Purpose is a big word. The greatest minds in history have been trying to answer this question for ages. But for alcoholics and addicts like us, purpose may be a lot easier to come by than we thought.
What Is Purpose?
The dictionary defines the word purpose as “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” It’s very common and very human to seek purpose. We want to know the purpose of our existence — the reason why we’re here. We want to know the reason why we do the things we do. We want to understand the purpose of all that we do and all that we are.
There are many other seekers of purpose who have taken their best guess at the reason for existence. Some find it in religion, others in science. Some find purpose in giving, others in achieving. There are so many answers to the riddle of purpose that we’ll never run out of things to try or choose.
Yet, as alcoholics and addicts in recovery, we’re given clear answers to this age-old question. We’re told point-blank the purpose of life, recovery, and the 12-Steps and the fellowship that accompanies them. We’re given a leg up that nobody gets unless they’re in a 12-Step recovery community.
The Purpose of the 12-Steps and Fellowship
We all have similar reasons for seeking out the rooms of recovery. Our lives are in shambles. We simply can’t take it anymore. We’re at the end of our rope, and we need help. We’re on the verge of losing everything, and we need an answer. Whatever our specific reason may be, we reach out to the 12-Step program of recovery for help in dealing with our alcoholism and addiction. We come here in hopes of finding a solution for our disease and a way to rebuild ourselves and our lives.
Luckily, we find exactly that in the 12-Steps and the recovery lifestyle. We also find a fellowship and a recovery community, the likes of which we never knew existed. We find an organized program of individuals in recovery who work the 12-Steps and take the actions necessary to keep the recovery fellowship thriving. Maybe we aren’t sure exactly why this fellowship is necessary at first. Still, we quickly realize that it would be nearly impossible to maintain recovery without meetings, sponsors, and service opportunities. We need each other, the fellowship, and the 12-Step group itself.
The purpose of this program of recovery is to give alcoholics and addicts access to the meetings and sponsorship that will allow them to take the 12-Steps. The 12-Steps produce the necessary psychic change and vital spiritual experience that make recovery possible. This whole system has its own purpose, as it says in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” As a group of alcoholics and addicts in recovery, our purpose is to carry the message of recovery to other alcoholics and addicts wherever we go and to embody the principles behind the 12-Steps in everything we do.
The Purpose of Our Recovery
Just as the 12-Step community has a purpose of its very own, so does our individual recovery. Of course, we are responsible for fulfilling the purpose of the 12-Step program — it is up to us to carry the message and practice the principles in all our affairs. But we have a personal, individual purpose that is all our own. We all have different goals for our recovery, yet many of us may still seek a purpose beyond just getting our lives together. The book Alcoholics Anonymous says, “At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us.”
Of course, most of us find that working the 12-Step program and living the recovery lifestyle helps put our lives in order. The 12-Steps also help us find freedom and recovery from alcoholism. But these are the results of the 12-Steps. The purpose of our journey in the 12-Steps is to become of maximum service to our higher power and our fellow human beings. We may know what we want out of recovery, but if we ever wonder about the why of recovery, this is it. Our recovery will give us a life beyond our wildest dreams, as long as we remember our purpose — to be of maximum service to others.
The Purpose of Our Life
The purpose of each of our lives on a private and personal level is totally up to us. We may find the answer and the meaning wherever we wish. It can be whatever we’d like it to be. At Jaywalker Lodge, we firmly believe that recovery is not about paying for our past in addiction but about the promise of a beautiful future. As the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says, “We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.”
The purpose of the 12-Step fellowship is to carry the message of recovery to alcoholics and addicts as we practice the principles behind the 12-Steps in all we do. The purpose of our individual recovery is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to our higher power and our fellow human beings. The purpose of our lives is uniquely up to us — it can be whatever we want it to. Suffering from the disease of alcoholism and addiction often robs us of our life’s purpose or takes us far off course. The 12-Step program of recovery can offer a solution to alcoholism and addiction. Once in recovery, we are free to reconnect to our purpose in life and pursue it fully. At Jaywalker Lodge, we believe that recovery is about freedom, happiness, joy, meaning, and purpose. Recovery is all about living a beautiful life and helping others. Few things make a better purpose than helping others at every chance and being the best version of ourselves that we can be. If you’re ready to begin, call Jaywalker Lodge now at (866) 529-9255.
