I’ve been going to 12-step groups for the past 18 months to find recovery from my emotional addictions.<\/p>\n
An integral part of meetings is the “share.” Many meetings will have a lead speaker who’ll give a share from 8-15 minutes on average. He’ll talk about how his addictions ruined his life and how he found recovery through working the program. <\/p>\n
A good share is brutally honest. The person talks about his own struggles and which specific parts of the program helped him. A mediocre share is filled with advice-giving, theory and quotations from spiritual masters.<\/p>\n
Advice-giving is not the 12-step way. Instead people are encouraged to speak about their own experience and to not give cross-talk commentary on others shares.<\/p>\n
Two months ago, for the first time, I was asked to give the lead share. Then a couple of weeks ago, I walked into a meeting and five minutes before it was due to start, I was asked if I would mind substituting for the scheduled speaker who couldn’t make it.<\/p>\n
On my first talk, I had a few days to prepare. This time I had but a few minutes. My talk wasn’t as smooth, but I just spoke from the heart, shared what I had struggled with, and related how I had worked the 12-steps and which ones were the most difficult for me, starting with step one. <\/p>\n
I grew up a preacher’s kid. I heard hundreds of sermons. Some were inspiring, some were boring. Right now, I prefer the 12-step share where people open up about how their addictions have destroyed their lives and then describe how a power greater than themselves restored them to sanity. <\/p>\n
As a writer, I rarely feel comfortable prescribing for others. I’m much more comfortable sharing my own struggles and things that have helped me. Take it or leave it. Your mileage may vary.<\/p>\n
My personality, my writing style, my life position, all feel much more comfortable with sharing rather than preaching. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I’ve been going to 12-step groups for the past 18 months to find recovery from my emotional addictions. An integral part of meetings is the “share.” Many meetings will have a lead speaker who’ll give a share from 8-15 minutes … Continue reading