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.

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.