Tag Archives: Recovery Journey

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 30th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

HALT

In April, we looked at courage, honesty, integrity, giving, helping others and the joy of recovery. These positive attributes do not just appear, we must work for them, and we must ask for help. Our main motivation at first is fear – addiction will kill us unless we take positive action. Soon other motivations appear, to keep us on the right path: we don’t want to disappoint our friends who offered the hand of friendship, we don’t want to lose the new happiness we are starting to feel, and we do want to be true to our Higher Power. Later on, the siren call of our old addiction will become so tiny that we don’t notice it at all but for now, there is still work to be done. There are no holidays from recovery. Do I understand that recovery is for life – that, however good I am feeling, I must remain vigilant?

HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) are the four things to avoid in early recovery. We could find ourselves in any (or all) of those states at any time. If we do, what should be our response? We should have a plan to deal with it – a person to call or a meeting to attend. Our great good fortune is that we are members of a worldwide support system. We must ask for help, so that we see how to help others, when the time comes. Today I remind myself to ask for help when I feel the need.

Today I Will……………………………………………

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 29th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Filling the void

Addiction and creativity have always been closely linked. Hardship, pain and frustration are often the catalysts for great creativity and many great writers and painters struggled with addiction. But recovery and the freedom from suffering it brings, can also produce great work. The AA Big Book, written by recovering alcoholics for alcoholics, is a prime example of this. AA co-founder Bill W produced a large amount of written work himself. People in recovery sometimes find an unexpected talent that brings them great enjoyment. This can ‘fill the void’ and occupy them beneficially, when they take addiction out of their lives. Am I ready to explore my potential for new interests and activities?    

Reach out – soothe another’s pain.

Feel the friendship, feel the gain.

See your life begin to blossom.

Little sprigs of hopes forgotten

Growing into big strong trees.

Force the wine witch to her knees.

Anon.

Sometimes poems like this, by a newly recovering alcoholic, help build up strength and determination to stay sober, as well as giving a new interest. Today I ask God for the motivation to explore new ideas.

Today I Will

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 26th by Chris B

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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

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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

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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 18th by Chris B

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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 16th by Chris B

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On this day in 1879, St Bernadette of Lourdes died, aged 35

Courage

Courage is found in unlikely places. St Bernadette of Lourdes suffered pain from tuberculosis for most of her short life. She also endured harsh treatment as a child brought up in poverty. Her miraculous visions at Lourdes were not believed at first, but she was steadfast and brave when people ridiculed her. She said that great suffering and great love are connected and give meaning to life. She never ceased to be grateful and humble and spent her last years as a nun helping others. She displayed all the qualities that recovering addicted people need. Do I recognise the need for love, courage, gratitude, humility and helping others?

If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again. That’s the beauty of being alive. We can always start all over again and enjoy God’s amazing opportunities bestowed on us. Have faith in him always.

St Bernadette.

Today I ask God that I may live according to the example of St Bernadette.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 15th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Unity

For a Twelve Step group to be successful, there are said to be six essentials:

  • Fellowship
  • Faith in a Higher Power
  • Service
  • Welcome
  • Humility
  • Gratitude.

Where a group’s members can regularly demonstrate all these things, the group is likely to thrive and the outcome for newcomers will be good. Am I ready to make every effort to ensure the success of my group?

Learning to live unselfishly takes practice. The need to keep my addiction active turned me into a highly selfish person. Only a conscious effort to do things differently, on a daily basis, will enable me to change. I need help from my Higher Power. Reading some of the stories of unselfishness and helping others, either in the lives of the founding fathers of AA and NA or in the lives of the Saints, gives me daily inspiration. Today I ask to be freed from the bondage of my selfishness.

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

Daily Reading from Recovery Days April 13th by Chris B

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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 8th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes

Gambling and cross-addiction

Pauline’s (not her real name) gambling problem led her to steal thousands from her employer. She also abused alcohol. She attempted suicide unsuccessfully and then found Gamblers Anonymous. With their support, she handed finances over to her husband, self-excluded from casinos and entered a debt management programme. She attended GA and AA meetings regularly. Gambling is often associated with heavy drinking. Quitting behavioural addictions often requires practical action. The need for courage and honesty is there, whatever the addiction. Am I aware of the dangers of cross-addiction?

A lot of addictive behaviour is progressive, meaning that it gets gradually worse. Tolerance to drink and drugs increases and our gambling stakes get bigger. Once we stop the behaviour, we should not expect everything to suddenly come right. Our recovery will be progressive, gradually getting better, just as our disease used to get worse. When cross-addiction is present, the progress may be even slower, but we must be patient. I ask God today for the patience to understand that we seek progress, not perfection in recovery.