Tag Archives: Fellowship

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 15th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts


Serenity Prayer

Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero was a drunk,
known to his mocking soldiers as Biberius Caldius
Mero (bibulous drinker of unwatered wine). He never
changed. His near contemporary, the Stoic
philosopher Epictetus was meanwhile teaching
his students a lesson in acceptance: Make the best of
what is in our power and take the rest as it naturally
happens. Its message is similar to the serenity prayer,
written two thousand years later, by Reinhold
Niebuhr: God, grant me the serenity, to accept the
things I cannot change, courage to change the things
I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Emperors come and go, but addiction is always
with us. Am I ready to change the things I can?


The serenity prayer has great power to calm the
troubled mind. The simple words lead us to trust
that our Higher Power has things under control,
even if we do not. Learning to say the prayer
whenever we have to make a choice that worries us,
is a great habit to acquire. Today I ask that I may
make a habit of reciting the serenity prayer daily.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 13th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations
Sharing problems
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ. St Paul, Galatians.
Getting into recovery does not mean that we won’t
have challenges ahead. The message is that a
problem shared is a problem halved. Connection
and sharing are the answer to so many of life’s
problems. Letting go of the burdens of the past will
help us too. Am I ready to let go of the past and
share today’s problems, because that is the sensible
and human thing to do?
I used to think that I should be able to handle my
problems myself and that asking for help was a
sign of weakness. But self-reliance isolates us, and
society does not work well like that. Helping
others should be a pleasure and if we avoid help,
we may be denying others the chance of self-improvement
and the self-respect that comes from
giving. Today I will ask for help when I need it,
because realism is honesty and asking for help is
connecting.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 12th by Chris B

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On this day in 1935, Bill W first met Dr Bob


Fellowship


The first meeting of Stockbroker Bill Wilson and Dr
Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio gave little indication at
the time of what was to come. Bill was five months
sober and verging on relapse while Bob was still
drinking (he stopped altogether a few weeks later).
But their discovery that talking together could help
them become and stay sober was a turning point in
their lives. The real breakthrough however was in
demonstrating that alcoholism needed no longer to
be a solitary nightmare; soon millions of people
were reaching out to each other. The power of
connection is the power to recover – Higher Power.
Am I grateful to the founders of AA for
demonstrating the power of recovery through
connection?


Perhaps at first, we are sorry that we can no longer
drink or use, but soon we become glad. We just need
to make sure that cravings are managed, because
addiction will always try to return. How much more
difficult it would be, to struggle alone. We are
fortunate to have the means to overcome our illness.
Today I give thanks to the founders of AA and every
fellowship member, who ensure that I am not alone.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 9th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Personality change


The prefrontal cortex of the brain controls your
personality, values, impulses, short-term memory,
planning and decision-making faculties. Damage
from alcohol and drugs cause this part of the brain
to malfunction so that behaviour becomes erratic
and unpredictable. In other words, mood-altering
substances directly affect our brain’s ability to
regulate our actions and our emotions. No wonder
so many people get into problems. Do I understand
that drugs and alcohol change my whole
personality for the worse?


When my perceptions and ability to assess, plan and
act have been compromised by addiction, then part
of my recovery will be about redressing the balance.
Working Steps One to Five is a good way to start.
Meeting right-minded people will help, and
mindfulness and meditation will calm my
impulsiveness. It takes time, but then, I spent a lot
of time getting into this damaged state. Patience
and belief in my Higher Power will get me back in
balance. I ask God today for perseverance in my
recovery and faith in the Twelve Step programme.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 10th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually


Awareness


People often strive for success without really
knowing what it is. They measure success through
wealth or fame or social position, but these only give
short-term pleasure. Everyone is equally valuable in
life, and everyone is equal in death. ‘There are no
pockets in a shroud.’ We should celebrate our
uniqueness and understand that we are all part of a
joined-up universe where we both support and
depend on others. Can I celebrate my place in
creation?


The brilliance of the rose and the
whiteness of the lily do not lessen the
perfume of the violet or the sweet
simplicity of the daisy. I understood that
if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature
would no longer be enamelled
with lovely hues.
St Thérèse of Lisieux.
All flowers are exquisitely beautiful, just like
humans. Desire for success is only found in humans
and it causes pain and joy equally. Better to wish to
be a person of integrity. Today I ask God to grant
me integrity rather than success.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 7th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Kindness

Today was a difficult day, said Pooh.
There was a pause. Do you want to talk
about it? asked Piglet. No, said Pooh after
a bit. No, I don’t think I do. That’s alright,
said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his
friend. What are you doing? asked Pooh.
Nothing, really, said Piglet. Only, I know
what difficult days are like. I quite often
don’t feel like talking about it on my
difficult days either. But goodness,
continued Piglet, difficult days are so much
easier when you know you’ve got someone
there for you.
A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh.
Am I ready to show kindness, even unasked?


We know when we have given or received kindness
because of the warm feeling it brings. It lifts our
spirits and strengthens us in ways that we don’t
always appreciate. Everyone benefits from it. Today
I will seek to offer kindness in the sure knowledge
that I am helping myself by helping others.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 6th by Chris B

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On this day in 1946 the AA Twelve Traditions were published

Twelve Traditions

The Twelve Traditions were formulated by early
members of AA in response to the need to clarify
certain principles and attitudes, for the sake of the
integrity and long-term survival of the movement.
Broadly speaking, these cover issues of
administration, finance, aims and relations with
other groups and society at large. They have
fulfilled their purpose because since that time, the
basic tenets and beliefs of AA have remained
unchanged. We tend to take things for granted but
in truth, it’s a record that not many institutions
achieve. Am I grateful to the founders of AA?

An organisation that advises its members that
compromise is fatal for recovery must match its
actions to its words. So much of history tells of wellintentioned
people who gradually failed to measure
up to their original principles. It is part of my
responsibility as a grateful beneficiary of this
fellowship, to do my utmost to uphold the Twelve
Traditions so that future generations will enjoy the
fruits of this wonderful organisation. Today I give
thanks to the founding fathers of all the Twelve Step
fellowships.

Daily Reading of Recovery Days May 5th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts


Kindness

Kindness is a greatly under-rated quality. The often
quite random acts of kindness we may experience
in our lives are seldom forgotten. The barriers we
put up to showing kindness to others are often
unintentional: anxiety, fear, insecurity. These
are feelings most people experience regularly.
We sense our need to address them, and this turns
us inwards, leaving little time for considering
the needs of others. Yet, kindness soothes the
troubled soul of both giver and receiver. Can I
overcome my barriers to kindness?

There is a balm in Gilead,
To make the wounded whole.
There is a balm in Gilead,
To heal the sin-sick soul.
Sometimes I feel discouraged
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again. Spiritual Hymn.
Can I find that light of unselfish kindness I
sometimes see in others? Today I ask God for the
wisdom to make myself kinder and the courage to
make that happen.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 4th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Unconditional love

A small pet is often an excellent companion for the sick.
Florence Nightingale.
In our sickness and recovery from addiction, pets
provide a focus outside of ourselves. They give
unconditional love, are non-judgmental and honest
in showing their emotions. They are loyal and
forgiving. The power of example shines bright on
most pets, inspiring us to be better people. To feel
trusted and loved by a pet can be an important
moment in recovery. They say that the newly sober
should learn relationships by first tending a plant,
then a pet and then another human being. Will I
strive to be the person that my pet thinks I am?

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres. St Paul, Corinthians. Perhaps I
need to learn how to love. If so, I could do no better
than to reflect on these words of St Paul which are as
fresh as when they were written, nearly two
thousand years ago. Today I ask God to grow in
love, because nothing else matters.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days May 3rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Step Five

Step Four is known as the Step of courage and Step
Five, where we: Admitted to God, to ourselves and to
another human being the exact nature of our wrongs,
require courage too. Of course, all of the Steps
require courage so it’s a good thing that we’re
generally braver than we believe. The important
thing is to take that first small venture into the
unknown. Our Higher Power will not let us down.
Am I ready to trust in the help of my Higher Power?

He who has courage despises the future. The words of
the Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus
Aurelius tell us that he who makes the most of the
present has no need to fear the future. We may
procrastinate, we may even say that time itself will
change things but, in reality, the only way to make
change happen is for us to make that change
happen, a day at a time. When we do so, our life will
become like a book where each chapter is an
improvement on the one before. I ask for God’s help
to find the courage to admit my wrongs because
without doing so, I cannot grow in my recovery.