FIRST THINGS FIRST

First things first is the heartbeat of recovery. The Big Book makes it clear that our sobriety must come before everything else — before our jobs, our relationships, even our own plans. On page 85, we're told we have a daily reprieve from alcoholism 'contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.' That means every morning we choose to put our spiritual practice first, or we risk the whole house of cards falling down. Bill W. learned this the hard way (page 14): 'I must get the thought out of my head that I am to be lucky and that something will turn up; I must get this false idea out of my head.' The first thing isn't luck; it's doing the work. And on page 70, the promise rings: 'We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve.' So first things first means today I pray, I work with another alcoholic, I read the book — before I chase anything else.