Daily Recovery Readings
January 27, 2017

Daily Reflection

FREEDOM FROM GUILT

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 become willing to accept my own powerlessness, I begin to realize that blaming myself for all the trouble in my life can be an ego trip back into hopelessness. Asking for help and listening deeply to the messages inherent in the Steps and Traditions of the program make it possible to change those attitudes which delay my recovery. Before joining A.A., I had such a desire for approval from people in powerful positions that I was willing to sacrifice myself, and others, to gain a foothold in the world. I invariably came to grief. In the program I find true friends who love, understand, and care to help me learn the truth about myself. With the help of the Twelve Steps, I am able to build a better life, free of guilt and the need for self-justification.

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

Big Book Quote

“We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth
dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed.”
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 25~

Keep It Simple

They is no they, only us .–Bumper sticker

For most of us, addiction was full of doubt. We stopped believing in ourselves. Our thoughts had turned to “stinking thinking.” We didn’t believe in much of anything. We didn’t take risk. We always looked for the easier, softer way. In recovery, we start to believe again. We believe in the program. We believe in a Higher Power. We believe in people. And, over time, we believe in ourselves again. We become better at taking risk. We are able to stay sober because we we take risk. As we stay sober, we can face almost anything—with the help of others.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I have learned to believe in You. Help me believe in myself. I have something to give to this world. Help me give it freely.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

A dissonant chord is struck between your head and your heart today, and you’re not sure how to make your next move. It often seems like the closer you hold something the safer it is, or the better you can make sense of it. However, the dispassionate Aquarius New Moon occurring in your 8th House of Transformation invites you to step back from what you cling to so tightly to gain a more unbiased perspective. While this detachment could seem harsh at first, it’s really just providing you with space to breathe. Objectivity is your friend.

Daily Recovery Readings
January 25, 2017

Daily Reflection

WHAT WE NEED-EACH OTHER

. . . A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker, “You are an A.A. member if you say so . . . nobody can keep you out.”
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 139

For years, whenever I reflected on Tradition Three (“The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking”), I thought it valuable only to newcomers. It was their guarantee that no one could bar them from A.A. Today I feel enduring gratitude for the spiritual development the Tradition has brought me. I don’t seek out people obviously different from myself. Tradition Three, concentrating on the one way I am similar to others, brought me to know and help every kind of alcoholic, just as they have helped me. Charlotte, the atheist, showed me higher standards of ethics and honor; Clay, of another race, taught me patience; Winslow, who is gay, led me by example into true compassion; Young Megan says that seeing me at meetings, sober thirty years, keeps her coming back. Tradition Three insured that we would get what we need — each other.

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

Big Book Quote

“Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else.” 
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

Keep It Simple

The best way to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm.—-Swedish proverb
During our illness, we hurt others. We hurt ourselves. We messed up a lot.
So, a lot of us come to recovery not trusting ourselves very much. The truth is, as addicts, we couldn’t be trusted.

But in recovery, we can be trusted again. We can again live and love ourselves. We do this by finding our spiritual center. This is the place inside of us where our Higher Power lives. We turn our will and our lives over to this spiritual center. We do as our spiritual center tells us. And from our spiritual center, we’ll find our values. We’ll live better lives. We’ll come to trust ourselves again.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, thank-you for helping me believe in myself again. I’ll treat myself with love and kindness. I know You want me to.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll list four ways I couldn’t be trusted during my addiction. I’ll also list four ways I can now be trusted.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your melancholy is hidden under the surface of the tough exterior shell you created to keep it inside. However, the people who know you best are likely to notice that something is bothering you anyway. You may be stuck remembering a time when your biggest dream fell flat, and it’s difficult to stop your heart from replaying the painful feelings of disappointment. However, with a little bit of conscious effort you can see this bygone experience in a new light. It is but one thread in a tapestry whose beauty is amplified by the contrast of light and dark.

Daily Recovery Readings
January 24, 2017

Daily Reflection

GETTING INVOLVED

There is action and more action. “Faith without works is dead.” . . . To be helpful is our only aim.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 88-89

I understand that service is a vital part of recovery but I often wonder, “What can I do?” Simply start with what I have today! I look around to see where there is a need. Are the ashtrays full? Do I have hands and feet to empty them? Suddenly I’m involved! The best speaker may make the worst coffee; the member who’s best with newcomers may be unable to read; the one willing to clean up may make a mess of the bank account—yet every one of these people and jobs is essential to an active group. The miracle of service is this: when I use what I have, I find there is more available to me than I realized before.

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

Few people can be happy unless they hate some other person, nation, or creed.
~Bertand Russell

In recovery learn to give up hate. We must stand for justice, not for hate. We must learn to respect people. They, in turn, will respect us in most cases. We begin to see how important it is to give up hate–if we want others to care for us. Hate is often our secret. Hate is found deep in our hearts and minds. It eats at our souls. It hurts our spiritual growth. Sometimes people are public about their hate. There are even dangerous groups based on hate. But, the most dangerous hate is the private and unspoken. Do I have public hates? Do I have secret hates?

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, search my hearts and show me any hates I have. Help me rid myself of them.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list any people, nations, to creeds I hate. I’ll pray to have this hate removed. I’ll pray for these people, nations, or creeds.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You might grow annoyed if you encounter a glitch in your day, especially if there’s someone or something you can blame. But even if the cause of your trouble is obvious, you’re likely to hold your anger close to your chest today. You may reason that nothing positive will come from an open conflict. Nevertheless, you’re not interested in just letting the matter pass. Instead of getting mad, you decide to get even. As Frank Sinatra said, “The best revenge is massive success.”

Daily Recovery Readings
January 22, 2017

Daily Reflection

HAVING FUN YET?

. . . 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. We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor do we carry the world’s troubles on our shoulders.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 132

When my own house is in order, I find the different parts of my life are more manageable. Stripped from the guilt and remorse that cloaked my drinking years, I am free to assume my proper role in the universe, but this condition requires maintenance. I should stop and ask myself, Am I having fun yet? If I find answering that question difficult or painful, perhaps I’m taking myself too seriously—and finding it difficult to admit that I’ve strayed from my practice of working the program to keep my house in order. I think the pain I experience is one way my Higher Power has to get my attention, coaxing me to take stock of my performance. The slight time and effort it takes to work the program—a spot-check inventory, for example, or the making of amends, whatever is appropriate — are well worth the effort.

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

Sex, like all else between human beings, is never prefect. — Theodore Isaac Rubin

Addiction made our sex lives a mess. Maybe we wanted prefect sex or we wanted no sex.
We were afraid. Maybe we wanted a high from sex we just couldn’t seem to get it. Some of us had lots of sex partners; some of us had none. What now?

We’re doing what we need to do by being in recovery. We’re getting to know ourselves. We’re living by our real values. We’re being honest with ourselves and others. We’re learning to love and care about others. It’s open, honest caring we express with our bodies. Thus, sex can be trusting and safe.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I turn over my sex life and my will to You—Just for today. I know You want me to be happy.

Action for the Day:
What do I believe about sex? How does it match with what’s said in the third paragraph above?

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your analysis of a current strategy may lead you through some tricky territory today. Your grasp of the big picture is quite sound, but you could run into trouble when you try to turn your conceptual framework into a concrete plan. Although the Sagittarius Moon enables you to see the world through a wide-angle lens, her visit to your 6th House of Details demands specifics. Rather than choosing one approach over the other now, keep going back and forth between the basic facts and your colorful imagination. Walking with one foot in each world allows you to produce creative and sustainable ideas.

Daily Recovery Readings
January 21, 2017

Daily Reflection

“LET’S KEEP IT SIMPLE”

A few hours later I took my leave of Dr. Bob. . . . The wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, “Remember, Bill, let’s not louse this thing up. Let’s keep it simple!” I turned away, unable to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p. 214

After years of sobriety I occasionally ask myself: “Can it be this simple?” Then, at meetings, I see former cynics and skeptics who have walked the A.A. path out of hell by packaging their lives, without alcohol, into twenty-four hour segments, during which they practice a few principles to the best of their individual abilities. And then I know again that, while it isn’t always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.

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

Go often to the house of your friend: for weeds soon choke up the unused path.
—-Scandinavian proverb.

Our program has two parts: the Steps, and the fellowship. Both keep us sober. We can’t stay sober if we go it alone. We need to work the Steps. We also need people–the help of our friends daily

Recovery is about relationships. We get new friends. We get involved. We give. We get. In times of need, we may not want to ask our new friends for help. Maybe we don’t want to “burden them.”

“Maybe we’re afraid to ask for help.” Well, go ahead. Make that call. Ask your new friend to spend time with you. You deserve and need it. They deserve it; they need it.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me to get help from my friends as if my life depends on it.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll see or call two program friends and let them know how I’m doing.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

It’s self-empowering to believe that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to today. However, you might grow frustrated when everything takes longer than you planned. Thankfully, preventing problems in your schedule is much easier than it is to fix them after the fact. Allow extra time for each task now; managing your calendar wisely saves you from unnecessary headaches later in the day. Proactive measures produce the best results.

Daily Recovery Readings
January 21, 2017

Daily Reflection

SERVING MY BROTHER

The member talks to the newcomer not in a spirit of power but in a spirit of humility and weakness.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p. 279

As the days pass in A.A., I ask God to guide my thoughts and the words that I speak. In this labor of continuous participation in the Fellowship, I have numerous opportunities to speak. So I frequently ask God to help me watch over my thoughts and my words, that they may be the true and proper reflections of our program; to focus my aspirations once again to seek His guidance; to help me be truly kind and loving, helpful and healing, yet always filled with humility, and free from any trace of arrogance.

Today I may very well have to deal with disagreeable attitudes or utterances-the typical stock-in-trade attitude of the still-suffering alcoholic. If this should happen, I will take a moment to center myself in God, so that I will be able to respond from a perspective of composure, strength and sensibility.

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

What is defeat?…Nothing but the first step to something better.——- Wendell Phillips

A man walks into a meeting. He says,” I surrender. I can’t drink like other folks.” We smile and welcome him. We know that feeling. All of us in the program must admit defeat. Our illness is more powerful than we are. We begin recovery when we surrender. Admitting defeat is our first step into a beautiful world. Like all first steps, it’s hard. But what a world we find ourselves in! A world where we count. A world where all are really equal! This first step brings us into God’s world of care. We get love. We give love. We stay sober because daily we admit defeat.

Prayer for the Day:
In surrender, I can’t drink and use other drugs. I’m different. Higher Power, help me surrender daily.

Action for the Day:
Every so often, I need to admit defeat and talk about what it was like, what happened, and where I am now.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Sometimes you are so wrapped up in your emotions that you don’t even see how they are coloring your perceptions. Be wary of clinging to hurt feelings from the past because they can prevent you from experiencing the beauty of the present moment. It has been said that holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. A negative mind will never give you a positive life. Mother Theresa taught, “If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.”

Daily Recovery Readings
January 20, 2017

Daily Reflection

“WE PAUSE . . . AND ASK”

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87

Today I humbly ask my Higher Power for the grace to find the space between my impulse and my action; to let flow a cooling breeze when I would respond with heat; to interrupt fierceness with gentle peace; to accept the moment which allows judgment to become discernment; to defer to silence when my tongue would rush to attack or defend.
I promise to watch for every opportunity to turn toward my Higher Power for guidance. I know where this power is: it resides within me, as clear as a mountain brook, hidden in the hills—it is the unsuspected Inner Resource.

I thank my Higher Power for this world of light and truth I see when I allow it to direct my vision. I trust it today and hope it trusts me to make all effort to find the right thought or action today.

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

Big Book Quote

“Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn’t 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

SERVICE—A beautiful word fallen upon bad days.—Claude McKay

Service is really a beautiful word. Service means respect. When we serve others we’re part of the human race. We all need to help each other. Service is a sure way to stay sober. Helping someone else stay sober helps us stay sober. And service frees us from self-will. It teaches us about how to care for ourselves and others. It teaches us that we’re worthwhile. It teaches us that we make a difference. Service keeps us feeling good. Am I quiet when the topic of service comes ap at meetings? If so, how can I change this?

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, show me where I can be of help. Give me the courage to make a difference. Give me the courage to really serve others in need.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list five ways service has made or can make my life better.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your newfound self-sufficiency allows you to withdraw deeper into your shell today. Fortunately, you are tapping into powerful emotional issues that can teach you something valuable about yourself. People may think you are retreating as an act of rebellion, but it’s just your way of forcing them to show their cards. There’s no need to explain your motives now; execute your strategy and your determination will be rewarded. Work hard in silence; let your success be your noise.

Daily Recovery Readings
January 16, 2017

Daily Reflection

HITTING BOTTOM

Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first? The answer is that few people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless they have hit bottom. For practicing A.A.’s remaining eleven Steps means the adoption of attitudes and actions that almost no alcoholic who is still drinking can dream of taking.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p, 24

Hitting bottom opened my mind and I became willing to try something different. What I tried was A.A. My new life in the Fellowship was a little like learning how to ride a bike for the first time: A.A. became my training wheels and my supporting hand. It’s not that I wanted the help so much at the time; I simply did not want to hurt like that again. My desire to avoid hitting bottom again was more powerful than my desire to drink. In the beginning that was what kept me sober. But after a while I found myself working the Steps to the best of my ability. I soon realized that my attitudes and actions were changing—if ever so slightly. One Day at a Time, I became comfortable with myself, and others, and my hurting started to heal. Thank God for the training wheels and supporting hand that I choose to call Alcoholics Anonymous.

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

Big Book Quote

“Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power? Well, that’s exactly what this book is about.” 
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 45

Keep It Simple

Fair play is primarily not blaming others for anything that is wrong with us.—Eric Hoffer

It’s tempting to blame others for our problems. Recovery asks us to answer for our actions. Admitting we are powerless over our actions. Admitting we are powerless over our alcohol and other drugs is a start.

Each of the Twelve Steps asks us to answer for our actions in some way. And the program shows us how to do this. Over time, we see that being responsible for our actions is the best way to live. Our self-confidence grows as we become more responsible. We start to see just how much we can do. We have gone from being drunks to being responsible people. If we can do this, then we can do anything!

Prayer for the Day:
I pray to remember that I’m responsible for my actions. Blaming puts distance between me and other people. Higher Power, help me to play fair.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll list four times I’ve blamed someone else for a problem that was really my problem.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You may not be very happy today if circumstances rain on your plans. However, sometimes hearing no is a blessing in disguise, since practicing self-restraint can be helpful in the long run. Nevertheless, obstacles will fade if you apply what you learn in a methodical manner. Thankfully, you are strong on determination and endurance now, assuring that your actions will have the impact that you desire. Robert Collier wrote, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”