“You have admitted certain defects; you have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; you have put your finger on the weak items in your personal inventory.” — Alcoholics Anonymous
“Drop the Rock” is one of those catchy AA phrases. But what exactly is the rock?
For us, it was like having a giant boulder chained around our necks. It was packed full of self-willed character defects—the anger, the resentments, the lust, the greed, and the absolute selfishness that shows up whenever life starts changing in ways we don't like. It's all the stuff we use to protect our personal reality—our alcoholic perception of things—while ignoring life on life's terms.
It's our rock.
The problem is, it's been hanging around our necks for so long that we've gotten used to the struggle. We've dragged it through relationships, jobs, meetings, and every other part of life. After enough years, it starts to feel normal. We have a hard time imagining what life would even look like without it.
Step Six starts changing that.
It helps move us from self-centeredness to self-awareness. Self-centeredness says, "I'm going to change you to fit my way." Self-awareness says, "I'm going to change me so I can fit into reality."
We don't have to throw the whole rock away in one afternoon. We just become willing. We loosen our grip. We stop defending every defect like it's part of our personality. Little by little, the weight starts coming off.
Turns out, carrying that thing wasn't strength. It was exhaustion.
Are we starting to drop the rock, or are we still decorating it and calling it part of who we are?
