Homemade Faith

(Excerpts from Introduction: Being a woman of honor and dignity).

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A woman in recovery has the precious gift of reclaiming her life by seeking, speaking, and living her truth. The process of recovery takes time and patience. Although a medley of events present themselves - once considered ‘problems’, a dose of humility helps her to make one overarching decision, to surrender to G d’s plan. This new way of thinking and acting, builds emuna (faith) and allows G d to run the show. She knows that what she used for comfort and calm, also sustains isolations and despair. Since drinking, binging and worrying, no longer suffice, she learns the daily lesson to turn and return to G d; who is orchestrating her life (and those she loves).

For any woman in recovery, acknowledging and honoring her spiritual self, is the fuel that sustains her entire life. In the past, the permission to “be”, may have been misunderstood or mishandled, yet identifying herself as a soul, she can return to the place within her that is loved and precious. By working through all the steps, the disease is set into remission. As one begins to identify what blocks her from her serenity, she will gain insight and discernment. Very soon, she will not want anyone’s life but her own. Even when she embraces her greatest pain and challenges, she knows deep down inside, this was arranged uniquely for her.

So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of

ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though

He usually doesn’t think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this

selfishness. We must or it kills us! G d makes that possible. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. Many of us had moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live up to them even though we would have liked to. Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying on our power. We had to have G ‘d’s help. (Big Book p. 62).