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Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 10th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually


Dangerous relapse situations

Talk of having a ‘slip’ can minimise its seriousness.
We can all get thoughts about drinking. Our
addiction keeps trying to stage a comeback. The
crucial moment is when the thought first appears.
We must be quick to root it out and not entertain
it because once we start dreaming about drinking
or using, we are unconsciously grooming ourselves
to embrace the notion. A cool glass of beer on a hot
day can be a delightful thought as we struggle down
a crowded city street but where would it lead us?

It is vital that we banish such thoughts immediately and
have a prearranged plan for doing so – a person to call
or a task to change our mindset. Do I have a plan to
deal with ideas of drinking and using?
As soon as I start to think that I am in control of my
life, that even subconsciously, I have no real need
for my Higher Power, then I am in danger. I must
carry out a reality check – back to basics: I am
addicted, probably no human power could have
relieved my addiction, but my Higher Power has
helped me do so, when asked. How can I think, when
I look at the past, that I can succeed on my own?

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 9th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably


The child within

Childhood can be tough. Traumatic events leave
emotional scars as well as physical ones. The absence
of love causes lasting psychological pain. A damaged
child learns to be wary of attachments because:

  • Love is conditional (manipulation)
  • Love makes you weak and vulnerable
  • Love must be searched for and can be lost
  • Love hurts but emotions need to be hidden.
    Many of us have had bad childhood experiences
    that still affect us. The way they have influenced
    our attitudes to life may be small – or large: Don’t
    do that, you’re not clever enough to try or don’t say
    what you really think – it’ll get you into
    trouble. Addiction is often rooted in attachment
    problems. Do I recognise the suffering of
    my inner child and see there is more work to do?

  • Past suffering remains a measure of who we are, a
    characteristic of our inner child. To comfort this
    child, we must understand suffering, because some
    good may come of it in the end. This can seem
    contradictory but is often a theme of religious
    teaching. Today, I will treat others with kindness.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 8th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Openness to new ideas

Opium is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, in
Vergil’s Aeneid, by Chaucer and by Shakespeare.
Many poets and other artists have been addicted.
The Club des Hashischins in nineteenth century
Paris embraced almost every literary figure of the
time: Victor Hugo, Zola, Dumas, Baudelaire and
Gautier were all members. Drugs and creativity
seem to go hand in hand. They must have been in
the mind of the great philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche when he wrote: We all need some chaos in
our lives, to give birth to a dancing star. It was only
relatively recently however, that people began
using creativity in recovery from addiction.
Painting and poetry can help self-discovery,
expressing feelings and confidence. They can be a
new interest too. Am I open to ideas of creativity?

An interest in art, philosophy or literature feeds into
our imagination and helps find answers that we
could not obtain from the scientific or pragmatic
world. It also helps us to keep an open mind.
Discovering new topics of interest is part of the joy
and excitement of recovery, for which I am grateful.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 7th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly

Positivity

Positivity means looking for the good in people,
expecting good outcomes and being generally
optimistic.. Addiction makes us very negative but
there are ways of becoming positive. Practising
gratitude is recommended because conscious
actions like making a gratitude list, force us out of
our negativity. Another good way of finding
positivity is through mindfulness: and meditations
on such subjects as: He who enjoys doing, is happy.
In Twelve Step recovery, I get the feeling that my life is
improving, with God’s help.

As I grow in the
programme, I am less and less drawn back to my old
addictive behaviour because my new life is so
enjoyable. The thought of spoiling what I now have
seems absurd. Character defects keep trying to
come back into my life – envy, judging others,
complacency. I must remain vigilant, but my
positivity motivates me to want to keep what I have.
Today I am thankful for all the benefits of sobriety
and for the positivity that it brings.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 6th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes

Power of example


Everything we say and write comes in one of four forms:
statement, question, exclamation or command. The
Twelve Steps are written in the form of a statement:
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a
programme of recovery. Before the AA Big Book was
published, in 1939, the authors were advised to make
the tone of the work less directive: a lot of ‘musts’ were
replaced by ‘should’ or ‘we suggest’. Remarkably, the
approach worked. Perhaps alcoholics are people who
don’t like being told what to do. If you compare the
Twelve Steps of AA to the Ten Commandments in the
Christian Bible, you will see a marked difference in
tone.


Reading the AA Big Book widens our knowledge of
Alcoholics Anonymous and of addiction itself.
There is something very moving about reading the
lives and experiences of people just like us who
struggled with addiction nearly a hundred years
ago. Their problem was mine and all of their stories
are truly inspirational. I am proud and grateful to
follow in their footsteps. I will try to be open to the
possibilities of change so that with humility and
love I too can be an example to others.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 5th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Help to change

Honesty, openness and willingness to change are
three essentials of successful recovery. Openness is
important because it allows us to accept new ideas.
These can take many forms but one of the most
surprising for some people is the idea of a Higher
Power. Yet, anyone looking back at our past and the
change that has happened since, might conclude
that they see something pretty miraculous. How do
people who have been written off as hopelessly
addicted manage to turn their lives around? Since
we were unable to help ourselves at that time, some
other powerful force must have appeared.


A miracle is an extraordinary event that is not
explicable by natural or scientific laws. Life itself is
one – nobody has been able to explain scientifically
how it first happened. I am not being asked to believe
in a specific source of power in the universe. I am
simply asked to open my mind to the idea that
there is a power of some kind that is greater than
me and which helps me if asked. I can feel that
power in the experience, strength and support of
other people. May it always be there for us all, so
that what I see darkly, I will see face to face one day.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 4th by Chris B

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Enjoy the simple things in life


Happiness and good self-esteem are legitimate
goals in life and recovery gives us a second chance.
In that sense, we are truly fortunate. Life may be
difficult, but recovery should most certainly be
enjoyable, otherwise – what is the point? Our goal
should be to become ‘Better than Well’. If we keep
things simple and just try to do the right thing, we
will reach our goal in the end. Poet William Blake
wrote about the simple things of creation and the
need to know right from wrong:
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.


There is a choice in life between the material and
the spiritual – between wealth, pride and status on
the one hand and honesty, love and service on the
other. Which will be the dominant principle in my
life? It is difficult to try to achieve both. Wealth and
status are not necessarily evil, but I need to choose
whatever brings peace of mind and happiness.

Daily Reading From Recovery Days July 3rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Step Seven


Step Seven is about humility and also about
reinforcing our commitment to change. I have
committed to moving forward in life without these old
behaviours is the basic message behind this
important Step. If you can realistically appreciate
your place in the world and your unique
personality, then you are accepting life on life’s
terms. You have no cause to be vain or arrogant but
equally no cause to be ashamed. Can I take my place
in the world without false pride or humility?


Step Seven is effectively saying that we are ready for new
business and new ideas. We have asked for help in
removing our shortcomings and now we need to fill
the void left by that clean-out. In other words,
opportunity beckons. Some of us may want to do
service, some renew marriage vows, some perhaps will
discover new strengths t h a t they were unaware
existed. It is a time for excitement and creativity. Today
I ask God that I may make the best use possible of the
talents that I have and the opportunities that appear.

Daily Reading From Recovery Days July 2nd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly


Working the Steps

We live in two worlds – the finite and describable
world of objects and people that we can see, touch
and hear, and the world of ideas that is basically
indescribable; we use the first to describe the
second. So, if we say something like: I am the master
of my fate, I am the captain of my soul, we are using
finite images – ‘master’ and ‘captain’ to describe an
attitude – that of taking personal responsibility for
our lives. The Twelve Steps are another example. We
are using the finite image of a flight of steps to
describe a programme of recovery because ‘steps’
illustrate progress. On this day in 2000 the 20
millionth copy of Alcoholics Anonymous was
presented to Al-Anon. Am I ready to progress
through the Steps?

If we keep ourselves mentally and emotionally in
good shape, we are more likely to have peace of
mind. If we do our best to live according to proper
moral and spiritual principles by putting value on
honesty, humility, unselfishness, and love then we
are likely to find contentment. The Twelve Steps are
a good guide to our spiritual and moral wellbeing.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 30th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax

Better than well

This month we have explored humility, not
wanting, listening and keeping it simple. We have
looked at how mindfulness can help us bring
balance and calm into our days. The process of
spiritual growth is gradually happening within us.
You could say the same thing about learning to
enjoy life. Perhaps the two are linked. We will not
achieve this ‘better than well’ state without ensuring
that our attitudes, aims and choices are right. Do I
understand that the goal of ‘better than well’ is not
a passive state but something to be worked for?

Every day that I try my best to follow the programme of
recovery, I am learning new habits. Perhaps I can
already feel the difference. Each time that I help
another person, be true to my word and assert
myself appropriately, I increase my self-respect. If I
can tell myself each night that I did my best, then I
will feel peace of mind and will thank my Higher
Power for guiding me. I ask God today to continue
guiding me along the route of spiritual progress