Tag Archives: Addiction recovery

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 30th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your body from head to toes


Enquiring mind


Poets are ‘God’s spies’ said the poet Shelley,
meaning – go out into the world and see things
differently:
In today’s world, an enquiring mind is increasingly
in demand because Artificial Intelligence can do so
much where ordinary skills and information are all
that is needed. Addicted people are usually great
problem solvers – the sheer necessity to obtain the
substances we crave, for example, makes us so. And
necessity of course, is the mother of invention. In
recovery, this can be put to good use. The late Steve
Jobs of Apple once said: ‘the next great innovation
will be made by a poet’. Am I open to the idea that
creativity and an enquiring mind will help to
recover?

A creative and enquiring mind is a luxury that I can
use in recovery, to take me ‘beyond my wildest
dreams.’ Today I ask to keep my mind open to new
ideas

Daily reading from Recovery Days October 28th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly


Success in recovery


Ego, pride and past habits are a danger when our
recovery gains momentum and is going well. It can
be tempting to change our priorities and consider
putting material success – financial rewards, job
promotion and fame, before our sobriety. When high
or unrealistic expectations appear, it is time for an
honest look at ourselves. Am I allowing my ego to
divert me from sober living and spiritual growth?


There is nothing so wrong with having
reasonable expectations for ourselves and our
families. I want to be a useful member of society,
to help others and to pass on my values to my
loved ones. But I should be less concerned with
other people’s ideas of the meaning of success. I
need to be a success for my inner self, and no one
else.
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of
intelligent people and the affection of
children…to leave the world a better place…to
know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Today I know the meaning of real success and I
am content with that.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 27th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably


Risk


Addiction is a loaded gun and Russian roulette is a
dangerous pastime but addicted people play that
game most days. How many of us really knew the
strength of the powders and weeds we consumed?
Were we sure our bodies were free of alcohol before
we drove? Around one hundred thousand people are
convicted of drink-driving in the UK each year.
Have I finished playing Russian roulette with my
life and the lives of others?


In addiction, we’re all risk takers and sobriety can
seem like a joyless alternative at first. How wrong
that is. There are so many things that I never tried or
was too mentally numb to bother about when I was
using. I can now try new experiences and see which
ones I like:
All experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades
Forever and forever when I move.
Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Today I ask not to fear trying new things.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 26th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Trust


In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name
was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he
feared God and shunned evil.
Book of Job.
The Bible tells that, in spite of all this, God allowed
Job to suffer, as a test of his piety. But when Job
remained steadfast, God rewarded him with great
blessings, more than he had previously. The story
of Job teaches us to trust God under all
circumstances. We must trust not only when we do
not understand, but because we do not understand.
God has reasons are beyond our comprehension.


In my daily life there may be disasters and losses –
great and small. I may be tempted to ask why. God
allows suffering because he allows free will. If God
did not allow suffering, there would be no free will.
How we deal with this world where suffering
happens is through faith, hope and love. Before I
stopped using drugs, I did not trust anyone. It
required a huge effort to hand my life over to a
Power greater than myself but now that I have done
it, my anxiety has decreased dramatically. Today I
will trust my Higher Power to show me the way.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 25th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – listen to your body


Commitment


God willing, we may never again have
to deal with drinking, but we have to
deal with sobriety every day.
AA Big Book.
A life in active addiction can be a series of quick
fixes, but recovery is a process requiring our full
attention. At first, sobriety can seem like a
bereavement – a seriously deep relationship has
been abruptly terminated and we are emotionally
upset. Also, we have been living a lifestyle that is no
longer acceptable. In this fragile state, attitudes,
beliefs and habits now have to change. It adds up to
a lot of work and commitment. Am I aware that my
recovery goes far beyond stopping my addictive
behaviour?


Commitment, discipline and responsibility were
not often considered in my old life. But hard times call
for hard measures. Twelve Step programmes gave me
a connection – to a Power greater than myself and
the support of others. For that, I am grateful.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 24th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations
Victim
For addicted people, the victim role is often their
comfort zone. A victim is never a happy person and
the term itself is not one that you would choose to
be associated with, unless you’re some kind of
crazy, self-pitying masochist. That’s probably why
we like it so much. It’s not a happy role, but it’s a
familiar one. Victims blame others for their
predicament; they will blame circumstances,
individuals or just some kind of ‘force majeure’, in
fact they’ll blame anything at all, except themselves.
By doing so, they avoid criticism and are not
expected to change. But recovery is about change.
People who make a success of their recovery take to
heart the words of psychologist Carl Jung: I am
not what happened to me, I am what I choose
to become. Am I ready to stop being a victim?
Once I come out of the safe though unhappy,
comfort zone of being the victim, I can start living
life on life’s terms. It takes courage but I have the
wonderful support system of the Twelve Step
fellowships to guide me and for that I am grateful.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 23rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – listen to your breathing


Values


What are the values that I live by? I probably don’t
know the answer when I first become sober. As I
recover, I will find and perhaps improve them to live
as best I can. I may learn from other people but itis
important that I create my value system because
because I want it that way, not so as to meet the
expectations of others. Am I establishing the values
by which I will live my life in sobriety?


Once to every man and nation
Comes the moment to decide
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side. J.R. Lowell.
The type of relationships that I have, the activities I
like and the interests I follow, are all dependent on
my core values, because these will affect my
attitudes. Thus, if I value honesty, kindness,
understanding and compassion then I am likely to
have friends with similar values. If I set a high value
on physical health, then my interests are likely to
reflect that too. I am grateful that I can learn new
ways in the Twelve Step programme.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 22nd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts


Religion


The Crusades, Terrorism, the Inquisition. So much
that is brutal and bad is done in the name of religion.
But it is done by men believing they are doing God’s
will. God must be horrified. Religions bring a lot of
good to the world too, but their complexity and
hierarchical structures often put people off. In
recovery, all we are looking for is help from a Power
greater than ourselves. We are certainly not trying to
promote religion of any kind. Do I accept that I need
help from a Power greater than myself?


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.
The poet seems to be saying we over-complicate our
lives in our search for meaning. Too much time is
spent trying to become well-informed and clever.
True wisdom is usually found in simplicity and
knowing when not to do things. The Twelve Step
fellowships tell us to ‘Keep it Simple’. When we
consciously try to do so, we can feel the benefit.
Today I will strive to keep things simple.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 21st by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Opiate addiction


The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born on this
day in 1772. Addicted to opium as a young man, he
never managed to free himself from its clutches. His
great works Kubla Khan and the Rime of the
Ancient Mariner, were written under the influence of
opiates but his creativity declined markedly soon
afterwards. He spent the last 18 years of his life
living quite isolated, in the house of his doctor in
London. His creativity had withered. Do I
remember that drugs are never a solution for my
inner conflict?

Non est vivere, sed valere vita est. Martial.
(Life is not just living, but living as if life
matters.)
The worst thing about taking drugs is that
they control you. Drug dependence stops us living
life to the best of our ability. Any idea that
drugs could help creatively, so that we become
a success in our career, is hopelessly
unrealistic. Instead, we simply exist. In
sobriety, creativity returns, along with a zest for
life. For that, I am grateful.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 20th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – open your mind


Unselfishness


Truly unselfish people are often overlooked, but
they expect no praise. Take that wonderful example
– Jane Eyre the eponymous heroine of Charlotte
Bronte’s great novel. Self-effacing but quietly
determined, she finds fulfilment in the end: I am no
bird; and no net ensnares me. I am a free human
being with an independent will. She proves the
saying that, if you are not afraid to show yourself as
you really are, then others will respond positively.
Her unselfish devotion to the damaged though
sincere Mr Rochester ends happily: Reader, I
married him! Do I believe that in giving, I will
receive?

We live in a world that is designed to provide us with
what we want, provided we pay for it. We often rush
to gratify our desires without a thought for the true
cost – the work of others, the damage to the
environment, the effect on our health. Delaying
gratification is difficult, partly because it involves
using imagination to visualise a future benefit. But
delaying gratification also means we are not giving
our selfish desires top priority and that is progress indeed. For that insight I am grateful,