Daily Recovery Readings
April 18, 2018

Daily Reflection

SELF-HONESTY

The deception of others is nearly always rooted in the deception of ourselves. . . . When we are honest with another person, it confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with God.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 17

When I was drinking, I deceived myself about reality, rewriting it to what I wanted it to be. Deceiving others is a character defect—even if it is just stretching the truth a bit or cleaning up my motives so others would think well of me. My Higher Power can remove this character defect, but first I have to help myself become willing to receive that help by not practicing deception. I need to remember each day that deceiving myself about myself is setting myself up for failure or disappointment in life and in Alcoholics Anonymous. A close, honest relationship with a Higher Power is the only solid foundation I’ve found for honesty with self and with others.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“Simple, but not easy, a price had to be paid. It meant destruction of self centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, pg. 14~

Keep It Simple

Patience is needed with everyone, but first of all with ourselves. —St. Francis de Sales

How do you treat yourself? Do you talk to yourself in a kind and loving voice? We can’t be kind and loving to others until we learn to be kind and loving with ourselves. To live this way, we must give ourselves the gift of patience.

Let’s practice patience with ourselves daily. Practice talking to yourself in a kind, loving voice.
Your voice will be that of a loving parent who helps a child with a new task. Your Higher Power
Is willing to be patient with you. Give yourself the same gift.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I pray that I’ll treat myself and others with the same loving patience You’ve shown me.

Action for the Day:
I will listen to how I talk to myself. I will practice talking to myself with a kind, loving, and patient voice.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You are strongly tempted to rebel against existing authority and to avoid your obligations at work. Your patience may be at an all-time low as you catch glimpses of a more exciting future just out of reach. Thankfully, setting new goals is easy because nothing needs to occur in the outer world now. Nevertheless, significant changes require more time than you think and more work than you ever imagined. Author Germaine de Staël wrote, “The greatest happiness is to transform one’s feelings into action.”

Daily Recovery Readings
April 17, 2018

Daily Reflection

LOVE AND FEAR AS OPPOSITES

All these failings generate fear, a soul-sickness in its own right.

~TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 49

“Fear knocked at the door; faith answered; no one was there.” I don’t know to whom this quote should be attributed, but it certainly indicates clearly that fear is an illusion. I create the illusion myself. I experienced fear early in my life and I mistakenly thought that the mere presence of it made me a coward. I didn’t know that one of the definitions of “courage” is “the willingness to do the right thing in spite of fear.” Courage, then, is not necessarily the absence of fear. During the times I didn’t have love in my life I most assuredly had fear. To fear God is to be afraid of joy. In looking back, I realize that, during the times I feared God most, there was no joy in my life. As I learned not to fear God, I also learned to experience joy.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make believe have eventually seen the childishness of it. This dreamworld has been replaced by a great sense of purpose, accompanied by a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives. We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth. That is where our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work must be done. These are the realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 130~

Keep It Simple

We create revolution by living it.—Jerry Rubin

There’s a lot wrong in the world—Child abuse, homeless and hungry people, pollution. Our old way of dealing with these troubles was to break the rules or to “drop out” by using chemicals.

Now we have a new way to change the world. We’re changing ourselves. One Day at a Time, we’re acting like the caring , responsible people we want to be. We use the ideas of the program in our lives.

We’re kinder. We’re more honest. We stand up for ourselves and for others who need our help. What if the whole world started working the Steps? What a wonderful world this would be!

Prayer for the Day:

Higher Power, please work through me today. Help me make the world a little better place.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list one thing that brothers me about the world today. How can using the ideas of the program help solve that problem? Remember, the program tells us to look at our own behavior.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your desire to negotiate a future based upon shared interests begins to wane today. Ironically, relationships that have reached an apparent impasse reveal new hope as everyone’s position begins to harden. A surprising turn of events brings an old argument closer to resolution than ever before. It’s not that anyone has experienced an epiphany or a sudden change of heart. It’s just that when the conversation goes deeper, you begin to see how your lives overlap and your needs intersect. Author Jim Wallis wrote, “We can find common ground only by moving to higher ground.”

Daily Recovery Readings
April 16, 2018

Daily Reflection

ANGER: A “DUBIOUS LUXURY”

If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 66

“Dubious luxury.” How often have I remembered those words. It’s not just anger that’s best left to nonalcoholics; I built a list including justifiable resentment, self-pity, judgmentalism, self-righteousness, false pride and false humility. I’m always surprised to read the actual quote. So well have the principles of the program been drummed into me that I keep thinking all of these defects are listed too. Thank God I can’t afford them—or I surely would indulge in them.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make believe have eventually seen the childishness of it. This dream world has been replaced by a great sense of purpose, accompanied by a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives. We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth. That is where our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work must be done. These are the realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy
usefulness.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 130~

Keep It Simple

No human creature can give order to love.   ~George Sand

If we are trying to get others to love us, all we’re really doing is trying to be in control. Trying to control others can be a powerful drug. Remember, we can’t control others. We can’t make others love us. Our Higher Power has control, not us.

So, what do we need to do? Turn things over to our Higher Power and just be ourselves.

Sure, it can scare us to just be ourselves. The truth is, not everyone will love us. But if we’re honest about who we are, others will respect us. We’ll like ourselves better. And we’ll have a better chance of loving others and being loved.

Prayer for the Day:
I pray to have my need for control lifted from me. I pray to be rid of self-will.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll list five ways my self-will—my need to control—has gotten me in trouble.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

The transformation in your attitude is dramatic as you step into the limelight today. Your actions may be confusing to others at first because you don’t fit into anyone’s preexisting box. Continue to push forward now, whether or not your talents receive the appreciation they deserve. Your unrelenting sense of duty will pay off as long as you don’t give up on your dreams. Author Robin Sharma wrote, “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.”

Daily Recovery Readings
April 15, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE BONDAGE OF RESENTMENTS

. . . harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 5

It has been said, “Anger is a luxury I cannot afford.” Does this suggest I ignore this human emotion? I believe not. Before I learned of the A.A. program, I was a slave to the behavior patterns of alcoholism. I was chained to negativity, with no hope of cutting loose. The Steps offered me an alternative. Step Four was the beginning of the end of my bondage. The process of “letting go” started with an inventory. I needed not be frightened, for the previous Steps assured me I was not
alone. My Higher Power led me to this door and gave me the gift of choice. Today I can choose to open the door to freedom and rejoice in the sunlight of the Steps, as they cleanse the spirit within me.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“…we aren’t a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132

Keep It Simple

That day is lost on which one has not laughed. —French proverb

For a long time, we didn’t really laugh. It’s surprising when we think about it: We hadn’t really laughed for so long . . . we almost forgot how good we could feel. It feels so good to laugh again!

Now our spirits come more alive each day. Now we feel what alcohol and other drugs stuffed deep inside us. Pain, fear and anger come up. But so do happiness and joy, thankfulness and a sense of humor. In early recovery, we work through the hard feelings. As we grow in the program, we have more and more room for happiness.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, wake me up to the joy and laughter that today holds for me. Don’t let me miss it!

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll spread some laughter. I will learn a joke and tell it to three people.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your private life may be more on display today than you prefer. You don’t mind sharing your inner world with someone on a one-to-one basis when your defenses are not on alert. But the expressive Aries New Moon highlights your 10th House of Public Status, dragging your feelings out into the open for all to see. Although you might be quite sensitive to the needs of others, you’re not happy about the potential for emotional exposure. Do what you must so you are not in a position of unnecessary vulnerability. Actor Vin Diesel said, “It’s insecurity that is always chasing you and standing in the way of your dreams.”

Daily Recovery Readings
April 14, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE “NUMBER ONE OFFENDER”

Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 64

As I look at myself practicing the Fourth Step, it is easy to gloss over the wrong that I have done, because I can easily see it as a question of “getting even” for a wrong done to me. If I continue to relive my old hurt, it is a resentment and resentment bars the sunlight from my soul. If I continue to relive hurts and hates, I will hurt and hate myself-. After years in the dark of resentments, I have found the sunlight. I must let go of resentments; I cannot afford them.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86

Keep It Simple

It is enough that I am of value to somebody today.—Hugh Prather

Even in recovery, we addicts often feel we are not enough. Maybe it’s leftover shame from our using days. But we are enough. We are of great value. We all need each other to stay sober.

Each of us needs other recovering people to help us remember the hell of addiction. We can forget how bad it was, but telling our stories makes us remember. When you feel you don’t want to stay sober for yourself, then stay sober for your brothers and sisters in the program. They need you.

You’re their recovery, as they’re yours. There may be days you don’t feel glad to be sober. But your friends in this fellowship are glad you’re sober. They thank-you for your sobriety

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, may Your will, not mine, be done.

Action For the Day:
I’ll stop and think of all the people I’m glad for. I’ll start telling them today.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Resistance to your ideas fades away as the same people who recently obstructed your progress now offer to help. You wish you could take some credit for modifying your current trajectory, but the truth is that the energy shifted on its own. You may be as shocked as you are pleased by your sudden change of fortune, but you’re eager to take advantage of the new dynamics before they reverse yet again. There’s no time to wait; the window of opportunity will close before you know it. A moment of hesitation now may cost you a lifetime of regrets.

Daily Recovery Readings
April 13, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE FALSE COMFORT OF SELF-PITY

Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 238

The false comfort of self-pity screens me from reality only momentarily and then demands, like a drug, that I take an ever bigger dose. If I succumb to this it could lead to a relapse into drinking. What can I do? One certain antidote is to turn my attention, however slightly at first, toward others who are genuinely less fortunate than I, preferably other alcoholics. In the same degree that I actively demonstrate my empathy with them, I will lessen my own exaggerated suffering.

From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldnt be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85

Keep It Simple

No labor, however humble, is dishonoring.—The Talmud

Work is good for the heart. Work is good for our minds. It can give us something to focus on besides ourselves. Labor doesn’t just mean having a job. It may mean planting a garden or helping a friend. It certainly means working our program. Hopefully, it’s a labor of love. We can get into trouble if we have to much time on our hands. We can turn it into mischief or self-pity. We can get bored. Being bored is a matter of choice. We’ll never be bored if we ask ourselves, “How can I make this world a better place?” We can turn our answers into action.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, teach me to use my time wisely. Help me be well-balanced between labor and fun. I need both.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list five ways that labor and fun can help me get closer to my Higher Power. And I’ll look for people and things to fill my time in positive ways.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Solidifying plans for the weekend can be tricky if you only focus on what could go wrong. You may be looking at the future through a nostalgic lens now, triggering insecurities from long ago. Although there’s something reassuring about clinging to memories, you must relinquish them if you want to be free to engage every possibility with optimism. Instead of replaying an old tape that reminds you of a previous failure, write a new script that is pregnant with dreams yet to be realized. An Arabic proverb claims, “What is coming is better than what is gone.”

Daily Recovery Readings
April 11, 2018

Daily Reflection

A WORD TO DROP: “BLAME”

To see how erratic emotions victimized us often took a long time. We could perceive them quickly in others, but only slowly in ourselves. First of all, we had to admit that we had many of these defects, even though such disclosures were painful and humiliating. Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word “blame” from our speech and thought.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 47

When I did my Fourth Step, following the Big Book guidelines, I noticed that my grudge list was filled with my prejudices and my blaming others for my not being able to succeed and to live up to my potential. I also discovered I felt different because I was black. As I continued to work on the Step, I learned that I always had drunk to rid myself of those feelings. It was only when I sobered up and worked on my inventory, that I could no longer blame anyone.

Big Book Quote

“We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. Commencing to drink after a period of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33~

Keep It Simple

Many of us as children, were taught to hide our pain, to act as if we had none. We look for ways to hide our pain. Alcohol and other drugs helped us do this. But the pain always returned. We were ashamed that we hurt. We thought we were the only one who hurt so badly. and, worst of all, we thought our pain meant we were bad people. Ours is a program of honesty. As we live life, there will be troubles, and there will be pain. But now we know that we don’t try to hide it. If we hide our wounds, they will not heal. We will listen to others pain and ask them to listen to ours. This will help us continue our journey in recovery.

Prayer for the Day:
God, help me be honest about my pain. Help me see pain not as a personal defect, but as a part of life.

Action for the Day:
I’ll share my pain with a friend, a family member, my group, or sponsor. I’ll ask them to do the same with me. I’ll think of pain as part of life.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

A lack of clear boundaries creates an awkward moment when someone’s actions seem out of place. A generous spirit is certainly an admirable trait, but your magnanimity can backfire if you lose your perspective. Giving too much is disingenuous, upsets the delicate balance of power and could quickly hijack your good intentions. Authenticity is your key to happiness. Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said, “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

Daily Recovery Readings
April 10, 2018

Daily Reflection

GROWING UP

The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 115

Sometimes when I’ve become willing to do what I should have been doing all along, I want praise and recognition. I don’t realize that the more I’m willing to act differently, the more exciting my life is. The more I am willing to help others, the more rewards I receive. That’s what practicing the principles means to me. Fun and benefits for me are in the willingness to do the actions, not to get immediate results. Being a little kinder, a little slower to anger, a little more loving makes my life better–day by day.

Big Book Quote

“It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~

Keep It Simple

You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent their making their nest in your head.-–Chinese proverb

Life is full of feelings. We can be happy, sad, mad, scared. These feelings can come and go quickly. Or we may hang on to them. As recovering addicts, we used to hang on to feelings that made us feel bad. We let them make”nest” in our hair. We used our feelings as excuse to drink or use other drugs. Now we’re learning to hang on to our good feelings. We can let go of anger, hurt, and fear. We can shoo away the birds of sadness and welcome the birds of happiness.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me become a “bird watcher.” Help me learn from my feelings. And help me let go of the bad one so I can be happy.

Action For the Day:
If I need to get rid of the sadness or anger that I’m hanging on to, I’ll get help from my sponsor, a counselor, or a clergy person.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You have thought long and hard about stepping from the sidelines onto center stage. Although you’re ready to assume authority, someone may catch you off guard when they try to steal your thunder today. At first, it appears there can be only one captain who is giving the orders, and you believe it should be you. However, sharing power might be a smarter strategy now. Rather than engaging the other person as an adversary, try approaching them as an ally. Casting director Jane Ripley said, “Sometimes the best way to get other people to give up their egos is for you to give up yours first.”