Just For Today - May 13 2026

Onward On The Journey

“The progression of recovery is a continuous uphill journey”

Basic Text, p. 79

The longer we stay clean, the steeper and narrower our path seems to become. But God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. No matter how difficult the road becomes, no matter how narrow, how winding the turns, there is hope. That hope lies in our spiritual progression.

If we keep showing up at meetings and staying clean, life gets… well, different. The continual search for answers to life’s ups and downs can lead us to question all aspects of our lives. Life isn’t always pleasant. This is when we must turn to our Higher Power with even more faith. Sometimes all we can do is hold on tight, believing that things will get better.

In time, our faith will produce understanding. We will begin to see the “bigger picture” of our lives. As our relationship with our Higher Power unfolds and deepens, acceptance becomes almost second nature. No matter what happens as we walk through recovery, we rely on our faith in a loving Higher Power and continue onward.

Just for today: I accept that I don’t have all the answers to life’s questions. Nonetheless, I will have faith in the God of my understanding and continue on the journey of recovery.

WALK IN DRY PLACES - April 19 2026

WHO PUSHES MY BUTTONS?

Personal Relations

AA old-timers would be mystified today to hear program members talk about people “pushing their buttons.” (They can’t get your goat if they don’t know where it is tied) This expression wasn’t around when the early AA members pulled themselves out of the swamp and began their long journey to sobriety.

But they had their buttons pushed aplenty. Dr. Bob, treating alcoholics at St. Thomas Hospital; heard snide comments from other physicians who resented giving bed space to drunks. Bill W. struggling to launch a worldwide movement, took most every alcoholic, then and now, gets some heavy kidding from the world of drinkers.

What is the real problem in these instances? Are others pushing our buttons, or do we set ourselves up for this by being sensitive and vulnerable? Nobody could push our buttons if we didn’t have buttons to push.

We no longer have to worry about button-pushers if we accept them as they are, realizing that we don’t need their approval and can’t really be hurt by anything they do or say. Our serenity in the face of such problems may actually serve to attract people to AA.

Nobody can push my buttons unless I let them. Today I’ll be serene and clam no matter what others say and do. Thanks to the program, I’ll not worry about certain individuals who try to get under my skin.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrecovery

A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION

How It Works

“Now that you’re sober, why do you stay in AA?” AA members frequently hear this from others not familiar with the fellowship, but it’s understandable. They see AA as a place where one goes to be “cured,” whereas we learn to see it as an ongoing recovery process that is never really completed.

Sobriety is not an object that one can acquire and then put on a shelf somewhere or on the wall like a diploma. It is more of a journey in living, with each day’s march being a goal in itself.

You could also say that sobriety is like the “manna from heaven” described in the Old Testament. Fresh manna arrived each day, but could not be saved for the future. It is the same with us. Today’s experience in sobriety is what sustains us, and we’re in trouble if we’re trying to depend on what was accomplished in the past.

Though we do use the term permanent sobriety, we never truly possess it. Our quest for sobriety is a lifetime journey.

I’ll be on guard against any feeling of “having it made.” Sure, past success should be helpful in maintaining today’s sobriety. But the quality of today’s sobriety will depend only on today’s thinking and behavior.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation 

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A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrecovery

Our inner journey is a transformative process. It involves becoming who we already are in essence and letting go of the phony in favor of the authentic self.

~ Mary Norton Gordon ~

Wearing the right face for every occasion was a goal many of us strived to master in years past. Quite likely we succeeded too. We were accomplished at reading the faces of others, discerning who we needed to be in order to please them. Our worth seemed dependent on pleasing them.

Recovery doesn’t mean we stop pleasing others. Learning to love others unconditionally, thus inspiring joy in them, is a benefit of recovery. But pleasing ourselves is of utmost importance too, and we can feel good about ourselves only if we are living honest lives. That means wearing the face that matches who we really are inside.

Our lives become less confusing as we learn to 11*veal our true selves. When we stop trying to be the person we think others want us to be, we will find more time to simply love them for the person they are, and to love ourselves too.

I will please others simply by loving them as they are today. I can be honest and loving just being me.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation 

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WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrec #Journey #Sobriety

A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION

How It Works

“Now that you’re sober, why do you stay in AA?” AA members frequently hear this from others not familiar with the fellowship, but it’s understandable. They see AA as a place where one goes to be “cured,” whereas we learn to see it as an ongoing recovery process that is never really completed.

Sobriety is not an object that one can acquire and then put on a shelf somewhere or on the wall like a diploma. It is more of a journey in living, with each day’s march being a goal in itself.

You could also say that sobriety is like the “manna from heaven” described in the Old Testament. Fresh manna arrived each day, but could not be saved for the future. It is the same with us. Today’s experience in sobriety is what sustains us, and we’re in trouble if we’re trying to depend on what was accomplished in the past.

Though we do use the term permanent sobriety, we never truly possess it. Our quest for sobriety is a lifetime journey.

I’ll be on guard against any feeling of “having it made.” Sure, past success should be helpful in maintaining today’s sobriety. But the quality of today’s sobriety will depend only on today’s thinking and behavior.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation

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A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Journey

Our inner journey is a transformative process. It involves becoming who we already are in essence and letting go of the phony in favor of the authentic self.

~ Mary Norton Gordon 

Wearing the right face for every occasion was a goal many of us strived to master in years past. Quite likely we succeeded too. We were accomplished at reading the faces of others, discerning who we needed to be in order to please them. Our worth seemed dependent on pleasing them.

Recovery doesn’t mean we stop pleasing others. Learning to love others unconditionally, thus inspiring joy in them, is a benefit of recovery. But pleasing ourselves is of utmost importance too, and we can feel good about ourselves only if we are living honest lives. That means wearing the face that matches who we really are inside.

Our lives become less confusing as we learn to 11*veal our true selves. When we stop trying to be the person we think others want us to be, we will find more time to simply love them for the person they are, and to love ourselves too.

I will please others simply by loving them as they are today. I can be honest and loving just being me.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

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Daily TAO - Navigation #essentialsofrecovery

Do you know
Where you are
On your journey?

Tao’s movement has been compared to the flow of rivers. Its vastness has been compared to that of oceans. Some people are content to float here and there with the tide, but for others such passivity is impossible. We have to navigate.

Like early explorers on the high seas, we know where we want to go. That’s when studying precedence is important. The wisdom of those who went before us is like a map. The truths regarding Tao are like the stars. We determine our goals, and we set out according to what we know what we learn. The future is always uncertain; that is why it is important to objectively evaluate where we are on our spiritual path.

If you are confronted with a pivotal decision and cannot think of any other way to act, write down all the good things and all the bad things about a given situation. Also include how much more you want to do. See if staying your course will give you what you want. If not, change, no matter how deeply that will disrupt your routine. Some people never know where they are in life. and that is one of the biggest reasons they are unhappy.

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Today’s Gift from Hazelden #essentialsofrecovery

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

— Chinese proverb

Life holds so many choices now that we are sober. We’d like to go so many places. We’d like to see so many things. We have so much to do.

We are slowly learning how to trust our dreams and reach for them. Our program teaches us that we live One Day at a Time. We make progress by doing First Things First, Easy Does It.

Our dreams may seem very big and far away. We wonder if we’ll ever get there. But our faith tells us to go for it. And we know how: One Step at a Time.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me know this gentle truth that my life matters. Help me set goals that I can grow toward, one step at a time.

Action for the Day

Today I’ll think about one of my goals. I will list ten little steps that will help me get there.

From the book:

Keep It Simple by Anonymous

                                             Keep It Simple © 1989 by Hazelden Foundation

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Today’s Gift #essentialsofrecovery

It’s better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

– James Thurber

Recovery is an inner journey, but it often means going outside ourselves. In the past, we often were deaf to the words of others. Now we are discovering that God gave us ears for a reason.

Listening to others may be new to us, but we have so much to gain. Others may have learned ways to solve problems we can’t figure out. We may think our lives are unique, only to discover others have had the same experiences. There is so much insight, wisdom, and love to share. Now that we’re stronger, we can admit we need help, and accept that help with a joyful heart.

Today let me have the courage to listen to those people whom I respect. 

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FR. LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Success

SUCCESS

Success is a journey, not a destination.

~ Ben Sweetland

As long as I am sober, I know I am successful. I also know my sobriety is more than keeping away from the first drink. My sobriety requires that I be a creative and successful human being in all areas of my life: relationships, work, family, business, and acts of charity. The road to success is exactly that—a road I am traveling along. I will continue on this until the day I die. The danger is in thinking I have already arrived. As such, I get complacent and apathetic; I slow down, and energy for recovery is diminished.

Today I know I am successful as long as I keep moving with my spiritual program.

Let me always be confident as I walk in my journey of life. 

© 2008 Leo Booth

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Step by Step #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Alcoholism

14
 July

“As we look back, we feel we had gone on drinking many years beyond the point where we could quit on our will power. If anyone questions whether he has entered this dangerous area, let him try leaving liquor alone for one year. If he is a real alcoholic and very far advanced, there is scant chance of success. In the early days of our drinking, we occasionally remained sober for a year or more, becoming serious drinkers again later. Though you may be able to stop for a considerable period, you may yet be a potential alcoholic.”

 – Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 3 (“More About Alcoholism”), p 34.

Today – the AA challenge. If hangovers, the need for a morning drink to calm a churning stomach or shakes, if warnings from the spouse or partner or employer and if high liver enzymes aren’t enough to clue me that I might have a problem with alcohol, I’ll take the AA challenge and give up drinking for a year. It would be a monumental achievement considering I probably can’t remember when I went that long without a drink after I started. And if I don’t make it …how about a piece of humble pie with a couple of side dishes of honesty and determination “to go to any lengths” to recover? Likewise, even if I am in recovery and it’s been a few years since my last drink, what are the odds that I can start drinking responsibly again? Rhetorical question. Today, I set out on the AA challenge to go it alcohol-free for a year …one day at a time. And our common journey continues. 

Step by step. – Chris M.

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Step by Step #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Regrets

14
June
Today, I cannot dismiss my yesterdays of regrets and misconduct completely even though our Program commands us to live only for today. However, it does not compel us to ignore our pasts as if they never occurred. While I will not live those days again, I also will not discard the lessons they have and which might make today better by not repeating those days. Maybe somewhere in the midst of all the damage and regret of yesterday, there was also something good that can be carried into today, and my misconduct of yesterday can be a warning not to repeat it today. Today, I will live for now. But my present – maybe my future, if there is one – might be disciplined if I accept and learn from the hard-edged lessons of yesterday. And our common journey continues. 

Step by step. – Chris M.

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Daily Reflections #essentialsofrec #Recovery #AA #Steps

 2
June

THE UPWARD PATH

Here are the steps we took. . . . . ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59

These are the words that lead into the Twelve Steps. In their direct simplicity they sweep aside all psychological and philosophical considerations about the rightness of the Steps. They describe what I did: I took the Steps and sobriety was the result. These words do not imply that I should walk the well-trodden path of those who went before, but rather that there is a way for me to become sober and that it is a way I shall have to find. It is a new path, one that leads to infinite light at the top of the mountain. The Steps advise me about the footholds that are safe and about chasms to avoid. They provide me with the tools I need during the many parts of the solitary journey of my soul. When I speak of this journey, I share my experience, strength and hope with others.

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Just For Today #essentialsofrec #Recovery #NA #Addiction

13
 May 

Onward On The Journey


“The progression of recovery is a continuous uphill journey”

Basic Text, p. 79

The longer we stay clean, the steeper and narrower our path seems to become. But God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. No matter how difficult the road becomes, no matter how narrow, how winding the turns, there is hope. That hope lies in our spiritual progression.

If we keep showing up at meetings and staying clean, life gets… well, different. The continual search for answers to life’s ups and downs can lead us to question all aspects of our lives. Life isn’t always pleasant. This is when we must turn to our Higher Power with even more faith. Sometimes all we can do is hold on tight, believing that things will get better.

In time, our faith will produce understanding. We will begin to see the “bigger picture” of our lives. As our relationship with our Higher Power unfolds and deepens, acceptance becomes almost second nature. No matter what happens as we walk through recovery, we rely on our faith in a loving Higher Power and continue onward.

Just for today: I accept that I don’t have all the answers to life’s questions. Nonetheless, I will have faith in the God of my understanding and continue on the journey of recovery.

Why not sign up to get emails with all daily posts included?

Walk in Dry Places #essentialsofrec #Recovery

31
March 

A Journey, Not a Destination.
How it Works

“Now that you’re sober, why do you stay in AA?” AA members frequently hear this from others not familiar with the fellowship, but it’s understandable. They see AA as a place where one goes to be ” cured,” whereas we learn to see it as an ongoing recovery process that is never really completed.

Sobriety is not an object that one can acquire and then put on a shelf somewhere or on the wall like a diploma. It is more of a JOURNEY IN LIVING, with each day’s march being a goal in itself.

You could also say that sobriety is like the “MANNA FROM HEAVEN” described in the Old Testament. Fresh manna arrived each day, but could not be saved for the future. It is the same with us. Today’s experience in sobriety is what sustains us, and we’re in trouble if we’re trying to depend on what was accomplished in the past.

Though we do use the term “permanent sobriety”, we never truly possess it. Our quest for sobriety is a lifetime journey.

I’ll be on guard against any feeling of “having it made.” Sure, past success should be helpful in maintaining today’s sobriety. But the quality of today’s sobriety will depend only on today’s thinking and behavior.

Why not sign up to get emails with all daily posts included?