Monthly Archives: September 2024

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 30th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts


Mature relationships


This month we have looked at responsibility and
the need for awareness. In everyday life, the most
often-repeated challenges come through our
relationship with others. Relationships are often
difficult, but we can learn ways of dealing with
them. In recovery, we must be especially careful
because relationship problems can give rise to strong
emotions that we may still find hard to handle. Am I
working on my ability to handle relationships?


Steps Eight and Nine are when we put personal
responsibility into practice. Of course, it is
important to make amends to people we have
harmed – they deserve that respect. But, for us, this
is a moment when we really start to grow. A person
who has made a thorough and honest attempt at
Steps Eight and Nine cannot be said to be child
anymore, but rather, someone who can say:
When I became a man, I put away childish things.
St Paul, Corinthians.
Today I give thanks for the maturity that I am
gaining through the Twelve Step programme.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 29th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes


Listening


To understand people, I must try to hear what they
are not saying, what they perhaps will never be able to
say. John Powell.
So many books have been written about selfdiscovery
and relationships that you might think it
an almost impossible task. Yet, only a few hundred
years ago, the great majority of people had never
read a book, but they managed to interact and live
reasonably contented lives. Perhaps they were more
attuned to their own selves and more direct in their
approach to others. Am I remembering to keep
things simple?


To practise mindfulness is to be in deep and
meaningful contact with oneself as well as with the
outside world. I must listen to the world and to
myself and feel connected empathetically to all
nature. People believe what they hear themselves
saying. Today I ask for the awareness of myself and
others that will allow me to truly listen to what is
being said, or not said.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 28th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Emotional maturity


As active alcoholics, we lost our ability to choose whether
we would drink. We were the victims of a compulsion
which seemed to decree that we must go on with our
own destruction. Bill W.
Today I have the choice. I can choose to relapse and
lose my new life of fulfilment and purpose but at this
moment I do not wish to. I must take care to keep
in emotional balance because some extreme
emotion could put me in danger of making the
wrong choice. Have I made the right choices
today?


Making the right choices requires maturity. We all
have common sense but some of us have never
stopped being driven by our desires – that need for
quick gratification that a child often has. Maturity
comes from taking responsibility for our lives and
not expecting someone else to rescue us. In other
words, I must come out of the ‘child ego state’ into
the ‘adult ego state’. This is a big decision for a
child and is best achieved though taking small
steps. I ask God today for the courage to deal with
the world as an adult.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 27th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably


Spirituality


There are two kinds of people one can call reasonable: those
who serve God with all their heart because they know him, and
those who seek him with all their heart because they do not
know him. Blaise Pascal.
Twelve Step fellowships do not try to define God,
they merely recognise the existence of a ‘Power
Greater than Ourselves’. Do I accept the
existence of a Higher Power?


The idea of exploring spiritually is one that most
agnostics are open to, if only because they
recognise that some things in the universe
cannot be explained. It can also bring a deep
sense of meaning to your life which in itself, is
good for mental health generally. Exploring
spiritual ideas commits us to nothing except to
embark upon a magical journey that might just
result in bringing us more peace and
contentment. All that is needed is an open mind.
Let the Twelve Steps gently lead you to explore
spiritual growth. Today I give thanks for the
spirituality that I have discovered through
following the Twelve Step Programme.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 26th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually


Giving


St Francis of Assisi was born on this day in 1181. The
humblest of saints, he founded the Franciscans
(monks) and the Poor Clares (nuns) after renouncing
his lifestyle as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. He
lived as an example of poverty, unselfishness and
humility which influenced many and perhaps his
best-known saying is: It is in giving that we receive. Can
I learn from St Francis the importance of giving?


St Francis was known for his gentleness and sense of
humour and another of his sayings is: It is not
fitting, when one is in God’s service, to have a gloomy
face or a chilling look. Smiling is good for us, and
it is very good for others to see, as well. When I
show that I am enjoying our recovery, I send a
powerful message to the world.
Lord, make me a channel of your peace:
where there is hatred let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope; where there is
darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy. St Francis.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 25th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Trust the process


‘Trust the Process’ is a phrase we often hear in
recovery. It means having faith that things will work
out alright without our supervision. People with
control issues find it very hard to hand things over to
a Higher Power. There is so much fear connected to
addiction. We become terrified that our erratic
behaviour is going to cause chaos (it usually does).
We conclude that the only response is for us to micromanage
everything. In our confused state, this
doesn’t happen, and we become over-anxious and
desperate. We try to control future events and that
doesn’t work either. Eventually we seek escape in
addictive behaviour. Sobering up, we have to take the
leap of faith by handing over our will and our life to
our Higher Power. Am I ready to trust the process?

The Third Step Prayer is about handing over and
trusting the process: This simple prayer has
brought relief to thousands of addicted people,
regardless of their religious or non-religious views.
As I say the prayer and feel my burden easing, I
know that the process has begun.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 24th by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Give in order to receive


Heard at an AA meeting: The banquet is ready;
the food is all laid out – you bring your own plate.
In other words, all the benefits of a happy sobriety
are there for us, but we have to contribute
something ourselves. Another comment: NA is a mine
where we find gold each day, but what we find,
we give away. Do I understand that any Twelve Step
fellowship is a two-way arrangement where I give
away what I have, in order to keep it?

Non nobis solum sed toti mundo nati. Anon.
(Not for ourselves were we born, but for the
world).
This beautiful mediaeval saying has been proved to be
true, many times. Lives of complete selfishness
simply do not work. I must remember that no man
is an island, and that isolation will make me
unhappy whereas helping others without
expectation of reward or thanks, can be the most
satisfying of actions.
It is not good for man to be alone. Genesis.
What can I bring to the feast? Today I ask God to be
able to give of myself, that I may receive.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 23rd by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually


Tolerance


Tolerance is a necessary consequence of our
being human.

We are all products of frailty
– fallible and prone to error – so let us
mutually pardon each other’s follies. This is
the first principle of human rights.
Voltaire.
It takes all kinds of people to make the programme
work and we learn from everyone we meet. If for
example, a person disrupts a fellowship meeting
while under the influence of drugs, we can all see
something of ourselves in the behaviour. I should
not judge but look for the good. Am I learning to be
tolerant of other people’s behaviour?


Negativity has been our default mood for so long that
it requires conscious effort be positive. I must learn to
look for the good, not the bad, in order to help others.
As they say in the fellowships: We are not here to see
through each other, we are here to see each other
through. Today I ask God to help me be aware of my
approach to meeting people so that I consciously offer
the hand of friendship rather than the cold eye of
judgement.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 22nd by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Step Nine


The short version of Step Nine says: I have said sorry
to the people I have harmed and tried to repair
damage. That statement indicates our willingness
to take responsibility for our actions. Any feeling of
discomfort that we may have comes from pride and
it will pass. This is a great learning opportunity for
us. Am I ready to work Steps Eight and Nine to the
best of my ability?


It is when your spirit goes wandering
upon the wind That you, alone and
unguarded, commit a wrong unto others
and therefore unto yourself.
And for that wrong committed must you
knock and wait a while unheeded at the
gate of the blessed. Kahlil Gibran.
The shining light that comes from these Steps is
forgiveness. Those we have harmed will often
respond forgivingly. I must accept that not all may
be able to forgive but, if I have done my best to
make amends, with the help of my Higher Power,
then I can eventually forgive myself. Today I ask for
courage, and continue to make amends

Daily Reading from Recovery Days September 21st by Chris B

Posted on by
Reply

View VIDEO on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=A100094027278120

Follow on TikTok Videos at Tiktok.com/@recoverydays

Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes


Spiritual bond


There are more ways than one of getting sober. In
some countries they put alcoholics in jails so remote
that it’s not worth escaping. In the Western world
there is understanding but also ignorance. The AA
way is through surrender to a Higher Power.
Nobody in AA specifies what that power might be, it
is enough that it exists. This spiritual element
seems to open people so that they come together.


Addiction devastates our self-esteem. There have been
many days in the past when we looked in the mirror
and did not like what we saw. Now we can look in
the mirror and see a good person smiling back, as
poet Walt Whitman seems to do:
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume, you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me
As good belongs to you. Walt Whitman.
Like it or not, he says, there is a connection and a
bond between us all. Today I give thanks for the
bond that exists between all living things.