Nov. 29, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Taking the Steps

We used drugs for many reasons. Often it was to take the edge off life. In the beginning drugs made the world more beautiful, more satisfying. Toward the end we used drugs to turn off our guilt, fear, and loneliness. The drugs began to cause more problems than they cured. Finally, using met none of our needs at all.

By working the Steps, however, we can learn to meet our needs in constructive, rather than destructive, ways.

Am I working all the Steps necessary to meet my needs without chemicals?

Higher Power, help me find those things in life — sober and clean — that I was trying to find by using drugs.

Today I will work on Step…

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 29, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023

Today, if my candle is burning at both ends with responsibilities, obligations and expectations,  I will not complain or seek adulation and, instead, will be grateful and humble that now I am trusted to carry out what is asked and expected of me. But if I feel overwhelmed at times, I can fall back on the edict “First Things First.” The first thing is sobriety. Without it, there is nothing; with it, there is everything. The benefits sobriety brings include service to the sufferer who needs and wants to hear the message, and I should not shirk or complain about being in service. Not only does what I contribute to another soul strengthen my own recovery against a possible slip or relapse, I need only to remember the days when I was drunk literally 24/7 and ask if those days were better than now. Today, my yesterdays are nowhere better than today, and today is where I will stay without complaining, without seeking recognition and instead ask in humility for the will of my Higher Power and the knowledge to carry it out. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

Nov. 29, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023

AA Thought for the Day

The AA way is the way of sobriety, and yet there are slips. Why do these slips occur? Why don’t we all accept AA and stay sober from then on? There are many reasons, but it has been proved without exception that once we have become alcoholics, we can never drink successfully again. This has never been disproved by any case we know of. Many alcoholics have tried drinking after a period of sobriety from a few days to a few years, and no one that we know of has been successful in becoming a normal drinker.

Could I be the only exception to this rule?

Meditation for the Day

“We are gathered together in Thy name.” First, we are gathered together, bound by a common loyalty to God and to each other. Then, when this condition has been fulfilled, God is present with us. Then, when God is there and one with us, we voice a common prayer. Then it follows that our prayer will be answered according to God’s will. Then, when our prayer is answered, we are bound together in a lasting fellowship of the spirit.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be loyal to God and to others. I pray that my life today may be lived close to His and to theirs.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 29, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023

Reflection for the Day
Contrary to what some people think, our slogan “Let Go and Let God” isn’t an expression of apathy, an attitude of defeatism or an unwillingness to accept responsibility. Those who turn their backs on their problems are not “letting go and letting God” but, instead, are abandoning their commitment to act on God’s inspiration and guidance. They neither ask for nor expect help; they want God to do it all.

In seeking God’s guidance, do I realize that the ultimate responsibility is mine?

Today I Pray
May I not allow myself to be lazy just because I think God is going to do everything anyway. (Such apathy reminds me of my old powerless self, the one that moaned that the world was going up in smoke, civilization was going down the drain and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.) Neither may I use “letting God” do it as an excuse for shrugging off my problems without even trying. May God be my inspiration; may I be an instrument of God.

Today I Will Remember
God guides those who help themselves.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 29, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023

We find in life exactly what we are looking for. In your drinking days, you courted trouble constantly and you probably found more than your share of it.

Today we are looking for a better way of life and this, too, we find at every turn.

We get what we want if we put forth sufficient effort to look for it, if we have the ability to recognize it when we see it, and the tenacity to hold on to it when once we grasp it.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 29, 2023 – Good morning and let’s shoot for a productive and worthwhile Wednesday

 

Good morning and here’s a precious little pussy kitty to help get your Wednesday off to a great start …make it a terrific and productive, worthwhile day — and don’t bother with people and things that aren’t worth our time

Nov. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Finding Hope

Since devoting myself to recovery, I’ve never been without hope. I’ve experienced some really dark times in recovery, and there have been times when hope was all that I had. There’s an Italian proverb that says “Hope is the last thing ever lost.” How beautiful. How inspiring. I now understand that sharing hope is the most important thing I can do. Hope can be planted like a seed. I confess I was once a dope dealer; now I’m a hope dealer. I can share my experience and my knowledge to inspire hope in others. I can show them how to share their hope. And hope will spread. Hope will grow.

Hope is really about believing that things just might be okay. We can hope for healed relationships. We can hope for fresh starts. We can hope to make it through the next hour, next day, next week, next month, and next year in our recovery. We can hope to feel joy again. Hope means glimmers of light in the darkness, in the darkest of despair.

We all have hope. Somewhere. We might have to dig deep, but it’s there.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023

” …(W)e launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions.
“Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory. This was Step Four.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, Ch 5 (“How It Works”), pp 64-5.

Today, the “vigorous action” of the Fourth Step cannot and should not be done in one sitting. In our impatience and zeal to get sober, we risk skirting the depth of some Steps, and the Fourth is vulnerable. Without depth and absolute honesty, and neglecting to come to terms with some issues identified in our moral housecleaning, the benefit and effectiveness of subsequent Steps may be less than what they could and should be. We are urged to submit to Step Four and honestly assess both our character defects and attributes. But we should not expect that we can honestly compile a thorough list in one attempt, particularly when identifying the “causes and conditions” of which alcohol was “but a symptom.” After all, those defects will likely still be there tomorrow if we need a break today from the “vigorous action” that the Fourth requires. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023

Nov. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023

AA Thought for the Day
The AA way is the way of sobriety. AA is known everywhere as a method that has been successful with alcoholics. Doctors, psychiatrists and clergymen have had some success. Some men and women have got sober all by themselves. We believe that AA is the most successful and happiest way to sobriety. And yet AA is, of course, not wholly successful. Some are unable to achieve sobriety and some slip back into alcoholism after they have had some measure of sobriety.

Am I deeply grateful to have found AA?

Meditation for the Day
Gratitude to God is the theme of Thanksgiving Day. The pilgrims gathered to give thanks to God for their harvest which was pitifully small. When we look around at all the things we have today, how can we help being grateful to God? Our families, our homes, our friends, our AA fellowship: all these things are free gifts of God to us. “But for the grace of God,” we would not have them.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be very grateful today, I pray that I may not forget where I might be but for the grace of God.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023

Reflection for the Day
Our faith in God’s power — at work in us and in our lives — doesn’t relieve us of responsibility. Instead, our faith strengthens our efforts, makes us confident and assured, and enables us to act decisively and wisely. We’re no longer afraid to make decisions; we’re not afraid to take the steps that seem called for in the proper handling of giving situations.

Do I believe that God is at work beyond my human efforts, and that my faith and trust in Him will bring forth results far exceeding my expectations?

Today I Pray
May my trust in my Higher Power never falter. May my faith in that Power continue to shore up my optimism, my confidence, my belief in my own decision-making. May I never shut my eyes to the wonder of God’s work or discount the wisdom of His solutions.

Today I Will Remember
Our hope in ages past, our help for years to come.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 28, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023

Knowledge is of great value, and nothing of value is acquired without price. Wisdom is even more to be desired than knowledge, which can be but an accumulation of facts. Humility is greater than wisdom for there is no real wisdom without humility. The wise are humbled by the knowledge of the limitations of their knowledge.

No man is born with these characteristics, they are born of the vicissitudes of life. Sorrow, despair and failure are their breeding grounds.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 28, 2023 – Good morning with hopes of a great Tuesday for everyone

 

Good morning with determination to make this beautiful Tuesday as good and productive as you can, and don’t bother with people and things that aren’t worth our time

Nov. 27, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Monday, Nov. 27, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

He that to what he sees, adds observation, and to what he reads, reflection, is in the right road to knowledge.

— Charles Caleb Colton

We are not just feathers blown on the winds of a powerless life. We bring ourselves to our experiences. The dynamics of learning include, first, what happens – what we see or read or hear – and, second, what we make of it. So in our observations and reflections we consider what an event means to us.

As men in a spiritual program, we need some time to think and reflect. That is, we need time away from the phone, away from interruptions and work, where we can let ourselves learn and grow from our experiences. Some men get that by leaving the radio off while driving alone, others get it on the bus, others light a candle in a quiet room at home and meditate. In this way, we are conscious and aware of what is happening in our lives, and we bring our wisdom to it. Through time we deepen and grow stronger as we grow older rather than only accumulating more experiences.

Today, I will reflect on the meaning of my experiences and bring my wisdom to them.

Hazelden Foundation

Nov. 27, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Monday, Nov. 27, 2023

“There may be some wrongs we can never fully right. We don’t worry about them if we can honestly say to ourselves that we would right them if we could. Some people cannot be seen — we send them an honest letter. And there may be a valid reason for postponement in some cases. But we don’t delay if it can be avoided. We should be sensible, tactful, considerate and humble without being servile or scraping.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 6 (“Into Action”), p 83.

Today, I can’t take on guilt — or be guilted — if I, in absolute honesty, cannot make an amend to someone I have hurt if that amend further injures them or someone else. This is a vital qualifier of the Ninth Step — that we make amends directly “except when to do so would injure them or others.” But this isn’t an out from making amends or accepting responsibility for the hurt we inflicted. It is possible to postpone making an amend if an immediate one inflicts hurt. It is just as possible that I can never make amends to someone if that person cannot be found or is no longer available. In any case, if for no one other than myself, I can make “indirect” amends by admitting my wrong in writing, in a private journal even if no one else will read it. In doing that, I am at least giving voice to a silent wrong. The benefit could be that the guilt or fear of me being “caught” is powerless because I have admitted my wrong and taken responsibility. If today I take the Ninth Step, I must temper my “confession” with the qualification that an act of atonement now could do what the Ninth warns against — inflicting further hurt. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M., 2023

Nov. 27, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Monday, Nov. 27, 2023

AA Thought for the Day
The way of AA is the way of sobriety, fellowship, service and faith. Let us take up each one of these things and see if our feet are truly on the way. The first and greatest to us is sobriety. The others are built on sobriety as a foundation. We could not have the others if we did not have sobriety. We all come to AA to get sober, and we stay to help others get sober. We are looking for sobriety first, last and all the time. We cannot build any decent kind of a life unless we stay sober.

Am I on the AA way?

Meditation for the Day
To truly desire to do God’s will, therein lies happiness for a human being. We start out wanting our own way. We want our wills to be satisfied. We take and we do not give. Gradually we find that we are not happy when we are selfish, so we begin to make allowances for other peoples’ wills. But this again does not give us full happiness, and we begin to see that the only way to be truly happy is to try to do God’s will. In these times of meditation, we seek to get guidance so that we can find God’s will for us.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may subordinate my will to the will of God. I pray that I may be guided today to find His will for me.

Hazelden Foundation