First things First

It is truly amazing how often alcoholics fail to keep their priorities in order.  So often we let material concerns, personal relationships, legal matters, etc., get in the way of the pursuit of sobriety.  The fact that makes this amazing is that the failure to keep sobriety number one leads to the possibility of losing everything including our lives.

Even those who try to help us professionally, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other counselors, fail to fully understand that the most significant priority for any alcoholic on any given day is the s/he not drink or take other drugs.  With a firm grip on sobriety through practicing the principles of A.A., we can tackle the family problems, the job difficulties, the financial issues, the personal growth issues.  Without first things first there will be nothing else.

By putting the practices and principles of A.A. first many of the problems which have been created by our drinking and taking drugs resolve themselves.  It is not the other way around!  Our frequent lament was if you had my husband, my job, etc., youl'd drink too.  It was always people, places and things for us.  The professional's refrain was that with the resolution of these personal problems our drinking would become spontaneously normal.  Drinking was merely a symptom.  Both of these viewpoints are incorrect.

It is only when drinking and taking drugs are out of our lives and a measure of sobriety has been attained and sustained that we can look at what else is going on in our lives.  Remember what is number one: that we won't drink and we won't take drugs.  Then there will always be a priority number two, three, etc.