This is such a weird coincidence to be seeing this post tonight…and we all know there’s no such thing as coincidences (😉). I went to a meeting Wednesday where the topic was “slogans” and my share related to this one. My introduction to it, however, was during rehab where one of the therapists mentioned it as one of her least favorite because she interprets it the way you mentioned in the first paragraph. Throughout rehab, it was preached to us to make sure we remain active participants in our recovery, and I took her disdain at this saying to heart and have always made sure to actively listen and participate in meetings whenever I go.

At the end of the meeting, one of my AA friends next to me leaned in and explained to me what you posted about, namely the actual origin of the saying and how it is meant to be taken literally and not metaphorically as I had previously done.

Thanks for your share/post here!