TRUST

Trust - To be confident : Hope

Although this word never appears in the twelve steps to recovery, its meaning and usefulness run throughout the entire process. We use it as a building block in making our decisions and attempts at recovery.

We need to trust ourselves that we have made the correct decision in attempting to quit the destructive habits that we have engaged in. We need to know that what we are doing is good for us and will be much more beneficial than the continued behavior in these self destroying actions.

If we did not believe that this was a correct decision, that there would be no positive gains from this journey, we would most likely give up and revert to our old ways without ever knowing of the benefits and rewards of stopping our drinking.

There must be trust (hope) that we will succeed in our endeavors, and that this success will enrich and strengthen our lives. If we can realize that this cleansing of our selves will be to our own benefit, the motivation to do so will only increase.

We must trust ourselves to share with our comrades in this struggle the sometimes painful or embarrassing details of our lives. This is not an easy task for some. Many of us are wary of letting others who we may not fully know, become aware of situations or events that led us to the decision to quit drinking.

But by sharing these issues we realize that not only can we gain trust in our friends, but that our friends can gain trust in us.

In step 1 we admitted we were powerless over alcohol. We had to trust ourselves that we were making an informed and accurate decision about the situation we had allowed ourselves to be put in.

With Step 2, we came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity... we are placing our trust in someone or something that we believe will help us to regain the control and stability in our lives.

In many of the other steps trust is involved, though not directly stated. We need to have faith, to trust that it will happen, to quit our drinking.

We need to trust our families to support us and stick by our sides during the times we feel lost or unable to continue with our plans. The trust and love of those close to us adds to our already determined faith to succeed.

If we are attending a regular group, there becomes a strong bond created by the common desire to escape from an enemy we all are fighting. The shared experience of one helps to build and strengthen the determination of others.

"If he can do it, so can I." These words can inspire trust in yourself, when all others are unable to. That may be the best way to motivate oneself to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves.

While "To thine own self be true." may seem to be a simple statement, the ability to trust yourself may be one of the hardest first lessons we need to learn. Once we can trust ourselves, we can begin to trust those around us. If we can trust those around us, we can make progress towards our goals.

If we can continue to make progress, we can succeed in this endeavor, no matter how difficult it may appear to be.

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