Tag Archives: connection

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 26th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=p

Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Learning life’s lessons

Anyone in recovery who reads Alice in Wonderland would be likely to see it as an allegory about addiction. A solitary young girl disappears down a rabbit hole into a sometimes- frightening fantasy world where she discovers mind and body- altering substances. It is also a story about self-discovery: Who in the world am I? she asks. She learns too about growing up and making the right choices. By the end of the book, Alice is behaving like an adult: It’s no use going back to yesterday, she says, because I was a different person then. The book can help us understand how to deal with the challenges of growing up, although there is no evidence that the author Lewis Carroll had addiction in mind. Am I open to learning some simple lessons in life from all kinds of sources?

We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad. How do you know I’m mad? said Alice.

You must be, said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here. But let me tell you something. The best people usually are.  Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.

Such wise words of acceptance. I’ve heard very similar things at AA meetings. Today I ask God for the wisdom to know that I have an illness that is mental, physical, and spiritual, but I can live with it.

Today I Will…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 22nd by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=p

Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Progress, not perfection

Active addiction leads to a form of soul sickness. People become a poor imitation of the person they once were. But on sobering up, they come to themselves, as they come to their senses. The addicted self is not the real self. To some extent we are dual personalities who need to become whole again. That means to regain our integrity. It will require courage, honesty and realism but with the help of our Higher Power, it can be done. Carl Jung said in his letter to Bill W: Alcoholism is a spiritual disease the basis of which is man’s yearning for wholeness. Am I ready to regain my true integrity?

Many of us sought for completeness and wholeness in our addiction, but no addictive behaviour can provide such a thing. We can only find meaning and purpose in life through a belief in a Higher Power and the knowledge that we are doing what is right. Perfection is not required, only steady progress. Today I ask that I will do my best in everything I attempt and that every choice that I make today will be the best for the recovery of others and of myself.

Today I Will……………………………………………………………………………..

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 21st by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=p

Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Respect for others

Ordinary people don’t make a fuss about life – kids, work, school, stress, relationships, tiredness, kindness. The humdrum realities of life’s daily struggle require a special kind of dedication and commitment. Without belittling the amazing deeds of say, soldiers in combat, the single person raising a family on benefit while perhaps recovering from addiction will never receive a medal or a long service pension. Perhaps they will never be thanked or remembered except by the few whose lives they touched and made better, with an unsolicited act of kindness. Do I respect my fellow men and women and help them whenever I can?

Selfishness and a rampant ego make it extremely hard to perform unsolicited acts of kindness. They probably make it extremely hard as well, to really love someone. But if we cannot give love, how can we expect to receive it? Christianity teaches that to love is to suffer because the sublime feeling of love is inevitably going to make us unhappy, if only one day, by its absence. When a loved one suffers, we suffer too. And when a loved one recovers, we rejoice in that recovery. But to suffer in silence can be to offend a loved one. Love and suffering are connected. That is no bad thing. Today I will remember that love and suffering are connected.

Today I Will………………………………………………………………………………………….

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 19th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=p

Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Power of example

The story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible is a story of courage, compassion, and hope. It takes courage to recognise injustice, to take a different view from others and most of all, to act when others do not. What motivated this brave person? It can’t have been a selfish desire for fame, although he is famous

– we do not even know his name. All his actions were of giving. This totally unselfish and anonymous act of kindness has affected more people over the centuries than other gifts in history though some involved great generosity too. The power of example could not be better demonstrated. Do I understand the power of example, so that I can be an example to others?

The great Christian theologian St Augustine said: Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are. Righteous anger is a strong motivator if properly controlled. Courage to stand out and behave differently from the crowd is a special kind of courage. When the crowd is against you, they show a very negative power of example that requires a special kind of help to overcome – Higher Power. Today I ask God for courage when I need to take a stand for what is right.

Today I Will

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 18th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=p

Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Self-improvement

When we think about self-improvement, it’s difficult not to recall Lisa Simpson saying: It’s a long, arduous journey of personal and spiritual discovery. Very few of us are fine the way we are and some of us know it. The paradox is that we have to first accept ourselves the way we are before we can make any changes. Self- improvement is a very legitimate goal for most of us. The Twelve Steps are all about it. If you think that you can achieve happy sobriety without doing any work on yourself, perhaps by taking some ‘miracle pill’, then by all means try. But for those of us who struggle with dishonesty, selfishness, self-pity, and other character defects, it may not work. Do I have a realistic view of myself?

I must try not to take myself too seriously. Addiction is a life-or-death disease, but it can be successfully managed. Normal life is not all about doom and gloom. We use comedy to get perspective and sometimes to help us accept difficult truths. I must keep an open mind always and remind myself that often laughter is the best medicine. Today I ask God to preserve my sense of humour so that I may improve my insight into life’s problems.

Today I Will……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 17th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=p

Remember Mindfulness – Breathe calmly

Helping others

Richmond W, author of the inspirational AA meditation book Twenty-four Hours A Day, also wrote poetry. His lines on helping others from his poem Not Enough run as follows:

To hear is not enough…

…I must give wherever need appears And learn to live unselfishly.   R.Walker

Richmond was as good as his words and is said to have helped hundreds of struggling addicted people during his years of sobriety. A man of true integrity and a shining example to us all. Am I ready to help others in need, without hesitation?

If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.

Chinese proverb.

Altruism is pleasurable, it builds connections that benefit both giver and receiver. When we look beyond ourselves, we see that we are not alone, and we realise the limitations of staying within our selfish comfort zone. If I help others, I help myself. Today I ask for the courage and insight to be proactive in helping people in need.

Today I Will…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 14th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Fellowship and connection

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.

Shakespeare, King Henry V.

Whether we have actually shed blood or not, all of us addicted people have been in a fight and this common experience gives us a strong sense of fellowship and a sense of purpose too. Brotherhood and sisterhood are great words that bring us a sense of connection and togetherness at a crucial time in our lives. For most people, doing something as part of a group or team gives more satisfaction than doing it alone. Am I glad of the feeling of team spirit and involvement that I get from belonging to a Twelve Step group?

Attending a fellowship meeting and sitting alone at the back of the room, we can observe the other members and we can learn from their words of wisdom, but do we feel comfortable? If we feel welcome and if we interact with others, it is likely that we will enjoy the meeting more and leave with a warm feeling of having been a part of something, rather than having been just a spectator. Others, perhaps with more experience, have a responsibility to extend the hand of friendship but we have a responsibility to ourselves to make an effort to connect. Today I ask God for the courage to make the extra effort needed to come out of my isolation and meet new people.

Today I Will…………………………………………………………………………………

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 13th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Responsibility

Responsibility has several meanings – duty, care, protection, control and blame. For us, it is a positive word meaning positive action. People in recovery are among the most responsible people you can find, because they know from bitter experience the negative consequences of irresponsible behaviour. Am I ready to act responsibly today?

When I show responsibility by extending the helping hand of fellowship to a struggling person, I am also showing gratitude, compassion, empathy, humility, and the power of example. Doing this is a form of prayer:

Inasmuch as you have done unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.

St Matthew.

No wonder then, that doing so makes me feel good. Today I will remember the words of St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians: Three things will last forever: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Today I Will……………………………………………………………….

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 6th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

* April 6 *

Remember mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Giving it away to keep it

To paraphrase a US President: “Ask not what your recovery can do for you but what you can do for your recovery.” (Kennedy). A happy recovery is not possible if we are driven by our egos. We must give recovery away in order to keep it. Another President (Roosevelt) announced a ‘New Deal’ to end the great Depression in the 1930’s. Recovery is our New Deal, and we have to make it work. Fortunately, in the Twelve Step fellowships, we have the means, so that “recovery of, by and for addicted people”, is entirely possible. It is our blessing and our salvation. That’s quite enough paraphrasing. Will I work to keep my recovery by giving it away?

Give and it will be given to you. With the blessing of recovery comes responsibility to pass it on to the less fortunate. We should never allow ourselves to be simply takers because selfishness inevitably causes alienation and leads us back to isolation and self- protective attitudes. Before we know it, we are back in the vicious cycle of meeting our own selfish needs before everything else. Today I ask God for the gift of altruism so that I may help myself by helping others.

Today I Will………………………………………………………

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 5th read by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverydays?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

* April 5 *

Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Step Four

Step Four involves us in taking a thorough and searching personal inventory. An important aspect of this Step is to examine our personal value system – what we respect, hold precious and protect. This goes to the heart of our beliefs, especially our view of ourselves and our view of the world. Our own values dictate how we interact with others. Do we respect them, disdain them, or feel the need to rescue them? We would do well to remember that we are not responsible for other people and to ask ourselves honestly: do I protect what I value, and do I respect what others value?

Sometimes it is hard to recognise that a problem is not mine and refuse accordingly to take on the difficulties of others. Being a compulsive helper does not resolve the other person’s fundamental problem because they need to take responsibility for their own lives. I can only change myself, and that should be work enough. There are many paradoxes in recovery: surrender in order to win is one, and another is that recovery is about making connections but also about setting proper boundaries.

I ask today to know the difference between when to protect and when to respect.

Today I Will………………………………………………………