Daily Recovery Readings
June 23, 2018

Daily Reflection

TRUSTING OTHERS

But does trust require that we be blind to other people’s motives or, indeed, to our own? Not at all; this would be folly. Most certainly, we should assess the capacity for harm as well as the capability for good in every person that we would trust. Such a private inventory can reveal the degree of confidence we should extend in any given situation.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 144

I am not a victim of others, but rather a victim of my expectations, choices and dishonesty. When I expect others to be what I want them to be and not who they are, when they fail to meet my expectations, I am hurt. When my choices are based on self-centeredness, I find I am lonely and distrustful. I gain confidence in myself, however, when I practice honesty in all my affairs. When I search my motives and am honest and trusting, I am aware of the capacity for harm in situations and can avoid those that are harmful.

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

Big Book Quote

“There may be some wrongs we can never fully right. We don’t worry about them if we can honestly say to ourselves that we would right them if we could.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg 83

Keep It Simple

Words are sacred, we must use them wisely. . . . They are a gift from God.
~Burton Pretty-On-Top

We use words to bring peace to others. We can use words to tell God and others how much we care. Or we can use words to hurt others. We can curse them and scare them away. We often did when we used alcohol and other drugs.

In recovery, we learn to use words in a kind, wise way. We treat words as a gift from God. We use words to build our relationships.

Do I always use words in a kind way? Do I treat words as a powerful gift from God? Do my words make the world better or worse for those who hear me speak?

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, when I speak words, help me think about their power. Help me speak to others in a kind way.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll speak to others with respect. My words will add a little kindness, honesty, and love to the world today.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

People could jump to the conclusion that you are weak because you don’t stand up for yourself in public until you are pushed into an untenable place. However, they couldn’t be more wrong. You don’t want to make a spectacle of your defensive stance when you prefer to just let it slide for now. Unfortunately, your silence sends the wrong signal today, making it even more challenging to get your message across next time. Expending energy on those who don’t treat you well is a path to disappointment. Respect is a two-way street.

Daily Recovery Readings
June 22, 2018

Daily Reflection

TODAY, I’M FREE

This brought me to the good healthy realization that there were plenty of situations left in the world over which I had no personal power – that if I was so ready to admit that to be the case with alcohol, so I must make the same admission with respect to much else. I would have to be still and know that He, not I, was God.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 114

I am learning to practice acceptance in all circumstances of my life, so that I may enjoy peace of mind. At one time life was a constant battle because I felt I had to go through each day fighting myself, and everyone else. Eventually, this became a losing battle. I ended up getting drunk and crying over my misery. When I began to let go and let God take over my life I began to have peace of mind. Today, I am free. I do not have to fight anybody or anything anymore.

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

Big Book Quote

“When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He isn’t.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~

Keep It Simple

The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.—St. Augustine.

We started recovering the minute we admitted we were powerless over our illness. We crossed over from dishonesty to honesty.

+Often, we don’t see what power honestly has. Maybe we still aren’t sure that being honest is best for us. It is! This is why the authors of the Big Book ask us to be totally honest from the start.

Just as denial is what makes addiction work, honesty is what makes recovery work.

Honesty means self-respect. Honesty heals. Honesty let us look people in the eyes. What comfort we’ll feel as we deeper into our program.

Prayer for the Day:
I pray that I’ll let go totally. I pray that I’ll keep no secrets that could put my sobriety at risk.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll read the first three pages of “How It Works” in the Big Book.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Although you might be overwhelmed with the number of possible changes that could impact your life today, you gradually grow more confident by handling issues as they arise. But just because you are capable of responding to a crisis, this doesn’t mean you enjoy the accompanying anxiety. Obviously, there are things you can do to reduce the stress, such as exercise, yoga or meditation. Or, you could completely eliminate the tension by drastically modifying your lifestyle. Dr. Wayne Dyer wrote, “The only limits you have are the limits you believe.”

Daily Recovery Readings
June 21, 2018

Daily Reflection

FEAR AND FAITH

The achievement of freedom from fear is a lifetime undertaking, one that can never be wholly completed. When under heavy attack, acute illness, or in other conditions of serious insecurity, we shall all react to this emotion — well or badly, as the case may be. Only the self-deceived will claim perfect freedom from fear.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 263

Fear has caused suffering when I could have had more faith. There are times when fear suddenly tears me apart, just when I’m experiencing feelings of joy, happiness and a lightness of heart. Faith — and a feeling of self-worth toward a Higher Power — helps me endure tragedy and ecstasy. When I choose to give all of my fears over to my Higher Power, I will be free.

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

Big Book Quote

“This painful past may be of infinite value to other families still struggling with their problem. We think each family which has been relieved owes something to those who have not, and when the occasion requires, each member of it should be only too willing to bring former mistakes, no matter how grievous, out of their hiding places.
Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now.”

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

Keep It Simple

The future is much like the present, only longer.—Dan Quisenberry

In many way we don’t know what the future holds. But in terms of recovery, we know the future holds the Twelve steps. They will be with us for life.

We should never fall into the trap of thinking we “know” the program. We’ll never know all the truth and love the Steps hold for us. “Knowing the Steps” is a project we’ll never finish. As we change , the Steps change. As the seasons come and go, the same field or the same tree becomes a different picture.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I pray for Your help as I work the Steps and continue my recovery. Help me discover new treasures.

Action for the Day:
I will ask long-time members of my program how they keep the program fresh and alive.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

There are big changes in the air and you are particularly susceptible to feeling them today. Major plans require your attention because resources for creative projects, vacation or leisure are limited now. It’s time to reconsider your priorities, but you must look ahead, not behind, to fully experience the present. Tempers may flare over conflicting ideas about money while a tense Venus-Mars opposition emphasizes your 2nd House of Finances. However, the real battle is not over spending; it’s over control.

Daily Recovery Readings
June 20, 2018

Daily Reflection

RELEASE FROM FEAR

“The problem of resolving fear has two aspects. We shall have to try for all the freedom from fear that is possible for us to attain. Then we shall need to find both the courage and grace to deal constructively with whatever fears remain.”

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 61

Most of my decisions were based on fear. Alcohol made life easier to face, but the time came when alcohol was no longer an alternative to fear. One of the greatest gifts in A.A. for me has been the courage to take action, which I can do with God’s help. After five years of sobriety I had to deal with a heavy dose of fear. God put the people in my life to help me do that and, through my working the Twelve Steps, I am becoming the whole person I wish to be and, for that, I am deeply grateful.

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

Big Book Quote

“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—, that principle is contempt prior to investigation.'”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual Experience, pg. 568~

Keep It Simple

Order is heaven’s first law.—Alexander Pope

We need order in our lives. It makes life simpler for us. Life without order would be like driving in a large city without traffic signals. Our lives as addicts were like this. We lived with no plan, no order.

Now that we’re sober, we can put some order in our lives. We can get up every morning. We can make our beds and be on time for work. These things make life so much easier and nicer. we need this order. It allows us to depend on ourselves.
We now look at the Twelve Steps to bring order to our lives. The Steps follow each other as summer follows spring. Do I allow myself to follow the natural order or do I fight it?

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, You’ve put order in this world. Please put order in my life. Let me flow within this order instead of being on my own.

Action for the Day:
The Twelve Steps have a natural order. Today I’ll take time to read each Step and think about the order found in them.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

A refreshing sense of self-confidence empowers you to test the limits of your freedom. However, someone may try to curtail your actions if your behavior rubs them the wrong way. Find the courage to resist anyone else’s efforts to add more structure to your life today. Speak your truth directly from your heart. Unfortunately, you could lose your charismatic edge as soon as you start to filter your words. Philanthropist Bernard Baruch wrote, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

Daily Recovery Readings
June 19, 2018

Daily Reflection

“A.A. REGENERATION”

Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one’s old life as a condition for finding a new one.

— A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 46

A thousand beatings by John Barleycorn did not encourage me to admit defeat. I believed it was my moral obligation to conquer my “enemy-friend.” At my first A.A. meeting I was blessed with a feeling that it was all right to admit defeat to a disease which had nothing to do with my “moral fiber.” I knew instinctively that I was in the presence of a great love when I entered the doors of A.A. With no effort on my part, I became aware that to love myself was good and right, as God had intended. My feelings set me free, where my thoughts had held me in bondage. I am grateful.

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

Big Book Quote

“The basic principles of the A.A. program, it appears, hold good for individuals with many different lifestyles, just as the program has brought recovery to those of many different nationalities. The Twelve Steps that summarize the program may be called los Doce Pasos in one country, les Douze Etapes in another, but they trace exactly the same path to recovery that was blazed by the earliest members of Alcoholics Anonymous.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Foreward To Third Edition, Page xxii~

Keep It Simple

If you tell the truth, you don’t need to remember anything.—Mark Twain

One thing is a lot easier in life now is this—we can keep our story straight! We are learning that there’s one really good way to get along with people. Keep It Simple. Just tell the truth.

It’s hard to do at first. We might think, “If people see the real me, what will happen?” We might be afraid of what will happen if we don’t lie or make excuses.

But telling the truth works! We find out we never did fool anyone anyway!

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, make me honest.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list all the ways honesty will help me in recovery. I’ll sign-up to give a meeting on honesty.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your rocket ship is on the launch pad today, ready to carry you to your dreams. But instead of concentrating on your looming success, you might be preoccupied with those things you need to leave behind. Nostalgia can be sweet, but it anchors you to the past and you can’t take excess baggage with you on the journey that’s about to begin. You can start the next chapter of your life only when you stop rereading your last one. Embrace the future and don’t look back.

Daily Recovery Readings
June 18, 2018

Daily Reflection

A FELLOWSHIP OF FREEDOM

. . . if only men were granted absolute liberty, and were compelled to obey no one, they would then voluntarily associate themselves in the common interest.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 50

When I no longer live under the dictates of another or of alcohol, I live in a new freedom. When I release the past and all the excess baggage I have carried for so very long, I come to know freedom. I have been introduced into a life and a fellowship of freedom. The Steps are a “recommended” way of finding a new life, there are no commands or dictates in A.A. I am free to serve from desire rather than decree. There is the understanding that I will benefit from the growth of other members and I take what I learn and bring it back to the group. The “common welfare” finds room to grow in the society of personal freedom.

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

Big Book Quote

“Highly competent psychiatrists who have dealt with us have found it sometimes impossible to persuade an alcoholic to discuss his situation without reserve. Strangely enough, wives, parents and intimate friends usually find us even more unapproachable than do the psychiatrist and the doctor. But the ex problem drinker who has found this solution, who is properly armed with facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours. Until such an understanding is reached, little or nothing can be accomplished.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 18~

Keep It Simple

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely. Rodin

When we first start our recovery, it hurts a lot to look at our past. We feel sad. It feels like our life was a waste.

But it wasn’t a waste. The program promises that if we practice the Steps, we’ll not reget the past nor wish to shut the door on it. Hard to believe? Just look at all the happy old-timers in AA. Their lives were just as messed up as ours.

Because of our addiction, we’re learning a new way to live. We are getting to know ourselves, our Higher Power, and other people.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, thanks for helping me into recovery. Help me learn from my addiction.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list three important things I’ve learned about life because of my addiction. I’ll talk to my sponsor about them.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You have so many solid thoughts today that people ask you questions just to hear you think out loud. You have no patience now for fuzzy thinking or pie-in-the-sky ideas that won’t lead to anything real. It’s not that you’ve lost your sense of wonder; it’s just that your reality filter is currently functioning at a very high level, empowering you to be an authority on just about everything. Use your power wisely. Political consultant Dick Morris wrote, “There is no substitute for a clear vision and decisive direction.”

Daily Recovery Readings June 17, 2018

Daily Reflection

“DEEP DOWN WITHIN US”

We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found. . . . search diligently within yourself . . . With this attitude you cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 55

It was out of the depths of loneliness, depression and despair that I sought the help of A.A. As I recovered and began to face the emptiness and ruin of my life, I began to open myself to the possibility of the healing that recovery offers through the A.A. program. By coming to meetings, staying sober, and taking the Steps, I had the opportunity to listen with increasing attentiveness to the depths of my soul. Daily I waited, in hope and gratitude, for that sure belief and steadfast love I had longed for in my life. In this process, I met my God, as I understand Him.

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

Big Book Quote

“Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider anothers conception of God. Our own conception, however inadequate, was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with Him. As soon as we admitted the possible existence of a Creative Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of things, we began to be possessed of a new sense of power and direction, provided we took other simple steps.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~

Keep It Simple

Each day provides its own gifts. —Ruth D. Freedman

Life is full of wonderful gifts. Recovery is life’s greatest gift to us. If we’re not excited about being sober, we need to check ourselves. Are we keeping something secret? Is there a sadness we need to talk about? Are we stuffing anger? These things eat away at our excitement for life.

Many addicts never get the gift of recovery. Those of us in recovery are special. We’ve been given a new life. There will be hard times. But the joy of getting a second chance will be stronger. Am

I grateful that I’ve been given recovery?

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me see recovery as a gift. I deserve this gift because I’m human. Help me to always accept this gift.

Action for the Day:
At the end of the day, I’ll list three gifts that this day has given me.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

It might feel like you’re living your life inside a fishbowl and everyone can see your dreams as if they are transparent. However, you’re not ready for your new ideas to become public just yet, tempting you to go into hiding in order to avoid being seen. You would love a bit more space to gather your thoughts, but additional time is not available to you now. Amelia Earhart said, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”

Daily Recovery Readings
June 15, 2018

Daily Reflection

“. . .You can . . . make A.A. itself your ‘higher power.’ Here’s a very large group of people who have solved their alcohol problem. . . . many members . . . have crossed the threshold just this way. . . . their faith broadened and deepened. . . . transformed, they came to believe in a Higher Power. . . .”

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 27-28

No one was greater than I, at least in my eyes, when I was drinking. Nevertheless, I couldn’t smile at myself in the mirror, so I came to A.A. where, with others, I heard talk of a Higher Power. I couldn’t accept the concept of a Higher Power because I believed God was cruel and unloving. In desperation I chose a table, a tree, then my A.A. group, as my Higher Power. Time passed, my life improved, and I began to wonder about this Higher Power. Gradually, with patience, humility and a lot of questions, I came to believe in God. Now my relationship with my Higher Power gives me the strength to live a happy, sober life.

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

Big Book Quote

“Everybody knows that those in bad health, and those who seldom play, do not laugh much. So let each family play together or separately as much as their circumstances warrant. We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~

Keep It Simple

He who laughs, last.—Mary Pettibone Poole

It feels good to laugh again! Our disease took away our sense of humor. Recovery gives it back.

That’s why there’s so much laughter at our meetings. By seeing the funny side of things, we ease up.

A person in treatment was talking about the Higher Power he had come to believe in. The counselor asked, “Does God have a sense of humor?” The group had fun talking about this idea for a while. The next day, the counselor came to work and found a note on her door. It read: “Of course God has a sense of humor. He made you, didn’t He? Laughter helps us heal.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me ease up today. Let me see the funny side of things.

Action for the Day:
I’ll let myself laugh today.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You can express volumes with your eyes and body language without any verbal explanation. In fact, you often rely on the subtler aspects of communication, expecting others to read between the lines. But don’t assume everyone else possesses the same intuitive skills of observation as you. Interactive Mercury’s opposition to pragmatic Saturn requires you to take extra steps to make your feelings known. If you have something important on your mind, give it voice. Miguel Ruiz wrote, “Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean.”

Daily Recovery Readings
April 23, 2018

Daily Reflection

A.A. IS NOT A CURE-ALL

It would be a product of false pride to claim that A.A. is a cure-all, even for alcoholism.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 285

In my early years of sobriety I was full of pride, thinking that A.A. was the only source of treatment for a good and happy life. It certainly was the basic ingredient for my sobriety and even today, with over twelve years in the program, I am very involved in meetings, sponsorship and service. During the first four years of my recovery, I found it necessary to seek professional help, since my emotional health was extremely poor. There are those folks too, who have found sobriety and happiness in other organizations. A.A. taught me that I had a choice: to go to any lengths to enhance my sobriety. A.A. may not be a cure-all for everything, but it is the center of my sober living.

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

Big Book Quote

“Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found we could not place money first. For us, material well being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 127~

Keep It Simple

When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen. — Ernest Hemingway

It’s hard to listen in a complete way. Often we listen, but we’re still thinking about ourselves. We wonder, “How do their words relate to me? Do I have anything to add?” Often, fear is behind these questions. We fear saying the wrong thing. We fear looking stupid. Good listeners know how to let go of their fears. To listen completely, we step outside ourselves, and we’re totally there for someone else. Sometimes we listen for only a few moments. Sometimes we don’t even agree with the people we’re listening to. But we let them know that they count. What a gift we give when we listen in a complete way!

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, teach me to listen in a complete way. Teach me to step outside myself and be their for others.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll listen to what the person says.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You have trouble explaining why you feel so excited today, but secretly you are hopeful that there will be profound solutions to big problems. Unfortunately, you don’t necessarily see any specific clues that point the way toward the possibility of a significant dialogue. In fact, it seems as if all the important decisions have already been made and you are simply left waiting to hear the results of the judgment. But in your heart of hearts you know you can still make a difference. Novelist Amy Tan wrote, “If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude.”

Daily Recovery Readings
April 22, 2018

Daily Reflection

NEW SOIL . . . NEW ROOTS

Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of spiritual serenity, as I have excellent reason to know. Roots of reality, supplanting the neurotic underbrush, will hold fast despite the high winds of the forces which would destroy us, or which we would use to destroy ourselves.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 173

I came to A.A. green–a seedling quivering with exposed taproots. It was for survival but it was a beginning. I stretched, developed, twisted, but with the help of others, my spirit eventually burst up from the roots. I was free. I acted, withered, went inside, prayed, acted again, understood anew, as one moment of perception struck. Up from my roots, spirit-arms lengthened into strong, green shoots: high-springing servants stepping skyward. Here on earth God unconditionally continues the legacy of higher love. My A.A. life put me “on a different footing . . . [my] roots grasped a new soil.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12).

Big Book Quote

3rd Step Prayer:

“God, I offer myself to Thee —to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 63~

Keep It Simple

One meets his destiny often on the road one takes to avoid it.—French proverb

None of us, perhaps, ever thought we’d end up in recovery. But we were working at joining recovery years before we got here! Maybe recovery was our fate from the day we first took a drink or a pill. Others around us could see the writing on the wall, but we couldn’t. We were to busy trying to avoid the pain. Alcoholism and other drug abuse have to do with us trying to find spiritual wholeness— the kind of spiritual wholeness we’re finding now. . .in recovery. So, let’s welcome recovery into our lives. We have found our spiritual home.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I got lost because I acted like I knew the way to a good life. You lead the way. Thank-you for putting me on the right track.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll think about why it’s my fate to be in recovery. I will list ways that I try to avoid my fate.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Although you want to take more time off today to spend in contemplation, responsibilities are waiting for your return. You may be clinging to a recent emotional interaction, unwilling to let it go just yet. Knowing that your behavior reveals more than you intend, you might resign yourself to fulfilling your obligations and meeting everyone’s expectations at work. Thankfully, you become a little less attached to your feelings once the reflective Moon leaves your sign for the bright sunlit fields of Leo. Forget it enough to get over it, remember it enough so it doesn’t happen again.