Tag Archives: Recovery

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 20th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably


Spiritual principles

Wear the world like a loose garment,
which touches us in a few places and there
lightly. St Francis of Assisi.
When I truly belong in the world, I can move
through it with confidence, knowing that my
thoughts and emotions will not be ravaged by life’s
stresses and strains. If I can be ‘in the world but not
of it’ then I can live by spiritual principles that I
know to be right rather than subjecting myself to all
the ways of the world with its many negative
influences. Am I ready to live by principles that I
know to be right?

To be in the world but not of it, is to be like a boat
that floats on the water without sinking, even when
there are storms. But this can be hard at times and
even harder when we try to do it alone. One of our
most powerful resources is a role model, a person
who we see struggling with problems similar to ours
and overcoming them. If they can do it, so can I.
Today I pray that I may seek the company of others
and learn from them to trust and share.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 19th by Chris B

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This day in 1960 the first meeting of Overeaters Anonymous held

Eating disorders

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a community of
people who support each other in order to recover
from compulsive eating and food behaviours.
Everyone who feels they have a problem with food is
welcome. The first meeting was held in Los Angeles.
Today, over six thousand groups meet weekly
throughout the world. It is believed that around
sixty thousand members are finding help to start
new lives in recovery. Am I grateful that the
message of the Twelve Steps is being brought to
people with addictions of all kinds?

The idea of a fellowship for people with eating
disorders was conceived at a meeting of Gamblers
Anonymous. This illustrates the variety of addictions
there are, and their commonality. Eating disorders
seem to be a fairly recent problem in terms of
numbers afflicted though the problem itself may go
back hundreds of years. Addiction does not confine
itself to one particular behaviour and I must always
be aware of the dangers of cross-addiction. I ask
today for the grace to extend the hand of friendship
to all Twelve Step fellowships.

Daily Reading from Recovery days January 17th by Chris B

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On this day in 1919 Prohibition became law in U SA


Comfort zones

I wouldn’t want to join a club that would have me as a
member is more than just a funny quip from Groucho
Marx. It also sounds like the sad cry of a
person stuck in self-pity and self-dislike. That’s
probably why it resonates with many who
struggle with addiction. Recovery is about
coming out of our comfort zones, something
many desperate people are reluctant to do,
because their familiar unhappiness is less
challenging than the idea of change. Even if we
have problems with our self-image, we should dig
deep to risk doing something new. Am I ready to
come out of my comfort zone?


Today I reflect on the difference between being a fully
established member of a team or club, and being an
outsider, a mere spectator. To feel myself part of a team
is inspiring. I recognise the example we give. We will
not let each other down. To the spectator, our band
of brothers is enviable. When I was a spectator, I
knew I was missing something, but I didn’t know
how to get it. I should have asked, but my denial
held me back. Today, I know better. Today I
give thanks for a fellowship that welcomes me as
a member.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 15th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your body

Belonging

One of the major requirements for a contented life is
said to be a sense of belonging. The desire to belong
is a human need that goes back to the earliest tribes
in history. The opposite state – isolation – is for
many people almost unbearable. Yet, being
surrounded by other human beings doesn’t
guarantee a sense of belonging. For that, we need
identification and interaction too. So, if you attend
an AA meeting, but you secretly think you are
somehow different, you are unlikely to identify with
people there and will feel an outsider, however
crowded the room. Am I ready to look for
similarities in others, rather than differences?

How very much alike all of us
alcoholics are, when we admit that
the chips are finally down. Bill W.
All of us in recovery are travelling the same road. No
wonder we feel a strong sense of kinship and
understanding. But to experience this to the full, we
must share our experiences with complete candour.
Steps Four and Five help us. Today I ask for the
courage to share my character defects openly and
honestly so that I allow others to identify with me.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 11th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe calmly


Fellowship


The bonds of fellowships and support tend to
be at their strongest in times of great stress
and crisis. As human beings, our natural state
is one of need, whether we think so or not. It is
usually our arrogant ego that tells us we have
no needs. It’s not surprising therefore that we
are susceptible to temptation because
temptation plays to our needs: – for money,
that tempts us to cheat, for love that tempts us
to abase ourselves, for happiness, that tempts
us to use drugs. Such things meet our
fundamental needs. Twelve Step fellowships aim
to do this also. Am I ready to join in fellowship
with others?

Never fear temptation, it is useful and necessary
to us. St Bernadette of Lourdes.
Temptation plays to our baser nature and offers us
shortcuts to what we desire. Thus, by examining
what tempts us and our responses, we can learn a
lot about ourselves and our character defects and
grow spiritually, when we ask for help. Today I
ask to grow spiritually by learning from my
temptations.

Daily Reading of Recovery Days January 10th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close your eyes

Reaching out


Asking for help also has a wider significance,
because it is part of the process of re-connecting with
others, which is essential to the recovery process. If
we do not ask for help, we are saying that we are
going to do this alone and very few can manage that.
The Responsibility Statement, often read out at AA
Meetings, tells us that it is members’ responsibility
to offer support whenever anyone, anywhere, asks –
just as they themselves have been helped. Am I ready
to reach out for help when I need it?

Just as fellowship members take responsibility for
extending the hand of help to others, so must I take
personal responsibility for my recovery by asking for
help when I need it. Doing nothing should not be an
option, because that seems like old behaviour and
the victim role. Recovery is about doing things
differently. May I fully take responsibility for my new
life and recognise when I must take action to assert
my legitimate needs rather than doing nothing.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days January 8th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your body

Asking for help

Help, I’ve got a problem! The simplified version of
Step One begins like that, with good reason.
Learning to ride a bicycle for the first time, you
would probably ask for help without shame or
hesitation. Yet something stops us asking for help to
learn sobriety. Once again, our pride is to blame.
People in recovery know that it does them good to
help others and clearly, they are the people to ask
because they are demonstrably getting it right. Step
Two is about asking for help because we cannot do
this alone. Do I see the sense in asking for help?

If I am rigorously honest, I will recognise the need
for outside help. When I am dealing with something
as powerful as addiction, I need to find the most
powerful help available – my Higher Power, which
works not by a flash of light, but through other
people. There is no easy way – I must swallow my
pride and ask for help when I am struggling.
Perhaps a phone call. It could be the most important
call I ever make. May I have the honesty to
recognise when I am struggling, so that I may
overcome my pride and reach out to ask for help.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 30th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – Feel your muscles from top to toes

Procrastination


Procrastination is often said to be the thief of time,
but it can also be the slayer of opportunity.
Underneath this attitude is often fear of negative
consequences. It is a form of denial that some of us
will recognise in addictive behaviour and like most
denial, it merely postpones the inevitable. We
damage relationships with others, and we often
damage our own mental and spiritual health when
we procrastinate. At first it may seem the softer,
easier option but it can lead to far worse situations.
Am I resolved to banish procrastination?

Not only am I prone to procrastination, I am also a
very impatient person. This kind of paradoxical
character is normally found in very small children,
and they usually grow out of it quite easily. Now
that I am in recovery I must grow up and put away
childish things. Opportunities appear and I must
grasp them. I am blessed that I have a second
chance at life, but few other opportunities are
offered on a repeat basis. From now on my motto is
carpe diem (seize the day). I live life to the fullest.
Today I ask for wisdom to make maximum use of
my second chance at life.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 24th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly

Peace


The Christmas carol Silent Night was first
performed in the parish church of Oberndorf, near
Salzburg, in 1816. Its simple message of peace and
hope was appreciated by the little community that
had been ravaged by the recently ended Napoleonic
wars and dreadful weather conditions. The
popularity of the song spread across the world.
Many people thought at first it had been composed
by Mozart or Beethoven, but its origin was much
more humble. A Catholic priest named Joseph Mohr
wrote the words and asked his friend, a primary
school teacher named Franz Gruber, to write the
music. Like most great works of art, it has the
power to calm and renew. Am I grateful for the
simple things in life?


It is sad that there is so much strife in the world
when there are so many people who just want peace
and kindness. But that does not mean that we
should give up trying. The power for good is greater
than evil and when things seem bad, I must not give
up:
It’s coming yet, for a’that,
That man to Man, the world o’er,
Shall brothers be for a’that. Robert Burns.
Today I give thanks for my unconquerable soul.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 10th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Maranatha

Maranatha is an Aramaic word meaning ‘Come, Lord’ and is thus often used by Christians in the time of Advent – the four weeks leading up to Christmas. It is a way of expressing profound belief in God, primarily a Christian God but can equally be used when referring to any Higher Power. Advent for Christians is not just about waiting for Christmas Day and the birth of Christ, it is about making our spiritual selves ready for the event, so that we welcome God into our hearts. We should evaluate our attitudes and beliefs and work to remove selfishness and self-obsession. It is all part of the familiar task of ego-management that we need to perform routinely in our lives, if we are to achieve spiritual growth. How selfish am I and what will I do about it?

I was no longer the centre of my life and therefore I could see God in everything. (Venerable Bede). Humility and prayer are a good start to checking my spiritual wellbeing. In the past, I was forced to make myself the most important thing in my life, because my addiction made this necessary. How else would I get what I wanted? Now, if I have learned anything, it is that there are other things that are more important. My will and my ways have got me into trouble, and I have to find a better way – God’s way.