Essentials Of Recovery : April 2024

Created to carry the message of recovery to all addicts. Whether the addiction is alcohol, drugs, food or any other addiction the program of recovery is the same. I am a recovering alcoholic of over twenty-seven years, a day at a time of course and I believe my primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve recovery. Remember seven days without a meeting makes one weak. Sign up to get emails.This Blog is NOT IN ANY WAY affiliated to either A.A. or N.A. Help to stop drinking.

Monday, 22 April 2024

DAILY REFLECTIONS #essentialsofrec #BillW #Change #Serenity

NEW SOIL . . . NEW ROOTS

Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of spiritual serenity, as I have excellent reason to know, loots of reality, supplanting the neurotic under-brush, will hold fast despite the high winds of the forces which would destroy us, or which we would use to destroy ourselves.
~ AS BILL SEES IT, p. 173 ~

I came to A.A. green—a seedling quivering with exposed taproots. It was for survival but it was a beginning. I stretched, developed, twisted, but with the help of others, my spirit eventually burst up from the roots. I was free. I acted, withered, went inside, prayed, acted again, understood anew, as one moment of perception struck. Up from my roots, spirit-arms lengthened into strong, green shoots: high-springing servants stepping skyward.

Here on earth God unconditionally continues the legacy of higher love. My A.A. life put me “on a different footing . . . [my] roots grasped a new soil”

~ (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12) ~

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc

JUST FOR TODAY #essentialsofrec #NA #Recovery #Addiction

Traveling The Open Road

“This is our road to spiritual growth.”

~ Basic Text, p. 35 ~

When we arrived at our first NA meeting, it looked like the end of the road to many of us. We weren’t going to be able to use anymore. We were spiritually bankrupt. Most of us were totally isolated and didn’t think we had much to live for. Little did we realize that, as we began our program of recovery, we were stepping onto a road of unlimited possibilities.

At first, just not using was tough enough. Yet, as we watched other addicts working the steps and applying those principles in their lives, we began to see that recovery was more than just not using. The lives of our NA friends had changed. They had a relationship with the God of their understanding. They were responsible members of the fellowship and of society. They had a reason to live. We began to believe these things were possible for us, too.

As we continue our recovery journey, we can get sidetracked by complacency, intolerance, or dishonesty. When we do, we need to recognize the signs quickly and get back on our path — the open road to freedom and growth.

Just for today: I am continuing to develop my spiritual, social, and general living skills by applying the principles of my program. I can travel as far as I wish on the open road of recovery.

© 1991 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc.

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY #essentialsofrec #AA #God

A.A. Thought for the Day
People believe in A. A. when they see it work. An actual demonstration is what convinces them. What they read in books, what they hear people say doesn’t always convince them. But when they see a real honest-to-goodness change take place in a person, a change from a drunkard to a sober, useful citizen, that’s something they can believe because they can see it. There’s really only one thing that proves to me that A.A. works. Have I seen the change in people who come into A.A.?

Meditation for the Day

Divine control and unquestioning obedience to God are the only conditions necessary for a spiritual life. Divine control means absolute faith and trust in God, a belief that God is the Divine Principle in the universe and that He is the Intelligence and the Love that controls the universe. Unquestioning obedience to God means living each day the way you believe God wants you to live, constantly seeking the guidance of God in every situation and being willing to do the right thing at all times.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may always be under Divine Control and always practice unquestioning obedience to God. I pray that I may be always ready to serve Him.

© 1954, 1975, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation

AS BILL SEES IT #essentialsofrec #BillW #AA #Security

~ Page 112 ~

Complete Security?

Upon entering A.A., the spectacle of years of waste threw us into panic. Financial importance was no longer our principal aim; we now clamored for material security.

Even when we re-established in our business, terrible fears often continued to haunt us. This made us misers and penny-pinchers all over again. Complete financial security we must have—or else.

We forgot that most alcoholics in A.A. have an earning power considerably above average; we forgot the immense good will of our brother A.A.’s who were only too eager to help us to better jobs when we deserved them; we forgot the actual or potential financial insecurity of every human being in the world. And, worst of all, we forgot God. In money matters we had faith only in ourselves, and not too much of that.

~ TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 120-121 ~

© 1967 by Alcoholics Anonymous ® World Services, Inc

EASY DOES IT #essentialsofrec #Gossip #Recovery

AVOIDING GOSSIP

Tale-bearers are as bad as the tale-makers.

~ Richard Sheridan ~

What we talk about, not whom we talk about, is one way we place principle above personalities and practice our 12th Tradition. At meetings and over coffee, it’s tempting to pass along things we hear about other people who share our recovery.

Before we gossip or find fault with others, wise members teach us to ask ourselves three questions: “Is it true?” “Is it kind?” and “is telling it important to help someone’s recovery?” If we can say “yes” to each question, we mustn’t repeat it. If a single word from us hurts someone else, our guilt could throw us back into addiction. Our gossip could cause someone else to lose faith in the Program, and throw them back into addiction.

I will not gossip. Let me talk about principles, not personalities.

©1990 by Anonymous. All rights reserved. Published by Hazelden.

WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrec #Spirit #Recovery

FAKING IT, AND THEN MAKING IT.

Finding the Spirit of the Thing

We’re sometimes advised to “fake it until you make it.” But how can
anything false really lead us to recovery? Aren’t we told that this is
an honest program?

We’re not being dishonest by pushing ourselves to become actively
involved in AA. The self-help movements have told us for years that we
have to form an image of what we want to be in order to reach our goals.
We are forming an image that corresponds to the sober people we want to
be. We are actually rehearsing sober living and working to accept a
picture of sobriety in our heart of hearts.

There’s also much to be said for “faking it” enough to attend meetings
and try to benefit from association with people – even those we
don’t like. This puts us in line for the change we really need.

A lot of members say that they “white-knuckled it” during the first
months or years of sobriety. If this worked to bring recovery, it had to
be the right approach.

Even if there is rebellion within, today I’ll talk and act like the
sober person I want to be.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

KEEP IT SIMPLE #essentialsofrec #Avoidance #Destiny

One meets his destiny often on the road one takes to avoid it.

~ French proverb ~

None of us, perhaps, ever thought we’d end up in recovery. But we were working at joining recovery years before we got here! Maybe recovery was our fate from the day we first took a drink or a pill. Others around us could see the writing on the wall, but we couldn’t. We were too busy trying to avoid pain.

Alcoholism and other drug abuse have to do with us trying to find spiritual wholeness— the kind of spiritual wholeness we’re finding now . . . in recovery. So, let’s welcome recovery into our lives. We have found our spiritual home.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, I got lost because I acted like I knew the way to a good life. You lead the way. Thank-you for putting me on the right track.

Action for the Day

Today, I’ll think about why it’s my fate to be in recovery. I will list ways that I try to avoid my fate.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

FR. LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrec #FrLeo #Hope #Music

MUSIC

“Sorrow, sadness, yearning, hope, and love belong to all of us, in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality.”

~ H.A. Overstreet ~

Music is a language for the world. It unites people, cultures, and religions. Music points people beyond themselves, while at the same time breathing God’s glory through them. Music makes us wonder, enables us to dream, and allows us to rest in the miracle of creativity.

Drugs stopped me from appreciating the music. They corrupted sounds and made them destructive. Drugs left me with a feeling of utter emptiness.

In recovery, I can hear again. My spiritual program incorporates music—different types of music and the inexhaustible joys of melody. I feel in it, through it, with it—another miracle.

Thank You for the gift of music that enables me to grow in understanding.

© 2008 Leo Booth

A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #courage #confidence

Reflection for the Day

As I attend meetings of the Program, may eyes open wider and wider. Other people’s problems make mine look small, yet they are facing them with courage and confidence. Others are trapped in situations as bad as mine, but they bear their troubles with more fortitude. By going to meetings, I find many reasons to be grateful. My load has begun to lighten. Do I expect easy solutions to my problems? Or do I ask only to be guided to a better way?

Today I Pray

Make the Program my way of life. Its goals are my goals. Its members are my truest friends. May I pass along the skills for coping I have learned there. May my turnabout and the resulting transformation in my life inspire others, as others have inspired me.

Today I Will Remember

May I be grateful.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

ONE DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #OA #Compulsion

COMPULSIONS

“Compulsive urges to overeat, gorge or purge are inadequate coping mechanisms.
Compulsion is loss of control and continuation of the behavior despite the consequences.”

~ Gloria Arenson ~

Compulsive overeating is not a moral dilemma. It is not about “right” or “wrong.” It is not a black-and-white situation. I learned at a pre-verbal stage that compulsive overeating is a coping mechanism. When I cried to be held, I was fed. When I cried because I was wet, I was fed. When I cried because I was in pain, I was fed. When life was good, I was fed. Is it any wonder I came to reach for food when life was happening around me?

This program teaches me better ways to cope with life. Instead of reacting to life, I have learned through the Steps how to take action. I did not choose this disease, but I do choose recovery. Through the help of my Higher Power, the program, and other program members I can recover. I can live in the solution one day at a time and one meal at a time.

One Day at a Time . . .

I will have a program. I choose recovery, health, love and life.

~ Sarah H.

ELDER'S MEDITATION OF THE DAY #essentialsofrec #Lakota #Health

“Each creature has a medicine, so there are many medicines. Because they are so close to the Creator, they are to communicate that medicine. Then they bring help and health.”

~ Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA ~

The Elders say everything has a purpose and everything has a will. We should never interfere with purpose or the will of everything. Every plant, creature, animal, insect, human being has a purpose to be here on the Earth. Each has a special medicine to contribute for the good of all things. Each person also has good medicine, a special talent, a special gift. These medicines are to help others or to help make us healthy. What is your special medicine?

Creator, today, help me discover and use my medicine to serve a greater good.

A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrec #Step4 #Inventory

In celebrating the good in me that was always there, I will continue to flourish.
~ Jill Clark

Dreading a Fourth Step is not unusual. We expect to confront nothing but numerous defects. However, we will also discover our assets. Our sponsors suggest that we need to acknowledge the good in ourselves to enhance it. Doing a Fourth Step inventory as part of our recovery will keep our assets fresh in mind.

If we put our mind to it, it’s not difficult to choose one asset each day and focus on it during our encounters with other people. Practice is how we get good at anything. It’s certainly no different when we focus on human behavior.

Maybe it seems phony to work at enhancing the good in ourselves. But let’s accept the wisdom of our sponsors. Their lives have improved. If practice has worked for them, it can work for us too.

Improving a small part of me at a time isn’t too much work. Cultivating my assets in this way promises that today will be good.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

THE EYE OPENER #essentialsofrec #Shame #Illness #Recovery

When we take the first drink we invite the dead certainty of physical illness, untold sorrows, shame and degradation. That first drink has built more hospitals, jails, poorhouses and insane asylums than any other cause. All the drinks that follow are simply compounding the felony.

There are some people that can drink intelligently, but these people avoid difficulties. We are not in that class and experience has proven it. Years of sobriety will not enable us to join that class, and again, experience has proven it. Why do you persist in trying, what are you trying to prove? That you are the exception to the rule? If you are the exception you automatically become a freak.

Published by Hazelden

Daily Tao / 112 – Nonanticipation #essentialsofrec #Tao #Taoism #Zen

Put forth your effort
With no thought of gain.
One should not pray or meditate with any thought of gain. Hold no expectations. Then the rewards will come. If one strives for power and gifts, no true results will come, and one will become lost in lust. Praying for results brings no results — the true spirit appears only when there are no expectations to hamper it.

Books and teachings talk of the results of meditation because they prepare the aspirant for the experiences that will occur. It is important not to look on these writings as advertisements. They are merely descriptions of what you will encounter.

Sit down with no thought of results and you will go naturally and spontaneously with Tao. It is admittedly a paradox. We are to know what to expect, and yet we should allow them to appear as they will. It seems irrational and inefficient. Yet if you would know Tao, there is no faster way to enter the midstream.

DAILY ZEN #Essentialsofrec #Zen #Buddhism #Recovery

I have no secrets to teach you,
and if I tried
you may well make fun of me.
Anyway, how could any
understanding that I have
become your understanding?

- Kuei-shan

AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX #essentialsofrec #Little #Emmet #Fox

AS A MAN THINKETH

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

For verily I say unto you, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18)

A “jot” or yod was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, like the Greek “iota.” A “little” (really “little horn”) is one of those tiny spurs or projections that distinguish certain Hebrew letters.

The scribes and the Pharisees were for the most part worthy men leading strictly moral lives according to appearances. Their faults were the weaknesses of the religious formalist everywhere—spiritual pride and self-righteousness. Of these faults they were unconscious—that is the deadly malice of these diseases of the soul—but they did strive to fulfill the law as they understood it. Jesus knew this, and he gave them credit for it. Here he warns his followers that unless their practical conduct is better than that of these people, they need not suppose that they are engaged on the spiritual path.

© 1931 by Emmet Fox

Sunday, 21 April 2024

Watch Those Thoughts

EssentialsOfRecovery

Random Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous – Fourth Edition #essentialsofrec #BigBook #Quotes

DROP THE ROCK" talk by Sandy B (the famous 1976 AA Convention talk) #seentialsofrec #SandyB #Rock #Drop #Speakers

DAILY REFLECTIONS #essentialsofrec #faith #Recovery

CULTIVATING FAITH

“I don’t think we can do anything very well in this world unless we practice it and I don’t believe we do A.A. too well unless we practice it. . . . We should practice . . . acquiring the spirit of service. We should attempt to acquire some faith, which isn’t easily done, especially for the person who has always been very materialistic, following the standards of society today. But I think faith can be acquired; it can be acquired slowly; it has to be cultivated. That was not easy for me, and I assume that it is difficult for everyone else. . . ”

~ DR. BOB AND THE GOOD OLDTIMERS, pp. 307-08 ~

Fear is often the force that prevents me from acquiring and cultivating the power of faith. Fear blocks my appreciation of beauty, tolerance, forgiveness, service, and serenity.

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc

JUST FOR TODAY #essentialsofrec #Recovery #NA #Fear

Fear

“We have found that we had no choice except to completely change our old ways of thinking or go back to using.”

~ Basic Text, p. 21 ~

Many of us find that our old ways of thinking were dominated by fear. We were afraid that we wouldn’t be able to get our drugs or that there wouldn’t be enough. We feared discovery, arrest, and incarceration. Further down the list were fears of financial problems, homelessness, overdose, and illness. And our fear controlled our actions.

The early days of recovery weren’t a great deal different for many of us; then, too, fear dominated our thinking. “What if staying clean hurts too much?” we asked ourselves. “What if I can’t make it? What if the people in NA don’t like me? What if NA doesn’t work?” The fear behind these thoughts can still control our behavior, keeping us from taking the risks necessary to stay clean and grow. It may seem easier to resign ourselves to certain failure, giving up before we start, than to risk everything on a slim hope. But that kind of thinking leads only to relapse.

To stay clean, we must find the willingness to change our old ways of thinking. What has worked for other addicts can work for us—but we must be willing to try it. We must trade in our old cynical doubts for new affirmations of hope. When we do, we’ll find it’s worth the risk.

Just for today: I pray for the willingness to change my old ways of thinking, and for the ability to overcome my fears.

© 1991 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc.

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY #essentialsofrec #Recovery #AA #Grace

A.A. Thought for the Day

After we've been in A. A. for a while, we find out that if we’re going to stay sober, we have to be humble people. The men and women in A.A. who have achieved sobriety are all humble people. When I stop to think that but for the grace of God I might be drunk right now, I can’t help feeling humble. Gratitude to God for His grace makes me humble. When I think of the kind of person I was not so long ago, when I think of the person I left behind me, I have nothing to be proud of. Am I grateful and humble?

Meditation for the Day

I must arise from the death of sin and selfishness and put on a new life of integrity. All the old sins and temptations must be laid in the grave and a new existence rise from the ashes. Yesterday is gone. All my sins are forgiven if I am honestly trying to do God’s will today. Today is here, the time of resurrection and renewal. I must start now, today, to build a new life of complete faith and trust in God and a determination to do His will in all things.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may share in making the world a better place to live in. I pray that I may do what I can to bring goodness a little nearer to the earth.

© 1954, 1975, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation

AS BILL SEES IT #essentialsofrec #step4 #Inventory

Page 111 ~

Surveying the Past

We should make an accurate and really exhaustive survey of our past life as it has affected other people. In many instances we shall find that, though the harm done to others has not been great, we have nevertheless done ourselves considerable injury.

Then, too, damaging emotional conflicts persist below the level of consciousness, very deep, sometimes quite forgotten. Therefore, we should try hard to recall and review those past events which originally induced these conflicts and which continue to give our emotions violent twists, thus discoloring our personalities and altering our lives for the worse.

EASY DOES IT #ESSENTIALSOFREC #RECOVERY #RELIGION

EARNING REWARDS
I got a religion that wants to take heaven out of the clouds and plant it right here on earth where most of us can get a slice of it.

~ Irwin Shaw ~
We learn that there are no free trips to abstinence. There aren’t any “rain checks” we can take that will give us a head start back to abstinence if we slip. We can’t argue that bad luck or betrayal by others were responsible for the relapse.

We won’t ever be promised that we will have overnight comfort or success. Our success in the Program is decided by how hard we work it. We will get from the Steps only as much as we give it. Our investment in serenity and security will earn simple, real interest. There aren’t any easy contests to win.

The rewards I receive from the Program will be equal to the effort I put into my recovery.

©1990 by Anonymous. All rights reserved. Published by Hazelden.

WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofre c#Action #Recovery

THE GOOD THAT I DO

Action

Why do we hold back when we’re offered the opportunity to help others or to do something unusually kind? Why is it that many people are reluctant to give of themselves unless rewarded with recognition or praise?

We may hold back because we do not understand that any good action always brings its own reward. Despite Shakespeare’s timeless saying, the good we do is not “interred with our bones”- it does survive, now and in the future.

We’ve learned in Twelve Step programs that it’s not really satisfying to work only for recognition and praise. There also has to be a confident feeling that our efforts are contributing to a large good with a worthwhile purpose. That’s what makes AA so special to people who are completely devoted to it… we know that anything done for AA makes the world a better place.

We should also know that those who can help others are fortunate, well-favored people. Others may want to help, but lack the tools. We have the tools to give the help that changes lives – and the world.

The good that I do today is a treasure I’ll always possess. I need not fear the act of letting my higher-self take over and guide me.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

KEEP IT SIMPLE #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Program

One of the most important parts of the A.A. program
is to give our drink problem to God honestly and fully…

~ Twenty-Four Hours a Day, March 1 ~

We don’t handle our drinking or other drug problem. We don’t take care of this problem by ourselves. We turn our problem over to God as we understand Him. We need to be very clear about this. We can’t handle our drinking or other drug problem! Our Higher Power keeps us sober through the Steps and the fellowship of the program.

Our job is to hand over our problem to our Higher Power. We do this daily by acting like sober people.

Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, I know I can’t handle drinking and using other drugs. I turn my problem over to you. Please take from me the urge to drink or use.

Action for the Day
Today, I’ll remember why I can’t handle or take care of my problem with alcohol or other drugs. And I’ll remember why my Higher Power can.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

Fr. LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrec #Values #FrLeo

VALUES

“A person who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”

~ Charles Darwin ~

Life is not to be wasted. Time is not to be wasted. Friends, relationships, and opportunities are not to be wasted. Why? Because as a vulnerable human being, I do not have ultimate control. I do not know when my life will end, when I shall die, or when time and opportunity will be no more! Life is too precious to waste.

As an addict, I did not value life or time. I did not value friends or relationships. Nothing was valued except the alcohol! My life was meaningless. God was absent, and I felt nothing.

Today this is not the case. Through my pain, I have found the value of life and discovered a God of my understanding.

God, let me value what I have while I have it.

© 2008 Leo Booth

A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #gratitude #Recovery

Reflection for the Day

Can I be wholeheartedly grateful for today? It so, I’m opening doors to more and more abundant good. What if I can’t be thankful for the “rain” that has fallen in my life—for the so- called bad times? What then? I can begin by giving thanks for all the sunshine I can remember, and for every blessing that has come my way. Perhaps then I’ll be able to look back over the rainy periods of my life with new vision, seeing them as necessary; perhaps then, hidden blessings I’ve overlooked will come to my attention. Am I grateful for all of life—both the sunshine and the rain?

Today I Pray

May I be grateful for all that has happened to me, good and bad. Bad helps to define good. Sorrow intensifies joy. Humility brings spirituality. Disease turns health into a paradise. Loneliness makes love, both human and Divine, the greatest gift of all. I thank God for the contrasts which have made me know God better.

Today I Will Remember

I am grateful for the whole of life.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

ONE DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #Religion #Hell #Spirituality

RELIGION

Religion is for people who don’t want to go to hell.
Program is for people who have already been there.

~ Unknown ~

I was religious when I came into program and I was ready and willing to tell everyone what the “true” faith was. I went to church every Sunday. I was a religion teacher. I knew it all.

The truth is I didn’t know ANYTHING. It didn’t take long for me to begin to question my own religiosity. In fact, it began at Steps two and three. Before long, I wondered if there was a God at all. If there was, is God a He, a She or an It? Then I decided, yes there was a God, but did He/She/It care about me?

The real truth is God is who God needs to be to work through me. There’s no right or wrong answer to my questions. What I DO know is that God loves me just the way I am.

The greatest gift my Higher Power gave me came on the day I looked up to “heaven” and told God, “I don’t believe in You!” And that still, quiet voice inside of me asked, “Then to Whom are you speaking?”

One Day at a Time . . .

I don’t have to have theological “proof” that there is a Power greater than myself. I just need to believe.

~ Debbie ~

ELDER'S MEDITATION OF THE DAY #essentialsofrec #Peace #Elders #Native

“Conciliation is the key to survival. Peace is the goal.”

~ Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders ~
When we make decisions or experience conflict we need to look at the greater whole. The end result we want to accomplish is peace of mind. If we keep this goal in mind, we will, overall, live a happy and fulfilling life. Everything in the world is constantly changing so we should not resist this change. A good question to ask ourselves is, “would I rather be right or happy?” If we would rather be happy, then it is easier to let the little things go. If we would rather be right, we tend to look for the WIN/LOSE.

Great Spirit, today, give me the tools to seek peace of mind.

A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrec #Growth #Experience

We grow in darkness and in light.

~ Marilyn Mason ~
Every experience is a learning opportunity. The abuse we suffered, whether physical or emotional, taught us survival and resilience. Even though we felt defeated, we are here now, and we’ve learned to recognize relationships that aren’t good for us. That’s evidence of growth.

Sponsors tell us we are always growing. Even when it feels like we are going backward, we are growing. Recognizing our slower pace signals our awareness, and that is growth too.

Gone are the days when we doubted our ability to grow, to change. One of the first lessons we learn In recovery is that change is possible. Every meeting surrounds us with examples. And much of the growth has come through the dark periods of our lives. The darkness and the light have much to teach us. Every moment is to be revered for its message.

I am ready to grow today. Regardless of the kind of experience I’m having, I’ll realize its worth to me.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

THE EYE OPENER #essentialsofrec ##Religion #Spirituality

The churches in their quarrels over purely sectarian issues have done much to divert attention from the primary purpose of religion, which is spirituality.

Some pastors take a more critical attitude toward the neglect of church duties than they do toward moral transgressions.

AA should be kept free of all controversial questions. We have but one purpose and that is to help the suffering alcoholic. Ours is a way of life; not a way of worship.

Published by Hazelden

Daily Tao / 111 – Tradition #essentialsofrec #Tao #Taoism #Zen

Tradition was once function.
But today there is no tradition.
Where is there a true path?

In the past, people didn’t question the teachings of Tao. There was a living tradition, and if one followed it, one could reasonably expect to walk a good path. But today the traditional teachings of Tao have been dimmed by civil wars, political persecution, and the death of masters. Wealth and technology hold the attention of most people, and few have time for Tao. Adopting arcane methods will not lead to success.

We must discover Tao for ourselves. Seeking it in the here and now means fulfilling the spirit of tradition instead of merely copying it. How can we ape the past? The old ways are gone.

Tao means different things to different people in different times. Indeed, we might say that the Tao of today leads in unprecedented directions. We have to adapt, but being contemporary should not be an excuse for adulteration and shortcuts. Once we find the true path of today, we must walk it with the same determination as the ancients.

Around the Year With Emmet Fox #essentialsofrec #Emmet #Fox #Righteousness

EXCEEDING RIGHTEOUSNESS

Read Matthew 5:17-20. (in italics below)17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

If anyone were so insane as to suppose that the knowledge of the Truth of Being could put him "above" the moral law, in the sense of authorizing him to break it, he would speedily discover that he had made a tragic mistake. The more spiritual knowledge that one possesses, the more severe is the punishment which one brings upon oneself by any infraction of the moral law. The Christian has to be very much more careful than other people. Indeed, all real spiritual understanding must necessarily be accompanied by definite moral improvement. A theoretical acceptance of the letter of Truth might go with moral carelessness (greatly to the peril of the delinquent), but it is impossible to make any real spiritual progress unless you are trying your very best to live the life. It is impossible to divorce true spiritual knowledge from right conduct.

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

Saturday, 20 April 2024

Bob D. speaking in 1998 "Thank you for my life" #essentialsofrec #Speakers #Recovery #AA

Classic tape from one of the best AA speakers of all-time, Bob D. This tape is from 1998 and tomorrow is Bob D.'s sobriety birthday so we thought it was fitting to include this one in today's postings. Enjoy! One of my favorite Bob D. tapes and is a little bit different from the ones we have because it is early in his speaking from the podium.

Daily Reflections #essentialsofrec #Dishonesty #Examination

SELF-EXAMINATION

. . . we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking
that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86

When said sincerely, this prayer teaches me to be truly
unselfish and humble, for even in doing good deeds I often
used to seek approval and glory for myself. By examining my
motives in all that I do, I can be of service to God and
others, helping them do what they want to do. When I put
God in charge of my thinking, much needless worry is
eliminated and I believe He guides me throughout the day.
When I eliminate thoughts of self-pity, dishonesty and
self-centeredness as soon as they enter my mind, I find
peace with God, my neighbor and myself.

Just For Today #essentialsofrec #NA #Addiction #Recovery

Detachment

“Addiction is a family disease, but we could only change ourselves.”

IP No. 13, “Youth and Recovery”

Many of us come from severely damaged families. At times, the insanity that reigns among our relatives feels overwhelming. Sometimes we feel like packing our bags and moving far, far away.

We pray that our family members will join us in recovery but, to our great sadness, this does not always happen. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to carry the message, we find that we cannot help those we hold most dear. Our group experience has taught us that, frequently, we are too close to our relatives to help them. We learn that it is better to leave them in our Higher Power’s care.

We have found that when we stop trying to settle the problems of family members, we give them the room they need to work things out in their own lives. By reminding them that we are not able to solve their problems for them, we give ourselves the freedom to live our own lives. We have faith that God will help our relatives. Often, the best thing we can give our loved ones is the example of our own ongoing recovery. For the sake of our family’s sanity and our own, we must let our relatives find their own ways to recover

Just for today: I will seek to work my own program and leave my family in the care of a Higher Power.
pg. 114

As Bill Sees It #essentialsofrec #Step4 #ThePast #Harm

Surveying the Past, p. 111

We should make an accurate and really exhaustive survey of our past
life as it affected other people. In many instances we shall find that,
though the harm done others has not been great, we have
nevertheless done ourselves considerable emotional injury.

Then, too, damaging emotional conflicts persist below the level of
consciousness, very deep, sometimes quite forgotten. Therefore, we
should try hard to recall and review those past events which
originally induced these conflicts and which continue to give our
emotions violent twists, thus discoloring our personalities and altering
our lives for the worse.

<< << << >> >> >>

“We reacted more strongly to frustrations than normal people. By
reliving these episodes and discussing them in strict confidence with
somebody else, we can reduce their size and therefore potency in the
unconsciousness.”

1. 12 & 12, pp. 79-80
2. Letter, 1957

Walk in Dry Places #essentialsofrec #Serenity #Emotions

Avoiding emotional whirlpools
Serenity

If we were rattling down a rough river, we would try to steer away from whirlpools and rocky rapids. Living each day requires the same alertness.
We’re asking for trouble if we drift into malicious discussions about other people… even those who seem to deserve it. We’re also sliding into rocky rapids if we get into supercharged arguments about political and religious issues.
How do we avoid touchy situations that can lead to violent arguments or terrible breakdowns in personal relationships? We can begin by recognizing that we’re not on this earth to judge, manipulate, or control other people. We’ll do well today to keep our own performance up to a good standard.
We can also respond correctly to people who seem hopelessly wrong. Borrowing an idea from one Twelve Step program, we can detach from such people with love, even if circumstances require continuing contact with them. At whatever cost, we must avoid emotional whirlpools and rocky rapids in life.

Looking ahead at the things might happen today. I’ll adjust my thinking for situations that could be troublesome or destructive. I will try especially hard to avoid trouble with my fellow workers.

Keep It Simple #essentialsofrec #Happiness

A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness.

—Fontenelle

Our disease is sometimes call the disease of “always wanting more.”
We push ourselves to get as much pleasure as we could. If one was good , two was better.
We didn’t see that what we were lacking was faith.
At times in recovery, we still crave “more.”
We must pay attention to these cravings. When we have a craving, maybe we’re scared, and our Higher Power is trying to tell us that, if we have faith, we’ll be taken care of. Perhaps our Higher Power just has a message of love for us. All we need to do is listen. It may be that this is only “more” we really need.

Prayer for the Day: I pray to see my as spiritual needs. I pray to turn to my Higher Power instead of to alcohol or other drugs.

Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think about how much recovery has given me. I will share this with a friend and with my Higher Power.

Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrec 'Change #FrLeo

CHANGE

“There is nothing permanent except change.”

–Heraclitus

Today I know that I need to change. I accept that my behavior and
attitude was negative and destructive. Today I make a choice to work on
my addiction. I was changing before I embraced a spiritual program but
the change was for the worse. Each day I grew more dependent, more
isolated, more angry and depressed. I felt I was a hopeless case!

Today I am working on my anger and loneliness. I talk about those
things that cause me pain and distress. I express my fears and
resentments – and it is getting better.

God created this world in perpetual change and I believe that He is to be
discovered in the change. I am evolving into Truth with my small steps
towards recovery. The steps I take towards recovery are my “yes” to
God.

In the daily changes I discover the stability of God.

A Day At A Time #essentialsofrec #Recovery

Reflection For The Day

“If a person continues to see only giants.” wrote Anais Nim, “it means he is still looking at the world through the eyes of a child.” During this 24-hour period. I won’t allow myself to be burdened by thoughts of giants and monsters — of things that are past. I won’t concern myself about tomorrow until it becomes my today. The better I use today, the more likely it is that tomorrow will be bright. Have I extended the hand of caring to another person today?

Today I Pray

God may I please grow up. May I no longer see monsters and giants on my walls, those projections of a child’s imagination. May I bury my hobgoblins and realize that those epic dream-monsters are distortions of my present fears. May they vanish with my fearfulness, in the daylight of my new serenity.

Today I Will Remember

I will put away childish fears.

One Day At A Time #essentialsofrec #OA #Overeaters

THE PRESENT MOMENT ~

How simple it is to see that we can only be happy now,
and there will never be a time when it is not now.

Gerald Jampolsky

During my many years of life as an compulsive eater, I thought happiness was something that was the privilege of other people. I could not imagine that happiness would be a part of my life. All I really wanted was to lose weight.

My issues with food and weight colored everything else. I always thought the biggest weight I carried was physical in nature. When I accepted the fact that I have a disease, and the weight I carried was physical, emotional and spiritual, my life began to change immeasurably. As I took the Steps to recovery, I began to experience healing on all three levels. I began to see life differently, and to live life in a whole new way.

Before recovery, I could not see the precious moment of the present. My eyes were focused on regret of the past, and fear of the future. I totally missed the complete joy of each present moment. Recovery has helped me to clear up weight I carried from my past, and to eliminate my fear of the future; replacing fear with faith. As I live in recovery, I can choose to be present in each moment, and enjoy the wonder and delight that is the gift of life.

One Day at a Time . . .
I choose to live in the present moment … and to embrace the happiness found there.

~ Cate ~

Daily Tao / 110 – Invocation #essentialsofrec #Tao #Taoism #Zen

Invocation becomes declaration;
Worship becomes recognition.
When blessings mature,
One glimpses the source.

When one is young in Tao, all practices begin as external procedures. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand their significance — we don’t know what to expect. This is proper : Not daring to interfere with growth and discovery, those who follow Tao hesitate to go beyond technical instruction.

Take worship, for example. At first, an invocation is something external. You repeat it, but really, it means very little. You kneel down at the altar because you need something on which to focus. Once you realize that the true Tao is to be found within yourself, you shift your attention. Then worship becomes recognition. Your own spirit arises, and you learn to tap into it on your own. If someone had told you what to look for, you might never be sure of your experiences. What comes from outer suggestion is not the true Tao.

Glimpsing the source leaves no doubts.

DAILY ZEN #essentialsofrec #Zen #Buddhism #Enlightenment

"Enlightenment" and "Nirvana"? They are dead trees to fasten a donkey to. The scriptures? They are bits of paper to wipe mud from your face. The four merits and ten steps? They are ghosts in their graves. What can these things have to do with you becoming free?

- Te-shan

Around the Year With Emmet Fox #essentialsofrec #Spiritual #Truth #Emmet

CITY OF LIGHT

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32).

Never try to force other people to accept spiritual truth. Instead, see to it that they are so favorably impressed by your own life and conduct, and by the peace and joy that radiate from you, that they will come running to you of their own accord, begging you to give them the wonderful thing that you have. To do this is to make your soul truly the city upon a hill that cannot be hidden because it is the City of God. This is to let your light shine to the the glorifying of your Father which is in Heaven.

Friday, 19 April 2024

Random Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous – Fourth Edition #essentialsofrec #Chapter5 #BigBook #Quotes

Self-Esteem A Delicate Flower...

EssentialsOfRecovery

Thursday, 18 April 2024

Randon Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous – Fourth Edition #essentialsofrec #AA #BigBook #Sex

Pinned to Prayers & things Spiritual on Pinterest

Just Pinned to Prayers & things Spiritual: Separate your wants... http://ift.tt/1TerqgE

Shine in your own light...

EssentialsOfRecovery

Random Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous #essentialsofrec #Acceptance #BigBook #Recovery

ACCEPTANCE WAS THE ANSWER

– The physician wasn’t hooked, he thought–he just prescribed drugs medically indicated for his many ailments. Acceptance was his key to liberation.

If there ever was anyone who came to A.A. by mistake, it was I. I just didn’t belong here. Never in my wildest moments had it occurred to me that I might like to be an alcoholic. Never once had my mother even hinted at the idea that, when I grew up, I might like to be president of A.A. Not only did I not think that being an alcoholic was a good idea, I didn’t even feel that I had all that much of a drinking problem! Of course, I had problems, all sorts of problems. “If you had my problems, you’d drink too” was my feeling.

p. 407

Esther - OA Speakers - April 18 2026

Esther - OA Speakers - Sharing at an Overeaters Anonymous Meeting from Odomtology 12-Step on Vimeo.

Monday, 15 April 2024

Sponsorship a must!

EssentialsOfRecovery

Random Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition #essentialsofrec #Quotes #Selfishness #Recovery #Fear

Around the Year With Emmet Fox #essentialsofrec #Emmet #Fox #Transformation

CLAIM YOUR WINGS

To me the butterfly teaches the most important lesson that we human beings ever have to learn. You all know his story. He lived what seemed to him a very long time as a worm - what we call the humble caterpillar. Now the life of a caterpillar could be taken as the very type and symbol of restriction. He lives on a green leaf in the forest, and that is about all he knows.

Then one day the little caterpillar finds certain strange stirrings going on within himself. The old green leaf, for some reason, no longer seems sufficient. He becomes moody and discontented, but - and this is the vital point - it is divine discontent. He feels the need for a bigger, finer, and more interesting life. His instincts tell him that where there is true desire there must be fulfillment.

And so the wonderful thing happens: the butterfly emerges beautiful, graceful, now endowed with wings, and instead of crawling about on a restricted leaf, he soars above the trees, above the forest itself - free, unrestricted, his own True Self.

...Eye hath not see, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Sunday, 14 April 2024

Oh! Great Spirit.

EssentialsOfRecovery

Saturday, 13 April 2024

DAILY REFLECTIONS #essentialsofrec #Self-Pity

THE FALSE COMFORT OF SELF-PITY
Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that 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.

~ AS BILL SEES IT, p. 238 ~
The false comfort of self-pity screens me from reality only momentarily and then demands, like a drug, that I take an ever bigger dose. If I succumb to this it could lead to a relapse into drinking. What can I do? One certain antidote is to turn my attention, however slightly at first, toward others who are genuinely less fortunate than I, preferably other alcoholics. In the same degree that I actively demonstrate my empathy with them, I will lessen my own exaggerated suffering.

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc

JUST FOR TODAY #essentialsofrec #NA #Approval

People – Pleasing

“…approval-seeking behavior carried us further into our addiction…”

~ Basic Text p. 14 ~

When others approve of what we do or say, we feel good; when they disapprove, we feel bad. Their opinions of us, and how those opinions make us feel, can have positive value. By making us feel good about steering a straight course, they encourage us to continue doing so. “People-pleasing” is something else entirely. We “people-please” when we do things, right or wrong, solely to gain another person’s approval.

Low self-esteem can make us think we need someone else’s approval to feel okay about ourselves. We do whatever we think it will take to make them tell us we’re okay we feel good for awhile. Then we start hurting. In trying to please another person, we’ve diminished ourselves and our values. We realize that the approval of others will not fill the emptiness inside us.

The inner satisfaction we seek can be found in doing the right things for the right reasons. We break the people-pleasing cycle when we stop acting merely to gain others’ approval and start acting on our Higher Power’s will for us. When we do, we may be pleasantly surprised to find that the people who really count in our lives will approve all the more of our behavior. Most importantly, though, we will approve of ourselves.

Just for today: Higher Power, help me live in accordance with spiritual principles. Only then can I approve of myself.

© 1991 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY #essentialsofrec #Grace #God

A.A. Thought for the Day

Having found my way into this new world by the grace of God and the help of AA., am I going to take that first drink, when I know that just one drink will change my whole world? Am I deliberately going back to the suffering of that alcoholic world? Or am I going to hang onto the happiness of this sober world? Is there any doubt about the answer? With God’s help, am I going to hang onto A.A. with both hands?

Meditation for the Day

I will try to make the world better and happier by my presence in it. I will try to help other people find the way God wants them to live. I will try to be on the side of good, in the stream of righteousness, where all things work for good. I will do my duty persistently and faithfully, not sparing myself. I will be gentle with all people. I will try to see other people’s difficulty and help them to correct it. I will always pray to God to act as interpreter between me and the other person.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may live in the spirit of prayer. I pray that I may depend on God for the strength I need to help me to do my part in making the world a better place.

© 1954, 1975, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation

AS BILL SEES IT #essentialsofrec #BillW #Character

Page 103 ~

Principles Before Expediency

Most of us thought good character was desirable. Obviously, good character was something one needed to get on with the business of being self-satisfied. With a proper display of honesty and morality, we’d stand a better chance of getting what we really wanted. But whenever we had to choose between character and comfort, character- building was lost in the dust of our chase after what we thought was happiness.

Seldom did we look at character-building as something desirable in itself. We never thought of making honesty, tolerance, and true love of man and God the daily basis of living.

<< << << >> >> >>

How to translate a right mental conviction into a right emotional result, and so into easy, happy, and good living, is the problem of life itself.

~ 1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 71-72 ~
~ 2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958 ~

© 1967 by Alcoholics Anonymous ® World Services, Inc

EASY DOES IT #essentialsofrec #Courage #happiness

COURAGE

God, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together can’t handle.

~ Anonymous ~

Courage is what makes us do the right thing even when nobody else is doing it. We can find happiness while surrounded by darkness; we can be loving in the middle of hate and envy, and serene when surrounded by chaos, fear, and anger.

The principles of our Program help us face impossible odds. We learn that any act of courage may produce a future victory for ourselves and others. The courage which we want takes its strength from faith, not from bravery or physical strength.

Foolish, unthinking courage, though, can be destructive to us or to others. Sensible courage never fails because it is made up of truth and faith.

Let truth and faith give me courage, so that when fear knocks, no one is there.

©1990 by Anonymous. All rights reserved. Published by Hazelden.

WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrec #Powerlessness #Admission

NO CONDITIONAL SOBRIETY

Admission of Powerlessness

Sobriety in AA is unconditional. This means that there’s never been a reason for drinking, no matter how bad our circumstances may become. As the AA pioneers were fond of saying, “THERE’S NOTHING THAT DRINKING WON’T MAKE WORSE.”

How do we know if we’ve been setting conditions on sobriety? It’s revealed to us in our own thinking. If we believe, for example, that a certain setback such as the ending of a relationship is just cause for drinking, we have made our sobriety conditional.

In such cases, what we need to do is clear up our own thinking on the subject. Maybe further inventory is needed, or perhaps we should let ourselves learn from the experience of others. Self-honesty is also important in getting priorities in order.

The decision to choose unconditional sobriety brings additional benefits in helping us to organize our lives. Once we completely understand that sobriety is all-important, it becomes easier to make other decisions that bear on keeping sober. We find ourselves choosing the ideas and activities that enhance sobriety, while rejecting other things that could threaten it.

I’ll never waver in a moment from my relief that I must continue to seek sobriety – unconditionally. There is nothing that could ever justify my taking a drink.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

KEEP IT SIMPLE #essentialsofrec #Work #Humility

No labor, however humble, is dishonoring.

~ The Talmud ~

Work is good for the heart. Work is good for our minds. It can give us something to focus on besides ourselves. Labor doesn’t just mean having a job. It may mean planting a garden or helping a friend. It certainly means working our program. Hopefully, it’s a labor of love. We can get into trouble if we have to much time on our hands. We can turn it into mischief or self-pity. We can get bored. Being bored is a matter of choice. We’ll never be bored if we ask ourselves, “How can I make this world a better place?” We can turn our answers into action.

Prayer for the Day:

Higher Power, teach me to use my time wisely. Help me be well-balanced between labor and fun. I need both.

Action for the Day:

I’ll list five ways that labor and fun can help me get closer to my Higher Power. And I’ll look for people and things to fill my time in positive ways.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

Around the Year With Emmet Fox #essentialsofrec #change #Emmet #Fox

UNLOAD THAT CAMEL

Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25).

The simile used by Jesus was a graphic one for his listeners. In those days, every important city was surrounded by a wall for defense. There would be a large gate in the wall and this would be closed at sunset and placed under an armed guard. There was usually, however, a low wicket gate known as the needle's eye, set in the big door. When a laden camel arrived after sunset the only way it could get in was to be unloaded of all merchandise, whereupon it would squirm on its knees through the needle's eye.

Unload your camel if you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. You do this, of course, not by getting rid of conditions in themselves, buy by getting rid of your sense of dependency upon them. Very often you will find yourself so glad to be without a lot of that merchandise that you will never put it back.

Friday, 12 April 2024

DAILY REFLECTIONS #essentialsofrec #insanity #Recovery

GIVING UP INSANITY
. . . where alcohol has been involved, we have been strangely insane.

~ ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 38 ~

Alcoholism required me to drink, whether I wanted to or not. Insanity dominated my life and was the essence of my disease. It robbed me of the freedom of choice over drinking and, therefore, robbed me of all other choices. When I drank, I was unable to make effective choices in any part of my life and life became unmanageable.

I ask God to help me understand and accept the full meaning of the disease of alcoholism.

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc

A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrec #Recovery #AA

Reflection for the Day

If we attempt to understand rather than to be understood, we can more quickly assure a newcomer that we have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can be acquired. All of us, whatever our race, creed, color, or ethnic heritage, are the children of a living Creator, with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms—as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try. Do I know the difference between sympathy and empathy? Can I put myself in the newcomer’s shoes?

Today I Pray
May I try to love all humanity as children of a living God. May I respect the different ways through which they find and worship Him. May I never be so rigid as to discount another’s path to God or so insensitive that I use the fellowship of the group as a preaching ground to extol my religious beliefs as the only way. I can only know what works for me.

Today I Will Remember
We are all children of God.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

Thursday, 11 April 2024

RANDOM BIG BOOK OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS #essentialsofrec #Recovery #AA #BigBook

Daily Reflections #essentialsofrec #Blame #Emotions

WORD TO DROP: “BLAME”

To see how erratic emotions victimized us often took a long time. We
could perceive them quickly in others, but only slowly in ourselves.
First of all, we had to admit that we had many of these defects, even
though such disclosures were painful and humiliating. Where other
people were concerned, we had to drop the word “blame” from our
speech and thought.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 47

When I did my Fourth Step, following the Big Book guidelines, I
noticed that my grudge list was filled with my prejudices and my
blaming others for my not being able to succeed and to live up to my
potential. I also discovered I felt different because I was black. As I
continued to work on the Step, I learned that I always had drunk to rid
myself of those feelings. It was only when I sobered up and worked on
my inventory, that I could no longer blame anyone.

NA Just For Today #essentialsofrec #NA #Recovery

A Closed Mind
“A new idea cannot be grafted onto a closed mind… Open-mindedness leads us to the very insights that have eluded us during our lives.”

Basic Text p. 93

We arrived in NA at the lowest point in our lives. We’d just about run out of ideas. What we needed most when we got here were new ideas, new ways of living, shared from the experience of people who’d seen those ideas work. Yet our closed minds prevented us from taking in the very ideas we needed to live.

Denial keeps us from appreciating just how badly we really need new ideas and new direction. By admitting our powerlessness and recognizing how truly unmanageable our lives have become, we allow ourselves to see how much we need what NA has to offer.

Self-dependence and self-will can keep us from admitting even the possibility of the existence of a Power greater than ourselves. However, when we admit the sorry state self-will has gotten us into, we open our eyes and our minds to new possibilities. When others tell us of a Power that has brought sanity to their lives, we begin to believe that such a Power may do the same for us.

A tree stripped of its branches will die unless new branches can be grafted onto its trunk. In the same way, addiction stripped us’ of whatever direction we had. To grow or even to survive, we must open our minds and allow new ideas to be grafted onto our lives.

Just for today: I will ask my Higher Power to open my mind to the new ideas of recovery.

Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrec #Recovery

A.A. Thought For The Day
In that alcoholic world, one drink always leads to another and you
can’t stop till you’re paralyzed. And the next morning it begins all over
again. You eventually land in a hospital or jail. You lose your job. Your
home is broken up. You’re always in a mess. You’re on the
merry-go-round and you can’t get off. You’re in a squirrel cage and
you can’t get out. Am I convinced that the alcoholic world is not a
pleasant place for me to live in?

Meditation For The Day
I must learn to accept self-discipline. I must try never to yield one
point that I have already won. I must not let myself go in resentments,
hates, fears, pride, lust, or gossip. Even if the discipline keeps me
separated from some people who are without discipline, nevertheless I
will carry on. I may have different ways and a different standard of
living than some others. I may be actuated by different motives than some
people. But I will try to live the way I believe God wants me to live, no
matter what others say.

Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be an example to others of a better way of living. I
pray that I may carry on in spite of hindrances.

As Bill Sees It #spiritual #essentialsofrec

“The Spiritual Angle”, p. 101

How often do we sit in A.A. meetings and hear the speaker declare,
“But I haven’t yet got the spiritual angle.” Prior to this statement, he
has described a miracle of transformation which has occurred in
him–not only his release from alcohol but a complete change in his
whole attitude toward life and the living of it.

It is apparent to everyone else present that he has received a great gift,
and that this gift is all out of proportion to anything that may be
expected from simple A.A. participation. So we in the audience smile
and say to ourselves, “Well, that guy is just reeling with the spiritual
angle–except that he doesn’t seem to know it yet!”

Grapevine, July 1962

Walk in Dry Places #essentialofrec #motives #Helping #Recovery

Helping Others

Motives

It may sound selfish, but you should always help others for no reason other than your own benefit. In giving assistance, guard against posing as an idealist or even a Good Samaritan. We are not saints, and our spiritual progress is interrupted the moment we begin to act more saintly than we really are.
Two things happen when we help others in the full knowledge that we are really helping only ourselves. First, we do not place the other person in a demeaning role or make him or her obligated to us. Second, we sidestep the swollen egotism that could arise if we view ourselves as rescuers.
In helping others, we are only passing on the good that has come to us. Any good action will always bring rich rewards in personal well-being. People we have helped will be grateful to us when it becomes clear that we don’t demand their gratitude. They will also be inspired to follow this example, which is the true AA spirit that became evident with the first Twelve Step calls.

I’ll look for opportunities to help others in the same way that a businessman looks for ways to increase profits. I know that I grow as a person when I help others in the right spirit.

Walk In Dry Places

Monday, 22 April 2024

Sunday, 21 April 2024

Saturday, 20 April 2024

Friday, 19 April 2024

Thursday, 18 April 2024

Monday, 15 April 2024

Sunday, 14 April 2024

Saturday, 13 April 2024

Friday, 12 April 2024

Thursday, 11 April 2024