Talking the Talk vs Walking the Walk

Those of us who are traveling on the road to recovery are fortunate to have found new directions and purpose.  However, just because we have undertaken the task of turning our lives around does not mean that our efforts will be rewarded easily or that obstacles and pitfalls will magically disappear once we have made the commitment to self-improvement.  Just as we once deluded ourselves that a substance or behavior pattern would bring us instant pleasure or relief, we can also fall prey to the misconception that a few therapy sessions or 12-step meetings has cured us.  It is not uncommon for those new to recovery to become 2-steppers, skipping from Step 1’s admission of having a problem to the 12^th step of helping others.  If we mistakenly think that we have suddenly become God’s gift to fellow addicts in need, we can be tempted to talk the talk before actually walking the walk.

While it is true that recovery literature is full of helpful slogans and wise bits of advice, they by themselves are not enough to change our self-destructive misbehaviors into more productive ways of conducting our lives.  Quoting these sayings may sound and feel good, but absent diligent work to examine and redirect our addictive propensities in an honest, open, and willing manner, they will remain superficial with limited benefit.  Trumpeting our supposedly miraculous gains before we’ve really taken our program to heart is a symptom of what got us into trouble in the first place, an ego running riot.  Words by themselves are not a true measure of our progress.   Instead, what we do rather than what we say is a more accurate barometer.  When it comes to enlightenment, a spiritual ego trip is a temptation that needs to be avoided.

The 12-step program leads us through the process of admitting our powerlessness over addictive behaviors, turning them over to a Higher Power, confessing our dysfunctional patterns, and practicing a daily routine of honesty, humility, and accountability.  This rewarding personal transformation takes time and effort.  It is not a short course with a graduation and diploma at completion, but instead a lifetime endeavor.  

Walking this walk can be a fulfilling and humbling experience, but not one to make any follower or adherent an expert.  Arrogantly feeling superior as we stand on a soapbox bragging about our insights is a far cry from seeing ourselves as a flawed but improving work in progress.  It is only by studying each of the 12 steps and incorporating them into our daily practice that we gradually become role models for others.  But before that occurs, we must first learn to become a role model for ourselves.  Words alone are not enough. Recovery that lasts requires action.