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

 

Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. — From Isaiah 40:4

Recovery can be compared to climbing a hill. And as with all skills, the more we practice the better we become. There comes a time in the course of recovery when we view a hill that once would have caused us to quake in our boots or to quit altogether. But using the skills achieved by working an intelligent, consistent program, we can simply take it in stride.

When we came into the program, we were asked if we were willing to go to any lengths to win our freedom from bondage. As we grew and developed a positive response, all sorts of things became possible that at one time were not. We are often told in the program that “the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.” We don’t have to do it all at once. All recovery is made inch by inch.

Now we can look at yonder hill and accept it as just another obstacle to be conquered — and not a very big obstacle at that.

I am amazed and encouraged by the gains I’ve already made. Today’s challenges do not intimidate me.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 31, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022

Today, Step 11 to answer honestly if I have “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve (my) conscious contact with God as (I) understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for (me) and the power to carry that out.” Simply acknowledging a Higher Power and looking to Him as a guide through recovery are not enough. We must also seek what He requires of us and the knowledge and power to do what He wants of us. Why is the 11th Step important in recovery? In seeking our Higher Power’s will for us, we are getting away from one of our most dangerous and contributory spiritual afflictions – selfishness. We dare not risk what progress we have made or seek by holding onto those poisonous character and spiritual defects like selfishness, anger, hate and bitterness that will undermine both the quality of sobriety and recovery itself. Today, seek through prayer and meditation the will of our Higher Power, not ours. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

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

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
“Call on new prospects while they are still jittery. They may be more receptive when depressed. See them alone if possible. Tell them enough about your drinking habits and experiences to encourage them to speak of themselves. If they wish to talk, let them do so. If they are not communicative, talk about the troubles liquor has caused you, being careful not to moralize or lecture. When they see you know all about the drinking game, commence to describe yourself as an alcoholic and tell them how you learned you were sick.”

Am I ready to talk about myself to new prospects?

Meditation for the Day
Try not to give way to criticism, blame, scorn or judgment of others, when you are trying to help them. Effectiveness in helping others depends on controlling yourself. You may be swept away by a temporary natural urge to criticize or blame, unless you keep a tight rein on your emotions. You should have a firm foundation of spiritual living which makes you truly humble, if you are going to really help other people. Go easy on them and be hard on yourself. That is the way you can be used most to uplift a despairing spirit. And seek no personal recognition for what you are used by God to accomplish.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may try to avoid judgment and criticism. I pray that I may always try to build up others instead of tearing them down.

Hazelden Foundation

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

 

A Day at a Time

Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022

Reflection for the Day

From time to time, I begin to think I know what God’s will is for other people. I say to myself, “This person ought to be cured of his terminal illness,” or, “That one ought to be freed from the torment she’s going through,” and I begin to pray for those specific things. My heart is in the right place when I pray in such fashion, but those prayers are based on the supposition that I know God’s will for the person for whom I pray. The Program teaches me, instead, that I ought to pray that God’s will – whatever it is – be done for others as well as for myself.

Will I remember that God is ready to befriend me, but only to the degree that I trust Him?

Today I Pray

I praise God for the chance to help others. I thank God also for making me want to help others, for taking me out of my tower of self so that I can meet and share with and care about people. Teach me to pray that “Thy will be done” in the spirit of love, which God inspires in me.

Today I Will Remember

I will put my trust in the will of God.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 31, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022

It is a constant source of amazement to some of the Old-Timers to answer a call for help from some alcoholic and to find that the person in trouble is a neighbor, relative, friend or fellow employee or a member of AA.

It sometimes happens that the new man preferred it that way as he would rather discuss the matter with a stranger than someone near him.

It is also true that some of us are not quick to grasp the opportunities to pass the Message along. If you see a man is beyond his depth and can’t swim, why should you wait for him to yell for help? He might be deaf and dumb.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 31, 2022 – Rise ‘n shine for what we plan to make a terrific Wednesday

 

Good morning and let’s commit to making today a fantastic Wednesday …have a truly great and productive but safe day, and give nothing and no one the control to mess it up

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

 

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Friends

Don’t overlook the value of friendship. Don’t neglect friends. Friends are a joy. Adult friendships can be a good place for us to learn to have fun and to appreciate how much fun we can have with a friend.

Friends can be a comfort. Who knows us better, or is more able to give us support, than a good friend? A friendship is a comfortable place to be ourselves. Often, our choice of friends will reflect the issues we’re working on. Giving and receiving support will help both people grow.

Some friendships wax and wane, going through cycles throughout the years. Some trail off when one person outgrows the other. Certainly, we will have trials and tests in friendships and, at times, be called on to practice our recovery behaviors.

But some friendships will last a lifetime. There are special love relationships, and there are friendships. Sometimes, our friendships — especially recovery friendships — can be special love relationships too.

Today, I will reach out to a friend. I will let myself enjoy the comfort, joys, and enduring quality of my friendships.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 30, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022

Today, Step 10 because it is one of the most integral maintenance steps: “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.” The 10th is the extension of the Fourth in which we “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” We cannot and should not believe that our personal inventory and admission of our wrongs is a one-time exercise. Not only can those wrongs be resurrected in recovery and even after we’ve asked our Higher Power to remove them, but “new” defects can and do evolve in recovery. But why should we look in the mirror long after our last drink or use? Failing to do so risks old character defects to rise again, possibly undetected, and a fearless honesty will likely tell us that our active addiction was fueled by those defects. And a relapse, even a so-called “slip,” is too high a price to pay for neglecting our maintenance of the progress we seek. Today, I have to muster the honesty required of a continued personal inventory – my recovery is too precious a gift to risk. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

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

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
“Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as extensive work with other alcoholics. Carry the message to other alcoholics. You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Life will take on a new meaning for you. To watch people recover, to see them help others in turn, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow about you, to have a host of friends, this is an experience you must not miss.”

Am I always ready and willing to help other alcoholics?

Meditation for the Day
One secret of abundant living is the art of giving. The paradox of life is that the more you give, the more you have. If you lose your life in the service of others, you will save it. You can give abundantly and so live abundantly. You are rich in one respect – you have a spirit that is inexhaustible. Let no mean or selfish thought keep you from sharing this spirit. Of love, of help, of understanding and of sympathy, give and keep giving. Give your personal ease and comfort, your time, your money and most of all, yourself. And you will be living abundantly.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may live to give. I pray that I may learn this secret of abundant living.

Hazelden Foundation

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

 

A Day at a Time
Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022

Reflection for the Day
I’ll begin today with a prayer – prayer in my heart, prayer in my mind and words of prayer on my lips. Through prayer, I’ll stay tuned to God today, reaching forward to become that to which I aspire. Prayer will redirect my mind, helping me rise in consciousness to the point where I realize that there’s no separation between God and me. As I let the power of God flow through me, all limitations will fall away.

Do I know that nothing can overcome the power of God?

Today I Pray
Today may I offer to my Higher Power a constant prayer, not just a “once-in-the-morning-does-it” kind. May I think of my Higher Power at coffee breaks, lunch, tea time, during a quiet evening – and at all times in between. May my consciousness expand and erase the lines of separation, so that the Power is a part of me and I am a part of the Power.

Today I Will Remember
To live an all-day prayer.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 30, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022

You can’t swim like a fish, run like a deer, fight like a tiger or fly like a bird. Every one of your five senses is excelled by some member of the animal kingdom. Man, physically, has many superiors and would long since have been extinct but for the fact that he alone possess reasoning power.

With this advantage he can build ships to outswim the fish, motor cars to outrun the deer, perfect weapons to outfight the tiger and airplanes to outstrip the fastest of birds. With this reason he can visualize the reason behind all Nature and thus avail himself of a Power greater than himself and all the forces with which he has to contend.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 30, 2022 – Good morning and time to set out on a fantastic Tuesday

 

Good morning and to set the proper mood for a happy Tuesday, here’s a bunch of dogs with their tongues sticking out

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

 

Monday, Aug. 29, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Know that your brother’s life was not what you imagined. — Michael Lassell

It may be tempting, once we’ve committed ourselves to a profound change in our lives, to think that we know what others, too, ought to do to heal or grow. We want our friends and loved ones to experience the same relief and joy, the same freedom, that we’re experiencing. We forget that we ourselves have often resisted advice. No one could have told us who we were, what to do, or when to do it. Enormous changes such as coming out or entering recovery are deeply personal choices, and the timing of a decision is individual and delicate.

What’s exactly right for us at this particular moment in time may not be at all right for someone else. Instead of judging another’s needs and choices, we can cultivate sensitivity to the ways that his or her path or rate of unfolding may differ from our own. The more secure we are in our own identities, the easier it is to allow others to be who they are.

Today, I live and lovingly let live.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 29, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Monday, Aug. 29, 2022

Today, understand that serenity comes from within and not from people and things on the outside. I wasted too much time, emotion and energy in my drinking days searching and even clinging to outside things and people in whom I vested my sobriety. But now I must accept that my sobriety comes from within. I no longer can demand or assume that the world and other people will change to accommodate my recovery but that I must change to fit in with them. Recovery gives me the road map to arrive at such a lofty destination, in Step Four: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” Steps Five, Six and Seven, then, guide us through the admission to God, to ourselves and another human being the “exact nature” of the wrongs we find in Step Four. The Steps are dependent on action by me, not someone or something else. Today, I assume responsibility for both my addiction and recovery. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

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

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Monday, Aug. 29, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
“We cannot get along without prayer and meditation. On awakening, let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking. Our thought lives will be placed on a much higher plane when we start the day with prayer and meditation. We conclude this period of meditation with a prayer that we will be shown through the day what our next step is to be. The basis of all our prayers is: Thy will be done in me and through me today.”

Am I sincere in my desire to do God’s will today?

Meditation for the Day
Breathe in the inspiration of goodness and truth. It is the spirit of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love. It is readily available if we are willing to accept it wholeheartedly. God has given us two things – His spirit and the power of choice – to accept or not, as we will. We have the gift of free will. When we choose the path of selfishness and greed and pride, we are refusing to accept God’s spirit. When we choose the path of love and service, we accept God’s spirit and it flows into us and makes all things new.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may choose the right way. I pray that I may try to follow it to the end.

Hazelden Foundation

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

 

A Day at a Time
Monday, Aug. 29, 2022

Reflection for the Day
Prayer can have many rewards. One of the greatest rewards is the sense of belonging it brings to me. No longer do I live as a stranger in a strange land, alien in a completely hostile world. No longer am I lost, frightened and purposeless. I belong. We find, in The Program, that the moment we catch a glimpse of God’s will – the moment we begin to see truth, justice and love as the real and eternal things in life – we’re no longer so deeply upset by all the seeming evidence to the contrary surrounding us in purely human affairs.

Do I believe that God lovingly watches over me?

Today I Pray
May I be grateful for the comfort and peace of belonging – to God the ultimately wise “parent” and to His family on earth. May I no longer need bumper stickers or boisterous gangs to give me my identity. Through prayer, I am God’s.

Today I Will Remember
I find my identity through prayer.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 29, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Monday, Aug. 29, 2022

The relationship of hours to a lifetime is comparable to the relationship of bricks to a house. Every brick that is laid must be a separate and distinct operation, yet so tied to the preceding and the following brick that their positions are level and plumb. Each one is an entirety in itself, but all the bricks are either supporting or are supported by each other.

Our hours, lived one by one, are in no sense different. The beauty, strength and durability of our lives will be determined by the individual hours viewed collectively.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 29, 2022 – Rise ‘n shine for a magnificent Monday and brand new week

 

Good morning and no need to sweat another Monday and brand new week …we got this!

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

 

Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

We can accept unconditional love.

Believing that we can be loved regardless of our defects is not easy. Most of us didn’t experience that kind of love as children. What’s more, the God we grew up with may have been shaming. Now that we are adults, the criticism we’ve received from employers, friends, spouses, and other people reinforces our doubt. When our new program friends tell us that our Higher Power loves us unconditionally, we think they are being unrealistic. We can’t even love ourselves!

Let’s give ourselves time to change what we believe and who we believe. Our program will help us. If relied on, the slogans and the Steps will give us a new perspective on every experience. Coming to believe that a Higher Power can wholly love us is a gift of recovery. Then we can begin loving ourselves a little too. Next we’ll even begin to love others.

I will believe in unconditional love if I let this program work in my life today.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 28, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022

“I realize that all I’m guaranteed in life is today. The poorest person has no less and the wealthiest has no more – each of us has but one day. What we do with it is our own business; how we use it is up to us individually.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “They Lost Nearly All,” Ch 2 (“Promoted to Chronic”), p 473.

Today, fully understand and accept that all I have today is just that – today! Whether I have little to nothing, or all and more than I need materially, I am no less and no better than anyone because, in the end, all we take with us to our final chapters is ourselves. But, especially in recovery, I cannot foolishly look too far beyond the forest in my goal to achieve a landmark anniversary in sobriety or any other goal; one of the trees in the forest could cold-cock me. Grant me wisdom and prudence to see first what is in front of me instead of beyond and what must be done to get me to the long-term destination. Today, I do with what I have – today. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

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

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
“We must continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We should grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter; it should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We must not rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve, contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.”

Am I checking my spiritual condition daily?

Meditation for the Day
Happiness cannot be sought directly; it is a by-product of love and service. Service is a law of our being. With love in your heart, there is always some service to other people. A life of power and joy and satisfaction is built on love and service. Persons who hate or are selfish are going against the law of their own being. They are cutting themselves off from God and other people. Little acts of love and encouragement, of service and help, erase the rough places of life and help to make the path smooth. If we do these things, we cannot help having our share of happiness.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may give my share of love and service. I pray that I may not grow weary in my attempts to do the right thing.

Hazelden Foundation

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

 

A Day at a Time

Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022

Reflection for the Day 

”Prayer does not change God,” wrote Soren Kierkegaard, “but it changes him who prays.” Those of us in The Program who’ve learned to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we’d turn down sunshine, fresh air or food – and for the same reason. Just as the body can wither and fail for lack of nourishment, so can the soul. We all need the light of God’s reality, the nourishment of His strength, and the atmosphere of His grace.

Do I thank God for all that He has given me, for all that He has taken away from me, and for all He has left me?

Today I Pray

Dear H.P.: I want to thank you for spreading calm over my confusion, for making the jangled chords of my human relationships harmonize again, for putting together the shattered pieces of my Humpty Dumpty self, for giving me a sobriety present, a whole great expanded world of marvels and opportunities. May I remain truly Yours, Yours truly.

Today I Will Remember

Prayer, however simple, nourishes the soul.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 28, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022

The subconscious aim of practically all men is to get the most and the best out of every day of their lives. It is a simple creed and if honestly followed, day by day, act by act, it cannot help but lead to greater heights.

Like AA, it is so simple it is incredible. Why not try it? It’s what you honestly want anyway.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 28, 2022 – Good morning with hopes for a quiet and serene Sunday for all

 

Good morning and let’s aim for a quiet and relaxing Sunday and put any worries, fears and insecurities on the shelf

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

 

Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Reflection for the Day

The program’s Fourth Step suggests that we make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. For some of us, no challenge seems more formidable; there’s nothing more difficult than facing ourselves as we really are. We flee from one wrongdoing after another as they catch up with us, forever making excuses, pleading always that our virtues in other areas far outweigh our flaws. Yet once we become willing to look squarely and self-searchingly at ourselves, we’re then able to illuminate the dark and negative side of our natures with new vision, action, and grace.

Am I willing to open my eyes and step out into the sunlight?

Today I Pray

May my Higher Power stop me in my tracks if I am running away from myself. For I will never overcome my misdeeds, or the flaws in my character that brought them about, by letting them chase me. May I slow down and turn to face them with the most trusty weapon I know — truth.

Today I Will Remember

I will not be a fugitive from myself.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 27, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022

“I will never know all the people I hurt, all the friends I abused, the humiliation of my family, the worry of my business associates or how far-reaching it was. I continue to be surprised by the people I meet who say, ‘You haven’t had a drink for a long time, have you?’ The surprise to me is the fact that I didn’t know that they knew my drinking had gotten out of control. That is where we are really fooled. We think we can drink to excess without anyone knowing it. Everyone knows it. The only one we are fooling is ourselves. We rationalize and excuse our conduct beyond all reason.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “They Stopped in Time,” Ch 10 (“It Might Have Been Worse”), p 376.

Today, may my experience with “hiding” serve as a hint that I’m hiding nothing and fooling no one but myself about my drinking. If I am drinking today, let me give up the illusion that no one is paying attention and turn my energies that I expend on “hiding” to sobering up. And if I am not drinking, let me consider that I may have missed in my Eighth Step people to whom I owe amends because I may not know or remember who I have hurt. To them, my greatest amend may be continued abstinence. Today, if I am hiding, let me see that I am hiding in plain sight and, if I can’t remember all the people who are owed amends, let me make them by staying sober. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022

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

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022

AA Thought for the Day
“We must be willing to make amends to all the people we have harmed. We must do the best we can to repair the damage done in the past. When we make amends, when we say: ‘I’m sorry,’ the person is sure at least to be impressed by our sincere desire to set right the wrong. Sometimes people we are making amends to admit their own faults, so feuds of long standing melt away. Our most ruthless creditors will sometimes surprise us. In general, we must be willing to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences may be for us.”

Have I made a sincere effort to make amends to the people I have harmed?

Meditation for the Day
The grace of God cures disharmony and disorder in human relationships. Directly you put your affairs, with their confusion and their difficulties, into God’s hands. He begins to effect a cure of all the disharmony and disorder. You can believe that He will cause you no more pain in the doing of it than a physician, who plans and knows that he can effect a cure, would cause his patient. You can have faith that God will do all that is necessary as painlessly as possible. But you must be willing to submit to His treatment, even if you cannot now see the meaning or purpose of it.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may willingly submit to whatever spiritual discipline is necessary. I pray that I may accept whatever it takes to live a better life.

Hazelden Foundation

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

 

A Day at a Time
Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022

Reflection for the Day
Taking a long hard look at those defects I’m unwilling or reluctant to give up, I ought to rub out the rigid lines I’ve drawn. Perhaps, in some cases, I’ll then be able to say, “Well, this one I can’t give up yet …”  The one thing I shouldn’t say: “This one I’ll never give up.”  The minute we say, “No, never,” our minds close against the grace of God. Such rebelliousness, as we have seen in the experiences of others, may turn out to be fatal. Instead, we should abandon limited objectives and begin to move toward God’s will for us.

Am I learning never to say “never …?”

Today I Pray
May God remove any blocks of rebellion which make me balk at changing my undesirable qualities. Out of my delusion that I am “unique” and “special” and somehow safe from consequences, I confess to God that I have defied the natural laws of health and sanity, along with Divine laws of human kindness. May God drain away the defiance which is such a protected symptom of my addiction.

Today I Will Remember
Defiance is an offspring of delusion.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 27, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022

Everyone agrees that excessive drinking is an evil. The alcoholic is convinced that for him it is a necessary evil. He thinks he would surely die if he didn’t drink. We know now that it only appeared necessary while we were doing our thinking with our appetites.

No evil is necessary except in the sense that friction is. Without it, we couldn’t get traction and without traction we could not move onward and upward.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 27, 2022 – Rise ‘n shine for a slap-happy and refreshing Saturday

 

Good morning and let’s spend this beautiful Saturday tending to our responsibilities but take time to reflect on the good in our lives

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

 

Friday, Aug. 26, 2022

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Having Each Other’s Backs

If someone in my recovery family is struggling, we immediately connect to form a circle of support. For example, when a friend — also a veteran — was suicidal, her therapist contacted all of us, asking if we would come in to be her support system. Our friend was able to see how much we loved and cared about her. We assured her we weren’t there to “fix” her; we wanted her to know we had her back. It was truly deep.

We learn and grow together. We’re doing a book study on nonviolent communication. Three of us veterans went on a retreat called “horse sense.” We also walk by the river where I live and have campfires. During COVID, I started a women’s meeting by the river. There’s solid sobriety in the group. I have thirty-one years; some have even more. There’s always someone to talk to about feelings — always someone to have my back.

We have traditions like carving pumpkins and making Christmas wreaths. We can be real with each other without having to fix each other. We can just be together and share how we’re doing, and it’s enough. It’s everything.

Today I am secure in the knowledge that no matter what happens, my sisters in recovery will have my back.

— Deb L., U.S. Army, 1981–1996

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 26, 2022 – Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Friday, Aug. 26, 2022

” …(M)y life has had a purpose, not in great things accomplished but in daily living. Courage to face each day has replaced the fears and uncertainties of earlier years. Acceptance of things as they are has replaced the old impatient chomping at the bit to conquer the world. I have stopped tilting at windmills, and instead have tried to accomplish little daily tasks, unimportant in themselves, but tasks that are an integral part of living fully.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “Alcoholics Anonymous Number Three,” Ch 10 (“He Sold Himself Short”), p 295.

Today, may I not be self-critical or deflated if something I hope to achieve isn’t realized because, if I have worked toward it without drinking, I have achieved one of those “little daily tasks” that might be “unimportant in themselves” but “are an integral part of living fully.” If I have gone through the last 24 Hours without drinking, that in itself is an accomplishment of gratitude and inspiration for the next 24 Hours. And if doing today without drinking seems like something not to be fully appreciated, a comparison to what I DIDN’T accomplish on a day of drinking should provide a measure of the magnitude of not drinking today. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2022