Give it away to keep it

If you help someone else, you will be helped. If you want to lose self consciousness, be "other" conscious. If you want to feel better, the best way is to try to make someone else feel better. If you want to stay sober, help someone else stay sober. This is the concept of the 12th step. In other words, “Give it away to keep it.” “Give it away to keep it” is the fundamental principle of recovery from addiction. “Give it away to keep it” focuses on one person helping another. AA is based on one “drunk” helping another. AA was started when someone who wanted to stay sober knew he had better try to help another alcoholic or else he would pick up that first, fatal drink. He found another and, together, they stayed sober for each other. I’ve worked with recovering addicts for twenty six years, and I’ve noticed that those who stay and reap the rewards of sobriety, are those who try the hardest to help others recover from addiction. Although the best reason to stay clean and sober is for oneself, I believe that the addict who stays sober is also motivated by knowing that staying sober will help someone else. “ Keep yourself like an empty vessel for God to fill. Keep pouring out yourself to help others so that God can keep filling you up with His spirit. The more you give, the more you will have for yourself. God will see that you are kept filled as long as you are giving to others. But if you selfishly try to keep all for yourself, you are soon blocked off from God, your source of supply, and you will become stagnant. To be clear, a lake must have an inflow and an outflow.” Twenty Four Hours A Day, Nov. 2.

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To-do:

Keep your stream clean and flowing.