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In this podcast, we ask the question... What does it mean to do "The next right thing?"

While they were drinking and using to excess, addicts ended up violating all the values they once held dear: honesty, kindness, integrity, hard work, playing by the rules, regard for others and for society as a whole.

Now comes the easy part for those who really want to stop the abuse - putting down the substance.

The hard part is to change the thinking, for as we hear in AA meetings: "We don't have a drinking problem, we have a thinking problem".

This is how we deal with the thinking problem:

1. What happens is that addicts in recovery re-discover their conscience, and for many, this is a mighty troublesome event. What they did in the past starts to haunt them and they begin to beat themselves up.
2. It is explained to them that they were in the grip of a powerful disease that compelled them to do some things that they now tearfully regret.
3. It is also explained that there is no point in staring at the video, but it is good to learn from it. They are not off the hook, however; at some point, they will have to own up to what they did and make amends.
4. Which leads to living and staying clean and sober one day at a time. Now that they have their conscience back up and active, they can but simply Do the Next Right Thing, and if they have a doubt, that's what a sponsor is for.