Recovery is a Process not an Event

A stonecutter may strike a rock ninety nine times with no apparent effect, not even a crack on the surface.  Yet with the hundreth blow, the rock splits in two.  It was not the final blow that did the trick, but all that had gone before.

When we work on ourselves to change who we are, we sometimes get discouraged because we can’t see anything happening, everything still looks the same as yesterday. We have to remember that recovery is a process not an event and every time we do the next right thing we are affecting change inside ourselves even when it still looks the same on the outside.

Then all of a sudden at one moment we will be able to look back and say wow “this is a different rock” there was change here, but its not that final blow that did it, its the constant perseverance in recovery despite our falls and slips that does it.

4 Comments
  • Max P

    July 30, 2010 at 2:44 AM

    This is so important for me to read. I have been upset at God for not “coming to me” with a sudden and powerful upheaval a la Bill W.
    Well, as Bill himself said, for most it will be a process and not a sudden event.
    I slipped 2 days ago and my sponsor pointed out how this too can be part of my growth in the program.
    For me there can be no “bottles” stored around the house which I can cradle in times of stress. The bottles take the form of all types of fantasy – anything but acceptance and living in the moment.
    I am so grateful for this program and for sites such as these.
    Thank you for letting me share.
    Max

  • Spiritual

    July 30, 2010 at 3:18 AM

    What happened 2 days ago, or will happen tomorrow is not relevant.
    What we have is Today! and that’s all that matters.

  • website

    January 10, 2011 at 10:48 AM

    Thanks for that awesome posting. It saved MUCH time :-)

  • We Have Choices Today

    September 12, 2013 at 2:19 AM

    […] Recovery is a process not an event. It is suggested to focus on changing one thing at a time, starting with the element that is causing the most unmanageability.  First and foremost is to abstain from acting out in the cyclical pattern of addiction. Stay away from people, places and things so as not to pick up the first one. Once a strong foundation of recovery is established, then we can tackle other areas, such as quitting cigarettes, budgeting funds, healthy lifestyle choices, etc. […]

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