When first he came into the rooms, unsure of what he’d find
He heard the people say some things that never crossed his mind
Slogans written on the walls and lists that did suggest
Steps he’d need to follow for his need to drink divest
Prayer and meditation combined with self-examination
A member said were critical for building a foundation
A foundation that will help to fight against the urge to drink
The new man could not understand the way these people think
A lot of us were just the same, confused by all this talk
Hearing what they said to do caused some of us to balk
We had not prayed in many years, did not know how to start
Or even if we did believe that God should play a part
As for meditation, how could that help us abstain
This was a thing for Buddhist monks, repeating some refrain
And self-examination, well, there was no need for this
Why bring up all our defects, they were better left dismissed
But slowly some of these things did begin to take affect
The first was prayer to someone’s God, and hoped that we’d connect
We were unsure if this would work, but still gave it a go
It could not hurt and maybe something good would start to grow
We’d never tried to meditate; this concept was brand new
Yet said we’d give this thing a try, but knew not what to do
Close our eyes, sit very still and try to keep from thinking
But thoughts arose, we wondered what this had to do with drinking
This self-examination thing was not at all what we expected
A wallow in self-loathing was the thing we had suspected
But we were told, a balance sheet, was what we had to make
To view the good that we had done along with our mistakes
To start to pray a simple please and thank you is one way
So, thoughts of using alcohol, you pray, will stay away
And thank you in the evening for the spiritual assistance
That helped you do the next right thing, an aid to your resistance
Meditation may be difficult when you first give it a try
To free your mind from all those constant thoughts that wonder by
Begin with a few minutes, close your eyes and start to drift
Into a space of solitude as all tension start to lift
Bedtime is the perfect time for self-examination
For looking back upon your day for any indication
Of incidents that had occurred that led you to react
In such a way that made you wish that you could take it back
Step Eleven states that when these three things are united
A spiritual experience will soon start to be ignited
Each part alone will help you navigate through nasty weather
But the best results are felt when they are put to use together
Larry R.
Early Sobriety Group 