Anyone can talk about gratitude but no can understand gratitude more than an addict in recovery. Sobriety is synonymous with gratitude.

No matter how many times we study a step we find something meaningful. Or sometimes we are reminded of how we felt and worked the step for the first time.

We celebrate our mothers one day a year. I would like to dedicate the entire month to them and to focus on the relationships we share or have shared with them. Men, this is for you, too. A son-mother relationship may be different but moms are still moms.

Tradition Five states the groups primary purpose. But what can we do as individuals to carry the message? Does going to "any lengths" to stay sober include reaching out to others? Has your "any lengths" changed in recovery?

No one in recovery can afford to be arrogant and believe they will never relapse. But why some people get a taste of sobriety and continue to go in and out any number of times still evades me. I understand it yet can't comprehend it. It's about being human. It has to be.

Not everyone in recovery has a kind and gentle nature. Our own human nature sometimes becomes dominant in our abiities to stay sober and to help others.