Category Archives: Addiction Recovery

Addiction recovery

Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 12th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually


Humour


American writer Kurt Vonnegut said that we should
stop being so serious: Jokes help a lot. And get a dog,
if you don’t already have one. Vonnegut certainly
knew a thing or two about recovery from difficult
situations – he survived the Dresden fire-bombing
during WWII because he was locked up as a
prisoner inside an insulated slaughterhouse. As a
professed ‘Christ-loving atheist’, his view of life was
to help each other as much as possible. Can I keep an
open mind and not take myself too seriously?


There is not much to laugh about in the aftermath of
addiction, but in our grimmest moments we
sometimes turn to dark comedy, because horror
and humour are often two sides of the same coin. It
is a bizarre experience to recount one’s appalling
secrets to AA members who react with a nod of
empathy instead of a shriek of dismay. But how else
should we react to life’s great challenges? Absurdist
philosopher Albert Camus’ response was said to be:
Should I kill myself or have a cup of coffee? I’ll settle
for the coffee. Today I will take recovery seriously,
but not overlook humour.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 11th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Head to heart


Addiction professionals talk about the eighteeninch
journey, from head to heart. What we think and
what we feel can be very different but the more the
two can be connected, the more we will be in
balance. Some of us know from personal experience
that intellectual understanding of an event and its
consequences is often not sufficient to convince us
to do otherwise. That is true of addiction. Because
our emotions are so powerful, it takes more than
logical argument to persuade us to do what we are
too afraid, too arrogant or too ashamed to attempt.
Will I make the eighteen-inch journey?


When the great seventeenth century thinker Blaise
Pascal said: The heart has its reasons, which reason
knows nothing of, he meant that the heart can
sometimes stop us doing what seems intellectually,
right or equally, do things that seem logically
wrong. Today I ask for the wisdom to make the
eighteen-inch journey in order to keep my head and
my heart in balance.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 10th by Chris B

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Step Six


Step Six is part of removing what doesn’t work for
us, to make room for new attitudes and ideas. It
follows on from Steps Four and Five where we
identify the defects we need to get rid of. It may all
sound quite neat but in reality, we are often reluctant
to remove bad habits. The softer, easier way may
not have worked but ‘softer and easier’ was a
comfort zone – it was a coping mechanism, albeit
a maladaptive one. We turn to our Higher Power at
this important moment because there must be no
compromises and we need guidance. Am I entirely
ready to go through with Step Six?


The French writer and critic Charles du Bos said:
The important thing is this: to be able, at any
moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could
become. His use of the word ‘sacrifice’ is important
here, because it recognises how difficult it can be to
give up our old ways. To use another phrase that
du Bos would have recognised: ‘nostalgie de la
boue’ (the attraction of degradation) is hard to
remove. It is a process that may take time, but it will
be time well spent – another new experience for
some of us. Today I ask God for guidance as I work
to remove all my shortcomings.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 9th by Chris B

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Fake it to make it


Despite being anonymous, they all seemed
to understand and like each other very well.
That was my first impression of an AA
meeting. So, I kept going to meetings
because, I knew I had to. There were no
other options. Sometimes I was glad to go,
sometimes I pretended to be glad. An oldtimer said: ‘fake it to make it’. Perhaps I
was doing that. In any case, a miracle was
happening because I was not drinking. I
thought that I had better keep on doing
the same thing, because it worked. I still
regularly go to that meeting. It has saved
my life. Anon.
Am I committed to attending meetings because I
know that I cannot be complacent about my
disease of addiction?


I do not need to understand the reasons why
something works before I do it. Just the fact that it
does work should be enough. I will apply the same
principle to the Twelve Step fellowships. I am
content to follow them and keep it simple. Today I
give thanks for the simple gifts that I have received

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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 8th by Chris B

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Enough


So many of our problems are caused by wanting.
Part of this comes from our raised expectations. In
the West, capitalism is based on the idea of
consumerism and economic growth. Many of us have
far more than we need. It is hard in such a climate
to simply make do with enough, and altruism often
does not seem strong enough in the face of glossy
advertisements and celebrity-led videos. Elsewhere in
the world, people struggle to put food on the table,
if they have a table at all. Twelve Steps are partly an
example of unselfish living. Do I remember that by
following their principles I may be seen as an
example to others?


Two men were talking at a conference. One said:
Tom, how does it make you feel to know that
man over there made more money today than
you will make in all your life? Tom said: I feel
happy, because I’ve got something he can never
have – the knowledge that I’ve got enough.
Anon.
When you realise that you have all you need, then
you can look at the world in a different way. Today
I give thanks for all that I have and ask nothing
more.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 7th by Chris B

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Asking for help


What is the point of reality, if you are not wanting
to live responsibly? Whether consciously or
unconsciously, this is the mindset of many addicted
people. When the real world is such a frightening
place, you might just as well be on the moon.
Unfortunately, the moon does not sustain life for long
and sooner or later, we have to come down to earth.
Our re-entry can be painful, some do not make it.
We will need help. Coming to our senses is easier
than learning to act sensibly. Acquiring good habits
takes time and application. Will I ask for help?


In the Bible,the prodigal son spends his inheritance on
dissipation and riotous living, then ‘comes to
himself, realises his mistakes and returns home to
be welcomed by his father. Coming to myself means
living according to my better nature after years of
not doing so. The tale of the prodigal son is a
wonderful example of the goodness of human
nature. If I am to receive forgiveness, I need to show
honesty, humility and willingness to change, just like
the prodigal son in the Bible. Today I ask not to forget
that forgiveness puts a responsibility on me to do
my best in return.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 6th by Chris B

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Involvement


Tell me and I forget, teach me and I
remember, involve me and I learn.
Benjamin Franklin.


This often-quoted piece of wisdom is behind a lot of
successful enterprises, including Twelve Step
fellowships. The three legacies of Alcoholics
Anonymous are Recovery, Unity and Service and all
three are intended to foster the idea of involvement.
They could be described in another way as Action,
Responsibility and Giving. Do I see my recovery as
involvement in the Twelve Step fellowships?


Studies show a correlation between degree of
involvement in Twelve Step fellowships and
successful outcomes in terms of sobriety. These
fellowships must be among the least controlled or
regulated organisations on the planet, yet they work
if you want them to – in other words, if you want to
get involved. There is something very simple yet
very special about that, and Twelve Step members
are right to feel grateful. Today I give thanks to God
for the beautiful simplicity of the Twelve Step
fellowships in which I am involved.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 5th by Chris B

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Keep it simple


The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to
make sure that he never knows that he’s in prison.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky.


Many people are prisoners of their own minds when
they over-complicate things. It is a lonely state. In
recovery, we are told to keep it simple. When we are
continually preoccupied with something, we
cannot enjoy the world around us. Do I remember
what I was worrying about last week?


We are what we think. All that we are arises
with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we
make our world. The Buddha


The duality of character in so many addicted
persons is one reason for complicated thinking.
Because our addiction leads us to do so much that
is against our better judgement, we are constantly
struggling with cognitive dissonance that makes us
unhappy. It is so much easier to keep things simple
when we are at peace with ourselves. Today I ask
God to help me see that most complications in my
life begin in my mind.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 4th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts


Step Six


I have looked at which behaviours don’t work. That is
the simplified version of Step Six. This is about
willingness to change. Most people don’t like
giving up old habits and attitudes, simply because
they have become a familiar part of their lives. The
Step is quite unequivocal. No half measures here!
But help is at hand. We have already opened a
dialogue with our Higher Power and we need to
keep the lines of communication open. Being
entirely ready means marshalling our strengths and
preparing ourselves for the task ahead. Am I
entirely ready to have God remove all my defects of
character?


If I am entirely ready for this task, I must be
physically, mentally and spiritually fit. I will need
honesty and humility to assess the situation
correctly and courage, determination and wisdom
to carry it out. Reassurance comes from the
knowledge that thousands of other people have
trodden this path successfully. There is no reason
why I should not do so too. I ask for God’s help today
as I work this vital Step.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 3rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Awareness


By putting our awareness into the present moment,
we remove our minds from everyday matters and
focus on what we are feeling and thinking in the here
and now; we recognise and accept our body’s
sensations at this instant, in the calm knowledge that
this experience in time is all that we really have.
Mindfulness is about keeping things simple,
listening to our bodies and not wanting anything
else. When we stay in the moment, we are freeing
ourselves from all illusions – those strange ideas
and attitudes that lead us into so much trouble. Can
I close my eyes and enjoy this moment of peace?


Nowhere can man find a quieter or more
untroubled retreat than in his own soul.
Marcus Aurelius.
This Roman Emperor and philosopher tells us how
peace and acceptance can be achieved, even in the
midst of a highly demanding lifestyle. We can be
distracted far too easily by events that in retrospect
appear meaningless. Balance is vital for a contented
lifestyle and contemplation is like balm to the troubled
soul. Today I ask God for the wisdom to be mindful.


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