Aug. 4, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Friday, Aug. 4, 2017

Today's thought from he Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

All music is what awakes from you when you are reminded by the instruments.
 -- Walt Whitman

A small group of friends sat in a room around a record player. It was a heavy old thing, with parts that had to be operated by hand and only one speaker - nothing like a modern stereo at all, but more like an antique phonograph. The record - a recording of their favorite music - was old, too, and scratched, its grooves worn smooth as a stone in some places. The tone arm skipped and scratched, and the sound was tinny, hard on the ears.

Most of the friends squirmed in their seats as they listened, and several grumbled that it was impossible to hear the music with such inferior equipment.

But one of the group sat listening, her eyes closed, swaying to the music and humming softly to herself.

"How can you enjoy this?" the others asked.

"Ah," she said with a mysterious smile. "I am listening beyond the recording to the music I know is there!"

You are reading from the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

Today's Gift © 1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 4, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Friday, Aug. 4, 2017

" ...(S)ubconsciously I was in earnest about wanting to quit liquor forever. It was no momentary emotionalism born of self-pity in a maudlin condition. I was seeking something, and I was ready to learn. I did not need to be told that my efforts were and would be unavailing if I did not get help. ...(L)ittle by little, I learned how my need could be met. The story of Alcoholics Anonymous fascinated me." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "Personal Stories," Ch 7 ("The News Hawk"), p 258.

Today, how much more the cost to answer how willing I am to get sober, when enough is enough, when I can take no more, when self-loathing and self-disgust are more than enough to motivate me to take responsibility for both my addiction and recovery and get to work on both. If I've reached the proverbial bottom but, more practically, if I've hit the point when not even I believe my lies anymore, when I've had enough of needing more whiskey or any other drug every day just to achieve normalcy or when the "buzz" doesn't buzz anymore and when I have no other option but to believe that there is something better - my time has come. The Twelve Steps are there; all I need do is begin working them, Step by Step. How much more is my addiction going to cost me? Starting today, no more. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2017

Aug. 4, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Friday, Aug. 4, 2017

AA Thought for the Day
We in AA are offering a kind of psychological program as well as a spiritual one. First, people must be mentally able to receive it. They must have made up their minds that they want to quit drinking, and they must be willing to do something about it. Their confidence must be obtained. We must show them that we are their friends and really desire to help them. When we have their confidence, they will listen to us. Then the AA fellowship is a kind of group therapy. Newcomers need the fellowship of other alcoholics who understand their problem because they have had it themselves. Individuals must learn to re-educate their mind. They must learn to think differently.

Do I do my best to give mental help?

Meditation for the Day
"And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee." It is the flow of the life eternal through spirit, mind and body that cleanses, heals, restores and renews. Seek conscious contact with God more and more each day. Make God an abiding presence during the day. Be conscious of His spirit helping you. All that is done without God's spirit is passing. All that is done with God's spirit is life eternal.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be in the stream of an eternal life. I pray that I may be cleansed and healed by the Eternal Spirit.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 4, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Friday, Aug. 4, 2017

Reflection for the Day
One of the best ways to get out of the self-pity trap is to do some "instant bookkeeping." For every entry of misery on the debit side of our ledger, we can surely find a blessing to mark on the credit side; the health we enjoy, the illnesses we don't have, the friends who love us and who allow us to love them, a clean and sober 24 hours, a good day's work. If we but try, we can easily list a whole string of credits that will far outweigh the debit entries which cause self-pity.

Is my emotional balance on the credit side today?

Today I Pray
May I learn to sort out my debits and credits, and add it all up. May I list my several blessings on the credit side. May my ledger show me, when all is totaled, a fat fund for good things to draw on.

Today I Will Remember
I have blessings in my savings.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 4, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Friday, Aug. 4, 2017

It is almost a general rule that no one achieves in life what they planned in their youth. The great ambitions of our teens never seem to materialize.

In spite of all our plans, it is a safe bet to say, however, that we are where we were intended to be, doing the things that we were intended to do, whether we like it or not. Apparently we are not running the world.

It is very probable that we would have made a terrible mess of it had we followed our wishes and would have wound up a much bigger flop than we did. No matter what our station in life, we can daily thank God that it is no worse than it is.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 4, 2017 - Good morning to a fabulous Friday of renewed faith, hope, courage and strength

Aug. 3, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017

Today's thoughts from he Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation are:

The Four Absolutes
by the Oxford Group, used by early AAs before the Twelve Steps were written

Absolute Honesty
Both with ourselves and with others, in word, deed, and thought.

Absolute Unselfishness
To be willing, wherever possible, to help others who need our help.

Absolute Love
You shall love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And. . . you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Absolute Purity
Purity of mind, of body, and of purpose.

You are reading from the book:

The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2 by Bill P. and Lisa D.

The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2 by Bill P. and Lisa D. © 2007 by Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 3, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017

The educated person knows things, but the wise man knows people. It is not possible to know life without knowing the individuals that make up the world.

A man is not a thing - he's a combination of certain good and bad traits that make him distinctive among his fellow men. Each one is an influence for good or evil, whether we realize it or not. When we rub elbows with our associates, we exchange some of our characteristics with them. Watch, therefore, your companions for, if they are unclean, they are sure to soil your clothes.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 3, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017

Today, I'm fed up - filled to the rim with those self-destructive, self-absorbed character defects like anger, self-pity and anxiety about what's been said and done, and what's ahead. And, today, I'm sick of carrying the garbage, the excess baggage that I acquired in my drinking days and may still be toting even without the booze. I want what AA promises - if I work for it. That means, finally, getting out from under the ponderous weight of that chip on my shoulder, and letting go means letting God and working the program so as not to take that weight back. Even if in sobriety I can rationalize or justify whatever resentment and any other ill feeling I harbor for someone or something, it has no role in recovery and, in fact, can derail it like a super-train jumping its track at 200 mph. The predictable outcome? Total self-destruction. I didn't come this far this long to fall apart or implode because of whatever self-destructive trap I have set. Today, I want to feel free of anger, self-pity, worry and resentment and, today, I'm fed up enough to get with the program. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2017

Aug. 3, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017

AA Thought for the Day
We in AA must remember that we are offering something intangible. We are offering a psychological and spiritual program. We are not offering a medical program. If people need medical treatment, we call in a doctor. If they need a medical prescription, we let the doctor prescribe for them. If they need hospital treatment, we let the hospital take care of them. Our vital AA work begins when a person is physically able to receive it.

Am I willing to leave medical care to the doctors?

Meditation for the Day
Each moment of your day which you devote to this new way of life is a gift to God. The gift of the moments. Even when your desire to serve God is sincere, it is not an easy thing to give Him many of these moments: the daily things you had planned to do, given up gladly so that you can perform a good service or say a kind word. If you can see God's purpose in many situations, it will be easier to give Him many moments of your day. Every situation has two interpretations - your own and God's. Try to handle each situation in the way you believe God would have it handled.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may make my day count somewhat for God. I pray that I may not spend it all selfishly.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 3, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017

Reflection for the Day
The Twelve Steps were designed specifically for people like us - as a shortcut to God. The Steps are very much like strong medicine which can heal us of the sickness of despair, frustration and self-pity. Yet we're sometimes unwilling to use The Steps. Why? Perhaps because we have a deep-down desire for martyrdom. Consciously and intellectually, we think we want help; on a gut level, though, some hidden sense of guilt makes us crave punishment more than relief from our ills.

Can I try to be cheerful when everything seems to be leading me to despair? Do I realize that despair is very often a mask for self-pity?

Today I Pray
May I pull out the secret guilt inside that makes me want to punish myself. May I probe my despair and discover whether it is really an impostor - self-pity with a mask on. Now that I know that the Twelve Steps can bring relief, may I please use them instead of wallowing in my discomforts.

Today I Will Remember
The Twelve Steps are God's stairway.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 3, 2017 - Welcome to an awesome Thursday of renewed faith, hope, strength and courage

Aug. 2, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017

Today's thought from he Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.
 -- Ruth Gordon

All of us fear the unfamiliar at times; and it's nothing to be ashamed of to occasionally feel frightened by everyday events. We can still forget that God is always with us and, thus, allow fear to take over.

We're learning in recovery, though, that we can empower ourselves through the magic of belief. Acting as If we feel that extra bit of courage and that we sense God's presence protecting us can dissipate our fears and bring us new confidence. In doing this, we will gradually come to know the inner resources God has given us. The more we acknowledge our courage, the more it becomes a working part of our life.

We often unnecessarily complicate matters by thinking we have to face things by ourselves. We forget that our spiritual program offers us ready relief from the terror of feeling alone. God offers us the strength and courage to meet each challenge. We only have to accept.

I will remember God's presence today and discover the courage to face my fears.

You are reading from the book:

In God's Care by Karen Casey

In God's Care by Karen Casey. © 1991 by Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 2, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017

" ...I had my first drink and I still remember it, for every 'first' drink afterwards did exactly the same trick - I could feel it go right through every bit of my body ...But each drink after the 'first' seemed to become less effective and, after three or four, they all seemed like water. ...(T)he more I drank, the quieter I got, and the drunker I got, the harder I fought to stay sober. ...Even that first night I blacked out, which leads me to believe that I was an alcoholic from my very first drink." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "Personal Stories," Ch 6 ("The Vicious Cycle"), p 241.

Today, grant that I always remember my last drink if I cannot remember my first - for it is the last one that brought me to my knees and set me on my search for something better. Even if I cannot remember the first drink or whether I became alcoholic with my first or 1,000th one, I cannot forget that I was in alcoholism with my last drink. And if I can't remember my last drunk, I might not have had it. Thus, the reason for AA . Regardless of how recently or long ago my last drink was, AA is here to strengthen and guide me from the next drink. Today, I am only as good as the guy whose last drink was yesterday even if mine was a thousand yesterdays ago and, today, I will remember my last drink. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2017

Aug. 2, 2017 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017

AA Thought for the Day
Alcoholics Anonymous has no quarrel with medicine, psychiatry or religion. We have great respect for the methods of each. And we are glad for any success they may have had with alcoholics. We are desirous always of cooperating with them in every way. The more doctors, the more psychiatrists, the more clergymen and rabbis we can get to work with us, the better we like it. We have many who take a real interest in our program and we would like many more.

Am I ready to cooperate with those who take a sincere interest in AA?

Meditation for the Day
God is always ready to pour His blessings into our hearts in generous measure. But like the seed-sowing, the ground must be prepared before the seed is dropped in. It is our task to prepare the soil. It is God's to drop the seed. This preparation of the soil means many days of living, choosing the right and avoiding the wrong. As you go along, each day you are better prepared for God's planting, until you reach the time of harvest. Then you share the harvest with God - the harvest of a useful and more abundant life.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that my way of living may be properly prepared day by day. I pray that I may strive to make myself ready for the harvest which God has planted in my heart.

Hazelden Foundation