Daily Recovery Readings for October 12, 2017:

Daily Reflection

CURBING RASHNESS

When we speak or act hastily or rashly, the ability to be fair-minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 91

Being fair-minded and tolerant is a goal toward which I must work daily. I ask God, as I understand Him, to help me to be loving and tolerant to my loved ones, and to those with whom I am in close contact. I ask for guidance to curb my speech when I am agitated, and I take a moment to reflect on the emotional upheaval my words may cause, not only to someone else, but also to myself. Prayer, meditation and inventories are the key to sound thinking and positive action for me.

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

Big Book Quote

On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.

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

Keep It Simple

Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not words.—Alfred Adler

Being sober is an event. Being sober also means movement. We go to meetings. We find and meet with a sponsor. We talk with friends. If we don’t act in these ways were not sober.

Our actions also tell us if we’re leading a spiritual life. What do you do when you see someone in need?

Spirituality means helping. It’s not just kind words.

In Step Four and Ten, we check out our action, not our words. Our actions will tell us if we’re on the recovery path.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me to not hide in words. I pray for the strength to take the right action. Help me walk a sober path.

Action for the Day:
Today as I work Step Ten, I’ll focus only on my actions How have I acted sober today?

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Making progress at work is an uphill battle when you must frequently interrupt your regular tasks to solve a problem. Thankfully, solutions arrive effortlessly today, but not until you go through the motions of deconstructing the dilemma and constructing a better plan. Your only adversary is your own self-doubt; giving yourself a quick pep talk motivates you to dismiss any negative thinking. Anthropologist Carlos Castaneda wrote, “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”

Daily Recovery Readings for October 11, 2017:

Daily Reflection

SELF-RESTRAINT

Our first objective will be the development of self-restraint.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 91

My drive to work provides me with an opportunity for self-examination. One day while making this trip, I began to review my progress in sobriety and was not happy with what I saw. I hoped that, as the workday progressed, I would forget these troublesome thoughts, but as one disappointment after another kept coming, my discontent only increased, and the pressures within me kept mounting.

I retreated to an isolated table in the lounge and asked myself how I could make the most of the rest of the day. In the past, when things went wrong, I instinctively wanted to fight back. But during the short time, I had been trying to live the A.A. program I had learned to step back and take a look at myself. I recognized that, although I was not the person I wanted to be, I had learned to not react in my old ways. Those old patterns of behavior only brought sorrow and hurt, to me and to others. I returned to my workstation, determined to make the day a productive one, thanking God for the chance to make progress that day.

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

Big Book Quote

We have three little mottoes which are apropos.
Here they are:

First Things First
Live and Let Live
Easy Does It.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 135~

Keep It Simple

May you live all the days of your life. ––Jonathan Swift

The truth is, life is hard. Accepting this fact will make it easier. Remember how well it worked in Step One? Once we admitted and that we were powerless over alcohol and other drugs, we were given the power to recover. It works the same with life’s problems.

We can spend a lot of energy trying to avoid life’s hardships. But our program teaches us to use the same energy to solve our problems. Problems are chances to better ourselves and become more spiritual. We have a choice: we can either use our energy to avoid problems, or we can face them. When we stop wasting energy, we start to feel more sure of ourselves.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, life is to be lived, both the easy and the hard parts. Help me face and learn from it all.

Action for the Day:
I’ll work at not complaining about how hard life is. I’ll take the same energy and us it to solve problems I may face.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You want to be judged in a positive manner by your coworkers today. Unfortunately, they might be stressing you out with too many demands, making it difficult to do your job successfully. Although there is a lot on your plate, you may also be overly sensitive now that the moody Moon is back in your sign. Don’t get sidetracked by self-judgment since it sets up a negative dynamic between you and everyone else. Establish realistic goals for the day and progress steadily toward them without worrying about what others think. Let your work speak for itself.

Daily Recovery Readings for October 10, 2017:

Daily Reflection

FIXING ME, NOT YOU

If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 90

What a freedom I felt when this passage was pointed out to me! Suddenly I saw that I could do something about my anger, I could fix me, instead of trying to fix them. I believe that there are no exceptions to the axiom. When I am angry, my anger is always self-centered. I must keep reminding myself that I am human, that I am doing the best I can, even when that best is sometimes poor. So I ask God to remove my anger and truly set me free.

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

Big Book Quote

For most normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship, and colorful imagination.

It means release from care, boredom, and worry. It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good. But not so with us in those last days of heavy drinking. The old pleasures were gone. They were but memories. Never could we recapture the great moments of the past. There was an insistent yearning to enjoy life as we once did and a heartbreaking obsession that some new miracle of control would enable us to do it. There was always one more attempt— and one more failure.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 151~

Keep It Simple

The foolish and the dead never change their opinions.—James Russell Lowell

We need to stay fresh in our program. We need to be open to new ideas. We need change. The ways we work the Steps should change for us as the years go by. And as we grow, more of the fog of our denial clears away. Then we see the world and our program in different ways.

We need to allow this to happen. At times, it’s scary to give up old ways and old opinions, but this is what allows new growth. Every day, we wake up to a new world. Being alive means change. Opinions and ideas are like a strong tree: the base is strong but leaves change with the seasons.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me stay fresh and alive. Help me stay open to new ideas and attitudes. Help me to not become rigid.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll ask two friends to tell me how I may be rigid. I will listen to what they say.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Explaining your feelings sounds like more trouble than it’s worth today. You’re content to pass your time hiding out under the covers, but unfortunately, the world might not let you escape so easily. You must push through your own resistance and step into the spotlight now. Luckily, auspicious Jupiter’s shift into your 5th House of Fun and Games means your party is ready to start. Unfortunately, managing your emotions is mandatory before you go out to play.

Daily Recovery Readings for October 9, 2017:

Daily Reflection

A SPIRITUAL AXIOM

It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 90

I never truly understood the Tenth Step’s spiritual axiom until I had the following experience. I was sitting in my bedroom, reading into the wee hours when suddenly I heard my dogs barking in the backyard. My neighbors frown on this kind of disturbance so, with mixed feelings of anger and shame, as well as fear of my neighbors’ disapproval, I immediately called in my dogs. Several weeks later the exact situation repeated itself but this time, because I was feeling more at peace with myself, I was able to accept the situation—dogs will bark—and I calmly called in the dogs. Both incidents taught me that when a person experiences nearly identical events and reacts two different ways, then it is not the event which is of prime importance, but the person’s spiritual condition. Feelings come from inside, not from outward circumstances. When my spiritual condition is positive, I react positively.

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

Big Book Quote

“We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself, Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~

Keep It Simple

A man should never be ashamed to own he was in the wrong.—Jonathan Swift

In the past, we felt a mistake was a crisis. We thought we had a to be perfect.

Our old ways were to try to hide our mistakes. We were ashamed. We thought to make mistakes meant we were bad.

Mistakes are normal. We can learn from our mistakes. They can teach us. They can guide us. The Tenth Step directs us to promptly admit when we’re wrong. Then, over time, we start to see mistakes as normal life events. As we face and correct our mistakes, shame is washed away. We feel lighter.

We know it is normal to make mistakes.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me see that mistakes are normal life events. Help me promptly admit when I’m wrong.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll talk to my sponsor about mistakes I’ve made the past week. I’ll not act ashamed of my mistakes.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You’re hoping a diplomatic approach to an adversary will prevent an unpleasant confrontation. However, leaving your thoughts unexpressed only gives others the justification to go ahead with their plans, even if their behavior is destructive today. Fortunately, you can see the current emotional landscape clearly enough to navigate a route through the uncertain territory. Share your vision, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s the only worthwhile one. Author Rick Yancey wrote, “Without trust, there’s no cooperation. And without cooperation, there’s no progress. History stops.”

Daily Recovery Readings for October 8, 2017:

Daily Reflection

DAILY INVENTORY

. . . and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59

I was beginning to approach my new life of sobriety with unaccustomed enthusiasm. New friends were cropping up and some of my battered friendships had begun to be repaired. Life was exciting, and I even began to enjoy my work, becoming so bold as to issue a report on the lack of proper care for some of our clients. One day a co-worker informed me that my boss was really sore because a complaint, submitted over his head, had caused him much discomfort at the hands of his superiors. I knew that my report had created the problem, and began to feel responsible for my boss’s difficulty. In discussing the affair, my co-worker tried to reassure me that an apology was not necessary, but I soon became convinced that I had to do something, regardless of how it might turn out. When I approached my boss and owned up to my hand in his difficulties, he was surprised. But unexpected things came out of our encounter, and my boss and I were able to agree to interact more directly and effectively in the future.

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

Big Book Quote

Alcoholics who have derided religious people will be helped by such contacts. Being possessed of a spiritual experience, the alcoholic will find he has much in common with these people, though he may differ with them on many matters. If he does not argue about religion, he will make new friends and is sure to find new avenues of
usefulness and pleasure. He and his family can be a bright spot in such congregations. He may bring new hope and new courage to many a priest, minister, or rabbi, who gives his all to minister to our troubled world. We intend the foregoing as a helpful suggestion only. So far as we are concerned, there is nothing obligatory about it. As non-denominational people, we cannot make up others’ minds for them. Each individual should consult his own conscience.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 131~

Keep It Simple

Just Say No.— Nancy Reagan

We addicts were great at saying no. Our spouse asked us to help around the house and we said no and went drinking. Friends tried to care, but we said, “No, mind your own business!” Our parents or our kids begged us to stop drinking, but we said no. We were also ask to say yes. We always said yes when asked if we wanted to have a drink or get high. Addiction really mixed us up. When we said no, we should have said yes. And when we said yes we should have said no.

In recovery, we do things better. We say yes when others ask for help. We say yes when somebody wants to give us love. We say no to alcohol and other drugs. We finally answer yes and no the right way—the right way and at the right time for us.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me to always say yes to You, even when I’m tired or angry.

Action for the Day:
In today’s inventory, I’ll ask myself if there are any ways I’m still saying no to my program and Higher Power.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your desires are pretty simple today. You’re not expecting the Moon and the Stars, only the loyalty of a close friend. Nevertheless, you’re concerned that you still may be asking for too much while needy Venus in your 3rd House of Communication squares naysaying Saturn. But don’t assume the worst; your positive attitude improves the interpersonal dynamics, paving a road to emotional fulfillment. Professor Scott Sorrell said, “You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person.”

Daily Recovery Readings for October 7, 2017:

Daily Reflection

DAILY MONITORING

Continued to take personal inventory. . . .

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 88

The spiritual axiom referred to in the Tenth Step—”every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us”—also tells me that there are no exceptions to it. No matter how unreasonable others may seem, I am responsible for not reacting negatively. Regardless of what is happening around me I will always have the prerogative, and the responsibility, of choosing what happens within me. I am the creator of my own reality.

When I take my daily inventory, I know that I must stop judging others. If I judge others, I am probably judging myself. Whoever is upsetting me most is my best teacher. I have much to learn from him or her, and in my heart, I should thank that person.

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

Big Book Quote

Alcoholics who have derided religious people will be helped by such contacts. Being possessed of a spiritual experience, the alcoholic will find he has much in common with these people, though he may differ with them on many matters. If he does not argue about religion, he will make new friends and is sure to find new avenues of
usefulness and pleasure. He and his family can be a bright spot in such congregations. He may bring new hope and new courage to many a priest, minister, or rabbi, who gives his all to minister to our troubled world. We intend the foregoing as a helpful suggestion only. So far as we are concerned, there is nothing obligatory about it. As non-denominational people, we cannot make up others’ minds for them. Each individual should consult his own conscience.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 131~

Keep It Simple

We never thought we could get old.-–Bob Dylan

Here we are no longer children. Yet we’re not quite grown up either. At least, we don’t always feels grown up. Our program helps us accept the stages of our life. And the child in our heart is getting happier. In some ways, we feel younger everyday.

We’re also starting to feel older and wiser. It feels good. We’re not so afraid of the world, because we’re learning better ways to live in it. We can learn by having friends who teach us to stay young at heart.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me be the best I can be, at the age I am today.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll call an older friend and ask him or her this question: “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about life since you were my age?”

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You are looking at your life through a very sensible filter today. You want to make plans, but are hesitant to push the envelope now that the practical Taurus Moon is visiting your 11th House of Long-Term Goals. You’re aware of the widening gulf between your visions and reality. Oddly enough, this apparently unbridgeable gap gives you permission to go anywhere in your fantasies because you believe them to be unreachable. Much to your surprise, your daydreams create metaphysical scaffolding upon which you can build an amazing future you want to live in.

Daily Recovery Readings for October 6, 2017:

Daily Reflection

FACING OURSELVES

“. . . and Fear says, “You dare not look!”

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 49

How often I avoided a task in my drinking days just because it appeared so large! Is it any wonder, even if I have been sober for some time, that I will act that same way when faced with what appears to be a monumental job, such as a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself? What I discover after I have arrived at the other side—when my inventory is completed—is that the illusion was greater than the reality. The fear of facing myself kept me at a standstill and, until I became willing to put pencil to paper, I was arresting my growth based on an intangible.

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

Big Book Quote

“We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us… “

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 88~

Keep It Simple

If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people.
—Virginia Woolf

Working the Twelve Steps helps us learn the truth. As we struggle with Step Four,
we learn the truth about ourselves. We learn even more about ourselves by doing
Steps Eight and Ten. When we admit the truth about ourselves, things come into
focus. Big changes happen.

As a result, we can see other people more clearly. We see bad sides in people we
thought were prefect. We see good sides in people we hated. We start to know that
everyone has to work hard to find what’s right for them. No one knows all the answers.
In short, we begin to trust others also who also are looking for the truth.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me clearly see myself and others.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll think about how doing Step Ten keeps me clear about what’s going on in my life.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

An abrupt shift of direction at work may be upsetting at first, especially if you are comfortable with your current assignment. However, you quickly could see the big picture now, seizing the opportunity to become an integral part of the team. Don’t wait for the dust to settle; jump in without reservation. Risk-taking isn’t risky if you’re confident in your abilities. Today’s unexpected events can lead to tomorrow’s stability.

Daily Recovery Readings for October 5, 2017:

Daily Reflection

YESTERDAY’S BAGGAGE

For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 88

I have more than enough to handle today, without dragging along yesterday’s baggage too. I must balance today’s books, if I am to have a chance tomorrow. So I ask myself if I have erred and how I can avoid repeating that particular behavior. Did I hurt anyone, did I help anyone, and why? Some of today is bound to spill over into tomorrow, but most of it need not if I make an honest daily inventory.

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

Big Book Quote

Try to remember that though God has wrought miracles among us, we should never belittle a good doctor or psychiatrist. Their services are often indispensable in treating a newcomer and in following his case afterward.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~

Keep It Simple

It is often easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them—Adlai Stevenson

It easy to talk about our values. But when the clerk at the store gives extra change
my mistake, those values get put to the test. It feels good to read about spirituality
in a comfortable chair at home. But when we get stuck in a traffic jam, it’s hard to
live by our values.

That’s why practicing our program daily helps. Practice prepares us for the tough times.
Maybe we’ll feel like drinking or using other drugs once a year. Maybe we’ll only
get the wrong amount of change once a year. But if we live our values daily, we’ll be
ready when the hard times come. Remember: “It’s not enough to talk the talk. You
have to walk the walk.”

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me live this program each day. Help me “walk the walk.”

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll do a Step Ten, Taking an inventory tells me if I’m living up to my values.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

There is more than one way to nurture your soul today. The extroverted Aries Full Moon fuels your 10th House of Career, motivating you to express your maternalistic inclinations on the job. Taking coworkers under your protective wing extends your love into the community. However, you must balance this need for external accomplishment by also acknowledging your more private side. Spending time with friends and family recharges your soul. Poet Emily Dickinson wrote, “That love is all there is, is all we know of love.”

Daily Recovery Readings for October 4, 2017:

Daily Reflection

A NECESSARY PRUNING

. . . we know that the pains of drinking had to come before sobriety, and emotional turmoil before serenity.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 94

I love spending time in my garden feeding and pruning my beautiful flowers. One day, as I was busily snipping away, a neighbor stopped by. She commented, “Oh! Your plants are so beautiful, it seems such a shame to cut them back.” I replied, “I know how you feel, but the excess must be removed so they can grow stronger and healthier.” Later I thought that perhaps my plants feel pain, but God and I know it’s part of the plan and I’ve seen the results. I was quickly reminded of my precious A.A. program and how we all grow through pain. I ask God to prune me when it’s time, so I can grow.

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

Big Book Quote

Cling to the thought that, in God’s hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have; the key to life and happiness for others. With it you can avert death and misery for them.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 124~

Keep It Simple

Your three best doctors are faith, time, and patience.—From a fortune cookie
Only a short time ago, we were very sick. Getting sober made us so much better.
At first, when we stopped drinking and using other drugs, we thought we were fixed.

Then we began to see that we were not all that well.

No doctor can fix us. To get well, we need to keep living by the Twelve Steps and
the slogans of our program. We need to keep on trusting that our Higher Power
will heal us. One Day at a Time, day after day, we get stronger and happier.
And it never has to stop. Each day, we know ourselves a little better.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, You are my best doctor. Help me remember that.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll do what the “doctor” suggests. I will talk with my sponsor about Step Ten today.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You want to speak your mind but are afraid of stepping too far out of line today. You believe that others expect you to be supportive of their efforts even if you’re not totally on board with their plans. Nevertheless, you need to stay true to your fundamental values, despite any inconveniences you may create by sharing your thoughts. Ultimately, you won’t regret your actions now if you let your integrity do the talking.

Daily Recovery Readings for October 3, 2017:

Daily Reflection

Someone who knew what he was talking about once remarked that pain was the touchstone of all spiritual progress. How heartily we A.A.’s can agree with him. . . .

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 93-94

When on the roller coaster of emotional turmoil, I remember that growth is often painful. My evolution in the A.A. program has taught me that I must experience the inner change, however painful, that eventually guides me from selfishness to selflessness. If I am to have serenity, I must STEP my way past emotional turmoil and its subsequent hangover, and be grateful for continuing spiritual progress.

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

Big Book Quote

Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haven’t the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was
agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg.76~

Keep It Simple

That which is called firmness I a king is called stubbornness in a
donkey. —Lord Erskine

“Rigid” is a fancy word for “stubborn.” We act this way because
of our fear. When we’re afraid, we hang on to what we’re used to
doing. Our illness had us so scared, we were afraid of the new ideas
and new people. The only thing that didn’t scare us was using alcohol
or other drugs.

We also were stubborn when anyone tried to help us. We thought we
knew what was best. How silly our stubborn actions made us look!

How lonely they kept us.

But our stubborn behavior can teach us about our fears. We need to
be aware our stubbornness. Then we’ll be able to find out what we’re
afraid of—and do something about it.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me know when I’m stubborn.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll work at accepting my stubbornness. I will use it to learn what I am afraid of today.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You’re capable of seeing people from a very different perspective today. While your natural tendency might be to judge someone’s lifestyle choices based upon yours, you could easily take a more enlightened attitude and support them — even if you don’t approve of their behavior. Nurturing those you respect is your highest calling and you can operate at the top of your game now if you refrain from imposing your values on others. Artist Vincent van Gogh wrote, “Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence.”