Daily Recovery Readings for January 4, 2018:

Daily Reflection

BEGIN WHERE YOU ARE

We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A much more important demonstration of our principles lies before us in our respective homes, occupations and affairs.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 19

It’s usually pretty easy for me to be pleasant to the people in an A.A. setting. While I’m working to stay sober, I’m celebrating with my fellow A.A.s our common release from the hell of drinking. It’s often not so hard to spread glad tidings to my old and new friends in the program.

At home or at work, though, it can be a different story. It is in situations arising in both of those areas that the little day-to-day frustrations are most evident, and where it can be tough to smile or reach out with a kind word or an attentive ear. It’s outside of the A.A. rooms that I face the real test of the effectiveness of my walk through A.A.’s Twelve Steps.

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

Big Book Quote

“To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis
are not always easy alternatives to face.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, Page 44~

Keep It Simple

He who is swift to believe is swift to forget.-—Abraham Joshua Herschel

Life is full of questions. Many people tell us they have the answers. We have to be careful of who and what we believe. Other people’s ideas may not fit us. The program doesn’t tell us much about what to believe. It teaches us how to believe. How well the program works for us depends on what we believe and how well we live it. When we face all the facts, we can really believe. We believe we are powerless over our addiction. We believe we must and can change some things in our lives. We believe we can trust a Higher Power to care for us. When we choose to believe, we want to choose the best beliefs we can. And once we believe, we must not forget.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me know You, and help me know the truth.

Action for the Day:
Today I’ll think about my First Step. Do I truly believe I’m powerless over my disease?

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

It might feel as if people are judging you harshly before they even know your intentions. However, there is no reason to try to convince anyone that your plan is valuable today. If you are confident in your ability to see the big picture and to bring generalities down to earth, then you don’t need any input from others at this time — especially if you know it will be negative. There’s no reason to complicate your life when it’s already on track to success.

Daily Recovery Readings for January 2, 2018:

Daily Reflection

FIRST, THE FOUNDATION

Is sobriety all that we can expect of a spiritual awakening? No, sobriety is only a bare beginning.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 8

Practicing the A.A. program is like building a house. First I had to pour a big, thick concrete slab on which to erect the house; that, to me, was the equivalent of stopping drinking. But it’s pretty uncomfortable living on a concrete slab, unprotected and exposed to the heat, cold, wind and rain. So I built a room on the slab by starting to practice the program. The first room was rickety because I wasn’t used to the work. But as time passed, as I practiced the program, I learned to build better rooms. The more I practiced, and the more I built, the more comfortable, and happy, was the home I now have to live in.

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

Big Book Quote

“Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery. A kindly act once in a while isn’t enough. You have to act the Good Samaritan every day, if need be.”

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

Keep It Simple

..our lives had become unmanageable.  ~ Second half of Step One.

The First Step tells us a lot about our addiction. We were out of control. Our addiction was in control. Addiction managed everything. It managed our relationships. It managed how we behaved with our families. As Step One says, “…our lives had become unmanageable.” But we pretended we managed our lives. What a lie! Addiction ran our lives–not us. We weren’t honest with ourselves. Our program heals us through self-honesty. We feel better just speaking the truth. We are becoming good people with spiritual values. Our spiritual journey has begun.

Prayer:
Higher Power, I give YOU my life to manage. When I’m faced with a choice, I’ll ask myself, “What would my Higher Power choose for me?”

Action:
Today, I’ll be honest with a friend about how unmanageable my life had become.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Although you thought things were slowing down, the pace picks up today when unforeseen events require you to shift into crisis management mode. There may be a growing resistance to your ideas from those closest to you, and it’s unwise to rock the boat. If someone in your immediate environment wants to take charge, let them. You will be more effective working behind the scenes or supporting others now. The most successful leaders know when to follow another’s lead.

Daily Recovery Readings for January 1, 2018:

Daily Reflection

“I AM A MIRACLE”

The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 25

This truly is a fact in my life today, and a real miracle. I always believed in God, but could never put that belief meaningfully into my life. Today, because of Alcoholics Anonymous, I now trust and rely on God, as I understand Him; I am sober today because of that! Learning to trust and rely on God was something I could never have done alone. I now believe in miracles because I am one!

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

Big Book Quote

“For a brief moment, I had needed and wanted God. There had been a humble willingness to have Him with me — and He came.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, Page 12~

Keep It Simple

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol…–First part of Step One.

In Step One, we accept our powerlessness over alcohol and other drugs. But we are powerless over many parts of life. We are powerless over other people. We are powerless over what our HP has planned for us. Before recovery, we only believed in control. We tried to control everything. We fought against a basic truth, the truth that we are powerless over much of life. When we accept this truth, we begin to see what power we do have. We have the power to make choices. When we’re lonely, we have the power to reach out to others. We have power over how we live our own lives.

PRAYER:
HP, help me to know that it’s You who is running my life. Help me to know that power comes from accepting I am powerless.

ACTION:
I am powerless over much of life. Today, I’ll look to see how this is true. I’ll look to see what I really have control over and what I don’t.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Sometimes, you must speak your mind even if you know your words will run into resistance from others. However, you might decide to keep your feelings to yourself for a while longer. Unfortunately, what starts out as common sense could turn into an excuse. Overcoming your own fear may require an act of faith, but the powerful Cancer Full Moon floods your 1st House of Self, making it more difficult to hide your emotions. Rumi wrote, “Tear off your mask. Your face is glorious.”

Daily Recovery Readings for December 30, 2017:

Daily Reflection

DAILY RESOLUTIONS

The idea of “twenty-four-hour living” applies primarily to the emotional life of the individual. Emotionally speaking, we must not live in yesterday, nor in tomorrow.

— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 284

A New Year: 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes — a time to consider directions, goals, and actions. I must make some plans to live a normal life, but also I must live emotionally within a twenty-four-hour frame, for if I do, I don’t have to make New Year’s resolutions! I can make every day a New Year’s day! I can decide, “Today I will do this . . . Today I will do that.” Each day I can measure my life by trying to do a little better, by deciding to follow God’s will and by making an effort to put the principles of our A.A. program into action.

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

Big Book Quote

“Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power that One is God. May you find Him now!”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 58~

Keep It Simple

May you live all the days of your life’–Jonathan Swift.

Tonight, at midnight, a New Year will begin. None of us know what the New Year will hold. But we can trust ourselves to hold on to the spirit of recovery as we go through the year. As a New Year is about to begin, we can rejoice in our new way of life. We can give our will and our life to our HP. By doing these things, we’ll be ready for the New Year.

PRAYER:
Higher Power, I pray that I’ll start the New Year safe in Your loving arms. I pray that I’ll keep working my program.

ACTION:
Tonight, at midnight, I’ll say the Serenity Prayer. I will think of all the others who have read this meditation book and who will join me in this prayer. We are a recovering community.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You’re eager to work on your objectives for the year ahead, but your rebellious attitude could stop your process in its tracks. You don’t mind when friends or relatives encourage your participation in a group activity, but everyone gets on your nerves today by demanding you have your resolutions ready to share. Once you feel like you’re pushed too far, there’s no easy way back and your only viable choice is to opt out. Fortunately, displaying your “Do Not Disturb” sign tells others to leave you alone long enough to process your feelings and reenter the game when you see fit.

Daily Recovery Readings for December 30, 2017:

Daily Reflection

ANONYMITY

Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 562

Tradition Twelve became important early in my sobriety and, along with the Twelve Steps, it continues to be a must in my recovery. I became aware after I joined the Fellowship that I had personality problems, so that when I first heard it, the Tradition’s message was very clear: there exists an immediate way for me to face, with others, my alcoholism and attendant anger, defensiveness, offensiveness. I saw Tradition Twelve as being a great ego-deflator; it relieved my anger and gave me a chance to utilize the principles of the program. All of the Steps, and this particular Tradition, have guided me over decades of continuous sobriety. I am grateful to those who were here when I needed them.

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

Big Book Quote

“We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, Page 85~

Keep It Simple

Keep It Simple.—AA slogan

Addiction messed up our thinking. We know that from taking Step One. We forgot things. We had blackouts. We made excuses, and we even started to believe them. We were mixed up. We couldn’t figure things out. We decided to get high and forget about it. Now our minds are clear. We can keep thinking clearly if we work our program and Keep It Simple. Don’t drink or use other drugs. Go to meetings. Work the Steps. Be yourself. Ask for help. Trust your Higher Power. Two thoughts will always mess us up if we let them in. They are “Yes, but…” and “What if?” Don’t let them in. Keep It Simple.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, thanks for recovery. Help me stay sober and clean today.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll take one thing at a time and Keep It Simple.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

There is a lot of mental activity cooking behind your bright eyes, but you won’t likely share many of your thoughts today. People around you appear pleasant, but it seems as if they are containing their emotions and expect you to do the same. You can feel the dissonance between your inner restlessness and your outer restraint. Your self-imposed silence drives your attention inward and revitalizes your fantasy life. Enjoy the show for now; you’ll have a chance to talk about it soon enough.

Daily Recovery Readings for December 27, 2017:

Daily Reflection

THE JOY OF LIVING

. . . therefore the joy of good living is the theme of A.A.’s Twelfth Step.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 125

A.A. is a joyful program! Even so, I occasionally balk at taking the necessary steps to move ahead, and find myself resisting the very actions that could bring about the joy I want. I would not resist if those actions did not touch some vulnerable area of my life, an area that needs hope and fulfillment. Repeated exposure to joyfulness has a way of softening the hard, outer edges of my ego. Therein lies the power of joyfulness to help all members of A.A.

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

Big Book Quote

“Those having religious affiliations will find here nothing disturbing to their beliefs or ceremonies. There is no friction among us over such matters.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 28~

Keep It Simple

Many people are living in an emotional jail without recognizing it.  — Virginia Satir.

Our disease was our jail. We felt so bad that we were sure we must have done something awful. But we didn’t cause our disease. We have done nothing to deserve our disease. We aren’t responsible for the fact that we have a disease. But we ARE responsible for our recovery. We have been granted probation. The terms of our probation are simple: don’t drink or use other drugs, and work the Steps. If we follow these simple rules, we’ll be free. And it will be clear to us that only a Power greater than ourselves could give us this freedom.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, help me to stay free. For this next twenty-four – hour period, take from me any urge to drink or use other drugs. With Your help, I’ll be free.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll think about my disease. I am not morally weak. I have a dangerous illness. What can keep me free from my disease?

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

People are a source of common sense now and they help you stay grounded. Although you appreciate the intentions of those close to you, you may also feel oddly constrained by their comfortable presence. You cherish the familiarity and constancy of a dependable relationship, but might withdraw emotionally if you believe your options are being unnecessarily limited. Rather than thinking about next week or next year, you’re considering longer term goals that conflict with your current situation. However, there is no reason to exclude anyone, especially someone who could prove to be your greatest ally in the end.

Daily Recovery Readings for December 27, 2017:

Daily Reflection

Daily Reflections

SUIT UP AND SHOW UP

In A.A. we aim not only for sobriety – we try again to become citizens of the world that we rejected, and of the world that once rejected us. This is the ultimate demonstration toward which Twelfth Step work is the first but not the final step.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 21

The old line says, “Suit up and show up.” That action is so important that I like to think of it as my motto. I can choose each day to suit up and show up, or not. Showing up at meetings starts me toward feeling a part of that meeting, I can talk with newcomers, and I can share my experience; that’s what credibility, honesty, and courtesy really are. Suiting up and showing up are the concrete actions I take in my ongoing return to
normal living.

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

Big Book Quote

“Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk. Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 70~

Keep It Simple

If You Walk With Lame Men You’ll soon Limp Yourself. Seaman McManus

Before recovery, we kept company with people who were as sick as us, or worse. We got angry and made fun of people who were trying to improve their lives. They scared us. They were like mirrors that reflected how spiritually lost we were becoming. Now we walk in the crowd we avoided. Now we have values. We have spiritual beliefs. Living up to these values and beliefs can be hard. We need to be around people who live by their values. In recovery, we learn that we need others. Remember, the first word in Step One is we. We need good people in our lives. We need friends who will not tell us what we want to hear, but what we are doing wrong.

Prayer for the Day:
Sometimes I act like I need no one. Help me pick my friends wisely, for my life is at stake.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll pick one friend, and we’ll talk about how we can better help each other.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You’re a pleasure to be around today, unless someone pushes you too far. Your sensitivity to other people’s feelings endears you to them, increasing your popularity. However, your external sweetness hides your immovable inner core. You may appear to be flexible now, but your long-term goals are not up for negotiation. Your boundaries are much more solid than anyone realizes until they inadvertently intrude into your private territory. The strength of your convictions reveals the strength of your character.

Daily Recovery Readings for December 27, 2017:

Daily Reflection

PROBLEM SOLVING

“Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems.”

~ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 42

Through the recovery process described in the Big Book, I have come to realize that the  same instructions that work on my alcoholism, work on much more. Whenever I am angry or frustrated, I consider the matter a manifestation of the main problem within me, alcoholism. As I “walk” through the Steps, my difficulty is usually dealt with long before I reach the Twelfth “suggestion,” and those difficulties that persist are remedied when I make an effort to carry  the message to someone else. These principles do solve my problems! I have not encountered an exception, and I have been brought to a way of living which is satisfying and useful.

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

Big Book Quote

“Our hope is that when this chip of a book is launched on the world tide of alcoholism, defeated drinkers will seize upon it, to follow its suggestions. Many, we are sure, will rise to their feet and march on. They will approach still other sick ones and fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous may spring up in each city and hamlet, havens for those who must find a way out.”

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

Keep It Simple

Reading is to the Mind, what exercise is to the body.

Good ideas are the seeds that start our growth. We hear things at meetings. We listen to our sponsor.

Maybe we listen to program tapes. And we read. Reading is special because we do it when we’re alone.

We read in quiet times, when we can think. We can read as fast or as slow as we want.

We can mark special words and come back to them again and again. We’ll figure things out in our way, but we need help to get started. That’s why we read. It gives us good ideas to think about.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, speak to me through helpful readings and help me learn at my best pace.

Action for the Day: Reading is easier the more I do it. Today I’ll feel proud that I’ve read program ideas to get my mind thinking in a healthy way.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You hear what people are saying to you today, but you just can’t take their words all that seriously. Everyone seems to have expectations about what you should and shouldn’t do now, but you have your own ideas. Others may try to guilt you into being more responsible, while you’re more interested in pursuing pleasure. Instead of getting someone’s hopes up by making promises you can’t keep, invite your inner child out to play. Creativity is the highest form of expression.

Daily Recovery Readings for December 26, 2017:

Daily Reflection

ACCEPTING SUCCESS OR FAILURE

Furthermore, how shall we come to terms with seeming failure or success? Can we now accept and adjust to either without despair or pride? Can we accept poverty, sickness, loneliness, and bereavement with courage and serenity? Can we steadfastly content ourselves with the humbler, yet sometimes more durable, satisfactions when the brighter, more glittering achievements are denied us?

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 112

After I found A.A. and stopped drinking, it took a while before I understood why the First Step contained two parts: my powerlessness over alcohol, and my life’s unmanageability. In the same way, I believed for a long time that, in order to be in tune with the Twelve Steps, it was enough for me “to carry this message to alcoholics.” That was rushing things. I was forgetting that there were a total of Twelve Steps and that the Twelfth Step also had more than one part. Eventually I learned that it was necessary for me to “practice these principles” in all areas of my life. In working all the Steps thoroughly, I not only stay sober and help someone else to achieve sobriety, but also I transform my difficulty with living into a joy of living.

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

Big Book Quote

“I was to test my thinking by the new God-consciousness within. Common sense would thus become uncommon sense. I was to sit quietly when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my problems as He would have me. Never was I to pray for myself, except as my requests bore on my usefulness to others. Then only might I expect to receive. But that would be in great measure.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, Page 13~

Keep It Simple

To be emotionally committed to somebody is very difficult, but to be alone is impossible. –Stephen Sondheim.

Let’s face it, relationships are hard to work! But we are lucky! Recovery is about relationships. We learn how to set limits. We learn how to listen to and talk to others. In Step One, we begin a new relationship with ourselves. In Step Two and Three, we begin a relationship with our Higher Power. In later Steps, we mend our relationships with family and friends. In our relationship with our sponsor, we learn about being friends. And our past relationships with alcohol and other drugs is being replaced by people and our Higher Power.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, thank-you for all the new relationships. Thank-you for teaching me how to feel
human again.

Action for the Day:
Today, I’ll make a list of all the new relationships I have now, due to my sobriety.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your spontaneous actions are swift and bold today, leading others to admire your confidence. However, your behavior doesn’t tell the whole story now, since you could be overcompensating to hide your true emotions. But sharing your inner experience with those you trust reveals your authentic self. Ironically, you can simultaneously feel afraid while acting courageously. Fear is temporary; regret is forever.