Daily Recovery Readings - 1/2

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Daily Reflections

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.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

What makes A.A. work? The first thing is to have a revulsion against
myself and my way of living. Then I must admit I was helpless, that
alcohol had me licked and I couldn't do anything about it. The next
thing is to honestly want to quit the old life. Then I must surrender
my life to a Higher Power, put my drinking problem in His hands and
leave it there. After these things are done, I should attend meetings
regularly for fellowship and sharing. I should also try to help other
alcoholics. Am I doing these things?

Meditation For The Day

You are so made that you can only carry the weight of twenty-four
hours, no more. If you weigh yourself down with the years behind and
the days ahead, your back breaks. God has promised to help with the
burdens of the day only. If you are foolish enough to gather again
that burden of the past and carry it, then indeed you cannot expect
God to help you bear it. So forget that which lies behind you and
breathe in the blessing of each new day.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may realize that, for good or bad, past days have ended.
I pray that I may face each new day, the coming twenty-four hours,
with hope and courage.

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As Bill Sees It

Telling the Worst, p. 311

Though the variations were many, my main theme was always "How
godawful I am !" Just as I often exaggerated my modest attainments
by pride, so I exaggerated my defects through guilt. I would race
about, confessing all (and a great deal more) to whoever would listen.
Believe it or not, I took this widespread exposure of my sins to be
great humility on my part, and considered it a great spiritual asset and
consolation!

But later on I realized at depth that the great harms I had done others
were not truly regretted. These episodes were merely the basis for
storytelling and exhibitionism. With this realization came the
beginning of a certain amount of humility.

Grapevine, June 1961

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Walk In Dry Places

The Delusion of "Just one more"
Other Excesses
A binge is a chain reaction that starts with one drink. After a grim period of enforced abstinence, that first drink may have brought us intense emotional release and a peak feeling of euphoria. For the rest of the binge, there was a continuing delusion that the next drink would help us recapture that peak experience.
Delusion leads us to other excesses. Some alcoholics also binge on smoking, food, sex, and power and recognition. In this frantic seeking, our basic delusion is that substances and things can satisfy what is really a spiritual need. Instead of realizing that there is a law of diminishing returns in the enjoyment of such things, we cling to the delusion that "just one more" will bring the relief and satisfaction we want.
Delusions brought disillusionment, and only the truth set us free from alcohol. Other excesses might not hurt us to the extent alcohol did, but the excesses of our drinking years carry lessons that are equally applicable to other human problems.
I will carry out the day's activities knowing that I already have enough of everything I need for this day alone.

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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.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

TIGHTROPE
Trying to separate worlds was a lonely charade that ended when this gay alcoholic finally landed in A.A.

For the last four years I lived alone in a small house. The ceiling of one room had collapsed, and plaster dust was everywhere, coating the garbage and newspapers littered the floor. Empty food cartons, beer cans, bottles, and dirty clothes lay where they were tossed. I had gotten a cat because the mice were out of control. But I was not conscientious about cleaning up after the cat. It is not surprising that I had few visitors and neighbors tended to avoid me.

p. 363

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Four - "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves."

Now let's ponder the need for a list of the more glaring personality defects all of us have in varying degrees. To those having religious training, such a list would set forth serious violations of moral principles. Some others will think of this list as defects of character. Still others will call it an index of maladjustments. Some will become quite annoyed if there is talk about immorality, let alone sin. But all who are in the least reasonable will agree upon one point: that there is plenty wrong with us alcoholics about which plenty will have to be done if we are to expect sobriety, progress, and any real ability to cope with life.

p. 48

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"Making prompt amends is the fresh air of each new day." --Sandra Little

"We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility." --Albert Einstein

"Never settle for anything less than your best." --Brian Tracy

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry
about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and
earnestly. --Siddhartha Gautama

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up. --unknown

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

MARTYRS

"A thing is not necessarily true
because a man dies for it."
-- Oscar Wilde

I came to the conclusion in my battle with alcoholism that my involvement with God's
will for me was crucial; my choice is the result of God's bestowed gift of freedom. And
freedom is awfully real! The price of freedom is Auschwitz; the price of freedom is
the world's starving millions; the price of freedom is the dead drunk in a derelict
building. Men do insane and destructive things, usually because they think they know
best. Men die to protect their ego. The sin of Adam, wanting to be like God, haunts us
all.

Today I am learning to detach spiritually in order to discover a pure and selfless love.
I stand back and consider before I act; often after a time of reflection I see the event
differently --- and it is okay to change my mind.

Lord, I understand choice to be the key to my humanity.

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See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a
way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105

"By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give
light to those who sit in darkness." Luke 1:78-79

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Daily Inspiration

Peace is one of our greatest needs because it provides for the strength we
need in times of turmoil. Lord, I turn to You because You are my source of
peace.

Laughter is a great way to reduce stress and prevent taking ourselves too
seriously. Lord, bless me with a healthy sense of humor.

[admin]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Happiness is like manna; it is to be gathered and enjoyed every day. --Tryon Edwards
Life is like a winding path surrounded by flowers, butterflies, and delicious fruit, but many of us spend much of life looking for happiness around the next corner. We do not bend to enjoy the happiness which is ours for the taking just at our feet.
In our desire to reach the "pot of gold," the complete and lasting happiness we all want to fill our lives, we ignore anything which doesn't seem worthy of such a large ambition, or which can't give us the whole thing all at once.
Happiness is all around us, but it often comes in small grains. When we gather it grain by grain, we soon have a basketful.


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
When you can't stand criticism you learn to be a perfectionist. --Anonymous
It's human to make mistakes and to feel incomplete. Perhaps if we were all smooth plastic printouts we could expect perfection of ourselves. Each man is actually a process. We are not things, but events -- happenings--and the events are still unfolding. These are our creative spiritual adventures.
We have somehow learned that openness to criticism is dangerous. Perhaps we thought someone would not like us if we were wrong, or that we would get hurt or belittled. When we live with a relationship to our Higher Power, we can stand up for ourselves. A man has a right to make some mistakes! We grow more if we allow ourselves the leeway of simply being in process.
I will not ask to have the power of perfection. I will only ask that I not be alone in the process of living my life.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
I believe that true identify is found . . . in creative activity springing from within. It is found, paradoxically, when one loses oneself. Woman can best re-find herself by losing herself in some kind of creative activity of her own. --Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Creative activity might mean bird watching, tennis, quilting, cooking, painting, writing. Creative activity immerses us fully in the here and now, and at the same time it frees us. We become one with the activity and are nourished by it. We grow as the activity grows. We learn who we are in the very process of not thinking about who we are.
Spirituality and creativity are akin. There is an exhilaration rooted deep within us that is a lifeline to God. Creative activity releases the exhilaration, and the energy goes through us and out to others. We find ourselves and our higher power through the loss of our self-conscious selves while creating--a picture, a sentence, a special meal.
Creativity is a given. It is another dimension of the spiritual presence guiding us all. I'll get out of its way today.


You are reading from the book The Language Of Letting Go.
Healthy Limits
Boundaries are vital to recovery. Having and setting healthy limits' is connected to all phases of recovery: growing in self esteem, dealing with feelings, and learning to really love and value ourselves.
Boundaries emerge from deep within. They are connected to letting go of guilt and shame, and to changing our beliefs about what we deserve. As our thinking about this becomes dearer, so will our boundaries.
Boundaries are also connected to a Higher Timing than our own. We'll set a limit when we're ready, and not a moment before. So will others.
There's something magical about reaching that point of becoming ready to set a limit. We know we mean what we say; others take us seriously too. Things change, not because we're controlling others, but because we've changed.
Today, I will trust that I will learn, grow, and set the limits I need in my life at my own pace. This timing need only be right for me.


I am beginning to trust myself. I am beginning to discover that I am okay. --Ruth Fishel

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You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

Help!

When we hit bottom and are ready to swallow our pride, help is available. When we admit that by ourselves we are powerless, a Higher Power takes over. Most of us have tried for years to control what we eat by ourselves. Often it seems that the harder we try, the more miserably we fail. We despair. When we are truly desperate and ask for help, OA can help us.

We have proven that we cannot solve our problem alone. A diet is not enough. We need a program that fills our emotional and spiritual needs as well as our physical ones.

Step by step and day by day we can learn to live without overeating. We will gradually become convinced that no amount of physical food will ever satisfy our emotional and spiritual hunger. The Higher Power, which infuses each OA GROUP, becomes our lifesaver and our nourishment.

God, save me from myself.

[admin]

Wisdom for Today
Step Five is like standing at the crossroads between our old way of living and the opportunity to begin living a new life. I remember when I first came into the program. I thought my life started all over again when I admitted my powerlessness and unmanageability. In some ways it did, but I continued to live my life without change except for abstinence from mood-altering chemicals. In completing Step Five, I now had an opportunity to make significant changes in my life as well as begin the repair work I needed to do.
Completing Steps One through Five is a lot like taking out an insurance policy on recovery. While it is not a guarantee, these Steps certainly act as a strong insurance policy against relapse. If we are painstaking about this phase of our program, we will not wish to return. The remaining Steps are how we continue to pay our insurance premium. I really did not expect to get to a point where I no longer desired to get wasted or high. Now I can't imagine not paying my insurance premiums. Have I experienced the freedom that an honest Step Five brings?
Meditations for the Heart
Insurance brings a sense of security. It is not a false sense of security, because tragedy can strike; but there is a comfort in knowing that your recovery is protected. This is the security I felt when I accepted the gift of forgiveness that God offers. This is the sense of security I felt when I knew I was accepted by others in the program and when I could truly accept myself. Insurance does protect, but it does not mean that relapse can no longer occur. Indeed, if this were all that was needed, then there would only be Five Steps in the program. The founders of the Twelve Step program knew that there was more needed in order to stay clean and sober. In fact, they established seven more Steps. Am I resting on Step Five and not doing the repair work that is needed?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
You have provided me and thousands like me the Steps needed to escape from the bondage of addiction. For this I am grateful. Walk with me this day as I continue my journey in recovery. Let me experience the security that the program offers. Keep me motivated to experience the promises of the Twelve Steps.
Amen.