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Soaking It In

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Posted on March 1, 2017
3 min read
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Gaining recovery can be compared to making pickles. If I put a cucumber into a brine solution, soaking it consistently and continuously, then gradually and inevitably it becomes a pickle. So it is with recovery.

Even if I’m afraid to get a sponsor and work the Twelve Steps, I can still accomplish quite a bit just by going to meetings. When I attend meetings, I don’t need courage. OA members have enough courage to share with me. If I don’t have faith in the program, that’s okay too; OA members have plenty for all. If I soak in the love and acceptance that OA has for me, I’ll gradually find myself changing.

If I keep coming back, the language of OA—the slogans, Steps, and Traditions—will all soak into my soul. If I come to meetings week after week and bask in the affection OA has for me, I will gain courage and become ready to get a sponsor and work the Twelve Steps. If I just listen to OA members’ struggles and victories while working the Twelve Steps, I will bond with the Fellowship and look forward to attending meetings each week.

Just like that cucumber, I will change. I will no longer be full of fear, but full of hope, and I will feel supported and accepted unconditionally. I will join the ranks of those who recover. I just need to keep soaking it in. Gradually, eventually, it will happen. I will not turn green like a pickle, but others may turn green with envy when they see what I have gained.

— Bob R., North Augusta, South Carolina USA

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