I remember reading a book by E.M. James called The Journey Beyond Dances.  My recall of the book may not reflect the whole story, but the idea was about an addict that was starting down the road to recovery.

The story goes something like this.  An addict needs to find recovery.  A friend gives the addict a coat to get them started.  They head out on the road and as they finish each step, they add a button to help keep the coat closed.  As they go along the roads there are many who help guide them if they step off the pavement.  At one point they look down and realize they have lost a button.  They need to go back to get another.  There are people there to help them put the button back on the coat.  As they walk down the road, they talk to many along side and hear experience, strength and hope as they go.  After doing their work and collecting all twelve buttons the addict feels very different, nice and warm rather than being left out in the cold.

This allegory is a simple story about the work of doing the twelve steps.  The coat represents the realization we must change, and we need help.   The road is the road to recovery.   There are many bumps and curves along the road, but if we stay on the road, we are making progress.  There are many in the groups and our sponsor that help keep us on the road.  We need to share with others to learn more about the experience, strength and hope of the recovery program.  If we stop along the way, we need to learn from the stoppage and keep going.  Progress, not perfection, but progress just the same.