experiences, each from a different point of view.  First, I was a sponsee. I often felt I was drowning. Literally. My dreams and thoughts…

6. DISAPPEAR   Every person in recovery is different; every person in recovery is the same. That is my conclusion after meeting, listening to, and reading about alcoholics and addicts in all stages of recovery. As a sponsor, it is satisfying to know exactly what my sponsees need—they need to work the Twelve Steps and…

7.  INTEREST   Attending meetings involves spending time with one’s “fellows”….fellow alcoholics, fellow drug addicts, fellow behavioral addicts, etc. I have heard some claim sitting in a Twelve Step meeting (without working the Steps) will produce lasting sobriety. Personally, I doubt it will. After all, simply sitting in a bar does not produce an alcoholic;…

8. SELF-SEEKING I did not notice it the first time I read the Big Book. However, I noticed later how many times words relating to “self” appear in that text. I see it dozens and dozens of times. Some count hundreds. I conclude it must be a fairly important piece of the puzzle of substance…

9. OUTLOOK   Promise 9 – Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.   [NOTE: Please read the footnote. It gives important information about the inspiration for this drawing.*]   I attended Twelve Steps meetings for years without getting sober. We’re being honest here, right? That length of time was largely my fault; I…

10. FEAR   What is there to say about fear? Bill W. wrote on page 67 of the AA Big Book: “This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of…