Listening for the Reality

When the twelfth stepper who took me to my first meeting arrived, I told her of my atheism and of my fear that maybe AA wasn't the answer for me. She said that AA's teachings are suggested, and the only requirement was a desire to stop drinking. She told me I could believe or disbelieve; I could accept or reject; I could find my own philosophy and make my own decisions. But above all, I could stay sober if I didn't drink and worked toward changing my behavior and the attitudes that kept me a drunk.