Daily Recovery Readings
April 1, 2017

Daily Reflection

LOOKING WITHIN

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 42

Step Four is the vigorous and painstaking effort to discover what the liabilities in each of us have been, and are. I want to find exactly how, when, and where my natural desires have warped me. I wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and myself. By discovering what my emotional deformities are, I can move toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for me.

To resolve ambivalent feelings, I need to feel a strong and helpful sense of myself. Such an awareness doesn’t happen overnight, and no one’s selfawareness is permanent. Everyone has the capacity for growth, and for self-awareness, through an honest encounter with reality. When I don’t avoid issues but meet them directly, always trying to re-solve them, they become fewer and fewer.

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

Big Book Quote

“The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, Page 30~

Keep It Simple

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. — Step Four of Alcoholics Anonymous.

We avoid the Fourth Step. We put it off. We’re scared of what we will find inside of us. We may find out we’re mean, angry, selfish, afraid. We might see how badly we’ve acted to others, to ourselves. We have all these things inside us. We also have love, trust, faith, and hope. We love art, music, nature, or sports. We have power to heal, and we have used it too. The Fourth Step helps us to know our inner power. As we learn about our own power, we can use it carefully, on purpose, to do good.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me use my power to do Your will. Let your power work through me too.

Action for the Day:
Today Ill watch my own actions and words. I’ll see how my power affects others. I’ll talk about this with my sponsor.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Everyone thinks you’re being overly efficient today, but you know better. Although your thoughts may be running amok, you can keep them contained enough so they don’t negatively impact your activities. But appearing calm on the surface requires psychic energy and your emotional defenses could flag as the day wears on. Nevertheless, it’s still worth the effort to maintain your composure for the sake of progress. Grenville Kleiser wrote, “By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 31, 2017

Daily Reflection

NO ONE DENIED ME LOVE

On the A.A. calendar it was Year Two. . . . A newcomer appeared at one of these groups. . . . He soon proved that his was a desperate case, and that above all he wanted to get well. . . . [He said], “Since I am the victim of another addiction even worse stigmatized than alcoholism, you may not want me among you.”
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 141-42

I came to you—a wife, mother, woman who had walked out on her husband, children, family. I was a drunk, a pill-head, a nothing. Yet no one denied me love, caring, a sense of belonging. Today, by God’s grace and the love of a good sponsor and a home group, I can say that—through you in Alcoholics Anonymous—I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a woman. Sober. Free of pills. Responsible.

Without a Higher Power I found in the Fellowship, my life would be meaningless. I am full of gratitude to be a member of good standing in Alcoholics Anonymous.

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

Big Book Quote

“For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing get well, little charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the wrong track.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97

Keep It Simple

You grow up the day you have your first real laugh at yourself.—Ethel Barrymore

There was a time when we wouldn’t let anyone laugh at us—even ourselves. We had to much shame. We had to much pain. We took the world too seriously. If we laughed it was at others—not at ourselves. Over time , real honest laughter returns to us. Laughter is a way of accepting ourselves as human. To be human means we can make mistakes. It means we can lighten up. It also means growing up. And growing up means being happy with all of who we are—even parts of us that may seem odd or funny. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, we shut ourselves off from the world. We shut ourselves off from the parts of us we need to accept. Am I willing to accept the fact that I’m human.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, You made laughter. Help me us it to make my life easier. Help me accept all of me a funny mistake I’ve made.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll share with someone close to me a funny mistake I’ve made.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You would love to call it quits early in the day so you can let your mind float in and out of fantasies at your leisure. However, it’s nearly impossible to capture your feelings with words and your most vivid ideas lose their sparkle when you try to share them with your friends. But don’t worry if you can’t translate the images from your imagination into language just yet. What matters the most is that you cultivate your inspiration and let it feed your heart.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 30, 2017

Daily Reflection

OUR GROUP CONSCIENCE

“. . . sometimes the good is the enemy of the best.”
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p. 101
I think these words apply to every area of A.A.’s Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity and Service! I want them etched in my mind and life as I “trudge the Road of Happy Destiny” (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 164). These words, often spoken by cofounder Bill W., were appropriately said to him as the result of the group’s conscience. It brought home to Bill W. the essence of our Second Tradition: “Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”

Just as Bill W. was originally urged to remember, I think that in our group discussions we should never settle for the “good,” but always strive to attain the “best.” These common strivings are yet another example of a loving God, as we understand Him, expressing Himself through the group conscience. Experiences such as these help me to stay on the proper path of recovery. I learn to combine initiative with humility, responsibility with thankfulness, and thus relish the joys of living my twenty-four hour program.

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

Big Book Quote

“For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing get well, little charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men who cry for money and shelter before conquering  alcohol, are on the wrong track.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97

Keep It Simple

Spirituality is…the awareness that survival is a savage fight between you and yourself.—Lisa S.
As recovering people, we’re getting stronger each day. We go to meetings to learn how to be better people. But we also go to remind ourselves of the beast inside us—our addiction. This beast is waiting for us to slip—to go back to our addiction—so it can regain control.
Thus ,it’s wise to learn all we can about our disease. That’s why it’s important to do a good job on our Fourth Step. When we work Step Four, we learn how our addiction acts, thinks, and feels. With the help of our program, we can quiet the beast. One Day at a Time.,

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I’m fighting for my life. Thanks to You, I’m winning today and my life is free.

Action for the Day:
I’ll talk to a friend about my addiction, the beast inside me. I’ll do this so it will have less power over me.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You covet quality time spent with your circle of friends today because you could use some steady support. You may be grappling with a relationship issue now, and as much as you try to envision living up to what seems like a demanding standard, you’re not sure if it’s possible. However, leaning on your buddies for encouragement can help remind you of your emotional resilience. Remembering who you really are renews your faith in yourself.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 29, 2017

Daily Reflection

TRUSTED SERVANTS

They are servants. Theirs is the sometimes thankless privilege of doing the group’s chores.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 134

In Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis describes an encounter between his principal character and an old man busily at work planting a tree. “What is it you are doing?” Zorba asks. The old man replies: “You can see very well what I’m doing, my son, I’m planting a tree.” “But why plant a tree,” Zorba asks, “if you won’t be able to see it bear fruit?” And the old man answers: “I, my son, live as though I were never going to die.” The response brings a faint smile to Zorba’s lips and, as he walks away, he exclaims with a note of irony: “How strange—I live as though I were going to die tomorrow!”

As a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, I have found that the Third Legacy is a fertile soil in which to plant the tree of my sobriety. The fruits I harvest are wonderful: peace, security, understanding and twenty-four hours of eternal fulfillment; and with the soundness of mind to listen to the voice of my conscience when, in silence, it gently speaks to me, saying: You must let go in service. There are others who must plant and harvest.

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

Big Book Quote

“The age of miracles is still with us. Our own recovery proves that!”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 153~

Keep It Simple

Whatever is in the heart will come up to the tongue.—Persian proverb

During our illness, we wouldn’t let people get close to us. We spoke of what was in our heart. And much of what filled our heart was sadness, anger, and hopelessness. Those who want to be close to us heard what was in our heart. In short, we had become our illness. Recovery is about changing what’s in our heart. We open our hearts up to our Higher Power. The first three Steps are about honesty and needing others. They’re about turning our will and our lives over to a Higher Power.

If you’re wondering where you are with these Steps, listen to the words you speak.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, keep my heart open to the first three Steps.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll work at really listening to what I have to say.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

It’s as if the filter between your thoughts and your spoken words is made of a fine mesh today, enabling you to remain on topic without feeling restricted. It’s easier to weed out distractions and stay on task when your duties are a satisfying outlet for your emotional expression. Listen to your instincts to know when to push forward and when to call it quits. Channel your productive energy into your work early so you can enjoy guilt-free recreational time later with your friends.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 28, 2017

Daily Reflection

EQUALITY

Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 563

Prior to A.A., I often felt that I didn’t “fit in” with the people around me. Usually “they” had more/ less money than I did, and my points of view didn’t jibe with “theirs.” The amount of prejudice I had experienced in society only proved to me just how phony some self-righteous people were. After joining A.A., I found the way of life I had been searching for. In A.A. no member is better than any other member; we’re just alcoholics trying to recover from alcoholism.

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

Big Book Quote

“Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path. We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; we have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory. Now these are about to be cast out. This requires action on our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects. This brings us to the Fifth Step in the program of recovery mentioned in the preceding chapter.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 72~

Keep It Simple

God is not a cosmic bellboy.—Harry Emerson Fosdick

We have to laugh when we look back at the times we treated God like our servant. Who did we think we were, ordering God to do something for us? But we got away with it. God even did some of the things we asked. Now we know that our Higher Power is not a servant. As we work the Steps, we know we don’t give orders to our Higher Power. We don’t expect God to work miracles every time we’d like one. we’re asking our Higher Power to lead us. After all, who knows what is best for us—our Higher Power or us? Our Higher Power has many wonderful gifts for us. Our Higher Power will show us goals, help us live in love and joy, and give us strength.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, show me ways to help others as You’ve helped me. I’m grateful that You love me and help me.

Action for the Day:
Today ,I’ll make a list of times my Higher Power has helped me out of trouble.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You want nothing but the essentials today, because you’re unwilling to be pulled off course. You’re sure that you will earn the respect of someone you admire if you get enough accomplished. Working overtime may be a great way to express your nervous energy, but might not be as effective in winning recognition. Demonstrating the ability to know your limits is more commendable than your willingness to push yourself past exhaustion. Admitting you’re human gives others a chance to help you out for a change.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 27, 2017

Daily Reflection

A.A.’s FREEDOMS

We trust that we already know what our several freedoms truly are; that no future generation of AAs will ever feel compelled to limit them. Our AA freedoms create the soil in which genuine love can grow. . . .
— THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 303

I craved freedom. First, freedom to drink; later, freedom from drink. The A.A. program of recovery rests on a foundation of free choice. There are no mandates, laws or commandments. A.A.’s spiritual program, as outlined in the Twelve Steps, and by which I am offered even greater freedoms, is only suggested. I can take it or leave it. Sponsorship is offered, not forced, and I come and go as I will. It is these and other freedoms that allow me to recapture the dignity that was crushed by the burden of drink, and which is so dearly needed to support an enduring sobriety.

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

Big Book Quote

“If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help. This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 25~

Keep It Simple

The secret success is constancy of purpose. — Benjamin Disraeli

In Twelve Step meetings, we don’t talk about counseling, treatment centers, or non-program reading. Many of us have been helped in these ways, but we shouldn’t confuse them with Twelve Step programs. We must keep our Twelve Step programs pure, no matter what is in style among counselors or at treatment centers, or what the latest books say. Certainly, we should use these sources if they help us, but not in our program meetings. There, we must stick to the basics that have helped addicts recover all over the world for many years. Steps, traditions, meetings, sponsorship—these things work, no matter what is in style.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, let me be there to help an addict in need, by sharing my Twelve Step program.

Action for the Day:
I will help out today be being a sponsor or by calling a new member, just to say hello.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You’re beginning to realize that yearning isn’t enough and you need to give your dreams substance to make them real. Fortunately, the courageous Aries New Moon lands in your 10th House of Ambitions, reigniting your sense of purpose and motivating you to get down to business. Hold your head high today and face the future with greater certainty. There’s no limit to what you can achieve with an iron will and a golden vision.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 26, 2017

Daily Reflection

THE TEACHING IS NEVER OVER

Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny. May God bless you and keep you—until then.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164

These words put a lump in my throat each time I read them. In the beginning it was because I felt, “Oh no! The teaching is over. Now I’m on my own. It will never be this new again.” Today I feel deep affection for our A.A. pioneers when I read this passage, realizing that it sums up all of what I believe in, and strive for, and that—with God’s blessing—the teaching is never over, I’m never on my own, and every day is brand new.

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

Big Book Quote

“In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~

Keep It Simple

We are here to add what we can to, not to get what we can get from, Life.   ~Sir William Osler

Service is a word we hear in our recovery program. Service means work we do for others. It’s the backbone of our program. The reason is simple. Service to our Higher Power and to others breaks down our wanting to be self-centered. Service brings us back into the world. We really are part of the group when we pitch in to make coffee, set up chairs, or talk in meetings. We really feel like part of the family when we run errands and help with meals and housework. We really connect with our Higher Power when we pray, “Use me today to help others.” Service breaks down the feeling of being alone that being self -centered brings.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me to be of service to You and others. Show me what is needed.

Action for the Day: Today will be a service day. I’ll see how valued I am. I’ll give to others, knowing that I, too, will receive.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

New information on the job front may make you second guess your course. You don’t want to let go of something that has been a constant in your life, but gripping tightly to an ideal that has become brittle will only cause it to crumble faster. Fortunately, when the pieces fall away there might be something even better underneath. Being brave enough to open your eyes when it feels safer to keep them shut is the first step to recovering from an unsettling realization. Reconsidering your options today can set you on an exciting new trajectory at work tomorrow.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 25, 2017

Daily Reflection

A FULL AND THANKFUL HEART

I try hard to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one’s heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.
— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37

I believe that we in Alcoholics Anonymous are fortunate in that we are constantly reminded of the need to be grateful and of how important gratitude is to our sobriety. I am truly grateful for the sobriety God has given me through the A.A. program and am glad I can give back what was given to me freely. I am grateful not only for sobriety, but for the quality of life my sobriety has brought. God has been gracious enough to give me sober days and a life blessed with peace and contentment, as well as the ability to give and receive love, and the opportunity to serve others—in our Fellowship, my family and my community. For all of this, I have “a full and thankful heart.”

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

Big Book Quote

“On the other hand — and strange as this may seem to those who do not understand — once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever
solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire
for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that required to follow a
few simple rules.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctors Opinion, pg. xxix~

Keep It Simple

The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.—Eugene Delacroix

Trying to be prefect puts distance between us and our Higher Power. Trying to be perfect shows we’re ashamed of being human. In recovery, we accept that we’re human. We try to be the best human we can be. We used to get high to feel powerful and god-like. But God is not just power. God is also gentleness. Gentleness and love are the power we look for on recovery. We work to be human. We work to know the loving, gentle side of ourselves and our Higher Power. Remember, if we try to be god, we’ll fail. If we try to be human, we’ll win.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me give up trying to be perfect. Help me always keep in mind that I’m human—which means, I’m not perfect.

Action for the Day:
Part of being human is making mistakes. Today, I’ll see my mistakes as chances to learn.

************************************************** *********

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You want to make the very most of your aptitudes and leave a good impression today. You’re willing to put some extra time into your appearance, following the advice to dress for the job you want. You’re eager to review your current progress and evaluate how best to proceed while the visionary Pisces Moon floats through your 9th House of Long-Term Goals. Although you may not be a paragon of success quite yet, patience with yourself and faith in the process can carry you a long way toward achieving your dreams.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 24, 2017

Daily Reflection

ACTIVE, NOT PASSIVE, p. 92

Man is supposed to think, and act. He wasn’t made to God’s image to be an automation.

~As Bill Sees It, p. 55

Before I joined A.A., I often did not think, and reacted to people and situations. When not reacting I acted in a mechanical fashion. After joining A.A., I started seeking daily guidance from a Power greater than myself, and learning to listen for that guidance. Then I began to make decisions and act on them, rather than react to them. The results have been constructive; I no longer allow others to make decisions for me and then criticize me for it.

Today–and every day–with a heart full of gratitude, and a desire for God’s will to be done through me, my life is worth sharing, especially with my fellow alcoholics! Above all, if I do not make a religion out of anything, even A.A., then I can be an open channel for God’s
expression.

Big Book Quote

“…the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 23~

Keep It Simple

Love your enemy it will drive him nuts. ~Eleanor Doan

Love you enemy. It’s a lot easier on you! Hating someone takes so much time and energy.

Loving your enemy means, instead of trying to get even, you let your Higher Power handle that person. Of course, loving your enemy is also hard. It means giving up control. It means giving up self-will. We addicts naturally want to control things and people.

This is where we turn to our program for help. We learn to love our enemies, not for some grand reason. We simply do it because hate can cause us to use alcohol or other drugs again.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, watch over my family, friends, and my enemies. Take from me my desire to control. Take from me all reasons to get high.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll list all my enemies. I’ll say each of their names, and then I’ll read the Third Step out loud.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You may be overly protective of your opinions now as you recall past experiences when speaking up didn’t go very well. However, letting your guard down just enough to listen to a coworker or friend could prove to be worthwhile when benevolent Jupiter stands opposite clever Mercury in your 10th House of Reputation. You might even win some points for being willing to put differences aside and welcome someone’s input. Life is too short not to try and find common ground. Maya Angelou writes, “We are more alike, my friends, than unalike.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 23, 2017

Daily Reflection

. . . AND NO MORE RESERVATIONS

We have seen the truth again and again: “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.”. . . If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol. . . . To be gravely affected, one does not necessarily have to drink a long time nor take the quantities some of us have. This is particularly true of women. Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 33

These words are underlined in my book. They are true for men and women alcoholics. On many occasions I’ve turned to this page and reflected on this passage. I need never fool myself by recalling my sometimes differing drinking patterns, or by believing I am “cured.” I like to think that, if sobriety is God’s gift to me, then my sober life is my gift to God. I hope God is as happy with His gift as I am with mine.

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

Big Book Quote

“When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did.”
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, Page 52~

Keep It Simple

If anything, we have tended to be people who have wanted it all now. To hope is not to demand. —On hope

Maybe we were a bit demanding. Maybe we were a bit impatient. Maybe that’s why we such little hope.

Hope is believing good will, even in bad times. Hope is knowing that “this too, shall pass.” Hope is knowing that no mater how afraid we are, God will be with us. Hope is knowing we never have to be alone again. It is knowing that time is o our side. Hope is giving up control. Hope is knowing we never had control in the first place. Hope is believing in ourselves. Hope is what our program is all about.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, in our program we share our experiences, our strengths, and our hopes. Thank you for giving all three of these to me to share.

Action for the Day:
I will share my hope for the future with myself, my Higher Power, and my friends. I also will share this with someone who has lost hope.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You feel the words rising in your throat and you’re not sure if you can bite your tongue for much longer. Although you know that stress at work is inevitable, things may reach a boiling point where you’re unable to keep silent. Defending your position is essential and you should stand your ground with confidence. But if there’s something on your mind unrelated to your job, don’t take it out on your coworkers. Discussing your thoughts with the right people turns a frustrating conversation into a healing experience.