Tag Archives: Recovery Journey

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 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 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,

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 19th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Slips


In Twelve Step circles, they say a slip happens
when ‘Sobriety Lost Its Priority’. A slip of any
kind is a relapse and must be taken seriously.
Looking at our thoughts and behaviour before
the slip happened can give us insights into what
needs putting right. Had we cut down on
meetings? Were we harbouring resentments? We
must not minimise what has happened. Going
to a meeting and telling our story may require
courage but we will find strength in doing so
and nobody will judge us. Addiction is a disease
that is characterised by relapse and the best
solution is to get back into the programme as
soon as possible. Do I fully understand how slips
can happen?


If I go to my home group and share about my
relapse, I may help others as well as myself. When a
person speaks about their relapse, I will feel
great empathy and a desire to help. Today I am
grateful to belong to a fellowship where mistakes
that are honestly shared are treated with compassion
and understanding.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 18th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your body from head to toes


But for the grace of God


Many of us can thank the Twelve Steps for lasting
and contented sobriety, but they are not the only
way. They are not always successful either.
Thinking of this, we feel grateful that we ourselves
have been able to hear and successfully apply the
message to our daily lives. Some of us consider this
a miracle, especially when we consider our past
behaviour and attitudes. Am I grateful for the
miracle of sobriety?

I should give thought to those still struggling with
addiction, with whom I feel great empathy. I must
never take my recovery for granted. I have failed
myself in the past and there have been many false
starts and disappointments. I must do all I can to
help those who are still struggling. Not only must I
be an example to others, but I must also reach out
in friendship whenever anyone asks for help. Today
I understand that gratitude is more meaningful
when it is linked to action.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 17th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts


Word power


Words can lead us into new ways of thinking.
Advertising copywriters say that, among the most
powerful words in the English language are: You,
Imagine, Now, Because, and Believe.

These are said
the be the words that influence us the most – we can
view them as follows:

  • You: focus for empathy
  • Imagine: the start of hope
  • Now: the call to action
  • Because: the gateway to understanding
  • Believe: achieve the impossible.

Perhaps what works for copywriters works for those
recovering from addiction. Try combining them in a
sentence such as: You are stronger than you
imagine and you can decide now to change your
life, because if you believe in yourself, you can do
anything. Feel the power of that! Sometimes,
looking at ourselves from a different perspective
gives us new insights. Am I keeping an open mind?
Every day in recovery is an opportunity to explore
new ideas of spirituality and creativity. I give thanks
for the power of words, correctly used.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 16th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations


Easy does it


Few people foresee happiness in the act of
surrender, yet that is what will happen for us, if we
take that first step. Yet we should not try too hard.
‘Easy does it’ as they say in AA. Trying too hard, like
perfectionism can be self-defeating. Indeed, they
can be a sign that our acceptance is perhaps not as
wholehearted as we imagine. Far better to progress
at a steady pace and hand the process over to our
Higher Power. Am I aware of the dangers of trying
too hard?


Instead of driving ourselves to extremes of
thoroughness while doing the Steps, we could try
looking outside ourselves and helping others. There
are so many ways of doing this – service in
fellowships, taking the message to those struggling
with addiction, pulling one’s weight in the family, or
extending the hand of friendship to complete
strangers who may be in difficulties. All these
actions benefit both giver and receiver, but they also
can serve as profound examples to others of positive
affirmative action. I ask that today I will do my best
and that every choice I make will be the right one.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 15th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – Listen to the silence

Unity


Unity is the bedrock of personal recovery. The
founders of Alcoholics Anonymous appreciated this
quite early on. If we cannot recover together in
unity, then our whole fellowship – its structure and
its members – will melt away, leaving us without
support of any kind. We may become too weak to
survive on our own. Your fellowship needs you! I
have a responsibility to support the organisation
that has given me so much. The idea that: I can’t
but we can is not unique to Twelve Step Fellowships
but is nevertheless true. Am I aware of the
importance of unity?


A Twelve Step fellowship is democracy in action
(though it has been described as ‘high-functioning
anarchy’). We act together, not as individuals. That
means there is no leader, no one person in charge
who makes rules or decisions on our behalf. Nobody
has the right to ban us or stifle dissent and everyone
may have their own views. Hierarchies and rules
lead to punishments, resentments and disunity.
Responsibility, unselfishness and love bind us
together. For that, I give thanks.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days October 13th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Step Ten


Am I regularly checking that I am heading in the
right direction? This Step highlights the fact that
recovery is for life and the Twelve Steps are not just
to be ‘done’ and then forgotten. The fact is that
addiction is never finished with us and therefore we
must never relax and call ourselves cured. Regular
maintenance and vigilance are required. We now
have purpose and structure back in our lives to help
us so that it becomes a habit.. Am I keeping my
recovery strong through regular maintenance?

I must keep a watch for the old enemies: dishonesty,
selfishness, resentments, and laziness. The best way
of making sure they don’t come back is to keep
following the programme because if I interact with
the right people, any emerging character defect will
be highlighted in contrast to those following the
programme correctly. I must immerse myself in the
three legacies – Recovery, Unity and Service. I am grateful to be part of a Twelve Step fellowship.