Daily Recovery Readings
July 3, 2018

Daily Reflection

EXPERIENCE: THE BEST TEACHER

Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87

Some say that experience is the best teacher, but I believe that experience is the only teacher. I have been able to learn of God’s love for me only by the experience of my dependence on that love. At first I could not be sure of His direction in my life, but now I see that if I am to be bold enough to ask for His guidance, I must act as if He has provided it. I frequently ask God to help me remember that He has a path for me.

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

Big Book Quote

“When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

Keep It Simple

We are only as sick as the secrets we keep.— Anonymous

It is dangerous for us to keep secrets. Shame builds, and we’ll want relief. We may turn to alcohol or other drugs. True relief comes by talking about our secrets, by sharing who we really are with others. Our program helps us live a life based on honesty. Our program helps us battle shame. We don’t keep secrets anymore. We start our meetings and share what we tried to keep secret before.

” Hi, my name is____________, and I’m am alcoholic.” ” Hi my name is_____________, and I’m a drug addict.” We keep telling our secret, and the shame gets less and less.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I pray to live an honest life.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list any secrets I’ve been keeping. I’ll talk with my sponsor about them.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Today brings some gravity to how you show nurturance. While there is an expansive flow of spirit and emotions, Saturn is calling for a disciplined and reserved way of showing up for others. If it seems you’re speaking a different language in conversation, pause and ask questions to demonstrate your desire to understand where someone is coming from. This allows others to feel truly heard while you read between the lines to feel the essence of the message. Active listening creates the space for authentic connection.

Daily Recovery Readings
July 2, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE HEART OF TRUE SOBRIETY

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open-mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 568

Am I honest enough to accept myself as I am and let this be the “me” that I let others see? Do I have the willingness to go to any length, to do whatever is necessary to stay sober? Do I have the open-mindedness to hear what I have to hear, to think what I have to think, and to feel what I have to feel?

If my answer to these questions is “Yes,” I know enough about the spirituality of the program to stay sober. As I continue to work the Twelve Steps, I move on to the heart of true sobriety: serenity with myself, with others, and with God as I understand Him.

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

Big Book Quote

“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.”

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

Keep It Simple

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. — Albert Einstein

None of us know anything for sure about the future. We don’t know if we’ll be sober tomorrow.

But we can be sure of this moment. We get sober by moments. Our sober moments then stretch into hours, day, and years

Our program tell us to live in the present moment. This is because we can control this moment

We can’t control the past or the future. We need to have a sense of control in our life. In our illness, we were out of control. This was because we wouldn’t live from moment to moment.

Each moment is filled with as much life as we can handle. Each moment is filled with enough to keep us alive, interested, and growing.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me find You in each moment.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll stop and focus on the present moment. I will work to see how much control I can have if I stay with the moment at hand.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Today’s cosmic weather supports roaming and adventure. Whether it’s enjoying a more scenic route to work or indulging in your daydreams, going with the flow brings a lightness of spirit and optimism. Breaking free from the mundane tickles your heart. Feel free to detach from your old philosophical ideals in the random pursuit of knowledge. Shaking up the status quo is the name of the game, so welcome new opportunities when they knock at your door. The possibilities are endless if you’re willing to embrace the unknown.

Daily Recovery Readings
July 1, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE BEST FOR TODAY

The principles we have set down are guides to progress.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 60

Just as a sculptor will use different tools to achieve desired effects in creating a work of art, in Alcoholics Anonymous the Twelve Steps are used to bring about results in my own life. I do not overwhelm myself with life’s problems, and how much more work needs to be done. I let myself be comforted in knowing that my life is now in the hands of my Higher Power, a master craftsman who is shaping each part of my life into a unique work of art. By working my program I can be satisfied, knowing that “in doing the best that we can for today, we are doing all that God asks of us.”

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

Big Book Quote

“Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. 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, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

Keep It Simple

Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.—Step Seven

In Step Six, we got ready to give up our shortcomings. In Step Seven, we ask God to remove them. There is one catch. We humbly as God to remove them.

Being humble means we remember who we are: human beings who need God’s help. Being humble means not pretending we’re God. We admit we need God’s help. Being humble means seeing ourselves as we are. We’re a small but important part of God’s plan. We can change much, but only God can change some things about us. This is why we ask. Being humble is not a weakness, but a true strength.

Prayer for the Day:
God, please remove my shortcomings.

Action for the Day:
Throughout the day, I’ll pray to God to remove my shortcomings.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your magnetism is your superpower, so you don’t have to chase when everyone is drawn to you. Others can’t help but be attracted to a fresh spark in your energy that is both subtle and magnanimous. Boundaries are sexy, so don’t forget your built-in crab shell protection. Today’s presentations can set the stage for new frontiers in partnership and professionalism as the month unfolds. You’ll know who to let in and what to receive if you simply trust your intuition.

Daily Recovery Readings
June 30, 2018

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

SACRIFICE = UNITY = SURVIVAL

The unity, the effectiveness, and even the survival of A.A. will always depend upon our continued willingness to give up some of our personal ambitions and desires for the common safety and welfare. Just as sacrifice means survival for the individual alcoholic, so does sacrifice mean unity and survival for the group and for A.A.’s entire Fellowship.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 220

I have learned that I must sacrifice some of my personality traits for the good of A.A. and, as a result, I have been rewarded with many gifts. False pride can be inflated through prestige but, by living Tradition Six, I receive the gift of humility instead. Cooperation without affiliation is often deceiving. If I remain unrelated to outside interests, I am free to keep A.A. autonomous. Then the Fellowship will be here, healthy and strong for generations to come.

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

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

“When people presented us with spiritual approaches, how frequently did we all say, “I wish I had what that man has. I’m sure it would work if I could only believe as he believes. But I cannot accept as surely true the many articles of faith which are so plain to him.” So it was comforting to learn that we could commence at a simpler level.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 47~

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

If you don’t know where you are going, You’ll probably end up somewhere else.
— Lawrence J. Peter

The Twelve Steps are our plan of living. We must have a plan. Without one, we waste our energy.
We react instead of think. This is what we did as an addict. We lived our lives as out-of-control people. This caused a lot of pain for us and those around us.

Recovery brings us the Twelve Steps, and each Step gives us direction and wisdom. Each Step builds on the progress we made from the Step before it. Sometimes we follow the plan well. Sometimes we think we can do better on our own. Do I believe the Twelve Steps are a good plan of living?

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, You have shown me a new way of life, a plan for living. Thank you for leading me to the Twelve Steps. Help me follow them.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll take time out to read the Twelve Steps. Then I’ll list three reasons why the Steps are a good plan for living.

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

Although you are quick to absorb incoming data today, you must be careful about trusting everything you learn, especially when it comes to finances. Irrepressible Uranus tussles with insightful Mercury in your 2nd House of Money, tempting you to jump to conclusions if you think you know more than you do. You may not be able to prove your unconventional ideas based upon actual research, but what you sense now is worth more than a string of isolated facts. Arthur C. Clarke wrote, “The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.”

Daily Recovery Readings
June 29, 2018

Daily Reflection

A RIPPLING EFFECT

Having learned to live so happily, we’d show everyone else how. . .Yes, we of A.A. did dream those dreams. How natural that was, since most alcoholics are bankrupt idealists. . .So why shouldn’t we share our way of life with everyone?

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 156

The great discovery of sobriety led me to feel the need to spread the “good news” to the world around me. The grandiose thoughts of my drinking days returned. Later, I learned that concentrating on my own recovery was a full-time process. As I became a sober citizen in this world, I observed a rippling effect which, without any conscious effort on my part, reached any “related facility or outside enterprise,” without diverting me from my primary purpose of staying
sober and helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

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

Big Book Quote

“We began to see that the world and its people really dominated us. In that state, the wrong-doing of others, fancied or real, had power to actually kill. How could we escape? We saw that these resentments must be mastered, but how? We could not wish them away any more than alcohol.”

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

Keep It Simple

I don’t believe in the life afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.
—Woody Allen

Most of us have many questions about a Higher Power. Sometimes we have more questions than answers. No matter how much we believe about God, there are always questions. Why do bad things happen if God is good? Does God punish people?
Is God called Jesus, Buddha, the Great Spirit? Perhaps we’ve chosen a name for our Higher Power, or maybe we haven’t. Yet, we know there is some Power great than ourselves that’s helping us in recovery.

We know what we need to know about God for today. We know how to ask for help, and how to accept help.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me to know You more clearly. There’s much I’m not sure about. For now, I will act as if the help I get comes from You.

Action for the Day:
I’ll think of three ways my Higher Power has done just the right thing for me.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Important matters demand your attention today and it’s best you concentrate on the business at hand. Unfortunately, you might rather be doing something else, but it’s not wise to follow your impulses when responsibilities are left unmet. A little strategizing goes a long way now, so figure out what you must do, make a plan and then get to work. Luckily, your current efforts will likely have a greater impact than you realize, even if it takes time to see the results. Warren Buffett said, “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

Daily Recovery Readings
June 28, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE DETERMINATION OF OUR FOUNDERS

A year and six months later these three had succeeded with seven more.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159

If it had not been for the fierce determination of our founders, A.A. would have quickly faded like so many other so-called good causes. I look at the hundreds of meetings weekly in the city where I live and I know A.A. is available twenty-four hours a day. If I had had to hang on with nothing but hope and a desire not to drink, experiencing rejection wherever I went, I would have sought the easier, softer way and returned to my previous way of life.

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

Big Book Quote

“When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us!”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 57~

Keep It Simple

The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form.
–Stanley J. Randall

Trying to be perfect get us into trouble. Trying to be perfect means we’re trying to control things.We may be trying to cover up something. Maybe we aren’t facing our pain. Maybe we’ve hurt someone and we need to make amends.

We need to practice being human. Humans aren’t perfect. In Steps Six and Seven, we face our human limits and our shortcomings. We then start the lifelong job of letting them go. To accept our human limits leads us to our Higher Power. We see how we need a guide in life. Our Higher Power makes a perfect guide.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me accept that I can’t be perfect. Help me be a good human being.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll list my shortcoming. I’ll talk with a friend about them. I’ll ask my friend to tell me what my good qualities are.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Sometimes, taking care of your own needs first better equips you to provide emotional nourishment for those who rely on you. The responsible Capricorn Full Moon highlights your 7th House of Partnerships, reflecting your yearning for something more than the temporary satisfaction provided by a passing whim. However grand your expectations may be today, don’t confuse reality with your illusions. Jawaharlal Nehru said, “Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes.”

Daily Recovery Readings
June 27, 2018

Daily Reflection

CONFORMING TO THE A.A. WAY

We obey A.A.’s Steps and Traditions because we really want them for ourselves. It is no longer a question of good or evil; we conform because we genuinely want to conform. Such is our process of growth in unity and function. Such is the evidence of God’s grace and love among us.

— A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 106

It is fun to watch myself grow in A.A. I fought conformity to A.A. principles from the moment I entered, but I learned from the pain of my belligerence that, in choosing to live the A.A. way of life, I opened myself to God’s grace and love. Then I began to know the full meaning of being a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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

Big Book Quote

“It did not satisfy us to be told that we could not control our drinking just because we were maladjusted to life, that we were in full flight from reality, or were outright mental defectives. These things were true to some extent, in fact, to a considerable extent with some of us. But we are sure that our bodies were sickened as well. In our belief, any picture of the alcoholic which leaves out this physical factor is incomplete.”

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

Keep It Simple

Hell is not to love anymore.-–Geogre Bernanos

Someone in an AA group said, “From the first day I started this program, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.” This person had walked into a room full of love. In recovery, we are spiritual people because we believe in love. We have faith in love.

Love is respect. Love is truth with kindness. Love is being willing to forgive and help others.

Love is thinking about how our Higher Power wants us to act. Love is what we do best. We have turned our will and our life over to love.

Prayer for the Day:
I pray that I may love all parts of life. Higher Power, help me seek out love, not material things.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll think about what I love about recovery. I will share this with a couple of friends and my Higher Power.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You may be challenged to make an important relationship decision today. The judgments of those close to you confront your recent optimistic behavior. Nevertheless, spewing words and acting recklessly could produce accidents, anger or aggression. Thankfully, channeling this intense energy in a meaningful way might lead to a significant breakthrough in other areas of your life. Frida Kahlo wrote, “I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.”

Daily Recovery Readings
June 26, 2018

Daily Reflection

A GIFT THAT GROWS WITH TIME

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.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 151

The longer I chased these elusive feelings with alcohol, the more out of reach they were. However, by applying this passage to my sobriety, I found that it described the magnificent new life made available to me by the A.A. program. “It” truly does “get better” one day at a time. The warmth, the love and the joy so simply expressed in these words grow in breadth and depth each time I read it. Sobriety is a gift that grows with time.

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

Big Book Quote

“Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kill us! God makes that possible. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. Many of us had moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live up to them even though we would have liked to.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

Keep It Simple

But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads.
—Albert Camus

Sometimes we sat we’re getting out lives together. Together with what? With our selves. The Twelve Steps help us clean up the mess we’ve made. We’re fixing our mistakes. We’re looking at ourselves closely—at what we believe, what we feel, what we like to do, who we are. We’re asking our High Power to help us to be our best.

No wonder over lives are coming together! No wonder we feel more peace, harmony, and happiness!

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me remember the best harmony comes when I sing from Your songbook.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll make choices that are in line with who I am.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You might not be able to avoid revisiting a complex relationship issue involving shared property today. However, you may need to temporarily remove yourself from the drama to regain control of the situation. Unfortunately, your current lack of confidence could interfere with your progress, especially if you try to be logical when making decisions. Instead, trusting your intuition will guide you to success while action-oriented Mars backpedals in your 8th House of Regeneration. Profound changes are unfolding, even if you can’t yet visualize the end point of this metamorphosis. True transformation takes time.

Daily Recovery Readings
June 25, 2018

Daily Reflection

A TWO-WAY STREET

If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 65

When I prayed, I used to omit a lot of things for which I needed to be forgiven. I thought that if I didn’t mention these things to God, He would never know about them. I did not know that if I had just forgiven myself for some of my past deeds, God would forgive me also. I was always taught to prepare for the journey through life, never realizing until I came to A.A. – when I honestly became willing to be taught forgiveness and forgiving – that life itself is the journey. The journey of life is a very happy one, as long as I am willing to accept change and responsibility.

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

Big Book Quote

“Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do. People have said we must not go where liquor is served; we must not have it in our homes; we must shun friends who drink; we must avoid moving pictures which show drinking scenes; we must not go into bars; our friends must hide their bottles if we go to their houses; we mustn’t think or be reminded about alcohol at all. Our experience shows that this is not necessarily so.

We meet these conditions every day. An alcoholic who cannot meet them, still has an alcoholic mind; there is something the matter with his spiritual status.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 100~

Keep It Simple

When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that three of his fingers are pointing at himself.—Louis Nizer

It’s so easy to blame others. Others are always making mistakes we can hide behind. That’s what blame is—hiding. When we blame others for our mistakes, we’re trying to hide our character defects.

It’s nobody else’s fault that we act the way we do. It’s our fault. We’re responsible for our actions.

And with the help of our Higher Power, we can change. We can turn over our character defects. Over time, we’re not afraid to learn about ourselves—even the parts we don’t like—because we want to know ourselves better.

Prayer for the Day:
I pray for help in facing my character defects.

Action for the Day:
I’ll think about the past week. I’ll list times I’ve used blame to hide from reality.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You are a wealth magnet today, but you could end up spending more money than you attract. If you truly believe you can write yourself a blank check, the cash may magically appear, enabling you to cover an extravagant purchase. But don’t push your luck too far or you might find yourself with a financial promise you can’t keep, a high level of disappointment or an expensive item you don’t even want. Greek philosopher Epictetus wrote, “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

Daily Recovery Readings
June 24, 2018

Daily Reflection

A SPIRITUAL KINDERGARTEN

We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace to go on living to better effect.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 95

When I came to A.A., I was run down by the bottle and wanted to lose the obsession to drink, but I didn’t really know how to do that. I decided to stick around long enough to find out from the ones who went before me. All of a sudden I was thinking about God! I was told to get a Higher Power and I had no idea what one looked like. I found out there are many Higher Powers. I was told to find God, as I understand Him, that there was no doctrine of the Godhead in A.A. I found what worked for me and then asked that Power to restore me to sanity. The obsession to drink was removed and – one day at a time – my life went on, and I learned how to live sober.

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

Big Book Quote

“Whether the family goes on a spiritual basis or not, the alcoholic member has to if he would recover. The others must be convinced of his new status beyond the shadow of a doubt. Seeing is believing to most families who have lived with a drinker.”

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

Keep It Simple

Beauty is gift of God.—Aristotle

In our addiction, we often went after what was ugly in life. Maybe we hung out in bad places.
Maybe we saw people’s defects instead of their beauty. Addiction is ugly, painful disease. The worst part of addiction is how it doesn’t let us see beauty in the world.

There is much beauty in each of us. Recovery is beautiful. Our stories are beautiful. The way we help each other is beautiful. The way we become loving family members is beautiful. But sometimes, we may still see the world as ugly. At these times, we need to turn to our program.

Maybe we need to help someone by working Step Twelve. Maybe we need ask to give the Step at our meeting. Maybe we just need to read the Big Book. Whatever we do, one thing is sure— if we turn to our program, we’ll see how beautiful the world is.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me see beautiful today. Help me be beautiful today.

Action for the Day:
Today I’ll let myself feel beautiful. I’ll see recovery as beautiful.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You may surprise others today by responding to someone’s negativity with a highly effective plan. You have been through this scenario a hundred times in your mind, and you’re ready for it now that it’s actually happening. Don’t limit yourself to the two possible alternatives that everyone expects you to choose from. Jump outside the box and do something innovative. The more creative you are now, the better your chances for success.