July 31, 2022 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Sunday, July 31, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Growth

Growth itself contains the germ of happiness. — Pearl S. Buck

When we’re out of sorts with everyone and everything, and we realize that we’re the one who needs to change, that’s growth.

When we mind our own business and don’t take the inventory of another, that’s growth.

When we don’t expect anyone to change their opinion simply because it differs from ours, that’s growth.

When we think we’re right at one moment then are proven wrong the next, and are happy about it because we’ve learned something, that’s growth.

When we are as happy about another’s progress as we are about our own, that’s growth.

When we welcome each new day instead of dreading it, that’s growth.

I used to seek happiness in material things and overdependence on other people. Now growth itself is happiness.

Hazelden Foundation

July 31, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Sunday, July 31, 2022

“The old (drinking) pattern reasserted itself, but it was no longer once every six months. The intervals grew shorter. The binges were longer. They were harder to get off. …
“That type of drinking is not pleasant. It is no longer enjoyable. You no longer get the kicks. It is desperation drinking. I was drinking to keep away the shakes …I was drinking to try to hold on to a job, to try and hold on to my home, to try to hold on to my wife, to try to hold on to my sanity.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Part III (“They Lost Nearly All”), Ch 8 (“Desperation Drinking”), p 514.

Today, honesty to accept that I am in deep trouble if drinking is my answer to any desperation I feel – be it a situation I desperately want not to face, or the talk with my spouse, partner or employer, the constantly ringing telephone that I will not answer because someone might be calling about my drinking or some problem it has caused. If drinking is my solution to any problem in my life, let me hear the voices of experience that my solution has become a crisis bigger than the problem I’m avoiding. And if I have not drank for any significant number of 24 Hours, chances are I now cannot remember the problem I drank to avoid. But in drinking, I and I alone created my life’s single direst crises that was far worse than any problem I faced sober. Today, alcohol will not be my solution to any problem that I may encounter. My answer is the Twelve Steps. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

July 31, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Sunday, July 31, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
This leaves only one day – today. Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burden of those two awful eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives us mad. It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday or the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore do our best to live but one day at a time.

Am I living one day at a time?

Meditation for the Day
Give God the gift of a thankful heart. Try to see causes of thankfulness in your everyday life. When life seems hard and troubles crowd, then look for some reasons for thankfulness. There is nearly always something you can be thankful for. The offering of thanksgiving is indeed a sweet incense going up to God throughout a busy day. Seek diligently for something to be glad and thankful about. You will acquire in time the habit of blessings. Each new day some new cause for joy and gratitude will spring to your mind and you will thank God sincerely.

Prayer for the Day
I pray for a truly thankful heart. I pray that I may be constantly reminded of causes for sincere gratitude.

Hazelden Foundation

July 31, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time
Sunday, July 31, 2022

Reflection for the Day
One of the most serious consequences of the me-me-me syndrome is that we lose touch with practically everyone around us – not to mention reality itself. The essence of self-pity is total self-absorption, and it feeds on itself. Rather than ignore such an emotional state – or deny that we’re in it – we need to pull out of our self-absorption, stand back, and take a good honest look at ourselves. Once we recognize self-pity for what it is, we can begin to do something about it.

Am I living in the problem rather than the answer?

Today I Pray
I pray that my preoccupation with self, which is wound up tight as a Maypole, may unwind itself and let its streamers fly again for others to catch and hold. May the thin, familiar wail of me-me-me become a chorus of us-us-us, as we in the fellowship pick apart our self-fullness and look at it together.

Today I Will Remember
Change me-me-me to us-us-us.

Hazelden Foundation

July 31, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Sunday, July 31, 2022

In our drinking days, we were ready to take a poke at anyone who suggested we couldn’t handle our “likker.” It was a very sore spot with us, as we all kidded ourselves into believing that our over-indulgence was a well-guarded secret when, actually, we knew it was not.

Upon our entrance in AA, we soon made a public confession of our alcoholism and, to our surprise, we lost some of the sense of stigma and we could learn to laugh at our affliction and at ourselves. Our sense of guilt was lessened by our acknowledgment of its existence.

Hazelden Foundation

July 31, 2022 – Good morning to a nice ‘n smooth and gorgeous Sunday

 

Time to rise ‘n shine for a quiet and serene Sunday, and here’s a cute little pussy kitty to help get you in a good mood

July 30, 2022 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 Saturday, July 30, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. — Aldous Huxley

This is a hard concept for us addicts to get. We believed avoidance was a form of self-care. Our illness depended on our ability to deny its existence. Only when we were bleeding out of every pore of our body were we willing to admit that maybe there was a slight problem. We were afraid of the facts. To face the facts meant dealing with betraying our illness. It meant admitting we were lost and in need of help from others.

Recovery, from Step One onward, is about confronting our issues straight on. We take personal inventory a lot in order to break through our denial and bond with the truth. We face, directly when possible, the people we have hurt because the fact is we have hurt many, and we have a responsibility to try to help heal these wounds. As we do these actions, we watch ourselves become stronger. Our confidence — not arrogance — grows. Do we always like facing the facts? No! But our lives aren’t based only on feelings anymore. They are based on doing the next right thing.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, with your help and guidance I can break through my wall of denial. Show me the things I need to face.

Today’s Action

Sometime during the day, I will sit down and make a list of issues I am avoiding. I’ll commit to talking with my sponsor about what is on the list.

Hazelden Foundation

July 30, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Saturday, July 30, 2022

Today, I realize the character defects identified in my Fourth Step probably existed before my drinking days and that alcohol simply developed them to their destructive zenith. My Sixth and Seventh steps of first admitting to God that I am powerless and then asking Him to remove my defects assume paramount honesty in my recovery because I am likely to be challenged to release defects that have had a lifetime to take root – more than those that flourished in my drinking days. And if my defects are lifelong, simply not drinking will not give me the recovery and quality of sobriety for which I strive. Today, I am an alcoholic, and abstaining from drinking is not enough. I consider myself a part of AA and, today, as I talk the talk, I will walk the walk. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

July 30, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Saturday, July 30, 2022

AA Thought for the Day

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise, and perhaps its poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is as yet unborn.

Do I still worry too much about tomorrow?

Meditation for the Day

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is not seeing, but believing. Down through the ages, there have always been those who obeyed the heavenly vision, not seeing but believing in God. And their faith was rewarded. So shall it be to you. Good things will happen to you. You cannot see God, but you can see the results of faith in human lives, changing them from defeat to victory. God’s grace is available to all who have faith – not seeing, but believing. With faith, life can be victorious and happy.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may have faith enough to believe without seeing. I pray that I may be content with the results of my faith.

Hazelden Foundation

July 30, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time
Saturday, July 30, 2022

Reflection for the Day
When we first come to The Program, the most common variety of self-pity begins:“Poor me! Why can’t I (fill in your own addiction) like everybody else? Why me?” Such bemoaning, if allowed to persist, is a surefire invitation for a long walk off a short pier – right back to the mess we were in before we came to The Program. When we stick around The Program for a while, we discover that it’s not just “me” at all; we become involved with people, from all walks of life, who are in exactly the same boat.

Am I losing interest in my comfortably familiar “pity pot?”

Today I Pray
When self-pity has me droopy and inert, may I look up, look around and perk up. Self-pity, God wills, vanishes in the light of other people’s shared troubles. May I always wish for friends honest enough to confront me if they see me digging my way back down into my old pity pit.

Today I Will Remember
Turn self-involvement into involvement.

Hazelden Foundation

July 30, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Saturday, July 30, 2022

No pleasures of our drinking days even compensated for those horrible nights of wakeful tossing. The interminable pacing the floor; those night sweats; the endless hours when we couldn’t sleep and at the same time dreaded falling asleep. The hours that seemed to stretch into eternity as we lay in bed with remorse as a bedfellow. Then the Hell of the goof-balls that made our nights better and our days worse.

The physical pain we might have endured for many more years, but the anguish of the heart and soul was unendurable.

Hazelden Foundation

July 30, 2022 – Good morning and let’s get down with the super Saturday groove

 

Good morning and here are marching orders to get out there and make it a fabulous Saturday

July 29, 2022 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Friday, July 29, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Directness

So much of our communication can reflect our need to control. We say what we think others want to hear. We try to keep others from getting angry, feeling afraid, going away, or disliking us. But our need to control traps us into feeling like victims and martyrs.

Freedom is just a few words away. Those words are our truths. We can say what we need to say. We can gently, but assertively, speak our mind.

Let go of your need to control. We do not need to be judgmental, tactless, blaming, or cruel when we speak our truths. Neither do we need to hide our light. Let go, and freely be who you are.

Today, I will be honest with myself and others, knowing that if I don’t, my truth will come out some other way.

Hazelden Foundation

July 29, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Friday, Jan. 29, 2022

Today, if I am holding onto a resentment that I have turned over to my Higher Power but taken back, I will do what the Program suggests: pray daily for two weeks for the target of my resentment. We are promised by the Program to receive serenity and freedom from the character defects that weigh us down. No defect that weighs us down is stronger than resentment. Today, I’ll give the Program’s suggestion to pray for the person I resent a try, however grudgingly, and admit my prayers aren’t totally altruistic. They are actually for me …because the person I resent nor anyone else is worth the mental and physical cost of holding and feeding my resentment and anger. Enough is enough: no more empowering someone else to mess with my recovery and serenity and live in my brain rent-free. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

July 29, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Friday, Jan. 29, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
What a load wasting money puts on your shoulders! They say that members of AA have paid the highest initiation fee of any club members in the world, because we’ve wasted so much money on liquor. We’ll never be able to figure out how much it was. We not only wasted our own money, but also the money we should have spent on our families. When you come into AA, that terrible load of wasted money falls off your shoulders. We alcoholics were getting round-shouldered from carrying all those loads that drinking put on our shoulders. But when we come into AA, we get a wonderful feeling of release and freedom.

Can I throw back my shoulders and look the whole world in the face again?

Meditation for the Day
I believe that the future is in the hands of God. He knows better than I what the future holds for me. I am not at the mercy of fate or buffeted about by life. I am being led in a very definite way, as I try to rebuild my life. I am the builder, but God is the architect. It is mine to build as best I can, under His guidance.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may depend on God, since He has planned my life. I pray that I may live my life as I believe God wants me to live it.

Hazelden Foundation

July 29, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time
Friday, Jan. 29, 2022

Reflection for the Day
I used to imagine my life as a grotesque abstract painting; a montage of crises framed by end-upon-end catastrophies. My days all were grey and my thoughts grayer still. I was haunted by dread and nameless fears. I was filled with self-loathing. I had no idea who I was, what I was or why I was. I miss none of those feelings. Today, step by step, I am discovering myself and learning that I can be free to be me.

Am I grateful for my new life? Have I taken the time to thank God today for the fact that I am clean and sober – and alive?

Today I Pray
May calm come to me after the turmoil and nightmares of the past. As my fears and self-hatred dissipate, may the things of the spirit replace them. For in the spiritual world, as in the material world, there is no empty space. May I be filled with the spirit of my Higher Power.

Today I Will Remember
Morning scatters nightmares.

Hazelden Foundation

July 29, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Friday, Jan. 29, 2022

On that awful day when the world had toppled about us, when all hope had departed and only wild desperation remained, then was the night darkest and nearest was the dawn. At this darkest hour, we “hit our bottom.” There was no way to go but UP.

As dawn follows darkness in Nature’s scheme, so darkness follows again in its turn. All things, save God, are transitory and what one day can bring, another day can take away. Let us not feel too secure in our sobriety, for darkness will come in the regular course of events, and we must be sure we have provided ourselves with the Light which will enable us to keep our footing on the slippery paths ahead.

Hazelden Foundation

July 29, 2022 – Good morning with a genuine smile for this happy Friday

 

Good morning and to get you in happy mode, here’s a cute puppy dog with a gorgeous face

July 28, 2022 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Wisdom arises from the sharing of concerned, intelligent people. — Rev. Bob McClendon

Most meetings circulate a phone list. The people who have put their phone numbers there want us to call them. An important part of working their program is “giving it away to keep it.” The point is they need us as badly as we need them; the help goes both ways.

Why call? Because these are sharing, caring, supportive people — people who will say, “You don’t have to go it alone unless you choose to. Please don’t. We can’t choose for you, but we want you to know we understand, we love you, and we are here.”

As hard as it is for most of us to start using that phone list, it is a vital element in our support system. If we need to talk, we shouldn’t hesitate to pick up the phone.

I will use my group’s roster list, understanding the one I call may need to share with me as badly as I need to share.

Hazelden Foundation

July 28, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Thursday, July 28, 2022

Today, abstaining from drinking is not enough in recovery. Alcoholism is a three-level disease – physical, emotional, and spiritual. While not drinking is certainly a beginning, it is not the end. Not drinking will improve the physical ravages only but not the psychological and spiritual damage. It is for treatment of the emotional and spiritual that we have a recovery program. Here, we are given the tools to undo the damage we have done and, when repair isn’t possible, how to accept our mistakes, forgive ourselves even when no one else does and move toward sobriety. Without that treatment we are less sober and more likely a dry drunk. Today, I accept that not drinking by itself is not enough to attain the sobriety and quality of the life I seek. Today, I pick up and begin to use the Program’s 12 Steps of recovery. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

July 28, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Thursday, July 28, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
To continue the paraphrase of the psalm: “The judgments of the twelve steps are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than whiskey, yea, than much fine whiskey, sweeter also than wine. Moreover, by them are alcoholics warned and in keeping of them there is great reward. Who can understand our alcoholism? Cleanse us from secret faults. Keep us from presumptuous resentments. Let them not have dominion over us. Then shall we be upright and free of the great transgression.”

Am I resolved that liquor will never again have dominion over me?

Meditation for the Day
God can be your shield. Then no problems of the world can harm you. Between you and all scorn and indignity from others is your trust in God, like a shining shield. Nothing can then have the power to spoil your inward peace. With this shield, you can attain this inward peace quickly, in your surroundings as well as in your heart. With this inward peace, you do not need to resent the person who troubles you. Instead, you can overcome the resentment in your own mind which may have been aroused by that person.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may strive for inward peace. I pray that I may not be seriously upset, no matter what happens around me.

Hazelden Foundation

July 28, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time
Thursday, July 28, 2022

Reflection for the Day
We learn the value of meditation in The Program. As the beginning of the Eleventh Step suggests, we seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him. One of the great values of meditation is that it clears the mind. And as the mind becomes clearer, it becomes more capable and willing to acknowledge the truth. Less pain is required to force honest recognition of defects and their results. The real needs of the whole person are revealed.

Are prayer and meditation a regular part of my daily living?

Today I Pray
May God’s truths be revealed to me through meditation and these small prayers, through contact with my group which keeps me mindful of my need to clear my mind with daily meditation. For only an uncluttered mind can receive God; only a mind cleansed of self-interest can acknowledge the truth.

Today I Will Remember
Meditation is a mind-cleanser.

Hazelden Foundation

July 28, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Thursday, July 28, 2022

In AA, we must of necessity make the best use of our time. The hours must be allocated to our various affairs in proportion to their importance. We now have so many responsibilities we did not have in our drinking days.

If we wisely divide our time between our duties to our families, our jobs, our community, our God and getting our own lives in order, we will find little time left for worry, fear, self-pity or envy.

Hazelden Foundation

July 28, 2022 – Good morning and plan on a stupendous Thursday

 

Good morning and let’s greet this beautiful Thursday with gratitude for the chance to make today count for something good

July 27, 2022 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

I’ve trust enough in all that’s happened in my life, the unexpected love and gentleness that rushes in to fill the arid spaces in my heart. — Tim Dlugos

We sometimes think that it’s up to us to solve whatever problems we encounter and to find immediate solutions. We forget the humility of trust: trust that we’re not in charge of everything, trust in others’ capacity for healing in their own time and in their own way, trust in our own capacity to receive the love and sustenance in which our world abounds.

Our spirits thrive, not because we’ve found a reason for everything or because we’ve gotten our own way at last, but because at least for this moment we’ve surrendered. Our Higher Power’s guidance will take us on the next step of the journey. This day will sustain and surprise us.

Trust that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Today, I trust the process of my life.

Hazelden Foundation

July 27, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Wednesday, July 27, 2022

“What is this power that AA possesses? This curative power? I don’t know what it is. I suppose the doctor might say, ‘This is psychosomatic medicine.’ I suppose the psychiatrist might say, ‘This is benevolent interpersonal relations.’ I suppose others would say, ‘This is group psychotherapy.’
To me, it is God.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Part II (“They Stopped in Time”), Ch 6 (“Physician, Heal Thyself!”), p 352.

Today, how many more voices of experience must I hear until I simply consider the possibility of a Higher Power if I am still struggling with the concept? If I continue to listen skeptically to the many voices of those who have recovered by giving their will to a Higher Power, maybe I can simply trust the AA command to “Keep It Simple” – simply take a leap of nothing but blind faith that something as good can exist if something as evil as alcohol can bring me to my knees. But if I still resist those voices of experience, hopefully I can muster the honesty to see that doing things my way hasn’t worked and that maybe something outside myself can do a better job. Today, I seek if nothing else the blind faith to trust the voices of experience or, at least, my own history of not doing such a great job on my own. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

July 27, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, July 27, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
To paraphrase the psalm: “We alcoholics declare the power of liquor and drunkenness showeth its handiwork. Day unto day uttereth hangovers and night unto night showeth suffering. The law of AA is perfect, converting the drunk. The testimony of AA is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of AA are right, rejoicing the heart. The program of AA is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the first drink is clean, enduring forever.”

Have I any doubt about the power of liquor?

Meditation for the Day
“Walk humbly with thy Lord.” Walking with God means practicing the presence of God in your daily affairs. It means asking God for strength to face each new day. It means turning to Him often during the day in prayer for yourself and for other people. It means thanking Him at night for the blessings you have received during the day. Nothing can seriously upset you if you are “walking with God.” You can believe that He is beside you in spirit, to help you and to guide you on your way.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may try to walk humbly with God. I pray that I may turn to Him often as to a close friend.

Hazelden Foundation

July 27, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Reflection for the Day
Over and over, I see that those who make the best and steadiest progress in The Program are those who readily accept the help of a Higher Power. Once they can do that, it’s easier for them to get out of their own way. Their problems then seem to resolve themselves in a way that is beyond human understanding.

Do I realize that the effectiveness with which I use the consciousness of God in my daily life depends not on Him, but on me?

Today I Pray
May I know that my recovery and growth depend on my being in touch with my Higher Power, not just once in a while, but always. It means turning to that Power several times a day to ask for strength and knowledge of His will. When I understand that my own life is part of a Higher Plan, I will be less apt to trip and fall, head off in the wrong direction, or just to sit tight and let life pass me by.

Today I Will Remember
To be God-conscious.

Hazelden Foundation

July 27, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Everything you can buy with money will either die, rot, wither, evaporate or decay. There is nothing you can purchase that will surely last as long as you will, unless it be bad health.

Friends can be bought, not with money, but by a liberal expenditure of yourself. A dollar is a poor weapon to fight off real troubles.

God is Good and the truly Good things of this life were put here on earth for our use by Him and not one of them carries a price tag.

Hazelden Foundation

July 27, 2022 – Good morning and let’s make the best of another magnificent Wednesday

 

Good morning and let’s be content with the good in this beautiful Wednesday and put aside all worries, fears and insecurities

July 26, 2022 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

He wanted to hold onto his fury, to guard it like a treasure. He would not let it be stolen from him. But already, he felt it slipping, softened by Ben’s compassionate touch. — Joe Johnston and Nilo Rodis-Jamero

The glassblower is an artist who takes broken glass and melts it in a very hot furnace. Then the glassblower blows through a long tube and creates objects such as cups and plates and pieces of art.

The sharp edges of our anger are like pieces of broken glass. We all have things in our lives that anger us — it is only human to bump into our sharp edges. One edge might be crabby, another silent and withdrawn, and still another yelling and screaming.

The heat of love and compassion can melt our anger. This may take the form of sympathy for ourselves, or for the people we love. More often, it is the compassion of those around us that helps melt our anger. Sometimes saying I’m sorry is a good way to melt anger and find the love underneath it.

What beauty can I create with my anger today?

Hazelden Foundation

July 26, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Tuesday, July 26, 2022

” …(T)his program is not for sissies for …it takes a man to make the grade. It is not too difficult nor easy to grasp. I have had many more reasons to drink since I have been in AA than I had in all the years of my drinking. I’ve had more problems but, thank God, I have had the teachings of AA with which to face them. …When I hear the more rugged stories of alcoholics who became sicker than I did with this affliction, I humbly thank God for showing me ‘the handwriting on the wall.'” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Part II (“They Stopped in Time”), Ch 8 (“Rum, Radio and Television”), p 367.

Today, a Program that is not without work, that working it takes more courage than to keep drinking and that being sober will not shield us from the problems that non-alcoholics face but will arm us with stronger combat ammunition. I heed the word of the experienced and not set myself up for a slip or relapse if the promises of the Program don’t come quickly enough to me – because I haven’t worked for those promises. Nor will I dismiss the Program that it doesn’t work when I face the problems that everyone else has. Problems will continue to arise; how I handle them will depend on how I work the Program. For as courageous and bold my decision to stop drinking, I need even more to graduate from being dry to being sober. Today, I’m ready to give it my all, to “go to any lengths.” And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022