Per the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, on page 570, willingness, honesty and open-mindedness are the essentials of recovery.
Since we are defining willingness, honesty and open mindedness as essential, let’s first look at the word essential. The word essential is simply defined as “of upmost importance.“ It also is considered to be “basic, indispensable and necessary”. With that in mind, what is essential in recovery is something that is basic and of upmost importance for my recovery. Having said that, it stands to reason that I cannot have recovery without these things. Willingness means to be “inclined or favorably disposed in mind”. Essentially, that means I am openly agreeable. Honesty is defined as “adherence to the facts”. Rounding the three essentials out is open-minded. This word means “to be receptive to arguments/positions or ideas”. When we combine these three essentials it means that I am a person who tends to work and believe per facts and I am receptive to ideas whether I agree with them. Once again, these things are considered to be essential to my recovery. Recovery is defined as the process of combating a disorder or a real or perceived problem. So, what does all this mean? It means that if I am to overcome my Condition I must consider it a must to be willing, honest and open minded. To not be these things would mean it would be unreasonable for me to think I can recover.
If you are struggling with your recovery I would suggest that you are not following the formula of practicing the Essentials of Recovery. If you don’t think there are recovery essentials or you disagree with the essentials being willingness, honesty and open-mindedness.
It is not easy to set aside our fear of saying I don’t know and adopting things and concepts that are foreign to us. I believe these are things that we MUST agree to if we expect a full and complete recovery from the ravages of addiction. We must never hold back from the teaching/instruction that has helped and guided millions of people. What do you have to lose. At worse you will get marginally better and at best we will experience a revolutionary change of life that can transcend any hope we have ever had. I hope you join me in the Essential approach to Recovery.
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Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
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