“Hi, my name is Tobi T and I am…”

The 9 words above are the reason these materials exist. No need to speak too much about my own addictions (notice the “s”; I’m a multi-platform winner) because this endeavor is about service. Service to my own recovery – because, as the rooms have taught me, “I am worth it” – and service to others because, as the rooms have taught me, it’s critical to carry this message to others who are still suffering.

But what is the message being carried?

Laughter heals. Smiles are necessary. Humor is a powerful and foundational ingredient of recovery. Et cetera…

My own rock bottom was so black, so dark, so right at the edge of suicide that there wasn’t a crack of laughing light anywhere to be found. But after working the twelve steps, I noticed something. I don’t know when it happened and I don’t know how it happened but suddenly my whole plight was ridiculous. Hysterically preposterous! Not the entirety, of course, but certainly my thinking. And if it wasn’t so tragic and painful, it would have been funny right away. But once the tragedy and pain began to calm down, the sunlight found in humor began to return.

Me: I’m a worthless piece of shit. God found that idea simply hilarious because it was so untrue. Of course, I believed the lie and found not a shred of humor in the sentiment.

Me: I’m a complete and total failure who had zero chance at forgiveness or redemption? Higher Power almost fell out of his chair laughing at how side-splittingly wrong I was about myself and my life. Yet, me, I was too deep in the fog of my addiction to hear anything other than these falsehoods.

Fact is, I held a thousand delusionary stories about me and another ten thousand nutball stories about others that were just flat out warped. 

Me: I’m such a reprehensible low-life I don’t even deserve to laugh or smile or even feel good at all.

Talk about sick! That was me. But now it’s not. Why? Because of the 12 steps.(NOTE: When I say “and now it’s not” I mean at least not nearly as much; I’ll always be an addict with stinkin’ thinkin’.)

3 Big Takeaway Points:

• I had no idea how much I needed to smile. 
• I had no idea how healing smiles could be to my life. 
• I had no idea how many others felt the exact same way about themselves as I did.

So that’s how 12 Step Smiles was born and this is why 12 Step Smiles exists. The mission is simple: bring a smile into the heart of someone who is suffering from addiction and allow the magic of humor to be a vehicle that helps them along on their journey of recovery.

YOU CAN HELP! And I hope you do help. Go ahead, ask HP right now if you should help. It doesn’t cost a nickel. It’s actually quite simple to assist the mission: just share these offerings.

Spread the word, spread the smiles, spread the recovery. After all, if you made it this far into reading this material you 1) are probably in recovery yourself and 2) probably know someone who is also in recovery that could benefit from a small taste of joy. 

Please share these smiles with others. 

Beyond that, take what you like, leave the rest. Oh yeah, keep coming back because it works if you work it and you’re worth it.

In gratitude,

Tobi T