The Present Day

When we use Step Ten as part of our recovery, the results are remarkable. We who have lived unconsciously for so long find ourselves waking up in real time. We have a structure that requires us, all day and every day, to look into our hearts. We discover what pains us. We refrain, under all circumstances, from passing our distress onto other people.

We figure out how to relate our own experiences to that of others. For example, I am especially sensitive to the life of baristas because I happen to have a son who was one. I understand that he paid his rent each month in part because people place tips in a tip jar. They do not have to leave a tip, but if they stopped, my son could not pay his bills.

Substance use disorder is isolating. Recovery creates a culture of interdependence, service and respect. Without a sense of reciprocity, how would any of us find freedom from our enslavement to our dependencies?