The H in Heroes in Recovery
Recovery comes in many forms. There can be recovery from a substance, such as alcohol or drugs. There can be recovery from a process, such as gambling, shopping, sex, or pornography. There are also a number of ways to bring about this recovery. Perhaps the most widely known and successful form of recovery is the 12-Step approach. A little less known than the 12 Steps are the 12 spiritual principles associated with these steps. These principles are honesty, hope, willingness, courage, integrity, acceptance, humility, love, forgiveness, perseverance, selflessness, and service.
These principles are great for helping a person overcome his addiction, but they are not easy to achieve. One of the hardest principles for some people to accept is the dreaded “H” word… honesty. The first step in recovery (“We admitted we were powerless over …) focuses on being honest. Admitting you are powerless over anything can be hard for someone to accept. It can be very humbling to have to admit something like this, especially for a strong-willed person. If a person has tried other things to overcome his addiction and failed, he may see this as a reality, but still not want to accept this. Oftentimes, this requires a prideful person to swallow his pride. Only after being honest with himself can a person move forward on his road to recovery.
After finally being completely honest with ourselves and others, this road to recovery is easy, right? In most cases, the answer is a resounding “NO.” It is a great start, but there is another dreaded “H” word along the path to recovery that must be addressed…humility. Sometimes a person must take a dose of humility before being honest with himself, but there is more to come. A person must be humble in all things, which includes the acknowledgement of his character flaws or shortcomings. Admission that you have a problem with an addiction is one thing, but admitting you are prideful or selfish is another. This, along with asking God to remove these flaws, is just another necessary step on the path to recovery. The idea of being humble before God dates back well before the times of Bill Wilson and Alcoholics Anonymous. In the Bible, 1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourself, therefore, under God’s might hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”
Like an awful tasting prescription that has to be forced down before a person can overcome an illness, a dose of honesty and humility must be taken to lead to the coveted spiritual principle of hope. They must be taken together because humility without honesty doesn’t exist. These are not only principles that help govern a successful recovery from addiction, but they help govern a happy, hopeful life too. Hope is something everyone needs, not just someone battling an addiction, but everyone. Hope for the present, hope for the future, hope that the past won’t repeat itself. Hope is a beautiful thing! Hope can and will return to a hopeless life, if a person is willing to do the things necessary to bring about the changes that lead to it.
So here’s to hoping that you can go from the dreaded “H” words (honesty and humility) to the most coveted “H” word of them all… hope!
Jordan, Heroes in Recovery Lead Advocate