Tag Archives: Recovery Journey

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 26 by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes

Action and contemplation

What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action. Meister Eckhart. The fourteenth-century mystic is saying here what others have said since: that both contemplation and action are needed. It is not a case of either one or the other, but both together. As Pope Gregory the Great wrote, hundreds of years before Eckhart, activity and thought are like two eyes that work together to produce eyesight. The debate on whether to be or to do, continues today – whether to be Mary or Martha. Do I understand the benefits of both action and contemplation?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself. St Luke. In loving God, I engage in contemplation and in loving my neighbour, I engage in positive action. Both are a form of connection, fundamental when dealing with the disease of addiction, which is basically, an attachment disorder. I ask for the wisdom to take positive action, when I need

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 24th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Managing cravings

The psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was an expert on the process of dying and much respected for her ‘death with dignity’ approach. She formulated the Five Stages of Grief that people facing death or bereavement experience: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. When addicted people quit their habit, they often go through a bereavement process similar to this, where these five stages may be identified. Such a process is likely to be emotional and arduous. Some people never lose the desire for their substance or behaviour of choice. Bill W, co-founder of AA, had cravings for alcohol until the end of his life. That is neither reprehensible nor surprising. Do I recognise the power of addiction and not judge others?

Recovery from addiction is management of an ongoing illness. Recovery is not a cure. My addiction, although in remission, may send craving messages to my brain for years. There is nothing surprising in this. I just deny such requests in a forceful manner and move on. The voice in my head grows weaker but it may never go entirely. I ask God to always help me deny cravings.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 23rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably

Compassion, not judgement

If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell? No, said the missionary, not if you did not know. Then why, asked the tribesman earnestly, did you tell me? T his familiar story illustrates the idea that ‘ignorance is bliss.’. People in denial from addiction sometimes react like this when they find themselves in rehab. They realise they have lost their innocent attitude towards addiction and will henceforward always feel guilty. Basically, they are not yet ready to quit. Everyone deals with their problems in their own way and in their own time. We should not judge people for not acting in the way we would like. Am I able not to judge others but instead, to show compassion?

Shame and guilt play a big part in my personality. But in recovery, they will hold me back. Of course, I feel ashamed of my past, and even my belief that I am a good but sick person who has done regrettable things, does not lift the burden. However, Steps Eight and Nine provide a way of dealing with this. I must act to complete these steps thoroughly and over time, as I work through my list of amends, I will feel the burden become lighter. Today I ask for insight into my past behaviour.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 22nd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly

No compromises

Contrary to popular belief, crocodiles do not make good pets. Internet. You do not compromise with a crocodile, and you do not welcome it, or any potential killer, into your home. The same is true of addiction. Looking at the attractive label on a bottle of fine wine, it is hard to accept its lethal side. Yet alcoholrelated deaths run into thousands each year. Recovery from any addiction is not a process of negotiation, there are no grey areas, no wiggle room, the only approach is zero tolerance. Otherwise, we might as well follow the lead of numerous people, some quite well known, which is essentially: Find what you love and let it kill you. Do I understand that there is no compromise with addiction of any kind?

T he world seems to expect compromises in almost every area including truth, kindness, gratitude and actions. But I can be different. As I grow in experience and maturity, I understand that I do not have to go along with the crowd. Instead, I have learned to follow my conscience. When I have difficult choices to make, I will ask my Higher Power for help. Integrity is about doing what you believe is right: If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming you. Kipling. I ask God for the strength not to compromise on matters concerning my addiction.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 21st by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes

Maintenance

Maintenance can be done at any time, but it must happen. Sometimes if you’re really busy you might forget to check your car – tyres, oil, lights and so forth. If you let things slide too much, the car becomes a problem. Eventually it may become downright dangerous. The analogy with addiction recovery is obvious. Maintenance can seem a bit of a chore sometimes, but it helps to view it positively. It is time spent helping us to continue enjoying the wellbeing and contentment that we already have, not a struggle to save us from relapsing. Taking a few moments to ensure we are spreading the message, doing service, making amends and taking personal inventory are all that is required, so we are in the best possible shape to continue our journey. Am I making time for regular maintenance checks?

Maintenance is not something exclusive to recovery and to motor cars. Other things requiring maintenance include physical health, friendships and beliefs. Little and often is the key to smooth running because you never know what challenges there may be around the corner. The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. John F Kennedy. I know that my recovery plan must include the commitment to keep it in good repair.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 20th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Balance

Balance in life is everything. The all-or-nothing attitude that we had while our addiction was on the rampage does not serve us well in recovery. If possible, we should seek to grow in all the main areas of our lives and the techniques we can use include meditation and prayer, education and experience, and sharing and discussion. We do not have to be perfectly balanced in our approach but there is a danger if we focus too much on just one aspect – say meditation – and ignore the others. Honesty, openness and willingness to change can be useful reference points in checking our recovery actions. Sometimes it helps to see someone who you think is handling their recovery in a purposeful and balanced way and use them as a role model. Am I growing my recovery in a balanced way?

If I feel overwhelmed in any aspect of my life – work, home or relationships, then perhaps I have not been giving enough attention to self-care. Looking at to-do lists, and anxiety levels honestly will tell me if this is the case. The solution may be as simple as learning to say ‘no’ or to do with my expectations and the pressure I put on myself to succeed. I need to get real. Recovery is about peace of mind and enjoying life, not about putting myself in difficult situations. I ask for insight to look at myself honestly and make changes, to give my life balance.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 17th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment

Humility

Step Seven is about working with our Higher Power to remove all our shortcomings. That won’t happen simply because we want it to. Our Higher Power will help us, but we need to take action. This means that from now on, every choice that we make has to be based on our new principles, attitudes and expectations. We need humility, honesty and determination to make this happen. We are entering new territory and every move we make should f irst be considered, as if we were in a minefield. Step Seven is one of the real work Steps where we put into action the ideas we have learnt so far. For example, if people-pleasing is one of our defects of character, now is the time to choose to say no when someone tries to manipulate you. Am I ready to make the right choices?

I have committed to moving forward in life without these old behaviours. There will be moments when I will find it hard to make choices that are good for my long-term growth. The surrender and humility that I have been practising since I started work on the Steps are not marks of weakness but are there to give me a realistic sense of myself which will enable me to interact normally with other human beings. I no longer need to put on a show of strength or try to tell people what they want to hear. I can choose simply to be myself.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 15th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Alcoholics Anonymous, the Big Book

Today in 1938 the name Alcoholics Anonymous was approved. AA co-founder Bill W and colleagues had begun writing what would become the Big Book in 1938, but no title had yet been agreed. From a shortlist of two, the other possible title: ‘The Way Out’ ran into copyright difficulties, so ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ was chosen. It was published in 1939. The history of the Big Book and how it was produced makes fascinating reading. Named one of the most influential books of all time, it has sold over thirty million copies. Do I appreciate the work of the early members of AA in producing such a seminal work?

AA is a goldmine of experience, support and example which we can benefit from every day of our lives, but the gold we extract must be given away. There is so much paradox in my life already; ‘No Pain without Gain’, ‘Surrender to Win’, even the mysterious ‘Fake it to Make it.’ Giving away what I have been given makes perfect sense because I am the beneficiary from the giving of others. In my gratitude and humility is my strength and my desire to carry the message on to others less fortunate. I am thankful for the Twelve Step fellowships and the work that they do.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 14th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Managing my internal revolution

The storming of the Bastille in Paris on this day in 1789 marked the start of a decade of bloody revolution which morphed into the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte – perhaps France’s finest moments of glory. It’s tempting to use that event as a metaphor for all kinds of situations where great gain comes out of great pain. Addicted people make their own drama and each of us needs a revolution to depose our internal ‘ancien regime’ of sloth, dishonesty and hypocrisy. A Phoenix emerging from the ashes of the tomb. Andre Chenier on the French Revolution. No need to say more. Am I prepared to embrace my recovery in the spirit of sobriety, liberty and fraternity?

I must accept the world as it is. Life is difficult and I must take care not to make it any worse. People only behave violently, as they did in the French Revolution, when they have nothing to lose. But I on the other hand must behave well, because I have everything to lose – my new life in sobriety with all that it has given me: new interests and peace of mind, new friends and old friends rediscovered, and most of all, my Higher Power. Today I give thanks to God for taking me through moments of great upheaval and pain into a state of peace of mind.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 12th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes

Positive, affirmative action

Three frogs sat on a log in a pond. One decided to jump into the water. How many frogs were left on the log? Three, because none actually jumped. There is no point in deciding to take action unless you act. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Half-truths are a way of avoiding action. Saying you will ‘try’ is no good. Trying is lying, as they say in the fellowships. There is no substitute. We should do what we say we will do. That way, we gain selfesteem and respect. Will I be a positive person who always does what I say I will do?

I must strive to be the kind of person that does not act just to seek the approval of others. If I feel that what I do is morally right, then it should not matter if I am approved or ridiculed, because I have peace of mind. If I ask my Higher Power to guide me in all, and not worry about the views of the world but simply do what is right, I will have the courage of my convictions. I ask that in doing so, I will become an example to others and thus be giving of myself.