Abstinence The Beginning By admin Posted on March 1, 2018 1 min read 3 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr “Abstinence is the beginning.” This sentence, one I have seen and heard many times since entering the rooms, popped out at me like never before as I read page 272 in Voices of Recovery this morning. Abstinence is the beginning: of connecting with Higher Power, with self, with others who have this disease of connecting with others who don’t have this disease: family, friends, strangers of learning to love myself and then to love others of trusting I can, with God’s help of forgiving of joy and serenity of courage and wisdom of belly laughs and sincere, healing tears of having a clear purpose, moment by moment of living in the present of accepting it all—the good, the difficult, and the in-between— and more than accepting, feeling gratitude for it all and the learning it brings. It is a better way to live! Blessings to all in your journey to more and more recovery. Thanks to all who surround us with service to support us along the way. — K., Canada