Monthly Archives: July 2024

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 11th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Recoverydays_chris

Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Understanding the obsession of addiction

JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings has been cited by some as a metaphor for addiction. The Ring works its magic on all who seek it, rendering some hopelessly obsessed. The effect it has in particular on its custodian Gollum’s personality and physique are reminiscent of drugs such as heroin. Gollum is entirely consumed by his attachment to the Ring. Nothing else is as important and his mental and moral standards deteriorate markedly. Interestingly, the power of the Ring to corrupt the likes of Gollum was not equal to ensnaring the ‘good’ characters of Gandalf and Frodo. They seem to have won through largely because of the support, strength, and unity they found in each other’s company – a bit like AA. There is no evidence that Tolkien had drugs in mind. Am I ready to learn lessons of recovery from many sources?

I must never forget the corrupting power of alcohol and drugs. A glass of beer or a puff of weed can seem such a minor event but their potential for mayhem is immense. Regular drug use can impair a person’s ability to choose right from wrong. Empathy and the understanding of other people’s emotions are also found at reduced levels in drug users. I will remember that a small drink of alcohol does no harm to some people, but it contains the potential to change me from Gandalf into Gollum.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 10th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Recoverydays_chris

        

Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body

Dangerous relapse situations

Talk of having a ‘slip’ can minimise its seriousness. We can all get thoughts about drinking. Our addiction keeps trying to stage a comeback. The crucial moment is when the thought first appears. We must be quick to root it out and not entertain it because once we start dreaming about drinking or using, we are unconsciously grooming ourselves to embrace the notion. A cool glass of beer on a hot day can be a delightful thought as we struggle down a crowded city street but where would it lead us? It is vital that we banish such thoughts immediately and have a prearranged plan for doing so – a person to call or a task to change our mindset. Do I have a plan to deal with ideas of drinking and using?

As soon as I start to think that I am in control of my life, that even subconsciously, I have no real need for my Higher Power, then I am in danger. I must carry out a reality check – back to basics: I am addicted, probably no human power could have relieved my addiction, but my Higher Power has helped me do so, when asked. How can I think, when I look at the past, that I can succeed on my own?

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 9th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Recoverydays_chri

Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably

The child within

Childhood can be tough. Traumatic events leave emotional scars as well as physical ones. The absence of love causes lasting psychological pain. A damaged child learns to be wary of attachments because:

  • Love is conditional (manipulation)
  • Love makes you weak and vulnerable
  • Love must be searched for and can be lost
  • Love hurts but emotions need to be hidden. Many of us have had bad childhood experiences that still affect us. The way they have influenced our attitudes to life may be small – or large: Don’t do that, you’re not clever enough to try or don’t say what you really think – it’ll get you into trouble. Addiction is often rooted in some kind of  attachment problem. Do I recognise the suffering of my inner child and see there is more work to do?

Past suffering remains a measure of who we are, a characteristic of our inner child. To comfort this child, we must understand our suffering, because some good may come of it in the end. This can seem contradictory but is often a theme of religious teaching. Today, I will treat others with kindness.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 8th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Recoverydays_chris

Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment

Openness to new ideas

Opium is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, in Vergil’s Aeneid, by Chaucer and by Shakespeare. Many poets and other artists have been addicted. The Club des Hashischins in nineteenth century Paris embraced almost every literary figure of the time: Victor Hugo, Zola, Dumas, Baudelaire and Gautier were all members. Drugs and creativity seem to go hand in hand. They must have been in the mind of the great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche when he wrote: We all need some chaos in our lives, to give birth to a dancing star. It was only relatively recently however, that people began using creativity in recovery from addiction. Painting and poetry can help self-discovery, expressing feelings and confidence. They can be a new interest too. Am I open to ideas of creativity?

An interest in art, philosophy or literature feeds into our imagination and helps find answers that we could not obtain from the scientific or pragmatic world. It also helps us to keep an open mind. Discovering new topics of interest is part of the joy and excitement of recovery, for which I am grateful.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 7th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

 YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@Recoverydays_chris

Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly


Positivity


Positivity means looking for the good in people,
expecting good outcomes and being generally
optimistic.. Addiction makes us very negative but
there are ways of becoming positive. Practising
gratitude is recommended because conscious
actions like making a gratitude list, force us out of
our negativity. Another good way of finding
positivity is through mindfulness: and meditations
on such subjects as: He who enjoys doing, is happy.


In Twelve Step recovery, I get the feeling that my life is
improving, with God’s help. As I grow in the
programme, I am less and less drawn back to my old
addictive behaviour because my new life is so
enjoyable. The thought of spoiling what I now have
seems absurd. Character defects keep trying to
come back into my life – envy, judging others,
complacency. I must remain vigilant, but my
positivity motivates me to want to keep what I have.
Today I am thankful for all the benefits of sobriety
and for the positivity that it brings.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 6th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Recoverydays_chris

Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes

Power of example

Everything we say and write comes in one of four forms: statement, question, exclamation or command. The Twelve Steps are written in the form of a statement: Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a programme of recovery. Before the AA Big Book was published, in 1939, the authors were advised to make the tone of the work less directive: a lot of ‘musts’ were replaced by ‘should’ or ‘we suggest’. Remarkably, the approach worked. Perhaps alcoholics are people who don’t like being told what to do. If you compare the Twelve Steps of AA to the Ten Commandments in the Christian Bible, you will see a marked difference in tone.

Reading the AA Big Book widens our knowledge of Alcoholics Anonymous and of addiction itself. There is something very moving about reading the lives and experiences of people just like us who struggled with addiction nearly a hundred years ago. Their problem was mine and all of their stories are truly inspirational. I am proud and grateful to follow in their footsteps. I will try to be open to the possibilities of change so that with humility and love I too can be an example to others.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 5th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Recoverydays_chris

Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Help to change

Honesty, openness and willingness to change are three essentials of successful recovery. Openness is important because it allows us to accept new ideas. These can take many forms but one of the most surprising for some people is the idea of a Higher Power. Yet, anyone looking back at our past and the change that has happened since, might conclude that they see something pretty miraculous. How do people who have been written off as hopelessly addicted manage to turn their lives around? Since we were unable to help ourselves at that time, some other powerful force must have appeared.

A miracle is an extraordinary event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws. Life itself is one – nobody has been able to explain scientifically how it first happened. I am not being asked to believe in a specific source of power in the universe. I am simply asked to open my mind to the idea that there is a power of some kind that is greater than me and which helps me if asked. I can feel that power in the experience, strength and support of other people. May it always be there for us all, so that what I see darkly, I will see face to face one day.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 4th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Enjoy the simple things in life

Happiness and good self-esteem are legitimate goals in life and recovery gives us a second chance. In that sense, we are truly fortunate. Life may be difficult, but recovery should most certainly be enjoyable, otherwise – what is the point? Our goal should be to become ‘Better than Well’. If we keep things simple and just try to do the right thing, we will reach our goal in the end. Poet William Blake wrote about the simple things of creation and the need to know right from wrong:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the Palm of your Hand And Eternity in an Hour

William Blake.

There is a choice in life between the material and the spiritual – between wealth, pride and status on the one hand and honesty, love and service on the other. Which will be the dominant principle in my life? It is difficult to try to achieve both. Wealth and status are not necessarily evil, but I need to choose whatever brings peace of mind and happiness.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 3rd by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Step Seven

Step Seven is about humility and also about reinforcing our commitment to change. I have committed to moving forward in life without these old behaviours is the basic message behind this important Step. If you can realistically appreciate your place in the world and your unique personality, then you are accepting life on life’s terms. You have no cause to be vain or arrogant but equally no cause to be ashamed. Can I take my place in the world without false pride or humility?

Step Seven is effectively saying that we are ready for new business and new ideas. We have asked for help in removing our shortcomings and now we need to fill the void left by that clean-out. In other words, opportunity beckons. Some of us may want to do service, some renew marriage vows, some perhaps will discover new strengths th a t they were unaware existed. It is a time for excitement and creativity. Today I ask God that I may make the best use possible of the talents that I have and the opportunities that appear.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 2nd by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

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

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

Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly

Working the Steps

We live in two worlds – the finite and describable world of objects and people that we can see, touch and hear, and the world of ideas that is basically indescribable; we use the first to describe the second. So, if we say something like: I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul, we are using finite images – ‘master’ and ‘captain’ to describe an attitude – that of taking personal responsibility for our lives. The Twelve Steps are another example. We are using the finite image of a flight of steps to describe a programme of recovery because ‘steps’ illustrate progress. On this day in 2000 the 20 millionth copy of Alcoholics Anonymous was presented to Al-Anon. Am I ready to progress through the Steps?

If we keep ourselves mentally and emotionally in good shape, we are more likely to have peace of mind. If we do our best to live according to proper moral and spiritual principles by putting value on honesty, humility, unselfishness, and love then we are likely to find contentment. The Twelve Steps are a good guide to our spiritual and moral wellbeing.