Monthly Archives: January 2025

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 5th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations


Surrender


Acceptance involves surrender. This does not mean
allowing others to take advantage of you, it simply
means being realistic.
Surrender may be the necessary foundation for
recovery but sometimes we fight it. Most of us look
back after some clean time and wonder why on earth
we fought so hard to deny our powerlessness when
surrender is what saved our lives. Just For Today,
Narcotics Anonymous.
Have I truly surrendered?

The paradox of surrender is that it turns out to be
where recovery begins. Something in our ego
makes it seem shameful and weak to
surrender, the ultimate defeat in our constant yet
pointless inner struggle. But the perceived
surrender where it is true and comprehensive, is in
fact victory, over our self-indulgence, pride and yes,
our ego itself. Today I ask God for the grace to
surrender my ego and fully accept the things I
cannot change.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 4th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe calmly


Negative comfort zones


The barriers in the way to full acceptance are all of
our own making – denial, avoidance, pride and selfwill.
Many of us struggle with denial because we
cannot bear the emotional pain of the reality that
lies behind it. Our inflated egos are a part of the
negative comfort zone we have constructed to
protect us. Dismantling these barriers to reveal our
true selves may involve some short-term pain but,
finding the courage to do so is a step towards
emotional maturity. Have I left my negative
comfort zone?

Acceptance is about living with ourselves with all
our imperfections. But, before we get too negative,
we should remind ourselves that we are also good
people who are struggling with an illness that we
did not choose. Certainly, we have work to do but it
is our basic goodness and the help from our Higher
Power that will lead us to success, so that we
eventually become ‘better than well’. May I find the
honesty and courage to accept short-term emotional
pain, in order to receive long-term benefit.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 3rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your body


Step One


Acceptance is an attitude of mind and without it, we
cannot find true serenity. Reinhold Niebuhr’s
Serenity Prayer has helped many people find inner
peace. Life can seem at times unbearably stressful
and unmanageable. Acceptance of Step One –
taking things exactly as they are – can be the key
that unlocks the door to lasting change and
contentment. Do I fully admit that my life has
become unmanageable?

Life is difficult, it always will be. How we deal with
life’s problems defines us. In the case of addiction,
the problem lies within us, not in the bottle or the
pill. It is a tragic fact that many addicted people go
to an early grave because they have not faced the
problem of themselves. They are stuck in denial and
unable to be honest with themselves. Acceptance
and honesty must go together, otherwise the
foundations of recovery will crumble. We are
dealing with a disease that brooks no compromises
and acceptance is where we must begin. May I fully
embrace the process of acceptance because it is the
key to a way of seeing that will bring me a new
freedom.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 2nd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably


Letting down defences


When we fully accept ourselves and life on life’s
terms, we will no longer feel vulnerable because we
have nothing more to hide. By letting down our
defences, we feel a sense of relief. The important
thing is how we have responded. By showing to the
world how we deal with our faults and defects, we
become a power for good. Demonstrating how we
manage our imperfections is a far more effective
example to others than trying to portray ourselves as
faultless. Have I fully let down my defences?

One of the paradoxes of recovery is that when we let
down our defences and become vulnerable, we also
open ourselves to change. We must be completely
willing to change.
When you really want something, the whole
universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
Paolo Coelho.
The idea of change may seem daunting, but we only
need to take small steps because recovery is a
journey, not a destination. May I release myself from
the self-inflicted pain of my resistance to reality;
may I learn to see and accept life as it really is.

Daily reading from Recovery Days January 1st by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel the moment

Acceptance


How could you have done it? This ‘morning after’
question carries the same grim familiarity as the
splitting headache and the bloodshot eyes. We keep
asking ourselves this question, to which we have no
answer. Except of course, the only true answer:
because I’m addicted, and I need help. Only when
we get honest and accept the reality of our situation
will things start to improve. Acceptance begins with
admitting our faults honestly. ‘We admitted’ are the
first words of Step One. The founding fathers of AA
understood this. We are powerless over our
addiction. Can I fully admit my powerlessness?


I cannot change the past and I cannot predict the
future. I can only change myself. But first, I must be
realistic. I am what I am. My response is what
matters and that begins with acceptance. It is the
foundation on which my commitment to change is
built. With acceptance and the help of my Higher
Power, I can look forward to a new life of sober
contentment.
God grant me the serenity to accept the
things I cannot change, courage to change
the things I can, and the wisdom to know
the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr.