Monthly Archives: October 2024

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 11th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably


Humour


Humour has many forms. The acts of smiling and laughing are good for us because they help the brain release feel-good chemicals. Humour is also relaxing and calms anxiety. Perhaps a sense of humour is the most important tool we have to help us learn life’s lessons. A chicken said to a pig: Isn’t it awesome that we both have a part in the great British breakfast of bacon and eggs? Yes, replied the pig, but you just contribute, while I make a full commitment. With humour we can learn and remember truths that change our attitudes. Am I ready to use humour to help my recovery?

Recovery is there to be enjoyed positively and shared laughter ha power as great as anything serious. The ancient Greeks gave tragedy and comedy equal status. Humour helps us see things in differently. The direst situations can appear more manageable with the injection of humour. Addiction is a serious business but humour can be one of the tools I use to achieve recovery. I wish to be ‘better than well’ and that certainly includes laughter. The Twelve Step fellowships provide friendship, kindness and humour and for these I am grateful.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 10th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your body


Commitment


The Irish writer Brendan Behan was a committed Republican whose activities landed him in prison in the nineteen-forties. An alcoholic from an early age, Behan described himself as: ‘a drinker with a writing problem.’ He is remembered for his humour, once saying: I’ve joined Alcoholics Anonymous – I’m drinking under an assumed name. Sadly, he died aged forty-one, after collapsing in a Dublin pub. His life was gradually taken over by alcohol. He was unable to make a lasting commitment to sobriety. Addicted people can seem very lovable and amusing but, their lives often end in unhappiness and despair. Am I committed to sobriety?

Commitment means following a course of action even when it becomes hard, and you want to stop. This can be a challenge in early recovery because many of us have become used to giving up and running away from adversity and pain. Early sobriety and times when we crave our addiction of choice should be recognised. It is good to plan responses, such as people whose help may be asked and activities that will change our mindset. Today I ask for the courage to keep to my commitments.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 9th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Personal values


We all have an internal value system which we refer to for decisions, perhaps subconsciously. It can be helpful to identify the values (there may be quite a few) and then pick the five that we consider the most important. These might be, for example: Honesty, Helping others, Openness, Determination and Humility. We can then ask ourselves if these are still our priorities – not everyone has the same. We can also look back at some of our recent decisions and consider whether we applied these values correctly; how did we respond, for example, when we saw a stranger in need of help? If we see room for improvement, we should make that happen. Do I review my value system?


When was the last time that I was really happy? When did I last feel justifiably proud of myself? Was it related to the values that I have and remain true to? If I had to explain my personal values to another person, could I do so with assurance because I feel they are right? Understanding my values and getting into the habit of referring back to them when I have important decisions to make, can lessen anxiety and increase my self-esteem. Today I ask for the will to keep working on self-improvement.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 8th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations


Facing challenges


Danish physicist and Nobel laureate Niels Bohr was born on this day in 1885. An agnostic with a sense of humour, he is famous for his dictum about the horseshoe he kept over his front door: They say it works, even if you don’t believe in it. Difficulties should be welcomed as great opportunities, he said: Every great
and deep difficulty bears in itself its own
solution. Such words should resonate with those in early recovery. Do I see life’s challenges as opportunities for growth?


Our ability as humans to create problems seems to be matched by our ability to find solutions. Here are some methods:

  • Keep positive: easy does it
  • Plan – a day at a time
  • Accept help: let go and let God
  • Focus: what really matters?
  • Don’t over-think: keep it simple
  • When I embrace challenges, I grow in maturity. It is all part of reversing the lifestyle that started with my powerlessness and unmanageability. I give thanks today for the Twelve Steps.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 7th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – Review Expectations

Unselfishness

Addiction makes us self-obsessed and it can be hard to break the habit. A life of focusing on our own needs turns us into super-selfish monsters. Unselfishness can be learnt. Here a a few things to try:

  • Listen with full attention
  • Give unconditional positive regard
  • Do not judge others
  • Try giving – of yourself
  • Consciously put your needs after those of others
  • Say a prayer for someone in trouble

Am i ready to work on my selfish attitude?

“Caring for others is the best way to fulfil our own concerns”. The Dalai Lama.

Today I will reflect on these words and try to care for others.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 6th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Higher Power

Higher Power is not easy to define, and we will never know the true meaning. Here’s one person’s thoughts:
Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake some day and take offense. Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize winner.
Can I treat my Higher Power with respect and not take it for granted?


The point is, that what we need for recovery is a Power that is greater than the evil of addiction. Names and labels are less important. A ‘Power greater than ourselves’ is the requirement. I am grateful that I have a Higher Power to rely on?

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 5th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Revisiting the past


But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis.
There are dangers in revisiting the past, as Lot’s wife discovered to her cost. It is not wrong for us to do so, as long as we do not linger there too long. Even if our own past lives were not Sodom and Gomorrah, there is a danger that too much focus on the past may lead us to euphoric recall of imagined ‘good times’ that were in reality, anything but. In looking back, Lot’s wife displayed a very human side showing nostalgia for what was probably both good and bad. Am I ready to put the past behind me?


The past is another country, where we can no longer dwell, though we may visit. It is for many of us, a place of shame but it can also be a valuable asset. When I remember the past as something that it was not – a place of fun and thrills, I put myself in danger. But if I remember the past as it really was – a place of anger, hatred and dishonesty, I am giving myself a powerful reason to hold on to the blessings of my present new life. Today I ask for the honesty to confront the reality of the past.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 4th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from head to toes.


Problem-solving


You have a problem that you find stressful and as a
result, you drink. You then have two problems, and
your mental state now renders you less capable of
dealing with either. What seems a problem to one
person may seem minor to another. Some people
welcome challenges, some catastrophise the
smallest incident. Problems, in other words, are as
big as we think they are. Yet, if we sincerely trust
our Higher Power, we can deal with anything that
life throws us. Do I trust my Higher Power enough
to hand over the problems that I find difficult?


I can choose to change my attitude to any event by
handing it over to my Higher Power and trusting it
will guide me. Then I just need to sincerely try to
do the right thing, according to my conscience. At
such moments, it can help to have a role model in
mind – someone whom I really respect – perhaps a
fellowship member. If I can’t ask them directly, I
can ask myself: what would Joe do in this situation?
There is a solution to every problem, as long as I
seek guidance in finding it. Today I give thanks for
the guidance that I trust my Higher Power to give

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 3rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – listen to your breathing


Doing things differently


Life is not a matter of waiting for events and hoping for the best. That may have been the state we ended up in, when our addiction was rampant, but things are different now. If we are to make spiritual progress, action is required. The process of taking positive action may be summarised as follows:

  • Have a wish or idea to do something
  • Visualise how you would do it and how that would make you feel
  • Ask for guidance
  • Commit to the action
  • Do it!
    Our thoughts, feelings and actions are all connected –we have our own personal way of doing things but we need to be sure that it is fit for purpose. Am I ready to follow a positive action plan?

Impulsiveness and thinking that I know best have proved in the past to be unsatisfactory methods of doing things. Today I see the value of taking time to consider my choices asking for guidance. I will remember that impulsiveness is old behaviour.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 2nd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Choices

Life is a series of choices. Some are more important
than others and then there are the big choices: what
we believe in, how we will live our lives. It is a
shame that we get so many choices wrong. Like
children, when we sober up, we must learn the
process of making choices. Most people process
choices through their value system, perhaps
subconsciously. But addiction has distorted our
values, so we are in danger, in early sobriety, of
making unhealthy choices. Our new life requires t
guidance. Will I ask my Higher Power for help?


Sometimes we are reluctant to make choices
because we fear possible consequences. Yet
hesitation and indecisiveness often make things
worse. The ancient Roman philosopher Seneca said:
It is not because things are difficult that we do not
dare, it is because we do not dare, that things are
difficult. Can I remember what it was that worried
me a week ago? Probably not. But a year from now, I
may wish I had taken some action today that I failed
to do, out of fear. I will seek help from my Higher
Power when making choices.