HOW IT WORKS: FACE YOUR FEAR, CHANGE YOUR LIFE
- facethyfear
- Mar 11
- 4 min read
(Big Book Pages 58-63 – FTF Breakdown)
I wrote this because I needed to hear it too. No matter how long I’ve been in recovery, every time I reread the Big Book, something new smacks me in the face. Especially pages 58-63.
Right now, I know someone struggling to hold even one day sober. And I know that feeling too well. Maybe this will help him. Maybe it’ll help you. Maybe it’ll even help me.
These pages aren’t just words. They’re a lifeline.
Before I go any further—I am only sharing my personal experience. The best way to understand AA is to attend a meeting and read the Big Book yourself. That’s where the real work happens.
"RARELY HAVE WE SEEN A PERSON FAIL..."
The section starts off with one of the realest lines in AA:
💥 "Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path."
That’s the promise. Not a maybe. Not a luck of the draw. Just straight-up facts. If we go all in, we don’t fail.
But the key word? THOROUGHLY.
Most of us—including me, once upon a time—don’t like that word. We want to do it halfway. We want to keep some control. We want to dip a toe in, but not dive in.
The Big Book keeps it real:
If you fail, it's usually because you won’t fully commit.
Some people just can’t be honest with themselves.
That second part? It hurts. But if we can’t keep it real with ourselves, how are we supposed to get better?
I used to lie to myself.Told myself I wasn’t that bad.Told myself I could figure it out on my own.Told myself I still had one more run left in me.
Spoiler alert: I didn’t.
The program doesn’t ask for perfection. It asks for willingness.That’s what makes the difference.
SELF-WILL RUN RIOT: THE REAL PROBLEM
One of the hardest truths to accept: THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER THE BOTTLE. THE PROBLEM WAS ME.
📖 Page 62:💀 "Selfishness—self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles."
Alcohol wasn’t the problem.Cocaine wasn’t the problem.Weed, pills, the whole lifestyle—none of it was the real problem.
It was ME. My thinking. My resentments. My fears.
I tried to run my life like I was the boss, the director, the one calling the shots. But every time I did? I crashed.
And when I couldn’t take the pain anymore, I reached for alcohol or drugs. Because they worked…until they didn’t.
That’s why AA doesn’t just tell us the problem—it gives us THE SOLUTION.
STEP THREE: TURNING IT OVER
📖 Page 63:
"God, I offer myself to Thee—to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt…"
This is where we let go. For real.
Not in a give-up way. In a real surrender way.
⚡ It doesn’t matter if you believe in God, a Higher Power, or just something bigger than yourself.⚡ What matters is being willing to stop trying to run everything and accept that maybe, just maybe, your way isn’t working.
I know what it’s like to hold on too tight.To be scared of letting go.To think if I just try harder, I can fix everything myself.
💥 That mindset almost killed me.
When I finally gave in, when I finally said “I can’t do this alone”—THAT'S when everything changed.
FOR ANYONE STRUGGLING TO HOLD ONE DAY
If you can’t hold more than one day sober, that doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re in a fight.
💡 And here’s the truth—this fight isn’t won with willpower.💡 It’s won with LETTING GO.
Read these pages. Sit with them. Ask yourself:✅ Am I truly willing to do whatever it takes?✅ Am I being honest with myself?✅ Am I ready to turn my will over and stop trying to control everything?
If you can’t answer YES to all of those, that’s okay. Just be honest about where you’re at.
That honesty might save your life.
This program works. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it.If you give yourself to it—THOROUGHLY AND COMPLETELY—you’ll see it too.
⚡ ONE DAY AT A TIME. ⚡
FINAL THOUGHTS
Every time I come back to these pages, they remind me why I’m still here.
The Big Book isn’t just words—it’s survival.
If you’re struggling, KEEP COMING BACK.If you’ve relapsed, COME BACK.If you don’t know if you believe in all this yet, COME BACK ANYWAY.
💀 FaceThyFear. Take it 24 hours at a time. 💀
DISCLAIMER:
This article is based on personal experience and reflections from Alcoholics Anonymous' Big Book (4th Edition, Pages 58-63). FaceThyFear is NOT affiliated with AA, nor is this an official AA publication. This content is meant to inspire and encourage those in recovery. If you are struggling with addiction, please seek professional help or attend an AA meeting near you.
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