Daily Reflection

AUGUST 15
DIDN'T WE HURT ANYBODY?
Some of us, though, tripped over a very different snag. We
clung to the claim that when drinking we never hurt
anybody but ourselves.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 79
This Step seemed so simple. I identified several people
whom I had harmed, but they were no longer available.
Still, I was uneasy about the Step and avoided
conversations dealing with it. In time I learned to
investigate those Steps and areas of my life which made me
uncomfortable. My search revealed my parents, who had
been deeply hurt by my isolation from them; my employer,
who worried about my absences, my memory lapses, my
temper; and the friends I had shunned, without explanation.
As I faced the reality of the harm I had done, Step Eight
took on new meaning. I am no longer uncomfortable and I
feel clean and light.