“It is not necessary to say yes. It is, however, important to stop saying no. Observe the reality around you and the recovery taking place within MA. One only has to stop fighting.”

– Life with Hope, third edition, page 8

I had said no, no, no, powerless? Not me,
But in reading those Twelve Questions…an addict I must be…
This label, this admission, filled me with shame and dread,
But my sick thinking and doing, it nearly left me dead.
When I put down the vape pen, I saw I had another problem instead,
With nothing else external to blame, I surrendered—it was my head!
Paranoid, closed-off, skeptical, no “G-o-d” for me, thanks,
So resistant to help ’til I learned…it’s my perception, it “stanks!”
So maybe I’ll put one toe over the line,
Instead of a fervent no, I said OK, maybe? Fine?
Though no concrete proof of a Being more powerful than me,
There was recovery happening, that much I could clearly see.
Perhaps I’ll never fully understand this divine universal loving being,
But I’m grateful my journey to sanity is at long last beginning!

Final thought: Today, I will open my eyes to reality and see the beautiful and inspiring recovery journeys unfolding around me in MA.