We are codependents who have recovered. Our obsession has been removed. We do not have to be shielded from temptation with people and our relationships. We do not manage triggers or attempt to control others' behavior. We have ceased fighting anything or anyone, and we feel safe and protected. We are not absorbed with people-pleasing, nor are we relying on others and our relationships for our sense of self-worth and well-being. In our codependency, we demonstrated a variety of codependent behaviors, but in recovery, we are restored to sanity by following precise instructions and applying specific principles in all areas of our lives.

We started the journey with a desire to develop healthy and loving relationships, and although our paths of self-discovery led us to a greater awareness of our codependent behaviors, we were unable to find recovery through human efforts and self-knowledge. Our recovery was not accomplished by traditional methods commonly used today. We found freedom only by following the original, precise instructions for a 12 Step program as outlined by the pioneers in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. By applying the specific principles suggested by the pioneers of the 12 Step program, we have found freedom from our codependency. This is the method with which we have found success, and therefore, since this is what worked for us, this is all that we are humbly equipped to pass along.

The spiritual principles are simple, but the process was not easy or soft. The program felt difficult at times, because we were asked to humble ourselves and take actions that we didn't always like. However, we chose to work the Steps, because we had no alternatives or hope of recovery by other methods. We tested our options and failed. If we were to find freedom from our codependent behaviors and obsession around other people and our relationships, we had to give ourselves completely to this program. We let go of our old ideas, which were only serving to keep us stuck in our codependency, and decided to adopt a new way of life based on the methods espoused by the pioneers of the 12 Step program.

We have recovered from codependency by following the spiritual principles and precise instructions for a 12 Step program as outlined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, and we continue to experience the promises of recovery so long as we stay in fit spiritual condition by remaining rigorously honest and persisting in the program of action. This way of life grants us a daily reprieve from our obsession around other people, and it enables us to develop healthy and loving relationships under the guidance of our Higher Power. We have better, saner lives filled with new meaning and a real purpose. This gift was freely given to us, and we freely pass along that with which we have found success, extending our hand in service to other struggling co-dependents who are looking for a new way of life.