Daily Recovery Readings
March 22, 2017

Daily Reflection

NO MORE STRUGGLE. . .

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone—even alcohol.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

When A.A. found me, I thought I was in for a struggle, and that A.A. might provide the strength I needed to beat alcohol. Victorious in that fight, who knows what other battles I could win. I would need to be strong, though. All my previous experience with life proved that. Today I do not have to struggle or exert my will. If I take those Twelve Steps and let my Higher Power do the real work, my alcohol problem disappears all by itself. My living problems also cease to be struggles. I just have to ask whether acceptance—or change—is required. It is not my will, but His, that needs doing.

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

Big Book Quote

“If a repetition is to be prevented, place the problem, along with everything else, in God’s hands.” ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Wives, Page 120~

Keep It Simple

If anything, we have tended to be people who wanted it all now. To hope is not Not to demand. — On Hope
Maybe we were a bit demanding. Maybe we were a bit impatient. Maybe that’s why we had such little hope.
Hope is believing good will come even in bad time. Hope is knowing that “this, too, shall pass.”

Hope is knowing that no matter how afraid we are, God will be with us. Hope is knowing we never have to be alone again. It is knowing that time that time is on 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

It doesn’t seem right that it’s so difficult to fit your closest friends into your schedule. However, you’re being pulled in so many directions now that it’s tricky to know what to prioritize. Chances are there are people missing you too, and you may need to erase activities you penciled in to be with the ones you love. The dutiful Capricorn Moon in your 7th House of Companions nudges you to spend quality time with someone near and dear to you. Rumi teaches, “With life as short as a half-taken breath, don’t plant anything but love.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 21, 2017

Daily Reflection

MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING

Fear . . . of economic insecurity will leave us.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

Having fear reduced or eliminated and having economic circumstances improve, are two different things. When I was new in A.A., I had those two ideas confused. I thought fear would leave me only when I started making money. However, another line from the Big Book jumped off the page one day when I was chewing on my financial difficulties: “For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded.” (p. 127). I suddenly understood that this promise was a guarantee. I saw that it put priorities in the correct order, that spiritual progress would diminish that terrible fear of being destitute, just as it diminished many other fears.

Today I try to use the talents God gave me to benefit others. I’ve found that is what others valued all along. I try to remember that I no longer work for myself. I only get the use of the wealth God created, I never have “owned” it. My life’s purpose is much clearer when I just work to help, not to possess.

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

Big Book Quote

“A body badly burned by alcohol does not often recover overnight nor do twisted thinking and depression vanish in a twinkling. We are convinced that a spiritual mode of living is a most powerful health restorative.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, Page 133~

Keep It Simple

Keep It Simple

With each sunrise, we start anew. —-Anonymous

Like a tree, our life depends on new growth. There are many ways to bring new ideas and growth into our lives. We can attend Twelve Step retreats. We can study books and tapes on spirituality.
We can attend different Twelve Step meetings.

But our spiritual newness may not just come from the Twelve Steps. We can do volunteer work or be active in other types of groups. We need to invite new ideas into our lives. We need to stay open to change. It doesn’t matter what renews our spiritual growth. What matters is that we keep our spiritual lives fresh and growing.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, spring is one of the four seasons. Help me feel like spring. Help me to be strong but not stuck Help me be firm yet open to spiritual growth.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll try to do something new. When I get stuck or stubborn, I’ll see that it’s due to my fear of trying new ideas.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Talking about professional aspirations with a friend or partner may be uncomfortable if they start to scold you for your ambition. Although their intentions are likely well-intended, you might feel judged when the cold Capricorn Moon clashes with an overzealous Mercury-Venus duo in your 10th House of Career. However, you must be willing to proceed without validation from others now, even if it means drawing from your spiritual practice to feel at peace. The only approval that really matters is your own.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 20, 2017

Daily Reflection

LOVE AND TOLERANCE

Love and tolerance of others is our code.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

I have found that I have to forgive others in all situations to maintain any real spiritual progress. The vital importance of forgiving may not be obvious to me at first sight, but my studies tell me that every great spiritual teacher has insisted strongly upon it.
I must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a matter of form, but in my heart. I do this not for the other persons’ sake, but for my own sake. Resentment, anger, or a desire to see someone punished, are things that rot my soul. Such things fasten my troubles to me with chains. They tie me to other problems that have nothing to do with my original problem.

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

Big Book Quote

“To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Foreword To First Edition, pg.
xiii~

Keep It Simple

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years of trying to get other people interested in you. —Dale Carnegie

We wanted friends, but our addiction wanted all our attention. We had no time to be close to others.

Well, stand aside, addiction! The program has taught us that others are important. Our purpose is to help others. People have become what’s important to us.

Now we listen to others. We help them do what they want to do, not what we want them to do. We help people instead of use them. Friendship is now a way of life. And another promise of the program becomes a part of us.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me to know that I’m here to help others, not just myself. Through others, I find myself.

Today’s’ Action:
Today I’ll help someone the way he or she wants to be helped.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You’re ready to steel your nerves and go after your ambitions with renewed fervor. However, in the back of your mind you’re wondering how your aspirations affect the people around you. You wouldn’t want to do anything to compromise your closest relationships but at the same time you are pulled to create your own success while the Sun brightens your 10th House of Career. You could feel like you have to sacrifice one for the other but luckily, this tension fades in the days to come. Tim McGraw sings, “Chase your dreams but always know the road that will lead you home again.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 19, 2017

Daily Reflection

PRAYER: IT WORKS

It has been well said that “almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never tried it enough.”
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 97

Having grown up in an agnostic household, I felt somewhat foolish when I first tried praying. I knew there was a Higher Power working in my life—how else was I staying sober?—but I certainly wasn’t convinced he/she/it wanted to hear my prayers. People who had what I wanted said prayer was an important part of practicing the program, so I persevered. With a commitment to daily prayer, I was amazed to find myself becoming more serene and comfortable with my place in the world. In other words, life became easier and less of a struggle. I’m still not sure who, or what, listens to my prayers, but I’d never stop saying them for the simple reason that they work.

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

Big Book Quote

“We avoid retaliation or argument. We wouldn’t treat sick people that way. If we do, we destroy our chance of being helpful.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 67~

Keep It Simple

Keep It Simple

Speak when you’re angry and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret. ~ Lawrence J. Peter

When we used alcohol or other drugs, most of us were hotheads. We thought we were right. If we were proven wrong, we may have made life hell for everyone. People knew enough to stay away from us. In recovery, things will still go badly at times. We’ll get hurt. And we’ll get angry. But now, we turn our anger to our Higher Power. In our groups, we talk about what makes us angry. Then we leave the anger behind when the meeting is over. We find that being at peace is now more important than getting even.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, when I’m angry, help me slow down, Help me remember it’s okay to be angry, but its not okay to abuse people.

Action for the Day:
I will remember a time when I turned anger, into rage and hurt someone. I will also remember a time I was angry in a respectful way.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Nothing is quite to scale today as menial tasks seem to grow to fill the container they’re placed in. Spare time vanishes as you keep finding additional ways to tweak your work. Before you know it, you may have prolonged a chore that should have taken no time at all. Luckily, in the midst of making a big deal out of something small you could gain unexpected insights. Socrates wrote, “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 18, 2017

Daily Reflection

REAL INDEPENDENCE

The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 36

I start with a little willingness to trust God and He causes that willingness to grow. The more willingness I have, the more trust I gain, and the more trust I gain, the more willingness I have. My dependence on God grows as my trust in Him grows. Before I became willing, I depended on myself for all my needs and I was restricted by my incompleteness. Through my willingness to depend upon my Higher Power, whom I choose to call God, all my needs are provided for by Someone Who knows me better than I know myself—even the needs I may not realize, as well as the ones yet to come. Only Someone Who knows me that well could bring me to be myself and to help me fill the need in someone else that only I am meant to fill. There never will be another exactly like me. And that is real independence.

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

Big Book Quote

“…we have ceased fighting anything or anyone— even alcohol.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

Keep It Simple

Money cost to much.—Ross MacDonald

Many people are poor and really need money to live better. But we’re in trouble if we think money will solve all our problems. If money solved all problems, all rich people would be happy.

Consider this: A man talks about his shortcomings in a Twelve Step meeting. He says his main shortcoming is to think being happy means having enough money. But then he says that he has over a million dollars! This man is lucky—not because he has money, but because he knows greed is a shortcoming. He knows he has a spiritual problem. He doesn’t need money; he needs faith in a Higher Power.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me to really believe I’ll be given what I need. This will free me to get on with life.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll read over the promises of the program. They are found at the bottom of page 83 at the top of the page of page 84 in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You’re ready to shake off the blues and do something useful today. Sometimes the best way to give yourself an energetic boost is to get your blood pumping; making the time for a walk or even a fun workout is favored as the sassy Sagittarius Moon bounces through your 6th House of Wellbeing. Even if fitness isn’t your speed, any activity that ignites your enthusiasm is sure to bolster your sense of self-worth. The body may reflect the mind, but physical activity can get the mind moving.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 17, 2017

Daily Reflection

MYSTERIOUS WAYS

. . . out of every season of grief or suffering, when the hand of God seemed heavy or even unjust, new lessons for living were learned, new resources of courage were uncovered, and that finally, inescapably, the conviction came that God does “move in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.”
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105

After losing my career, family and health, I remained unconvinced that my way of life needed a second look. My drinking and other drug use were killing me, but I had never met a recovering person or an A.A. member. I thought I was destined to die alone and that I deserved it. At the peak of my despair, my infant son became critically ill with a rare disease. Doctors’ efforts to help him proved useless. I redoubled my efforts to block my feelings, but now the alcohol had stopped working. I was left staring into God’s eyes, begging for help. My introduction to A.A. came within days, through an odd series of coincidences, and I have remained sober ever since. My son lived and his disease is in remission. The entire episode convinced me of my powerlessness and the unmanageability of my life. Today my son and I thank God for His intervention.

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

Big Book Quote

“Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an altruistic plane, we favor  hospitalization for the alcoholic who is very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that a man’s brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor’s Opinion, pg. xxvi~

Keep It Simple

Skill to do comes of doing.—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Often, we just want to sit and do nothing. And why not. We go to meetings, work the Twelve Steps, read, make new friends. All this takes energy and means taking risk. Haven’t we earned the right to just sit and take it a break from it all? No! In the past, we avoided life. Now we’re becoming people of action. We take risk. We’re becoming people who get involved in life. We practice caring about people and caring about ourselves. At times, we may complain, but we do what is needed to stay sober. We gain skills by doing. why? We do it to save our lives. How? By trusting. We now trust that our Higher Power and friends will be there for us. They will help us push past our fears. As we practice daily how to stay sober, our skills grow.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, Yours is a spirit of action. Allow me to become skilled at being active.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll work at being active and alive. Maybe I’ll start a new friendship or try a new meeting.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You may be stretched to your emotional limits and it appears like nothing short of a miracle can bail you out. But an extreme reaction today will seem more proportional in the near future. It could feel like your daily efforts will never be enough to deliver you to the heights you dream of as you see how your habits are impacting your grand plan. Although you are a summation of what you do each day, you are not your shortcomings; resigning to shame would be a waste. There will be time to readjust your routine later, but for now accept your changing moods and be gentle with yourself.

<h1>Daily Recovery Readings
March 16, 2017</h1>

<h2><b><u>Daily Reflection</u></b></h2>

Daily Reflections

AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM

My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea . . . “Why don’t you choose your own conception of God?” That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last. It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning.

~ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 12

I remember the times I looked up into the sky and reflected on who started it all, and how. When I came to A.A., an understanding of some description of the spiritual dimension became a necessary adjunct to a stable sobriety. After reading a variety of versions, including the scientific, of a great explosion, I went for simplicity and made the God
of my understanding the Great Power that made the explosion possible. With the vastness of the universe under His command, He would, no doubt, be able to guide my thinking and actions if I was prepared to accept His guidance. But I could not expect help if I turned
my back on that help and went my own way. I became willing to believe and I have had 26 years of stable and satisfying sobriety.

<h2><b><u>Big Book Quote</u></b></h2>

“At a certain point in the drinking of every alcoholic, he passes into a state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is of absolutely no avail. This tragic situation has already arrived in practically every case long before it is suspected.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 24~

<h2><b><u>Keep It Simple</u></b></h2>

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.—Oscar Wilde

We all change. We learn, and change, and grow. We once made alcohol or other drugs our Higher Power. Perhaps we had other higher powers too—like money, gambling, food, or sex. But, it’s never too late to be in touch with a true Higher Power. Each day we follow a false higher power, we aren’t.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me put my life and will in Your hands today. Help me be a saint, just for today.

Action for the Day:
How have my ideas about saints and sinners changed since I got into a Twelve Step program? I’ll talk with my sponsor about it today.

<h2><b><u>Daily Horoscope – Cancer</u></b></h2>

You feel like a petal floating down a river at the mercy of the currents, but content to drift along. Your emotions may win out over other concerns as the moody Scorpio Moon meanders through your 5th House of Self-Expression, lulling you into a state of melancholy. Prevent getting lost at sea by making port at a friend’s dock. Sometimes connecting with someone else is all it takes to get your feet back on solid ground. People who hide their feelings usually care the most, but there’s no reason to struggle with a burden too heavy to bear.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 14, 2017

Daily Reflection

THE KEYSTONE

He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 62

A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the highest part of an arch that locks the other pieces in place. The “other pieces” are Steps One, Two, and Four through Twelve. In one sense this sounds like Step Three is the most important Step, that the other eleven depend on the third for support. In reality however, Step Three is just one of twelve. It is the keystone, but without eleven other stones to build the base and arms, keystone or not, there will be no arch. Through daily working of all Twelve Steps, I find that triumphant arch waiting for me to pass through to another day of freedom.

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

Big Book Quote

“Many of us keep liquor in our homes. We often need it to carry green recruits through a severe hangover. Some of us still serve it to our friends provided they are not alcoholic. But some of us think we should not serve liquor to anyone. We never argue this question. We feel that each family, in the light of their own circumstances, ought to decide for themselves.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 102~

Keep It Simple

Archie doesn’t know how to worry without getting upset. — Edith Bunker

Most us are like Edith’s television husband, Archie. When we worry, we get upset. Problems seem too big for us. We get afraid. We feel powerless. What does the program tell us to do when we feel powerless and our life is upset? We look at the problem honestly . Than we ask our Higher Power to help us with the problem. We take it One Day at a Time. We believe our Higher Power will take care of us and help. We’ll have problems. That’s life! But we can get through them with care and support. We don’t have to get crazy. We don’t have to make things worst. We can be kind to ourselves and live through problems just fine—with our Higher Powers help.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me do what I can today about my problems. Help me stop worrying.

Action for the Day:
If I have problems today, I’ll do what I can—and leave the outcome to my Higher Power.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You keep looking over your shoulder today, wondering what else will come out of the blue. You’re doing your best to maintain your optimism, but you might be distracted by behind-the-scenes tension with a family member or roommate. All you really want is for home to feel like a place everyone can relax, but the current instability may lead you to assume that’s a pipe dream. However, take heart in knowing that you don’t have to let your old story become your next chapter. Writing the future you want starts with closing the book on the past.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 12, 2017

Daily Reflection

A DAY’S PLAN
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.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86

Every day I ask God to kindle within me the fire of His love, so that love, burning bright and clear, will illuminate my thinking and permit me to better do His will. Throughout the day, as I allow outside circumstances to dampen my spirits, I ask God to sear my consciousness with the awareness that I can start my day over any time I choose; a hundred times, if necessary.

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

Big Book Quote

“We know what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself: “I’m jittery and alone. I couldn’t do  that.” But you can. You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than  yourself. To duplicate, with such backing, what we have accomplished is only a matter of  willingness, patience and labor.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 163~

Keep It Simple

The Twelve Step program is spiritual, based on action coming from love  ~Martha Cleveland

To be spiritual means to be an active person. It means spending time with others. It means sharing love. It means looking for ways to be more loving to others. It means looking for ways to make the world a better place. Step Three helps us to look at the world better. We turn our lives over to the care of our Higher Power. So Lets allow care to direct our lives. Let’s always be asking ourselves, “Is what I’m doing something that shows care?”

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, let me be active in a loving, caring way. Let the love in my heart be my guide.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll do something good for someone and keep it a secret.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

The only place safer than your comfort zone is the peaceful utopia you create in your own mind. You long for the bliss of wandering in your own imagination, free from worldly distractions. Fortunately, the sensible Virgo Full Moon grounds your 3rd House of Immediate Environment, offering an anchor point when escape seems like the only rescue. However, drifting into the silence for long periods of time can make it even harder to return to daily life. Establishing fixed commitments on your calendar adds necessary structure to your day. Balance is the secret to your happiness.