May 26, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Sunday, May 26, 2019

" ...We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick. Though we did not like their symptoms and the way these disturbed us, they, like ourselves, were sick too. We asked God to help us show them the same tolerance, pity and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 5, pp 66-7.

Today, let go of resentments and other ill feelings I might harbor for someone else. I cannot justify anger and anything else bad against anyone if I hope or expect no one to have such feelings towards me. If I claim spiritual disease as the root of my own misconduct, I have to allow the same to those who have affronted me. While I might never grow to like the person I believe has offended me, rightfully or not, I cannot work toward revenge or hopes that something bad befalls that other person. Today, as I hope no one wishes me ill, I cannot justify hoping the worst for someone else. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2019

May 26, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Sunday, May 26, 2019

AA Thought for the Day
In Twelfth-Step work, the fourth thing is conversion. Conversion means change. Prospects must learn to change their way of thinking. Until now, everything they've done has been connected with drinking. Now they must face a new kind of life, without liquor. They must see and admit that they cannot overcome drinking by their own willpower, so they must turn to a Higher Power for help. They must start each day by asking this Higher Power for the strength to stay sober. This conversion to belief in a Higher Power comes gradually, as they try it and find that it works.

Do I care enough about other alcoholics to help them to make this conversion?

Meditation for the Day
Discipline of yourself is absolutely necessary before the power of God is given to you. When you see others manifesting the power of God, you probably have not seen the discipline that went before. They made themselves ready. All your life is a preparation for more good to be accomplished when God knows that you are ready for it. So keep disciplining yourself in the spiritual life every day. Learn so much of the spiritual laws that your life cannot again be a failure. Others will see the outward manifestation of the inward discipline in your daily living.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may manifest God's power in my daily living. I pray that I may discipline myself so as to be ready to meet every opportunity.

Hazelden Foundation

May 26, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Sunday, May 26, 2019

Reflection for the Day
I know today that I no longer have to proceed on my own. I've learned that it's safer, more sensible and surer to move forward with friends who are going in the same direction as I. None of us need feel shame at using help, since we all help each other. It's no more a sign of weakness to use help in recovering from my addiction than it is to use a crutch if I have a broken leg. To those who need it, and to those who see its usefulness, a crutch is a beautiful thing.

Do I sometimes still refuse to accept easily-obtained assistance?

Today I Pray
God make me see that it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help, that the camaraderie of the group is what makes it work for each of us. Like a vaccine for diphtheria or polio, The Program and the strength of the group have proved themselves as preventives for slips and backsliding. Praise God for the tools of recovery.

Today I Will Remember
Help is as near as my telephone.

Hazelden Foundation

May 26, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Sunday, May 26, 2019

Doubt is the opposite of Faith. No man has either one completely, but even those of little faith have by far more faith than doubt. He may not admit a belief in God or the inherent good in mankind, but still there are numberless things in which he has no doubt.

If he did not have some faith, he would be afraid to go to sleep for fear he wouldn't waken; he would refuse to eat a meal unless he cooked it himself. He would be afraid to leave his wife to go to work or to leave his job to return to his wife for fear they would not be there when he returned.

Reduced to its simplest form, life is good or bad in proportion to our faith and our doubts.

Hazelden Foundation

May 26, 2019 - Good morning to a stress-free and serene Sunday

May 25, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Surrender

Master the lessons of your present circumstances.

We do not move forward by resisting what is undesirable in our life today. We move forward, we grow, we change by acceptance.

Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door.

Listen to this truth: We are each in our present circumstances for a reason. There is a lesson, a valuable lesson that must be learned before we can move forward.

Something important is being worked out in us, and in those around us. We may not be able to identify it today; but we can know that it is important. We can know it is good.

Overcome not by force, overcome by surrender. The battle is fought, and won, inside ourselves. We must go through it until we learn, until we accept, until we become grateful, until we are set free.

Today, I will be open to the lessons of my present circumstances. I do not have to label, know, or understand what I’m learning; I will see clearly in time. For today, trust and gratitude are sufficient.

Hazelden Foundation

May 25, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Saturday, May 25, 2019

"The remorse, horror and hopelessness of the next morning are unforgettable. The courage to do battle was not there. (The) brain raced uncontrollably and there was a terrible sense of impending calamity. ...(A) mental fog settled down. Gin would fix that. So two bottles, and - oblivion." - Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition, 1976, Ch 1, p 6.

Today, gratitude that I awoke today with memory of what I did and said last night, and without dread of what this day will bring and without fear that some unknown disaster is about to explode. Today, I have clarity of all I said and did last night, no dread of what these 24 Hours will serve and no need to run from a non-existent fear. Recovery has strengthened me with faith and trust in a Higher Power who, in turn, has graced me with faith in the 12 Steps and, above all, with sobriety. But I cannot take for granted that I awoke sober today and with a sense of purpose. My reprieve from all those morning-afters of so many yesterdays is only for this day, and this day I must continue to work toward awakening to the next 24 Hours without "remorse, horror and hopelessness." And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2019

May 25, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Saturday, May 25, 2019

AA Thought for the Day
In Twelfth-Step work, the third thing is conviction. Prospects must be convinced that they honestly want to stop drinking. They must see and admit that their life is unmanageable. They must face the fact that they must do something about their drinking. They must be absolutely honest with themselves and face themselves as they really are. They must be convinced that they must give up drinking and they must see that their whole life depends on this conviction.

Do I care enough about other alcoholics to help them reach this conviction?

Meditation for the Day
There is no limit to what you can accomplish in helping others. Keep that thought always. Never relinquish any work or give up the thought of any accomplishment because it seems beyond your power. God will help you in all good work. Only give it up if you feel that it's not God's will for you. In helping others, think of the tiny seed under the dark, hard ground. There is no certainty that, when it has forced its way up to the surface, sunlight and warmth will greet it. Often a task seems beyond your power, but there is no limit to what you can accomplish with God's help.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may never become discouraged in helping others. I pray that I may always rely on the power of God to help me.

Hazelden Foundation

May 25, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Saturday, May 25, 2019

Reflection for the Day
When we're new in The Program, we're novices at reaching out for friendship - or even accepting it when it's offered. Sometimes we're not quite sure how to do it or, indeed, whether it will actually work. Gradually, however, we become restored; we become teachable. We learn, for example, as Moliere wrote, "The more we love our friends, the less we flatter them."

Just for today, will I not show anyone that my feelings are hurt?

Today I Pray
May God help me to discover what true friendship is. In my new relationships, I pray that I may not be so eager for approval that I will let myself be dishonest - through flattery, half-truths, false cheeriness, protective white lies.

Today I Will Remember
A friend is honest.

Hazelden Foundation

May 25, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Saturday, May 25, 2019

Our cute little darling and that spoiled brat across the street do exactly the same tricks.

Man is so constructed that he cannot be absolutely impartial. It is contrary to human nature.

We can, however, pause and reflect before we pass judgment, and we can try to put ourselves in the other fellow's position. We are prone to judge him solely on his acts while we judge our acts by our motives and thus excuse ourselves.

Hazelden Foundation

May 25, 2019 - Let's get down to the Happy Dance for Saturday and holiday weekend

May 24, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Friday, May 24, 2019

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Being alive is being creative. You need do nothing but affirm your aliveness. — Gay Bonner

What does it mean to be alive? Does it mean merely breathing, eating, and moving around, or is there more to it? Being alive can mean different things to different people. To some, it’s sewing a baby quilt for a new life about to be born. To others, it’s singing, or walking, or running. Still others find it in the exhilaration of skiing, or the tropical splendor they find when scuba diving.

Each of us has our own favorite activity that lets us feel our creativity and vitality, that lets us feel a part of the larger world. Two gifts these activities leave us with are joy and energy. Joy is one of the most creative forces we can call on, and energy gives us the power to do it well.

What will my creative activity be today?

Hazelden Foundation

May 24, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

Step by Step
Friday, May 24, 2019

"Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family back. This just isn't so. In some cases, the (spouse) will never come back ...(R)ecovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God." - Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition, 1976, Ch 7, pp 99-100.

Today, understanding why my alcoholism and recovery are dependent only on me and that I cannot make them a condition on what someone else does or how some situation plays out. Just as none of those can be "blamed" for my drinking, neither can they be the reason for my recovery. To place my sobriety on someone or something else does little more than reinforce my refusal to take responsibility and consequences, and exert emotional blackmail on an external source that I cannot or will not stop drinking if I don't get from them what I want. Today, my alcoholism and my character and spiritual defects are my responsibility and no one else's. Likewise, no one and nothing outside of me are responsible for my recovery. And if addiction is as selfish as the Program says, then so it is for my recovery. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2019

May 24, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Friday, May 24, 2019

AA Thought for the Day
In Twelfth-Step work, the second thing is confession. By frankly sharing with prospects, we get them talking about their own experiences. They will open up and confess things to us that they haven't been able to tell other people. And they feel better when this confession has been made. It's a great load off their minds to get these things out and into the open. It's the things that are kept hidden that weigh on the mind. They feel a sense of release and freedom when they have opened up their hearts to us.

Do I care enough about other alcoholics to help them to make a confession?

Meditation for the Day
I should help others all I can. Every troubled soul that God puts in my path is the one for me to help. As I sincerely try to help, a supply of strength will flow into me from God. My circle of helpfulness will widen more and more. God hands out the spiritual food to me and I pass it on to others. I must never say that I have only enough strength for my own need. The more I give away, the more I will keep. That which I keep to myself, I will lose in the end.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may have a sincere willingness to give. I pray that I may not hold back the strength I have received for myself alone.

Hazelden Foundation

May 24, 2019 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Friday, May 24, 2019

Reflection for the Day
Getting over years of suspicion and other self-protective mechanisms can hardly be an overnight process. We've become thoroughly conditioned to feeling and acting misunderstood and unloved - whether we really were or not. Some of us may need time and practice to break out of our shell and the seemingly comfortable familiarity of solitude. Even though we begin to believe and know we're no longer alone, we tend to sometimes feel and act in the old ways.

Am I taking it easy? Am I learning to wear The Program and life like a loose garment?

Today I Pray
May I expect no sudden, total reversal of all my old traits. My sobriety is just a beginning. May I realize that the symptoms of my disease will wear off gradually. If I slip back, now and then, into my old self-pity bag or my grandiosity, may I not be discouraged but grateful. At last, I can face myself honestly and not let my delusions get the best of me.

Today I Will Remember
Easy does it.

Hazelden Foundation