Wednesday 31 August 2016

CHARLES A. AT LIMPOPO CONVENTION,SOUTH AFRICA 2012 #essentialsofrecovery




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THE TEN INDIAN COMMANDMENTS #essentialsofrecovery



1. Treat the Earth & All that Dwell there in with ResPect & Love.


2. Remain Close to the Great Spirit of the Universe At all Times.


3. Show Great ResPect for your Fellow Human Being, & All things.


4. We Must, Work Together for the Benefit of all ManKind.  At all Times.


5. Give Assistance, Help one other, have Kindness & Love where

needs be. Unselfishness Preserves life. Where as love of ego kills it.

6. Do what you Know to be Right & Good At all Times.

We are not punished for our mistakes.

We are Punished by our mistakes.


7. Look after the Wellbeing of your Mind & Body At all Times

If you speak and Act with Pure Thoughts

Happiness, LoVe & Peace, Will Follow You were ever you go.


8. Dedicate a Share of your Time & Efforts. &

You’re Life with all ManKind. LoVe & SerVice is our code.


9. Be Truthful & Honest & Grateful. At all Times.

With a Heart full of Forgiveness. & Always be ForGiving.



10. Take full Responsibility for all Actions, at all Times.

The Great Spirit of all existing things,

Sees All and Knows All & Tells All.


P/S.----- All doors open inward.

Don't worry about what others are doing. & Thinking. M.Y.O.B.

Each of us should turn the searchlight inward and Purify His or
Her Heart as much as possible. Thanks be to the Higher Spirit.


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Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery

A UNIQUE PROGRAM

Alcoholics Anonymous will never have a professional class. We
have gained some understanding of the ancient words “Freely ye
have received, freely give.” We have discovered that at the point
of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 166

I believe that Alcoholics Anonymous stands alone in the treatment
of alcoholism because it is based solely on the principle of one
alcoholic sharing with another alcoholic. This is what makes the
program unique. When I decided that I wanted to stay sober, I called
a woman who I knew was a sober member of A.A., and she carried
the message of Alcoholics Anonymous to me. She received no
monetary compensation, but rather was paid by staying sober another
day herself. Today I could ask for no payment other than another day
free from alcohol, so in that respect, I am generously paid for my
labor. 
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Just For Today #essentialsofrecovery

Gratitude

“Hopeless living problems have become joyously changed. Our disease has been arrested, and now anything is possible.”

Basic Text p.102


The NA program has given us more freedom than we ever dreamed possible. Sometimes, though, in the daily routine, we lose track of how much we’ve been given. How, exactly, have our lives changed in Narcotics Anonymous?

The bottom line of recovery, of course, is freedom from the compulsion to use. No longer must we devote all our resources to feeding our addiction. No longer must we endanger, humiliate, or abuse ourselves or others just to get the next “fix”. Abstinence itself has brought great freedom to our lives.

Narcotics Anonymous has given us much more than simple abstinence-we’ve been given a whole new life. We’ve taken our inventory and have identified the defects of character that bound us for so long, keeping us from living and enjoying life. We’ve surrendered those shortcomings, taken responsibility for them, and sought the direction and power we need to live differently. Our home group has given us the personal warmth and support that helps us continue living in recovery. And topping all this off, we have the love, care, and guidance of the God we’ve come to understand in NA.

In the course of day-to-day recovery, we sometimes forget how much our lives have changed in Narcotics Anonymous. Do we fully appreciate what our program has given us?

Just for today: Recovery has given me freedom. I will greet the day with hope, grateful that anything is possible today.

pg. 253
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrecovery

A.A. Thought For The Day

“Call on new prospects while they are still jittery. They may be
more receptive when depressed. See them alone if possible. Tell
them enough about your drinking habits and experiences to
encourage them to speak of themselves. If they wish to talk, let
them do so. If they are not communicative, talk about the troubles
liquor has caused you, being careful not to moralize or lecture.
When they see you know all about the drinking game, commence to
describe yourself as an alcoholic and tell them how you learned
you were sick.” Am I ready to talk about myself to new prospects?

Meditation For The Day

Try not to give way to criticism, blame, scorn, or judgment of
others, when you are trying to help them. Effectiveness in helping
others depends on controlling yourself. You may be swept away by
a temporary natural urge to criticize or blame, unless you keep a
tight rein on your emotions. You should have a firm foundation of
spiritual living which makes you truly humble, if you are going to
really help other people. Go easy on them and be hard on yourself.
That is the way you can be used most to uplift a despairing spirit.
And seek no personal recognition for what you are used by God to
accomplish.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may try to avoid judgment and criticism. I pray that I
may always try to build up others instead of tearing them down.

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As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrecovery


Let Go Absolutely, p.242


After failure on my part to dry up any drunks, Dr. Silkworth

reminded me of Professor William James’s observation that truly

transforming spiritual experiences are nearly always founded on

calamity and collapse. “Stop preaching at them,” Dr. Silkworth

said, “and give them the hard medical facts first. This may soften

them up at depth so that they will be willing to do anything to get

well. Then they may accept those spiritual ideas of yours, and

even a Higher Power.”

********************************

We beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some

of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas, and the result was

nil–until we let go absolutely.


1. A.A. Comes Of Age, p.13
2. Alcoholics Anonymous, p.58
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Walk In Dry Places #essentialsofrecovery



HONESTY IS NOT ENOUGH


Action AA tells us that we must be honest about our problems if we hope to overcome them.


Some people seem quite w11ling to do this. But an honest admission alone does not solve our problems. We have to go beyond honesty by taking needed action to correct what’s wrong in our lives.

For example, we would not believe that any- thing had been corrected simply because a doctor diagnosed a physical problem. We know that such diagnosis is only a preliminary step that must lead to treatment to be effective. In the same way, an honest admission of our alcoholism does not lead to sobriety unless we take further action to ad- dress the problem.

We should also be careful about becoming prideful in announcing our shortcomings. If we are recovering from alcoholism but excuse a bad temper as one of our “alcoholic defects,” are we attempting to correct our behavior? The more prideful we are about any fault, the more difficult it will be to change it.

Having become honest about my shortcomings, I’ll look for opportunities today to make needed corrections in my behavior. If I find myself using my “alcoholic nature” as an excuse for unacceptable behavior, I’ll take action to do something about it.
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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery


One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back of life. 

—Eleanor Roosevelt
We’re going to have tough times. Maybe we don’t get a pay raise. Maybe we get fired. Whatever happens, don’t use alcohol or other drugs. Whatever happens, keep working the program. Our program will never turn its back on us. When tough times come, we can always turn to our meetings and sponsors. We’re lucky because we don’t have to face hard times alone. We have no reason to give up because our program will never give up.

So, pull closer to your program when times get tough. Call a friend and talk about your problems. Take in an extra meeting. All of this keeps us from turning our backs on life.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me believe that tough times are a chance to get closer to You.

Action for the Day:
The program will always be there for me in tough times. Today, I’ll make a list of what to do to stay sober when tough times come. I’ll put the list in my Big Book.
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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

STYLE

“Style is the man himself.”

— Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon


Style is involved in Spirituality — especially when it concerns the

recovering addict. Sobriety and serenity are not just seen in what we

say or do or in our ability to keep away from the first drink or pill —

they are seen in our creative styles. How we feel about ourselves

should be seen in the confidence of our gait and the concern for

personal appearance. Personal hygiene is important because it

reflects a love of self. Physical health and exercise reveal a desire

and interest in life, fitness and energy.


Style may not make the man but it certainly reveals the man!


May I seek to reveal the beauty You gave me with my appearance and style.
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A Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection For The Day

From time to time, I begin to think I know what God’s will is for other people, I say to myself, “This person ought to be cured of his terminal illness,” or “That one ought to be freed from the torment she’s going through,” and I begin to pray for those specific things. My heart is in the right place when I pray in such fashion, but those prayers are based on the supposition that I know God’s will for the person for whom I pray, I out to pray that God’s will — whatever it is — be done for others as well as for myself. Will I remember that God is ready to befriend me, but only to the degree that I trust him?

Today I Pray

I praise God for the chance to help others. I thank God also for making me want to help others, for taking me out of my tower of self so that I can meet and share with and care about people. “Teach me to pray that “Thy Will be done” in the spirit of love, which God inspires in me.

Today I Pray

I will put my trust in the will of God.

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One Day at a Time #essentialsofrecovery

Friendship

“The ideal friendship is between good people, and people who share the same virtues.
Leading a good life for the sake of friends, is the utmost of friendship itself.”

Aristotle

When I first came into recovery I had no idea how to be a friend. I thought that people liked me because of what I did for them, what I gave them, and how nice I was to them. It never occurred to me that being a friend could mean taking care of myself. I didn’t realize that friendship also consists of holding fast to my program no matter what, being gently honest to others in all things, being loyal to my group, and being true to my program and to myself. But the part that escaped me the most was that there were those who counted me as a friend just because I am me.

One Day at a Time . . .

I will be a friend by being loyal to myself, my program and my ideals.

~ Judy N. 
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Today’s Gift. #essentialsofrecovery

I’m a trader at heart. . . except that I don’t like trades that come out equally–that’s too much like borrowing. I’d rather trade a strong hand for a patient ear or a story for a meal: anything that keeps things turning over.

 –Gordon Bok

There is an old saying that there are just two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. Those of us who are givers delight in it. We have a buck to lend when someone is broke, a kind word when they’re down, a helping hand when they need it. But sometimes we givers are uncomfortable when we’re on the receiving end. We brush off thanks and gifts and help, even when they’re needed or deserved.
Those of us who are takers, on the other hand, know how to receive graciously what others have to give; we know how to ask for what we need. Often, however, we don’t know how to give. We may be afraid our gifts will be wrong or rejected or laughed at.
We can all strive to become traders, people who have learned how to both give and receive. We each have the capacity to give what we have freely and to ask, gratefully, for what we don’t have. That is the greatest gift of all.

What can I give and take today? 
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Daily Tao / 243 – Dialogue #essentialsofrecovery

I still talk in my sleep.
I still dream.
How can there be perfect stillness
When my brain’s so noisy?



We carry on a constant dialogue within ourselves. This is the origin of our problems.

The very word ‘dialogue’ means talking between two sides. We could not have an inner dialogue unless there was a split in our minds. We all have two sides; as long as they are not united, we cannot attain the wholeness that spirituality requires.

Even with years of self-cultivation, it is not easy to tame the wild mind. One might appear to have attained perfect control in all waking situations, only to find endless turbulence during meditation and sleep. This is a sign of incomplete attainment. Perfection must be total.

The process of perfection is long and must be methodical. Although our efforts must be to the utmost, we must never risk repressing ourselves. Indeed, rather than shutting away the unpleasant or unruly aspects of ourselves, we must take them all out and examine them. Daily introspection brings harmony to all our facets. Those aspects that are bad can be dissolved. Those that are of advantage can be cultivated. This effort will take many years, but in this gradual way, we resolve ourselves with our subconscious mind and free ourselves from the struggle and conflict.
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Daily Zen #essentialsofrecovery

"A man should first direct himself in the way he should go. Only then should he instruct others."


~The Buddha
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Tuesday 30 August 2016

Ups & Downs...


EssentialsOfRecovery

Big Book Mucker, Cameron F. outlines the A.A. program to a Newcomer #essentialsofrecovery




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Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery


 THE ONLY REQUIREMENT. . .

“At one time. . .every A.A. group had many membership rules. Everybody was scared witless that something or somebody would capsize the boat. . .The total list was a mile long. If all those rules had been in effect everywhere, nobody could have possibly joined A.A. at all. . .” 

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 139-40

I’m grateful that the Third Tradition only requires of me a desire to stop drinking. I had been breaking promises for years. In the Fellowship I didn’t have to make promises, I didn’t have to concentrate. It only required my attending one meeting, in a foggy condition, to know I was home. I didn’t have to pledge undying love. Here, strangers hugged me. “It gets better,” they said, and “One day at a time, you can do it.” They were no longer strangers, but caring friends. I ask God to help me to reach out to people desiring sobriety, and to, please, keep me grateful!
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Just For Today #essentialsofrecovery

 Doing Good, Feeling Good

“We examine our actions, reactions, and motives. We often find that we’ve been doing better than we’ve been feeling.”

 Basic Text p.42

The way we treat others often reveals our own state of being. When we are at peace, we’re most likely to treat others with respect and compassion. However, when we’re feeling off center; we’re likely to respond to others with intolerance and impatience. When we take regular inventory, we’ll probably notice a pattern: We treat others badly when we feel bad about ourselves.

What might not be revealed in an inventory, however, is the other side of the coin. When we treat others well, we feel good about ourselves. When we add this positive truth to the negative facts we find about ourselves in our inventory, we begin to behave differently.

When we feel badly, we can pause to pray for guidance and strength. Then, we make a decision to treat those around us with kindness, gentleness, and the same concern we’d like to be shown. A decision to be kind may nurture and sustain the happiness and peace of mind we all wish for. And the joy we inspire may lift the spirits of those around us, in turn fostering our own spiritual well-being.

Just for today: I will remember that if I change my actions, my thoughts will follow. 
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrecovery


A.A. Thought For The Day

“Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as extensive work with other alcoholics.  Carry the message to other alcoholics. You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Life will take on new meaning for you. To watch people recover, to see them help others in turn, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow about you, to have a host of friends, this is an experience you must not miss.” Am I always ready and willing to help other alcoholics?

Meditation For The Day

One secret of abundant living is the art of giving. The paradox of life is that the more you give, the more you have. If you loose your life in the service of others, you will save it. You can give abundantly and still live abundantly. You are rich in one respect – you have a spirit that is inexhaustible. Let no mean or selfish thought keep you from sharing this spirit. Of love, of help, of understanding, and of sympathy, give and keep giving. Give your personal ease and comfort, your time, your money, and most of all, yourself. And you will be living abundantly.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may live to give. I pray that I may learn this secret of abundant living. 
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As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrecovery


Middle of the Road, p.241

“In some sections of A.A., anonymity is carried to the point of real absurdity. Members are on such a poor basis of communication that they don’t even know each other’s last names or where each lives. It’s like the cell of an underground.

“In other sections, we see exactly the reverse. It is difficult to restrain A.A.’s from shouting too much before the whole public, by going on spectacular ‘lecture tours’ to play the big shot.

“However, I know that from these extremes we slowly pull ourselves onto a middle ground. Most lecture-giving members do not last too long, and the superanonymous people are apt to come out of hiding respecting their A.A. friends, business associates, and the like. I think the long-time trend is toward the middle of the road–which is probably where we should be.”

Letter, 1959 
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Walk In Dry Places #essentialsofrecovery


THE MASKS ARE FALLING

Openness Individuals and families can be quite successful at masking personal problems and feelings. This doesn’t always work very well with alcoholics, though some of us did manage to conceal our problem for long periods before our lives began to break down.

However, it is becoming more acceptable to admit to such problems, and it is no longer surprising to read that a prominent person is being treated for an addiction.

This new openness has also made it possible to abandon the masks we’ve been wearing to hide our feelings. When people learn they can be more open with their problems and need for help, it also becomes easier to admit that they are angry. fearful. unhappy, or even frightened.

Removing our masks and letting others see us as we are is only the first phase in the real honesty we’re seeking. After expressing ourselves authentically, do we find we like who we are?

Now that we know and admit the truth about ourselves, what are we going to do to make needed changes?

I will face who and what I really am today. I will use my strengths and not let any shortcomings keep me from being effective. 
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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery


Service is how we give love away. It’s the “self” of self-help. Service is not a duty; a gift that’s been given to us. We help ourselves by helping others. It’s how we make sure the program will be here tomorrow. We “carry the message.” It’s just one way we see how important we are to others. The world needs us. The world needs our love.

Prayer for the Day: I pray for help in making service a big part of my program. Higher Power, help me to “carry the message.”

Action for the Day: Which people could use a kind word and a little love? I will go visit them or give them a call. 
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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

LISTENING

“If other people are going to talk, conversation becomes impossible.”

— James McNeill Whistler

Part of my addiction was never listening to what people were saying.  This was part arrogance, part denial, part fear, part control, part ego — the bottom line was that I did not listen. I was bored and unhappy with my life because I was a prisoner of my own thoughts.

My spiritual awakening — which I consider a process rather than an event, a process that is still going on in my life on a daily basis — was in allowing some new information into my life that led to admittance and acceptance. The day that I was able to admit that I was an alcoholic was the day I took a step towards acceptance.

Today I receive immense help and comfort from other people, especially recovering alcoholics. Two people experiencing an honest conversation are part of God’s promised love for His world. 
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A Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection For The Day

I’ll begin today with prayer — prayer in my heart, prayer in my mind, and words of prayer on my lips.  Through prayer, I’ll stay tuned to God today, reaching forward to become that to which I aspire.  Prayer will redirect my mind, helping me rise in consciousness to the point where I realize that there’s no separation between God and me.  As I let the power of God flow through me, all limitations will fall away.  Do I know that nothing can overcome the power of God?

Today I Pray

Today may I offer to my Higher Power a constant prayer, not just a “once-in-the-morning-does-it” kind.  May I think of my Higher Power at coffee breaks, lunch, tea time, during a quiet evening — and at all times in between.  May my consciousness expand and erase the lines of separation, so that the Power is a part of me and I am a part of the Power.

Today I Will Remember

To live an all-day Prayer.
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One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery


STAYING PRESENT

“First you need only look.”

Anne Hillman

My disease of compulsive overeating is fueled by my regrets of the past and my fears of the future. The more I try to rewrite the past, (which of course I cannot do); the more I try to devise a future plan, (which usually does not come to pass), the less I am present for my life.

I learn much from my three-year-old son. Sometimes when running to get a ball, he suddenly stops to look at an unusual insect he sees on the ground. His life flows and he abides by this pattern. He follows his heart and is “there” for life.

When I consciously stay present for life — when I savor each moment and stay with my feelings — I am alive and living. In the present there is no worry, no fear, no regrets.

One Day at a Time . . .

I ask my Higher Power to help me to stay present for my life, to stay with whatever is happening at any given moment. I feel feelings. I am spontaneous and life is exciting and inspired.

~ Melissa S. ~ 
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Elder’s Meditation of the Day #essentialsofrecovery


“I started drinking more seriously, seeking refuge, seeking death actually, from a world that was feeling more and more unnatural to me. Following a painful accident related to drinking, I finally realized that I must decide whether I want to follow my grandparents or truly take up this life. Circumstances that followed led me to choose life.”

–Barney Bush, SHAWNEE

My life is run by choices and decisions. Every choice I make today will carry with it the consequences of that choice. Every decision I make today will carry with it the consequences of that decision. The question I will ask myself today is, “Do I want to be happy or do I want to be right?” Which ever one I choose will have a lot to do with the consequences I will experience today. If today was the last day of my life, what choices and what decisions would I make?

Oh Great Spirit, guide my path today and help me see the value of choosing the Red 
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Today’s Gift #essentialsofrecovery


If I cry tears let them wash away your fears – make a rainbow of love for you.

—Thom Klika

It takes both sun and rain to make a rainbow in the sky. The rainbow is a rare and beautiful thing – each color brilliant beside the other. Rain falls to earth like the tears we all shed sometimes. Sunlight shines like the happiness we find inside when we feel peaceful.

The colors of the rainbow are like all the different feelings we have. Let’s say red is anger and green is fear and orange is joy and violet is contentment. All these feelings create a whole person, in the same way that all these colors make the whole rainbow. We become more colorful people as we learn to express all our emotions.

A person who is learning to share feelings radiates the same kind of beauty as a rainbow in the sky.

Who can I share a feeling with today? 
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Daily Tao / 242 – Heart #essentialsofrecovery

imagine your heart as an opening lotus.
From its center comes a crimson child,
Pure, virginal, and innocent.


One meditation gives this instruction :

Imagine your heart opening into a red lotus.

From its center comes a crimson child.

Bring this child out of your body and imagine him or her floating above your head. You, as a child, are holding a sun in each hand while each foot stands on a moon.

Hold this image as long as you can.

It is hard to bring out this child. When you try, you realize how many defenses you have built around yourself. You also realize how the experiences of adolescence and adulthood have stained you. Sometimes, you may even doubt that you have a pure and innocent self to bring out anymore. But each of us does. Each of us must find that crimson child within us and bring him or her out. For this child represents the time when our energies were whole and our hearts were untroubled by the duplicity of the world and ourselves.
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Daily Zen #essentialsofrecovery


I leave to the highborn
All the honors
Of this dissolving world
A life of poverty
Has taught me to love
Haze and mist.

– Soseki 
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Monday 29 August 2016

SambaNMc , at the AA Limpopo Rally ,South Africa 2012 #essentialsofrecovery




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Some OF THis Weeks Stats #essentialsofrecovery

United States  3258
Ukraine            238
France              202
Germany           124
United Kingdom  60
Russia                 44
Canada               25
Ireland                25
Romania             25
Philippines          12 
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Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery


I CHOOSE ANONYMITY

We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the
greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have.

12 & 12, p.187

Since there are no rules in A.A. I place myself where I want to be,
and so I choose anonymity. I want my God to use me, humbly, as
one of His tools in this program. Sacrifice is the art of giving of
myself freely, allowing humility to replace my ego. With sobriety,
I suppress that urge to cry out to the world, “I am a member of
A.A.” and I experience inner joy and peace. I let people see the
changes in me and hope they will ask what happened to me. I place
the principles of spirituality ahead of judging, fault-finding, and
criticism. I want love and caring in my group, so I can grow. 
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Just For Today #essentialsofrecovery

Don’t Look Back


“The steps offer a big change from a life dominated by guilt and remorse. Our futures are changed because we don’t have to avoid those who we have harmed. As a result… we receive a new freedom that can end isolation.”

Basic Text p.31

Many of us come to Narcotics Anonymous full of regrets about our past. Our steps help us begin to resolve those regrets. We examine our lives, admit our wrongs, make amends for them, and sincerely try to change our behavior. In doing so, we find a joyous sense of freedom.

No longer must we deny or regret our past. Once we’ve made our amends, what’s done is truly over and gone. From that point on, where we come from ceases to be the most important thing about us. It’s where we are going that counts.

In NA, we begin to look forward. True, we live and stay clean just for today. But we find that we can begin to set goals, dream dreams, and look ahead to the joys a life in recovery has to offer. Looking forward keeps us centered in where we are going, not remorseful or regretful about our past. After all, it is hard to move forward if we are looking back.

Just for today: The steps have freed me from regrets over my past. Today, I look forward to my new life in recovery.

pg. 251
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrecovery


A.A. Thought For The Day

“We cannot get along without prayer and meditation. On
awakening, let us think about the 24 hours ahead. We consider our
plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our
thinking. Our thought lives will be placed on a much higher plane
when we start the day with prayer and meditation. We conclude
this period of meditation with a prayer that we will be shown
through the day what our next step is to be. The basis of all our
prayers is: Thy will be done in me and through me today.” Am I
sincere in my desire to do God’s will today?

Meditation For The Day

Breathe in the inspiration of goodness and truth. It is the spirit of
honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love. It is readily available if we
are willing to accept it wholeheartedly. God has given us two things
– His spirit and the power of choice – to accept or not, as we will.
We have the gift of free will. When we choose the path of
selfishness and greed and pride, we are refusing to accept God’s
spirit. When we choose the path of love and service, we accept
God’s spirit and it flows into us and makes all things new.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may choose the right way. I pray that I may try to follow it to the end. 
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Hard On Ourselves, Considerate Of Others, p. 240

We cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will
hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no right to save our own
skins at their expense.

Such damaging parts of our story we tell to someone else who will
understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is, we must be hard on
ourselves, but always considerate of others.

********************************

Good judgment will suggest that we ought to take our time in making
amends to our families. It may be unwise at first to rehash certain
harrowing episodes. While we may be quite willing to reveal the very
worst, we must be sure to remember that we cannot buy our own
peace of mind at the expense of others.

1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 74
2. 12 & 12, p. 84 
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Walk In Dry Places #essentialsofrecovery

Giving The Right Support
Carrying the Message

We’re surrounded by people who need help-financial and otherwise.
It is sometimes tempting to believe that we can and should reach out to improve the conditions
of their lives.

This is not always an easy thing to do, or even a right thing to do. The early AA members
who tried this finally decided to limit most of their help simply to carrying the 1Welve Step message.
While this seemed callous, it was really the only practical approach to a difficult problem.
Many people are able to solve their own financial problems when they really understand and
practice the twelve Step program. If they still need other assistance, it is then given and received in
ways that work. In any case, we should always seek guidance and direction from our Higher Power
when considering or offering any kind of assistance. We’ll then know that any support we give will
be the right kind.

I’ll be willing today to assist others in any way I can. I will not, however, take responsibility for
running their lives.
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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery



This day I choose to spend in perfect peace. A Course in Miracles


Today, let’s be gentle and kind. Lets talk to ourselves with love and respect. Let’s be gentle with others too.
Today, let’s be clear in how we think, speak, and act. And if we start to get mixed up, let’s stop thinking and listen for our Higher Power’s voice.
Today, we know that we have just a small job to do. It is to live today with love in our heart. We can’t take care of every problem in the world. But we make our actions today part of the answer instead of the part of the problem. Let’s Keep It Simple.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me find Your calmness and peace in my heart today.
Action for the Day: Do I believe that peace starts with me? Today, I’ll listen to the simple voice of peace inside of me. And I’ll Keep It Simple.

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery


EDUCATION

“The university exists only to find and communicate the truth.”

— Robert Maynard Hutchins

Today in my recovery I know I am a student of Truth and will
hopefully be so until the day that I die. No longer do I search for the
cheap thrill or the quick fix — now I desire lasting truths.

Spirituality is about finding God in things that are true and honest,
good and wholesome, creative and positive.

I battle daily with that sick side of me that is greedy, selfish and
dishonest — I’m not perfect. Today I know that the sick and
dishonest way of living does not work. My history teaches me that it
does not work. I was never truly happy knowing that the gains came
at the expense of others. Now I am a student in the “university of
life”, and I enjoy learning something new about me every day. Today
I am able to listen — listen to those who are wiser than I. I know that
I do not have all the answers — and with this knowledge comes
freedom.

God, who lives in and through Truth, continue to radiate and illuminate my life. 
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A Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection For The Day

Prayer can have many rewards. One of the greatest rewards is the sense of belonging it brings to me. No longer do I live as a stranger in a strange land, alien in a completely hostile world. No longer am I lost, frightened and purposeless. I belong. We find, in The Program, that the moment we catch a glimpse of God’s will — the moment we begin to see truth, justice and love as the real and eternal things in life — we’re no longer so deeply upset by all the seeming evidence to the contrary surrounding us in purely human affairs. Do I believe that God lovingly watches over me?

Today I Pray

May I be grateful for the comfort and peace of belonging — to God the ultimately wise “parent” and to His family on earth. May I no longer need bumper stickers or boisterous gangs to give me my identity. Through prayer, I am God’s.

Today I Will Remember

I find my identity through prayer. 
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One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

 STAYING PRESENT

“First you need only look.”

Anne Hillman

My disease of compulsive overeating is fueled by my regrets of the past and my fears of the future. The more I try to rewrite the past, (which of course I cannot do); the more I try to devise a future plan, (which usually does not come to pass), the less I am present for my life.

I learn much from my three-year-old son. Sometimes when running to get a ball, he suddenly stops to look at an unusual insect he sees on the ground. His life flows and he abides by this pattern. He follows his heart and is “there” for life.

When I consciously stay present for life — when I savor each moment and stay with my feelings — I am alive and living. In the present there is no worry, no fear, no regrets.

One Day at a Time . . .

I ask my Higher Power to help me to stay present for my life, to stay with whatever is happening at any given moment. I feel feelings. I am spontaneous and life is exciting and inspired.

~ Melissa S. ~
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Today’s Gift. #essentialsofrecovery


When you meet a man, you judge him by his clothes; when you leave, you judge him by his heart. 

–Russian Proverb

The woman on the park bench was gnarled and dirty. Her hair was an uncombed mess, her clothes torn and old. She clutched a paper bag to her side, which seemed to contain her belongings. She sat in the sun, humming to herself. Occasionally she threw a bit of popcorn to ducks who waited at her feet. A little boy and his mother sat by the lake, not wanting to share the bench with this wild-eyed old woman. But when the old woman beckoned to the little boy to share her popcorn with him, he ran to the bench and let out squeals of laughter as they fed the hungry ducks.
Our world is full of variety and surprises. Would we have it any other way? When we shun someone because of the way they look, we cut ourselves off from part of life. But when we are ready for anything–accepting and trusting–we are a wonder to everyone.

How shall I judge people today? 
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Daily Tao / 241 – Utopia #essentialsofrecovery

Chant one million times for world peace, they told me.
Pray three times a day to end all wars.
Practice austerities to liberate all living beings.
But the world’s miseries have never diminished.



Periodically, some religious group proclaims that if everyone would just do something like chant, some fundamental social problem would be solved. Claims have been made that spiritual devotion could affect wars, famine, disease, the economy, and overpopulation.

Only personal endeavors can be spiritual. What you do with your daily devotions is purely for your own sake. Once you put ideals on a grand scale, they are compromised by the contradictions of life.

There is no utopia. There never will be. There is only the valiant attempt of each person to live spiritually in a world where spirituality is almost impossible.
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DAILY ZEN #essentialsofrecovery

All the wealth you've acquired
from beginningless time until now
has failed to fulfill all your desires.
Cultivate therefore this wish-granting gem
of moderation, O fortunate ones.

-Milarepa, "Drinking the Mountain Stream"

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Sunday 28 August 2016

Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery


LIGHTENING THE BURDEN

Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. . . . the dark past is . . . the key to life and happiness for others.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p.124

Since I have been sober, I have been healed of many pains:  deceiving my partner, deserting my best friend, and spoiling my mother’s hopes for my life. In each case someone in the program told me of a similar problem, and I was able to share what happened to me. When my story was told, both of us got up with lighter hearts. 
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrecovery


A.A. Thought For The Day

“We must continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We should grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter; it should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We must not rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve, contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” Am I checking my spiritual condition daily?

Meditation For The Day

Happiness cannot be sought directly; it is a byproduct of love and service. Service is a law of our being. With love in your heart, there is always some service to other people. A life of power and joy and satisfaction is built on love and service. Persons who hate or are selfish are going against the law of their own being. They are cutting themselves off from God and other people. Little acts of love and encouragement, of service and help, erase the rough places of life and help to make a path smooth. If we do these things, we cannot help having our share of happiness.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may give my share of love and service. I pray that I may not grow weary in my attempts to do the right thing. 
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As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrecovery


When And How To Give, p.239

Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their sobriety are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do provide a new prospect with these very things–when it becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first.

It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when and how to give. Whenever we put our work on a material plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather than upon a Higher Power and the A.A. group. He continues to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for.

Nonsense! Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: that, job or no job, wife or no wife, we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place material dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p.98 
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Walk In Dry Places #essentialsofrecovery



No Prayer Goes Unanswered
Guidance.

It would be nearly impossible to do an accounting of the results of prayer. Sometimes there seems to be no answer , and at other times, an answer seems to be the result of coincidence. It’s too easy to dismiss these results as things that would have happened even if we hadn’t prayed.

Yet those of us who believe in prayer feel that it is indeed a way of communicating with our Higher Power. It takes many forms. Even thinking about God is a type of prayer.

The best answers to prayer come in the new ways we begin to feel about ourselves and others. If prayer brings us to a realization of being in tune with our Higher Power, we are working in the right way. The proper changes will come into our lives as needed. We should not try to measure results, because this tends to bring doubt into the process. Our only responsibility is to pray then let God’s work take place in our lives.

I will pray regularly to day, thinking often about God and asserting to myself and others that this Higher Power is in charge.
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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery


The saints are the sinners who kept going.

—Robert Louis Stevenson

The saints are what our program calls the “winner.” We’re told to “stick” with the winners. Saints are just proven winners. They keep on believing in their Higher Power even when things get hard.

There will be times when we’ll want to give up. We may want to stop going to meetings. We may want to get high. We may want to stop working the Steps.

To be winners in this program, we need to follow the example of the saints. This means we live a spiritual life. We need to keep on going. One day at a time.

Prayer for the Day: I pray that I’ll be a winner in this program. Higher Power, be with me in the easy times and the hard times. Help me keep going.

Action for the Day: I’ll list people who are winners in this program. I’ll ask one of the how he or she keeps going in tough times. 
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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery


MISTAKES

“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure.”
– William Saroyan

Today I am able to learn from my mistakes because I can see that they really were mistakes! I was trying to play the game of life without a full deck. My big mistake in life was trying to drink alcohol like a non-alcoholic. I couldn’t do it.

Drugs do not think; they react. They always work, and for me they worked against me. Most of my failures in life stemmed from a fundamental misconception — alcoholics cannot drink like non-alcoholics! This I now accept. And in a strange way that is difficult to explain, I am a stronger person for having lived through my alcoholism. God has become more real, the world is more comprehensible, my life is more understandable because of the pain.

If a part of “goodness” is knowing that you are not perfect, then on a daily basis I am becoming a good person.

God, who has created a world in which there is pain and failure, help me to accept both as vehicles to wisdom. 
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A Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection For The Day

Now that we’re free from our addictions, living life one day at a time, we can begin to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love.  We can show kindness where we had shown none;  we can take the time and initiative to be thoughtful, considerate and compassionate.  Even with the people we dislike, we can at least try to be courteous, at times literally going out of our way to understand and help them.  Just For Today, will I try to understand rather than be understood, being courteous and respectful to all people with whom I’m in contact?

Today I Pray

May I never forget my old sponge-like self, who soaked up every drop of affection and attention my family or friends could give me, until they were sapped dry.  May I learn to be a giver, rather than a constant taker.  May I practice offering interest, kindness, consideration and compassion until sensitivity to others becomes second nature for me.

Today I Will Remember

Giving is part of being.
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One Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery


Others

“Those who have learned by experience what physical and emotional pain and anguish mean are a community all over the world…One and all, they know the longing to be free from pain.”
–Albert Schweitzer

Whether we isolate or are on the go constantly, whether we’re in the disease or out of it, whether we’ve found all the Promises or we haven’t, we are bonded for a lifetime by the disease of our addiction.

I was alone until I found other compulsive eaters. Yes, I had a family and friends and relatives and doctors and church and careers, but I was emotionally alone with this intricate, enigmatic, hellhole of a disease. The moment I met and connected with other compulsive eaters, my “real” life began.

One Day at a Time . . .
I share what I have learned with those who haven’t.  I give what I have to give, and I get so much more.

~ Mari 
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Elder’s Meditation of the Day #essentialsofrecovery



“Love is something that you can leave behind you when you die. It’s that powerful.”
–John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA

The Old Ones say, love is all anyone needs. Love doesn’t go away nor can love be divided. Once you commit an act of love, you’ll find it continues. Love is like setting up dominos one behind the other. Once you hit the first domino, it will touch the second one which will touch the third one and so on. Every love act or love thought has an affect on each person as well as touching the whole world. If you live a life filled with love, the results will affect your friends, relatives and other people, even after you go to the other side. So… Love.

My Creator, let me love. Let me put into action the love dominos. 
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Today’s Gift #essentialsofrecovery

One is happy as a result of one’s own efforts, tastes, a certain degree of courage, self-denial to a point, love of work, and, above all, a clear conscience. Happiness is no vague dream, of that I now feel certain.

—George Sand

“We always go get a hot fudge sundae after the school choir concert,” the girl said. Her parents laughed because their daughter said always, and they had only gone to a school choir concert once. Then the parents realized that the girl really had a great idea.

“Yes,” the mother said, “we always get a sundae because we like to make up new traditions. We’ll have to be sure and do it tonight so we don’t let the tradition fall apart before it even gets started!”

They all laughed together and started debating which restaurant had the best hot fudge sundae.

We all need to have special traditions with our families. We need celebrations that have nothing to do with official holidays. Family holidays can mean so much more to us sometimes because they celebrate our shared experiences in life and become the source of happy memories for a lifetime.

What tradition can I start today? 
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Daily Tao / 271 – Commitment #essentialsofrecovery

Maiden plucks folk tune on steel strings,
Crickets chant like monks.
I’ve walked into autumnal contentment,
Yet a young boy seeks guidance.



One my be quite far along on the path, but if one meets a beginner who sincerely seeks guidance, then one should help without reservation. If such a beginner were to come to you, what would you say? This is what I said to someone today :

“The time of beginning is one of the most precious times of all. It can be very exciting and full of wonderful growth. The first thing to do is to make up your mind that you are going to go the distance.

“When I first began, I made a lifelong commitment. I determined that I would learn from my teacher for at least seven years. Now, it has been much longer than that, but the essential element is still the same : commitment.

“But commitment needs something else in order to be perpetuated. It needs discipline. This is the perseverance to keep on when things are tough. Adversity is life’s way of testing and perfecting a person. Without that, we would never develop character.

“Rice suffers when it is milled. Jade must suffer when it is polished. But what emerges is something special. If you want to be special too, then you have to be able to stick to things even when they are difficult.”

Commitment and discipline — these are two of the most precious words for those who would seek Tao.
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Daily Zen #essentialsofrecovery


Calming the Mind

Too much knowledge
Leads to overactivity;
Better to calm the mind.
The more you consider,
The greater the loss;
Better to unify the mind.

– Shih Wang Ming (6th c)
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Saturday 27 August 2016

Randie Paul at 3 Legacies Group #essentialsofrecovery




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Daily Reflections #essentialsofrec


CENTERING OUR THOUGHTS

When World War II broke out, our A.A. dependence on a Higher Power had its first major test. A.A.’s entered the services and were scattered all over the world. Would they be able to take the discipline, stand up under fire, and endure . . . ?

As Bill Sees It, p.200

I will center my thoughts on a Higher Power. I will surrender all to this power within me. I will become a soldier for this power, feeling the might of the spiritual army as it exists in my life today. I will allow a wave of spiritual union to connect me through my gratitude, obedience and discipline to this Higher Power. Let me allow this power to lead me through the orders of the day. May the steps I take today strengthen my words and deeds, may I know that the message I carry is mine to share, given freely by this power greater than myself. 
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Just For Today #essentialsofrec


Choosing Life

“Change from self-destructive patterns of life became necessary”

Basic Text p.16

Active addiction is a smoldering death-wish. Each of us courted death every time we used. Our lifestyles, too, put us at risk. The life of an addict is sold cheaply with every day and every dose.

In recovery, the first pattern we change is the pattern of using. Staying clean is the start of our journey into life. But our self-destructive behavior usually went far deeper than just our using. Even in recovery, we may still treat ourselves as if we are worthless. When we treat ourselves badly, we feel badly. And when we feel badly, we seek relief-maybe even in our old solution, drugs.

Choosing recovery means choosing life. We decide each day that we want to live and be free. Each time we avoid self-destructive behavior, we choose recovery.

Just for today: I will choose life by choosing recovery. I will take care of myself. 
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrec



A.A. Thought For The Day

“We must be willing to make amends to all the people we have harmed. We must do the best we can to repair the damage done in the past. When we make amends, when we say: ‘I’m sorry,’ the person is sure at least to be impressed by our sincere desire to set right the wrong. Sometimes people we are making amends to admit their own faults, so feuds of long standing melt away. Our most ruthless creditors will sometimes surprise us. In general, we must be willing to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences may be for us.” Have I made a sincere effort to make amends to the people I have harmed?

Meditation For The Day

The grace of God cures disharmony and disorder in human relationships. Directly you put your affairs, with their confusion and their difficulties, into God’s hands. He begins to effect a cure of all the disharmony and disorder. You can believe that He will cause you no more pain in the doing of it than a physician that knows how to effect a cure would cause a patient. You can have faith that God will do all that is necessary as painlessly as possible. But you must be willing to submit to His treatment, even if you cannot now see the meaning or purpose of it.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may willingly submit to whatever spiritual discipline is necessary. I pray that I may accept whatever it takes to live a better life.
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As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrec



Maudlin Martyrdom, p. 238

“Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.

“The remedy? Well, let’s have a hard look at ourselves, and a still harder one at A.A.’s Twelve Steps to recovery. When we see how many of our fellow A.A.’s have used the Steps to transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be inspired to try these life-giving principles for ourselves.”

Letter, 1966
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Walk In Dry Places #essentialsofrec


Finding Our Real Selves
Building Self-esteem

Many of us sold ourselves short while we were drinking. We wanted approval and acceptance, but often felt unworthy of it, even accepting the unfavorable opinions others had toward us. We resented such opinions, but secretly feared that our critics were right.

In the Twelve Step program, however, we discover a higher and better self that hadn’t found expression during active drinking. We no longer have to impress anybody, we no longer need applause, and we no longer crave the false camaraderie that passes for friendship among problem drinkers. We can, in many ways, become new people.

When we experience such change and growth, we may come to wonder how we ever could have been so deluded by the sick self of our drinking years. We feel relief when we realize that we no longer have to live and think that way…. if we continue in the program and make sobriety our highest priority. We will realize too that the self we find in sobriety is the real self…. a person who was there all along but was crowded out and suppressed by the demands of our sick nature. This real self is what we were created to be, and sobriety brought its discovery.

I’ll go about my affairs today knowing that my real self is what God wants me to be. Being sober, I can now find answers and opportunities that were beyond my reach when I was still drinking. 
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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrec


Things do not change, we do.

—Henry David Thoreau

There are still as many bars as there were when we were drinking. There are still lots of drugs around. The world hasn’t changed. What’s changed is that we now live a different way of life.

We’ve learned that, for us, alcohol and other drugs are poison.

For us, there are now two worlds: the world we left behind, and our new world of recovery. In our old world, we’d try to get everyone else to change. We had the right. In our new world, we look for ways we can change for the better. In our new life, we’re willing to change.

Prayer for the Day: I pray that I may be like a mighty river, always changing.

Action for the Day: I will list changes I need to make in my new life.
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