Now and then, an AA discussion focuses on the theme of “returning to the basics.” This is a good time to shake out the excessive concerns that might be cluttering up our lives.

No matter how long we’ve been living in sobriety, we can never afford to dismiss the basic reasons we came to AA in the first place. We had made a mess of our lives, and no human power could relieve our alcoholism. By accepting and admitting this, we were able to find a new way of life.

This was also our admission ticket to the larger society, where people are concerned about many things. We sometimes become too caught up in all these concerns, even to the extent of forgetting our own needs. It’s good, occasionally, to focus a meeting on AA basics. They are as essential today as they were when we first knew that we needed them.

I’ll remind myself today that the basics give me a firm foundation on which to stand.