Healing Addiction
Through God's Love

June is the 6th month of the calendar year and A.A. meetings all over the world will be discussing the 6th step and how to become entirely ready to have God remove our shortcomings. In the book, Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions, the first sentence in the chapter devoted to Step 6 reads, “This is the step that separates the men from the boys”. (Today we might also add, “separates the women from the girls”). In the June 4 reading in the book, “Daily Reflections” the writer for that page says, “The Sixth Step is the last “preparation” Step”. Both of the above quotes make it very clear that this is a very important point in the 12-step recovery process. We could even say that this is a turning point. In separating the men and women from the boys and girls I am assuming that the “men” and “women” are "Step 6 – “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”"

God in His wisdom selected the men of SOZO to be the messengers of His goodness. In selecting SOZO men to carry this amazing message of recovery, He did not go to the proud, the mighty, the famous or the brilliant. He went, instead, to the humble, to the sick, to the unfortunate. He Went directly to the addict/alcoholic, the so-called weakling of the world. Well might He have said to us……… “Unto your week and feeble hands, I have entrusted a power beyond estimate. To you has been given that which has been denied the most learned of your fellows. Not to scientists or statesmen, and even my priests, rabbis and ministers have I given this gift of healing other addicts and alcoholics—which I know entrusted YOU. This gift of recovery must be used unselfishly; it carries with it grave responsibility. No day can be too long; no demands "WHY WE WERE CHOSEN"

“My name is Bob and I’m an alcoholic”. I had been introducing myself in A.A. meetings in that manner for over thirty years before I set foot in the Hot Springs Village, Arkansas Church of Christ in July of 2014 and became part of their recovery ministry. Prior to that time, I had been Director of a large state-funded treatment program, where issues of “church and state” discouraged clients from bringing Bibles into the institution. As a longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous, I knew that the core principles of A.A. were taken straight from the Bible and, because of their 12-step process that produced a spiritual awakening in me and millions of others, I also knew that this faith-based worldwide fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous was the single greatest cure for addiction. Because of that fact, in creating the SOZO program, we wanted to blend the experience and wisdom contained in "HOW ONE CHURCH CONCREGATION MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ADDICTION"

Yesterday an Honors group of nurses from National Park College came to SOZO to give a class on the prevention of diabetes. Addict/alcoholics are a high-risk group for diabetes. The nursing team provided hand-outs regarding healthy meal planning. The SOZO men were most interested and appreciative of this wonderful community spirit from NPC. Bob O’Dowd, Executive Director