Tag Archives: Addiction treatment

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 20th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts


Personal discipline

Personal discipline is a way of training your brain in
new ways. Like the muscles in your arm, the more
you exercise self-discipline, the stronger you will
get. Setting SMART goals – Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant and Timeous will give you a
structure to work to. Don’t try to do it all at once,
just consider the day ahead and decide the
priorities. Then, start working towards the goals you
want to achieve in a steady and considered manner.
Check out the results at the end of the day and see
where you could have done better. Am I ready to
bring personal discipline into my daily life?


Anything that I achieve today is due to the help of
my Higher Power. I think back to my addicted days
when nothing made sense and all my actions
seemed to end in failure. Trying to do things my
way took me to some very dark places. Today I have
only gratitude for another chance in life. I thank
God for this chance of a second life where I am glad
to be guided into doing things the right way.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 17th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your heartbeat in your pulse

Grow recovery

There are some events where we are spectators and
some events where we are part of the team. The two
experiences are hugely different. Most addicted
people become isolated and disconnected, which
means they usually become spectators. This often
makes them feel more isolated. To become a team
player requires conscious effort, but the spectator
role is often a passive one. Like when watching TV,
the spectator role can be enjoyable, but it usually
lacks the sense of achievement, inspiration and
growth that comes from working together in a
group. Recovery should never be seen as a static or
passive state. Am I ready to grow my recovery?

How can I turn good intention into action? My
comfort zone of the victim role is steeped in
inactivity. What motivates me to change? Hope?
Courage? Envy? Anger? it doesn’t really matter. The
important thing is to make that first move into a new
way of doing things. Then I can feel progress
because I am switching from a passive role to
active.Today I thank God that I am part of the
recovery team.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 15th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – flex your muscles from feet to head

Consequences of behaviour


Our thoughts, feelings and actions are all
connected. They are also an influence on others.
When we live a life of honesty, unselfishness, and
positive action, it cannot fail to influence those we
meet during the day. An unexpected act of kindness
or respect can sometimes change a person’s outlook
and ultimately, their whole life. People never forget
the way you make them feel, even when you don’t
realise what you are doing. Am I aware of the effect
that my behaviour has on others?


If the universe shows direct evidence of design by a
Higher Power, then the existence of that Power
appears more certain. Scientists are increasingly
coming to this conclusion. When we feel that power
ourselves, for example, at an AA meeting, we
realise that we no longer have to rely on blind faith.
Like doubting Thomas in the Gospels, we have
seen and felt the power. It comes from the words
and example of others at the meetings – their
enthusiasm, honesty and willingness to help. Most
people feel better after a meeting. Today I ask God
to be aware of the effect of my behaviour on others.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 13th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe deeply

Openness


Addiction for most people seems to happen in three
phases: first you get to like it, in the same way you
like a cheeseburger. Then you feel the attraction as
a relationship, as between a beautiful girl or boy.
Lastly, you discover you really need it, like the air you
breathe. To recover from addiction, we must create a
precisely opposite scenario: first view it as a toxic air
that will kill you. Secondly, see your relationship as
damagingly co-dependent and to be immediately
severed. Thirdly, recognise that you have been liking
something much worse than a piece of junk food –
one that can kill you. Have I the ability to see the
reality of my addiction and the will to change?


In Islam, the Prophet Mohammed stated that
intoxicants such as alcohol, and gambling are but
defilement from the work of Satan and thus
forbidden. Even selling or making alcohol is
forbidden. There is much to be admired in his
writings on the subject: they show an
understanding of the effect of such behaviour on a
person’s morals and mental faculties as well as
physical damage to the body. I ask God to help me in
abstaining from addictive substances.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 12th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Determination

Determination is one of the magic ingredients that
we think we need but probably already have, to
make our recovery work. In active addiction, most
of us were very determined people who would not
allow anything to stop us from obtaining the substance
we so urgently needed. We must now turn this
determination into an asset to help us reach our
goal of happy sobriety. Am I ready to use my
determination to help my recovery?

The word determination means not stopping – not
quitting. For so many people, quitting or giving up is
the softer, easier way that can become a habit in
itself. It may not feel very good when you give up on
something because it seems too difficult to continue,
but not feeling good about ourselves is the price
that many of us have paid in the past, so as to keep
our addictive behaviour going. This is entirely self-defeating
and feeds into the whole downwards
spiral of debilitation and despair that alcohol and
drugs create. Today I ask God for the strength to be
steadfast and determined in all that I attempt to do.

Daily Reading of Recovery days February 9th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – smile several times

Twelve Step Programme

Part of the Twelve Step programme is about
carrying the message to those still suffering from
addiction, just as others carried the message to us at
an earlier time. Part of the strength of Twelve Step
fellowships lies in the ability of people to connect
with others, even those who have not yet got the
message. It’s not surprising that such empathy
should exist, and it is up to each of us to make sure
we put ourselves to good use in helping others,
which is our primary purpose. Am I doing all I can
to help my fellow sufferers?


I am no longer alone and for that I am grateful. Now
that sobriety has become for me the new normal, I
can work to build my life around my recovery in all
sorts of unexpected ways. I develop new interests,
visit new places and meet a variety of new people
without fear or suspicion on either side. Like often
attracts like, and our true selves, living lives of
principle and high standards, will attract similar
people. Today I give thanks to God that my fear of
people has been replaced by the pleasure of
connection.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 8th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes

Relationships


Relationships and connections lie at the heart of a
lot of our emotions. When we are angry, fearful,
happy, or grieving it is probably because of some
glitch in the relationship we have with others. It
may not be our fault (as when somebody dies, for
example but as always, the key lies in our response.
If we are to establish meaningful connections with
others, then we must work at maintaining them and
the Twelve Steps show us the way. Do I understand
that re-connecting with others is a vital part of my
recovery?

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to
seek and find all the barriers within yourself that
you have built against it.
Rumi.
What Rumi says about love is equally true for any
sort of relationship. We put up barriers sometimes
out of fear or ignorance. Our work on ourselves in
recovery tells us of the dangers of judging others.
We need to keep an open mind. Today I ask God
for the precious gift of friendship.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 5th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Re-connection


Addiction is many things but especially, it is an
attachment disorder. Humans are hardwired to need
love and connection to others but that seems to
happen less and less. The large family became the
small family and then quite often, the single parent
family. And physical interaction is being replaced by
online contact. The old saying: ‘It takes a village to
raise a child’ seems less meaningful these days.
Nobody really knows what impact gradual
disconnection has on emotional life, especially for
children. Addiction makes isolation worse. To
recover, we must reconnect. Am I ready to reconnect
to my fellow men and women?

Author Johann Hari concludes that the opposite of
addiction is not sobriety, but connection. He sees
addiction as a response to deep unhappiness
caused by disconnection between humans. I
can improve my wellbeing and sense of
belonging simply by working on existing
relationships and forming new ones. It is all part of
taking positive action. I ask God to grant me the
courage to improve my sense of connection and
offer the hand of friendship.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 4th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness –close your eyes

Courage to change

When we look at the attitudes of acceptance,
belonging and courage, we start to see the
foundations of a new way of living based on honesty
and simplicity. You don’t have to have studied
philosophy to follow this programme. You just need
to ask yourself on a daily basis: what can I do that is
best for my recovery today? Then, whatever you
decide, you do it – ask for help but reject any
attempts or thoughts to compromise or discourage
you from that purpose. Am I ready to do my best for
my recovery?


We are capable of so much more than we think
or dare to imagine.
It is not because things are difficult that we
do not dare; it is because we do not dare
that they are difficult. Seneca.
What would your life be like today if you had done
what you didn’t do yesterday? Today I ask God that I
may be strong enough to stand up for my beliefs,
whatever the cost.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days February 2nd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe deeply

Change

For many of us, the idea of change is one that we
instinctively resist. Why change? We ask. And then
perhaps, how? Actually, ‘How’ is part of the answer
because it’s an acronym: Honesty, Openness and
Willingness to change are the three elements of
successful change, in therapy terms. People usually
think that they are willing to change but in reality,
most do not really want to. That ‘not wanting to
change’ bit is the firecracker that can burn the
house down if we give it the tiniest spark of
encouragement. Am I aware of the danger of not
wanting to change?

Change and growth are not the same. The former is
a concept, t h e latter is the process whereby
positive change becomes reality. Both are needed.
First, we commit to change and then we do the work
needed, over time, always remembering that change
can be reversed if we weaken in our commitment.
Today I will work to strengthen my commitment to
change by following the principles of the Twelve
Steps in all my affairs.