Oct. 2, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Monday, Oct. 2, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Slogans

Live easy but think first.

—Anonymous

“Live and let live,” “Easy does it,” “But for the grace of God,” “Think, think, think,” and “First things first” are the five slogans we most often hear and see on the walls of our meeting rooms. The first word of each of these five slogans also creates a popular slogan: “Live easy but think first.”

Many newcomers hear that we begin recovery on the slogans and stay in recovery on the Twelve Steps. The slogans were developed for use in recovery from the experience of many others. They at first appear to us as too simple (and sometimes too corny) for our use. The slogans are anything but corny. We need to check if we are using them in our daily lives.

The slogans helped me when I first came in. I continue to use them to keep me on the program, but I also remember not to be a “slogan slinger” and ram them down everyone’s throat.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 2, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Monday, Oct. 2, 2023

“It would be wonderful were I able to tell you that my confidence in God and my application of the Twelve Steps to my daily living have utterly banished fear. This would not be the truth. The most accurate answer I can give you is this: Fear has never again ruled my life since that day …when I found that a Power greater than myself could not only restore me to sanity but could keep me both sober and sane. Never in 16 years have I dodged anything because I was afraid of it. I have faced life instead of running away from it.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous Number Three, Ch 9 (“The Man Who Mastered Fear”), pp 284-85.

Today: fear of what? Of the uncertain but predictable consequences of drinking? Of the untested and unfamiliar path of recovery? Of taking responsibility for the consequences of my actions when drunk, when sober? Of telling someone I’m sorry? Of admitting that I can’t do it alone anymore, that I need something higher and stronger than myself? Of the risk of opening myself knowing that once the heart is open nothing will ever be the same? Of facing fear? Of what fear will do to me? Today, if on nothing more than blind faith in something stronger and greater than myself, I confront my fears because I’ve empowered them for far too long. In facing them, God granting, may I have control of my fears — not the other way around. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

Oct. 2, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Monday, Oct. 2, 2023

AA Thought for the Day

What makes an effective talk at an AA meeting? It is not a fine speech with fine choice of words and an impressive delivery. Often a few simple words direct from the heart are more effective than the most polished speech. There is always a temptation to speak beyond your own experience, in order to make a good impression. This is never effective. What does not come from the heart does not reach the heart. What comes from personal experience and a sincere desire to help the other person reaches the heart.

Do I speak for effect or with a deep desire to help?

Meditation for the Day

“Thy will be done” must be your oft-repeated prayer. And in the willing of God’s will there should be gladness. You should delight to do that will because when you do, all your life goes right and everything tends to work well for you in the long run. When you are honestly trying to do God’s will and humbly accepting the results, nothing can seriously hurt you. Those who accept the will of God in their life may not inherit the earth, but they will inherit real peace of mind.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may have a yielded will. I pray that my will may be attuned to the will of God.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 2, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Monday, Oct. 2, 2023

Reflection for the Day
An entire philosophy of life is condensed in the slogan “Live and Let Live.” First we’re urged to live fully, richly and happily — to fulfill our destiny with the joy that comes from doing well whatever we do. Then comes a more difficult challenge: “Let live.” This means accepting the right of every other person to live as he or she wishes, without criticism or judgment from us. The slogan rules out contempt for those who don’t think as we do. It also warns against resentments, reminding us not to interpret other people’s actions as intentional injuries to us.

Am I becoming less tempted to involve my mind with thoughts of how others act or live?

Today I Pray
May I live my life to the fullest, understanding that pure pleasure-seeking is not pleasure-finding, but that God’s goodness is here to be shared. May I partake of it. May I learn not to take over the responsibility for another’s adult decisions; that is my old controlling self trying, just one more time, to be the executive director of other people’s lives.

Today I Will Remember
Live and let live.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 2, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Monday, Oct. 2, 2023

Most of us have met persons whom we thought extremely homely until we knew them better. Then we ceased observing their lack of facial beauty and began to appreciate those persons for what they really were.

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were what might be called extremely homely men, yet the beauty and strength of their characters was such that practically all present-day pictures show little of their ugliness.

You can’t do a whole lot to improve an ugly face, but you can hide it behind a lovely character.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 2, 2023 – Good morning to this fine Monday and new week

 

Good morning and gulp that coffee and get out there and have a fantastic Monday and new week and tell anyone and anything that needs it where to get lost

Oct. 1, 2023 - Readings in Recovery; Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

The possibilities for tomorrow are usually beyond our expectations.

—Anonymous

When it is a struggle to believe that we’re hopeful, productive, and capable of caring for and loving others, we may have to pretend that we are all of these things. The program calls this acting as if. We can act as if we’re hopeful; we can act as if we’re productive; we can act as if we care. We may not have a long record of being all these things, and we may not even know how sometimes, but we don’t have to. We have a promise that our Higher Power is caring for us and will help us do the things we can’t do on our own.

Acting as if is hard work; it takes constant letting go. We may feel totally unqualified to live in reality and resentful that we have to. Our grandiosity whispers that reality is boring and beneath us. We are “special”; we don’t have to follow the same rules other people do.

Consciously turning our wills and our lives over to God stills the addictive voice and focuses our energy on real life. We become part of life, rather than an adversary. And we feel the pleasure of our efforts.

If  today is a day to act as if, I will accept it and do my best.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 1, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023

“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” — Step 11, Alcoholics Anonymous

Today, whether I have embraced a Higher Power or am skeptical either as an atheist or agnostic, Step 11 suggests that I be at least open to the possibility of something greater and stronger than myself. I must also seek the will and way of something other than my own. This is the definition of humility — to be open to learning and carrying out the will of a power stronger and wiser than me. I cannot be reminded or jolted enough that history has proven time and again that running my life on my terms has always led to the same disastrous results and outcome; thus, the insanity of alcoholism. Today, I remember that I am dependent on a wiser and stronger power to guide me on a non-destructive course and that I am risking a slip or relapse if I forget that it hasn’t worked my way. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

Oct. 1, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023

AA Thought for the Day
AA will lose some of its effectiveness if I do not do my share. Where am I failing? Are there some things I do not feel like doing? Am I held back by self-consciousness or fear? Self-consciousness is a form of pride. It is a fear that something may happen to you. What happens to you is not very important. The impression you make on others does not depend so much on the kind of a job you do as on your sincerity and honesty of purpose.

Am I holding back because I am afraid of not making a good impression?

Meditation for the Day
Look to God for the true power that will make you effective. See no other wholly dependable supply of strength. That is the secret of a truly effective life. And you, in your turn, will be used to help many others find effectiveness. Whatever spiritual help you need, whatever spiritual help you desire for others, look to God. Seek that God’s will be done in your life and seek that your will conforms to His. Failures come from depending too much on your own strength.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may feel that nothing good is too much for me if I look to God for help. I pray that I may be effective through His guidance.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 1, 2023 - Readings in Recovery; A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023

Reflection for the Day
We can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. We can be all by ourselves and still feel happy and content. What makes the difference? We feel lonely if we look to other people for something they really can’t provide. No one else can give us peace of mind, an inner sense of acceptance, and serenity. And when we find ourselves alone, we needn’t feel lonely. God is with us; His presence is like a warm shawl enfolding us. The more we’re aware of ourselves as beloved by God, the more we’re able to feel content and secure — whether we’re with others or when alone.

Am I experiencing a sense of God and His love at all times and in all places?

Today I Pray
May I understand that we each have our own kind of loneliness — whether we are young and friendless, old and kept waiting by death, bereft, left, running away or just feeling out of it in a crowd. May my loneliness be eased a bit by the fact that loneliness is, indeed, a universal feeling that everyone knows first-hand — even though some lives seem more empty than others. May I — and all the lonely people — take comfort in the companionship of God.

Today I Will Remember
Shared loneliness is less lonely.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 1, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023

Somewhere we read that alcoholics made their own bedlam and then lied out of it. This has not been our experience. We made our own bedlam, it is true, but unfortunately we were usually stuck with it. Somehow we could never successfully lie out of it. Lying somehow always failed and on the few occasions when we did get by with one, we were forced to tax our feeble brains for the balance of our days to guard it and not expose ourselves. A liar must of necessity have a good memory, or he’s sunk.

Hazelden Foundation

Oct. 1, 2023 – Good morning to a great Sunday and new month

 

Good morning and let’s usher in this beautiful Sunday and new month with confidence that both are going to be great and that we’re all doing OK

Sept. 30, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important.

— T. S. Eliot

Humility is a wonderful gift for us addicts. We tend to think we are better or worse than everyone else. We are not. Humility is simply knowing that we have a right to be alive and breathing as much as anyone else and no more.

Of course, we are different in some ways. We have different talents and gifts. We each have a great deal to offer, and that is good because there are a lot of needs in the world. Our job is to pitch in and make the work lighter for everyone.

Humility means taking on the role of showing up for life and doing our best. We don’t expect others to do all the work for us. We don’t stand outside the group feeling that we are not good enough to join in. We show up, suit up, and get to work.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, thanks for helping me enjoy being part of the human race, for showing me that I’m a person who has gifts and talents that I need to share.

Today’s Action

Today I will list the talents and gifts I bring to people. Then I will ask two people, “When you see me coming, what do you expect me to bring to whatever is going on?”  I will write down what they say.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 30, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023

“11. — Our relations with the general public should be characterized by personal anonymity. We think AA ought to avoid sensational advertising. Our names and pictures as AA members ought not be broadcast, filmed or publicly printed. Our public relations should be guided by the principle of attraction rather than promotion. There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Appendices, “The Twelve Traditions” (long form), p 567.

Today, no “praise” for my recovery, be it years of sobriety or my first meeting tonight. While it is appropriate to give a quick pat on the back for working toward recovery, the overwhelming “credit” belongs to the Program without which we have no lifeline to grab and hold onto. If I should boast about my recovery as my own achievement, if I become complacent in sobriety or if I neglect to do what the Program suggests, I have probably neglected my responsibility to be one of its “success” stories anonymously. Today, I will be stingy in claiming my sobriety as my own accomplishment and instead remember that the credit is AA’s. And our common journey continues. Step by Step. — Chris M., 2023

Sept. 30, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023

AA Thought for the Day
There are no leaders in AA, except as they volunteer to accept responsibility. The work of carrying on AA — leading group meetings, serving on committees, speaking before other groups, doing twelfth-step work, spreading AA among the alcoholics of the community — all these things are done on a volunteer basis. If I don’t volunteer to do something concrete for AA, the movement is that much less effective. I must do my fair share to carry the load. AA depends on all its members to keep it alive and to keep it growing.

Am I doing my share for AA?

Meditation for the Day
When you look to God for strength to face responsibility and are quiet before Him, His healing touch causes the Divine Quiet to flow into your very being. When in weakness you cry to God, His touch brings healing, the renewal of your courage and the power to meet every situation and be victorious. When you faint by the way or are distracted by feelings of inferiority, then rely on the touch of God’s spirit to support you on your way. Then arise and go forth with confidence.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may lay myself open today to the healing touch of God. I pray that I may not falter or faint by the wayside, but renew my courage through prayer.

Hazelden Foundation