July 6, 2012 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Friday, July 6, 2012

Thought for the Day
We tried to study our alcoholic problem, wondering what was the cause of our strange obsession. Many of us took special treatments, hospitalization, even confinement in institutions. In every case, the relief was only temporary. We tried through crazy excuses to convince ourselves that we knew why we drank, but we went on regardless. Finally drinking had gone far beyond even a habit. We had become alcoholics, men and women who had been destroying themselves against their own will.

Am I completely free from my alcoholic obsession?

Meditation for the Day
“Ask and ye shall receive.” Never let yourself think that you cannot do something useful or that you never will be able to accomplish a useful task. The fact is that you can do practically anything in the field of human relationships, if you are willing to call on God’s supply of strength. The supply may not be immediately available, because you may not be entirely ready to receive it. But it will surely come when you are properly prepared for it. As you grow spiritually, a feeling of being plentifully supplied by God’s strength will poseess you and you will be able to accomplish many useful things.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may claim God’s supply of strength by my faith in Him. I pray that it shall be given to me according to my faith.

Hazelden Foundation

July 6, 2012 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Friday, July 6, 2012

Reflection for the Day
Some people in The Program don’t feel that they can do the things they want to do. They doubt their own ability. But actually, every person has untapped ability. We’re children of God, which should give us a strong clue as to the infinite nature of our ability. As spiritual beings, we’re unlimited. True, we may find it easier to accept this as true of some person who shines in a particular field. We may compare our own accomplishments with another’s and feel discouraged. But the only comparison we need make or should make is with ourself.

Am I a better, more productive person today?

Today I Pray
May I realize that I am a child of God. And His loving-parent promise to give me what I need, not what I might want, is His way of teaching me to be what I am, not what I dreamed I should be. As a spiritual being, I can truly become a productive person - perhaps even do some of the things I once felt unable to do without the aid of props - drinks, pills, excesses of food which lulled me into false confidence.

Today I Will Remember
To compare me with the old me.

July 6, 2012 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Friday, July 6, 2012

Youth might be termed a zest for living. As long as we have enthusiasm for living, we are young regardless of years. Too often the alcoholic has taken so many hard knocks from life that life has lost its attraction. We have seen so many hopes and ambitions fade that life appears to us a total loss.

AA brings into our lives a new purpose in living; it restores our faith and hope and thereby rejuvenates our minds to the point of a new zest for living.

Hazelden Foundation

July 6, 2012 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Friday, July 6, 2012

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

The Milkmaid and Her Pail

A milkmaid walked to the village with a pail of milk balanced on her head. She began to think about what she would do with the money she would make when the milk was sold, and decided she would buy some chickens. "They would lay eggs, which would bring in a good price at the market. Then I will use the money I earn to buy a new dress and hat," she said. "I will go to the market dressed so nicely, and all the young men will notice me. All the women will be jealous of me."

Eager to get on with her plans, she began to walk a little faster. "I will just look at those women, smile, and toss my head in the air."  With that, she actually tossed her head. The pail fell to the ground and all of the milk spilled out.

The Moral of the Story: Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

While it may be tempting to think being clean and sober means you can show others they were wrong about you, this is not the purpose of recovery. Recovery is a program that helps you stay clean and sober. Your work in the program is something you do for yourself.

I will not use my recovery as a means of retaliation or personal gain.

From the book:

Morning Light by Amy E. Dean

Morning Light © 2011 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

July 5, 2012 - Just for Today

Just for Today
Thursday, July 5, 2012

“”It helped me a great deal to become convinced that alcoholism was a disease, not a moral issue; that I had been drinking as a result of a compulsion, even though I had not been aware of the compulsion at the time; and that sobriety was not a matter of willpower. The people of AA had something that looked much better than what I had, but I was afraid to let go of what I had in order to try something new; there was a certain sense of security in the familiar.” - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 17 (“Doctor, Alcoholic, Addict”), p 448.

Just for today, grant me the wisdom to understand that the “security” I might have in alcohol may actually be the predictability of its outcome. I need look no further than yesterday to know that my drinking progressed and never regressed, that its consequences became gradually harsher and that the court’s sentence was pretty much what it was with all the other DUI’s before. Today, I give up on that false sense of security that is really nothing more than predictability and take a chance on what is not familiar - sobriety. At least with sobriety, I don’t have the boredom of knowing the outcome because the outcome of my drinking was always the same; maybe the unpredictability of what benefits sobriety might have is worth the effort. And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012

July 5, 2012 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Thursday, July 5, 2012

AA Thought for the Day
Until we came into AA, most of us had tried desperately to stop drinking. We were filled with the delusion that we could drink like our friends. We tried time and again to take it or leave it, but we could do neither. We always lapsed into ceaseless, unhappy drinking. Wives or husbands, families, friends and employers threw up their hands in hurt bewilderment, in despair and, finally, in disgust. We wanted to stop. We realized that every reason for drinking was only a crazy excuse.

Have I given up every excuse for drinking?

Meditation for the Day
Many things can upset you, and you can easily get off the track. But remember that God is near you all the time, ready to help you if you call on Him. You cannot forever stand against God’s will for you, nor can you forever upset God’s plan for your life, even though God’s plan may be postponed by your willfulness and deliberate choice of evil. A whole world of men and women cannot permanently change God’s laws nor His purpose for the universe. The sea of life may look very rough to us, but we can believe that our Captain steers the boat on a straight course.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may try to steer a straight course. I pray that I may accept God’s direction in my life’s journey.

Hazelden Foundation

July 5, 2012 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Thursday, July 5, 2012

Reflection for the Day
I am free to be, to do, to accept, to reject. I am free to be the wise, loving, kind and patient person I want to be. I’m free to do that which I consider wise - that which will in no way harm or hinder another person. I’m free to do that which will lead me into paths of peace and satisfaction. I’m free to decide for or against, to say no and to say yes. I’m free to live life in a productive way and to contribute what I have to give to life.

Am I coming to believe that I’m free to be the best self I’m able to be?

Today I Pray
Let the freedom I am now experiencing continue to flow through my life into productiveness, into the conviction of life’s goodness I have always wanted to share. May I accept this freedom with God’s blessing - and use it wisely.

Today I Will Remember
Let freedom ring true.

Hazelden Foundation

July 5, 2012 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Thursday, July 5, 2012

It is often the case that great scholars make the acquiring of knowledge a goal instead of a means to a goal.

If you thoroughly learned all the lessons in AA by heart and made no use of it, you would find it but a waste of time and effort.

You must put your new-found knowledge to work, you must pass it on or it will be not only valueless to humanity but, in all probability, of no material help to you.

Hazelden Foundation

July 5, 2012 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

You are the artist in your life

You create the images and colors on the canvas called your life.  Are you creating the picture you want?  Does your canvas convey a life of fulfillment and growth?  Or does your canvas convey chaos and despair?

You are the artist; God is your co-creator. Together all things are possible. But when we mistakenly believe that other people control our destiny, we end up feeling bitter and hopeless. In truth, we're in partnership with a Higher Power, or whatever you choose to call it. I call that power God. We make the initial decisions; God carries out our plans. God could not render our lives what they are without our assistance. We are the artists, and ultimately we call the shots.

I invite you to consider a different perspective. This may not be easy to swallow if you are a struggling single parent, someone who has just lost a job, or someone facing other tough circumstances. You're invited to first see whether you played a part in where you are. And the best news you can give yourself is to say yes, because if you played even a small part, there is something you can do to change that canvas of your life. But if you played no part whatsoever, then you may be waiting forever for someone to change the course of your life. And that could be a very long wait. 
You're invited to be your artist.  And you have at your fingertips all the necessary tools to turn your canvas into a masterpiece. 

From the book:

52 Weeks of Esteemable Acts by Francine Ward

52 Weeks of Esteemable Acts © 2005 by Francine Ward. All rights reserved.

Coming out as gay: Should it or does it matter?

CNN newscaster and talk show host Anderson Cooper's disclosure this week that he is gay arguably was less a coming out than a confirmation to the public of his sexuality. Cooper's orientation apparently either was suspected or known within the broadcast news industry anyway but put to rest speculation by the public.
The "news" stirred an avalanche of messages supporting or congratulating Cooper for his courage in publicly disclosing his sexuality. And they're warranted - but why? Other of the media's most recognized names have come out as gay, but Cooper may well be the "highest ranking" to acknowledge his sexuality. But is coming out as gay any more a revelation than coming out as straight or any other sexual or gender status? Probably not. Instead, Cooper's stepping forward as gay hopefully moved public dialogue about sexuality, homosexuality in particular, from the realm of "Should it matter?" to "Does it matter?"
It shouldn't, but unfortunately it does matter - at least to the right-wing religious and conservative factions and to some relatives of non-heterosexual people who still struggle to accept themselves as gay before they can even think of coming out to their families. It also matters to the gay school-age child who fears bullying or rejection if his sexuality is even suspected, a fear so intense and bullying by peers so vicious that suicide rates among gay teens are at unacceptable levels.
Despite the legal and legislative protections afforded to gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender and transsexual people, societal and institutional prejudice remains to some extent in the form of states and local governments that do not extend to same-sex couples the same benefits that are offered to straight or "traditional" couples. On an individual basis, people who are not straight and even are perceived to be other than straight, are subject to rejection and acts of physical violence.
We cannot look to state and federal governments to redress this disparity, however. And the disparity itself is not to legislate acceptance of non-straight people but rather to legislate non-discrimination. After all, although it's been tried in other issues, government simply cannot legislate morality. Nor should it. Instead, the judiciary must be moved to enforce existing laws and protections that should be aimed at "punishing" individuals and institutions that discriminate and carry out acts of violence against non-straight people.
Yet the judiciary cannot be expected to impose on individual families the requirement to accept the son or daughter who is struggling to "confess" their sexuality but fear rejection by their loved ones. This is where the gay, bi, transgender and transsexual communities have a responsibility: educational and support programs that emphasize that the sexuality of a loved one is not the preeminent characteristic that defines the total person, that being anything other than straight does not diminish the non-straight's contributions any more than being straight enhances those contributions.
Anderson Cooper's "coming out" cannot and should not be received as something courageous solely on the grounds of being gay. Instead, it should be welcomed as an opportunity to advance the still-taboo subject of non-straight sexuality from the realm of "Should it matter?" to "Does it really matter?" If Cooper's acknowledgment can achieve that, he may well deserve the status of hero.

July 4, 2012 - Just for Today

Just for Today
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

" ...(T)here is a substitute ...It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from care, boredom and worry, Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 11 ("A vision for You"), p 152.

Just for today, if I have not already, let me take the first step toward a life that finally means something other than how bad the next hangover will be and, as promised in the Program, a belief and faith that the "most satisfactory years of (my) existence" do, indeed, lay ahead. And if I have taken the first step toward the promise of the Program, let me not squander it on some folly like self-pity or a thought that "just one, this one time" won't hurt me. Whether I have or have not already emarked on my own private journey of recovery, let me believe that sobriety and recovery can provide a life that is better, one that is more satisfactory than the one I have in drinking. Today, let me believe that I am worthy to work toward something better. And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012

July 4, 2012 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

AA Thought for the Day
In Alcoholics Anonymous, there is no thought of individual profit. No greed or gain. No membership fees, no dues. Only voluntary contributions of our money and ourselves. All that we hope for is sobriety and regeneration so that we can live normal, respectable lives and can be recognized by others as men and women willing to do unto others as we would be done by. These things we accomplish by the help of each other, by following the twelve steps and by the grace of God.

Am I willing to work for AA without material gain to myself?

Meditation for the Day
What is sometimes called by religion as conversion is often only the discovery of God as a friend in need. What is sometimes called religion is often only the experiencing of the help and strength of God's power in our lives. What is sometimes called holiness is often only the invitation of God to be our Friend. As God becomes your friend, you become a friend to others. We experience true human friendship and, from this experience, we can imagine what kind of a Great Friend God can be. We believe Him to be a tireless, selfless, all-conquering, miracle-working Friend. We can reach out to the Great Friend and figuratively take His hand in ours.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may think of God as a Great Friend in need. I pray that I may go along with Him.

Hazelden Foundation

July 4, 2012 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Reflection for the Day

It's time for me to start being responsible for my own actions. It's time for me to be willing to take some chances. If my new life in The Program is valid and right, as I truly believe, then surely it can stand the test of exposure to real-life situations and problems. So I won't be afraid to be human and, if necessary, to sometimes fall on my face in the process of living. Living is what The Program is all about. And living entails sharing, accepting, giving - interacting with other people. Now is the time for me to put my faith into action.

Have I begun to practice what I preach by putting my new thoughts and ideas into action?

Today I Pray

May The Program, with God's help, give me a chance to live a steady, creative, out-reaching life, so that I may share with others what has been given to me. May I realize on this Declaration of Indepdence Day that I, too, have a celebration of freedom - freedom from my addiction.

Today I Will Remember

to celebrate my personal freedom.

Hazelden Foundation

July 4, 2012 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

It is not possible to help a man as long as he stands in his own way, nor can anyone or anything else.

A vast host of drinkers could quit if they could get a job, but they can't get a jog because they are drinking.

They could quit if they could get their families back, but they can't get their families back because they persist in drinking.

We are all too prone to get a new man "fixed up" so he can stop drinking instead of making him realize that he must stop drinking so he can "fix himself up." He must get out of his own way first.

Hazelden Foundation

July 4, 2012 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

Celebrate your freedom

Today in the United States; we celebrate our nation's independence. Why not take a moment to celebrate your independence as well? Whether you've found freedom from an addiction or from codependency, or you've discovered the freedom to live your life as fully as possible, take a moment to honor and acknowledge how much that freedom means to you.

It's good to identify our problems. Through the awareness of what's wrong and what's broken, we learn what to repair and fix. It's good to focus on the health and the goodness in our lives, too. Becoming aware of what's right and what's working is how we discover joy.

Look back along the winding road of the path of your life. See how far you've come? It looks good to me. How does it look to you?

Hurray! We're finally free!

God, thank You for setting me free.

From the book:

More Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

More Language of Letting Go © 2000 by Melody Beattie. All rights reserved.