Author Archives: ccburn

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 17th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations


Doing right


We never know the full effect of our actions and we
each can contribute in ways that we never
imagined. There is a story that the official
acclamation for the building of the cathedral of
Santa Sophia in Constantinople was given not to the
Emperor Constantine, who commissioned it, but to
a poor widow named Euphrasia, who took a wisp of
straw from her mattress to give to the oxen who
pulled the blocks of marble to the site. The butterfly
effect can change history, and we are each a part of
the world’s living history. Am I ready to play my part
in doing what I think right, no matter how
insignificant it may seem at the time?

In all things, God works for the good of those
who love him. St Paul, Romans.
The smallest thing that I do, the smallest act of
kindness can have unimagined effects. I must never
think that I am insignificant or allow myself to not
act, because I think it unimportant. Today I will
strive to do my best in everything because, with
God’s help, my actions may serve to help others in
ways of which I am not aware.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 16th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Positive, affirmative action

Christ has no body now but yours. No
hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are
the eyes through which he looks with compassion
on this world. Yours are the feet with which he
walks to do good.
St Teresa of Avila.
The great Christian mystic is telling us
that appreciation of someone’s good works (in
this case Christ’s , is not enough. Actions, not
words are required if our life is to have meaning.
The same is true in addiction recovery. We must
take positive affirmative action and become a part
of an ongoing movement rather than just being a
spectator. Am I ready to ‘walk the walk’?

The grace of God is the power that enables a
human being to change from a disconnected,
hopeless individual to a connected, hopeful,
and grateful person. God also manifests as love
for other people and serenity of character. We can
have plenty of power, love, and serenity in our lives
if we ask God for these things. Today, I do ask

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 15th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts


Serenity Prayer

Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero was a drunk,
known to his mocking soldiers as Biberius Caldius
Mero (bibulous drinker of unwatered wine). He never
changed. His near contemporary, the Stoic
philosopher Epictetus was meanwhile teaching
his students a lesson in acceptance: Make the best of
what is in our power and take the rest as it naturally
happens. Its message is similar to the serenity prayer,
written two thousand years later, by Reinhold
Niebuhr: 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.
Emperors come and go, but addiction is always
with us. Am I ready to change the things I can?


The serenity prayer has great power to calm the
troubled mind. The simple words lead us to trust
that our Higher Power has things under control,
even if we do not. Learning to say the prayer
whenever we have to make a choice that worries us,
is a great habit to acquire. Today I ask that I may
make a habit of reciting the serenity prayer daily.

Daily reading from Recovery Days May 14th by Chris B

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Three Legacies

The three parts of the AA programme – Recovery,
Unity and Service are represented by the symbol of
the triangle within the circle (the circle represents
the world). These are known as the Three Legacies
which counteract the three parts of the disease of
addiction – Physical, Mental and Spiritual. Of
course, AA is not based on mathematical formulas
but there is a pleasing symmetry about this trinity
and also the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions and
Twelve Concepts. Am I grateful to the insight of the
founders?

The priests and seers of antiquity regarded the circle
enclosing the triangle as a means of warding off
spirits of evil, and AA’s circle
and triangle of Recovery, Unity, and Service
has certainly meant all of that to us and
much more. Bill W.
A triangle is only strong if all three sides are in
place. Thus, I must be responsible for doing my
part in each of the three. Today I thank God that I
can work recovery, unity and service.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 13th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations
Sharing problems
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ. St Paul, Galatians.
Getting into recovery does not mean that we won’t
have challenges ahead. The message is that a
problem shared is a problem halved. Connection
and sharing are the answer to so many of life’s
problems. Letting go of the burdens of the past will
help us too. Am I ready to let go of the past and
share today’s problems, because that is the sensible
and human thing to do?
I used to think that I should be able to handle my
problems myself and that asking for help was a
sign of weakness. But self-reliance isolates us, and
society does not work well like that. Helping
others should be a pleasure and if we avoid help,
we may be denying others the chance of self-improvement
and the self-respect that comes from
giving. Today I will ask for help when I need it,
because realism is honesty and asking for help is
connecting.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 12th by Chris B

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On this day in 1935, Bill W first met Dr Bob


Fellowship


The first meeting of Stockbroker Bill Wilson and Dr
Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio gave little indication at
the time of what was to come. Bill was five months
sober and verging on relapse while Bob was still
drinking (he stopped altogether a few weeks later).
But their discovery that talking together could help
them become and stay sober was a turning point in
their lives. The real breakthrough however was in
demonstrating that alcoholism needed no longer to
be a solitary nightmare; soon millions of people
were reaching out to each other. The power of
connection is the power to recover – Higher Power.
Am I grateful to the founders of AA for
demonstrating the power of recovery through
connection?


Perhaps at first, we are sorry that we can no longer
drink or use, but soon we become glad. We just need
to make sure that cravings are managed, because
addiction will always try to return. How much more
difficult it would be, to struggle alone. We are
fortunate to have the means to overcome our illness.
Today I give thanks to the founders of AA and every
fellowship member, who ensure that I am not alone.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 9th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Personality change


The prefrontal cortex of the brain controls your
personality, values, impulses, short-term memory,
planning and decision-making faculties. Damage
from alcohol and drugs cause this part of the brain
to malfunction so that behaviour becomes erratic
and unpredictable. In other words, mood-altering
substances directly affect our brain’s ability to
regulate our actions and our emotions. No wonder
so many people get into problems. Do I understand
that drugs and alcohol change my whole
personality for the worse?


When my perceptions and ability to assess, plan and
act have been compromised by addiction, then part
of my recovery will be about redressing the balance.
Working Steps One to Five is a good way to start.
Meeting right-minded people will help, and
mindfulness and meditation will calm my
impulsiveness. It takes time, but then, I spent a lot
of time getting into this damaged state. Patience
and belief in my Higher Power will get me back in
balance. I ask God today for perseverance in my
recovery and faith in the Twelve Step programme.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 10th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually


Awareness


People often strive for success without really
knowing what it is. They measure success through
wealth or fame or social position, but these only give
short-term pleasure. Everyone is equally valuable in
life, and everyone is equal in death. ‘There are no
pockets in a shroud.’ We should celebrate our
uniqueness and understand that we are all part of a
joined-up universe where we both support and
depend on others. Can I celebrate my place in
creation?


The brilliance of the rose and the
whiteness of the lily do not lessen the
perfume of the violet or the sweet
simplicity of the daisy. I understood that
if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature
would no longer be enamelled
with lovely hues.
St Thérèse of Lisieux.
All flowers are exquisitely beautiful, just like
humans. Desire for success is only found in humans
and it causes pain and joy equally. Better to wish to
be a person of integrity. Today I ask God to grant
me integrity rather than success.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 8th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably

Just for today

The AA Just for Today card gives us the right
attitude for dealing with each day. It was written by
a non-alcoholic in the 1920’s well before AA was
conceived. Other fellowships such as NA, have
similar cards. They demonstrate the importance of
constant awareness that we carry within us the
potential for great joy or relapse and disaster. The
card reinforces the wisdom that today is the only
one that matters. For most of us, to live in the past
would mean to be a different person and to live in
the future is dying in slow motion. Will I remember
to live just for today because today is always today?


When your goal is spiritual growth and not a
specific point in time and place, then you know that
your journey will last for your lifetime. The words ‘A
Day at a Time’ then start to make more sense.
Progress, not perfection, is the way to view our life
in recovery. We will never receive a certificate of
success. It is enough to be living our lives along
spiritual principles. Today I ask God for the
perseverance to live my new life, a day at a time.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 7th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Kindness

Today was a difficult day, said Pooh.
There was a pause. Do you want to talk
about it? asked Piglet. No, said Pooh after
a bit. No, I don’t think I do. That’s alright,
said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his
friend. What are you doing? asked Pooh.
Nothing, really, said Piglet. Only, I know
what difficult days are like. I quite often
don’t feel like talking about it on my
difficult days either. But goodness,
continued Piglet, difficult days are so much
easier when you know you’ve got someone
there for you.
A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh.
Am I ready to show kindness, even unasked?


We know when we have given or received kindness
because of the warm feeling it brings. It lifts our
spirits and strengthens us in ways that we don’t
always appreciate. Everyone benefits from it. Today
I will seek to offer kindness in the sure knowledge
that I am helping myself by helping others.