AN OPEN MIND

An open mind is the foundation of recovery, as the Big Book makes clear in 'We Agnostics.' It says, 'When, therefore, we speak to you of a Higher Power, we mean you may evolve your own conception—all we ask is that you keep an open mind' [Page 47]. The book even addresses skeptics directly: 'If you are as skeptical as we were, let us assure you that many of us were just that way. We had to be open-minded to make the start' [Page 48]. Without willingness to consider a new way of living, we remain trapped in the hopeless cycle of active alcoholism. As it states in 'How It Works,' 'Remember that we deal with alcohol—cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But we must be entirely willing to seek that help' [Page 58]. An open mind is not about blind belief but about being teachable, ready to listen to the experience of others, and willing to try the suggested steps. This openness leads to the Promises, where we discover a new freedom and a new happiness [Page 83].