Daily Recovery Readings
March 23, 2018

Daily Reflection

. . . AND NO MORE RESERVATIONS

We have seen the truth again and again: “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.”. . . 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. . . . To be gravely affected, one does not necessarily have to drink a long time nor take the quantities some of us have. This is particularly true of women. Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 33

These words are underlined in my book. They are true for men and women alcoholics. On many occasions I’ve turned to this page and reflected on this passage. I need never fool myself by recalling my sometimes differing drinking patterns, or by believing I am “cured.” I like to think that, if sobriety is God’s gift to me, then my sober life is my gift to God. I hope God is as happy with His gift as I am with mine.

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

If anything, we have tended to be people who have wanted it all now. To hope is not to demand. —On hope

Maybe we were a bit demanding. Maybe we were a bit impatient. Maybe that’s why we such little hope.
Hope is believing good will, even in bad times. Hope is knowing that “this too, shall pass.” Hope is knowing that no mater how afraid we are, God will be with us. Hope is knowing we never have to be alone again. It is knowing that time is o our side. Hope is giving up control. Hope is knowing we never had control in the first place. Hope is believing in ourselves. Hope is what our program is all about.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, in our program we share our experiences, our strengths, and our hopes. Thank you for giving all three of these to me to share.

Action for the Day:
I will share my hope for the future with myself, my Higher Power, and my friends. I also will share this with someone who has lost hope.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You could be painfully aware of the conflict between your desire for personal expression and the pressure you feel from your career responsibilities. You don’t like being rushed along too quickly; instead, you want to dig in your heels and tell everyone to leave you alone today. Asking for what you want doesn’t necessarily mean you will be satisfied. However, you might not be able to stop yourself from demanding more, even if this kind of assertive behavior isn’t your usual style. Make a quick retreat to regain your emotional security if you say more than you intend. Cicero wrote, “Silence is one of the great arts of conversation.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 22, 2018

Daily Reflection

NO MORE STRUGGLE. . .

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone—even alcohol.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

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

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

Big Book Quote

“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 anything, we have tended to be people who wanted it all now. To hope is not
Not to demand. — On Hope

Maybe we were a bit demanding. Maybe we were a bit impatient. Maybe that’s why we had such little hope.

Hope is believing good will come even in bad time. Hope is knowing that “this, too, shall pass.”

Hope is knowing that no matter how afraid we are, God will be with us. Hope is knowing we never

have to be alone again. It is knowing that time that time is on our side. Hope is giving up control. Hope is knowing we never had control in the first place. Hope is believing in ourselves. Hope is what our program is all about.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, in our program we share our experiences, our strengths, and our hopes. Thank you for giving all three of these to me to share.

Action for the Day:
I will share my hope for the future with myself, my Higher Power, and my friends. I also will share this with someone who has lost hope.

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your professional world may be a source of uncomfortable stress today and you believe sharing your insights will help. But the origin of your facts or the circumstances surrounding them encourages you to reserve your judgment until a later time. Nevertheless, starting a conversation with your superiors can eventually lead to a better understanding on all sides while Mercury retrogrades in your 10th House of Career. Stick to your truth but leave room to change your mind. Journalist Robert Quillen wrote, “Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument an exchange of ignorance.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 20, 2018

Daily Reflection

LOVE AND TOLERANCE

Love and tolerance of others is our code.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

I have found that I have to forgive others in all situations to maintain any real spiritual progress. The vital importance of forgiving may not be obvious to me at first sight, but my studies tell me that every great spiritual teacher has insisted strongly upon it.

I must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a matter of form, but in my heart. I do this not for the other persons’ sake, but for my own sake. Resentment, anger, or a desire to see someone punished, are things that rot my soul. Such things fasten my troubles to me with chains. They tie me to other problems that have nothing to do with my original problem.

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

Big Book Quote

“Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:

(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage ourown lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 60~

Keep It Simple

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

Your career goals may be so important to you now that you lose proper perspective on other parts of your life. Unfortunately, however driven you are by visions of your success, ignoring your family or friends is not acceptable. Others will not put up with your unavailability for long, even if you think everything will be fine. You might make a significant decision in choosing where to channel your energy while the Sun is moving through your 10th House of Public Responsibility, whether you realize it or not. Nobody is too busy; it’s just a matter of priorities.

Daily Recovery Readings
March 19, 2018

Daily Reflection

PRAYER: IT WORKS

It has been well said that “almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never tried it enough.”

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 97

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

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

Big Book Quote

“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

Speak when you’re angry and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.

~Lawrence J. Peter

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

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

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

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

The tension at work may be affecting your productivity, prompting you to finally do something about it. Your increased sensitivity to other people’s emotional negativity only adds to your dilemma today. You understand critical situations sometimes respond best to radical solutions, and you are at a point where you’re willing to try anything to resolve the stress. Author Clarissa Pinkola Estes wrote, “One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 18, 2018

Daily Reflection

REAL INDEPENDENCE

The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 36

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

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

Big Book Quote

“If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your problems too.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Wives, Page 116~

Keep It Simple

Money cost to much.—Ross MacDonald

Many people are poor and really need money to live better. But we’re in trouble if we think money will solve all our problems. If money solved all problems, all rich people would be happy.
Consider this: A man talks about his shortcomings in a Twelve Step meeting. He says his main shortcoming is to think being happy means having enough money. But then he says that he has over a million dollars! This man is lucky—not because he has money, but because he knows greed is a shortcoming. He knows he has a spiritual problem. He doesn’t need money; he needs faith in a Higher Power.

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

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

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

It takes courage to dream about an amazing adventure because you’re afraid of raising your expectations too high. However, the practice of visualizing your future helps to create it by giving you a path to follow. Reaching your destination now is not as important as undertaking the journey. It’s the act of dwelling upon whether or not you can turn your fantasy into reality that’s self-defeating. Instead of obsessing about the end results, start living your life the way you wish it be today. Abraham Hicks teaches, “Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 17, 2018

Daily Reflection

Daily Reflections

MYSTERIOUS WAYS

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

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105

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

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

Big Book Quote

“Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body. If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking What do I have to do?”

It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions specifically.

We shall tell you what we have done.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 20~

Keep It Simple

Skill to do comes of doing.—Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

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

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

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

It takes courage to dream about an amazing adventure because you’re afraid of raising your expectations too high. However, the practice of visualizing your future helps to create it by giving you a path to follow. Reaching your destination now is not as important as undertaking the journey. It’s the act of dwelling upon whether or not you can turn your fantasy into reality that’s self-defeating. Instead of obsessing about the end results, start living your life the way you wish it be today. Abraham Hicks teaches, “Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 16, 2018

Daily Reflection

AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM

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

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 12

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

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

Big Book Quote

“Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!”

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

Keep It Simple

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

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

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

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

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

There is no immediate cure for your high level of idealism now. You’re unwilling to accept reality as the arbiter of what you can and cannot do. Nevertheless, you are unable to avoid the circumstances of the moment, except when you escape into your dreams. But metaphysical solutions can be delusional, unless they impact the three-dimensional world in a positive manner. Historian Daniel Boorstin wrote, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”

Daily Recovery Readings
March 15, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE GOD IDEA

When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did.

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 52

Like a blind man gradually being restored to sight, I slowly groped my way to the Third Step. Having realized that only a Power greater than myself could rescue me from the hopeless abyss I was in, I knew that this was a Power that I had to grasp, and that it would be my anchor in the midst of a sea of woes. Even though my faith at that time was minuscule, it was big enough to make me see that it was time for me to discard my reliance on my prideful ego and replace it with the steadying strength that could only come from a Power far greater than myself.

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

Big Book Quote

“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, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 19

Keep It Simple

I never loved another person the way I loved myself.-–Mae West

This sums up how we used to live. We were in love with ourselves. We had to be on center stage.

Our self-will ran riot. Recovery pulls us out of that world. We learn to focus on others. We learn to reach out to them with love. This is the best way to love ourselves. This doesn’t mean that we live our lives through others. It means we invite others into our lives. It also means we ask to be invited into their lives. Recovery breaks down our self-will. It makes room for others in our lives.

Prayer for the Day:
Higher Power, I give You my self-will. I know You’ll do better with it than me.

Action for the Day:
I’ll list three ways my self-will has messed up my life. How am I doing at turning over these things to my Higher Power?

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You have your heart set on making a dream come true, but the magic of manifestation can be elusive. Unfortunately, there’s no simple recipe to follow when every situation is vastly different. However, practicing some form of meditation is always helpful because it calms your mind and enables you to prioritize the steps you need to take on your way to success. Rather than talking about whatever pops into your head, bring only the most relevant issues into your conversations now. Mildred Barthel wrote, “Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.”

 

Daily Recovery Readings
March 14, 2018

Daily Reflection

THE KEYSTONE

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

— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 62

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

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

Big Book Quote

“Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. A new world came into view.”

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

Keep It Simple

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

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

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

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

Daily Horoscope – Cancer

You don’t have to take no for an answer from the cosmos today, especially if you know your efforts will benefit many people in the long run. But your altruistic intentions are only part of the big picture. It’s not going to be an easy route to get others to accept your ideas now. Nevertheless, you can’t give up because you’re on an important mission. Imagine you’re a river flowing downstream; you will surely encounter resistance, but ultimately a few obstructions won’t put an end to your journey. Nothing has the strength to prevent you from finding your way to the sea when you’re determined to fulfill your destiny.