Jan. 31, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose. — Stephen R. Covey

Ancient wise men first identified that crucial gap in time between the moment we first sense something and the response we give. They taught meditation principles focusing on this distinction and spent hours in contemplation that led to deep inner peace and serenity. Most of us, in our busy lives, do not devote hours and days to that focus, but we can learn to practice the crucial wisdom of chosen response instead of instant reflex.

Reactivity is like a knee-jerk response. It comes from a primitive part of our brains. If we haven’t learned of that brief gap between the stimulus and our response, then we don’t even know we have a choice. We might say, “I couldn’t help it. If he hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have done what I did.” At that point, we are still immature and weak. When we gain awareness of this tiny bit of time to choose the best response, we step from immaturity into the strength of a grown man.

Today, I will become more aware of that moment of choice between a stimulus and my response.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 31, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021

Today, live just for today. I cannot nor do I want to forget yesterday for it has lessons to carry into tomorrow. Nor do I want to be so preoccupied with tomorrow that I neglect today for I may miss some good that someone or something has to offer. I can plan for tomorrow, but I cannot fret over it and dread what demons or challenges my yesterdays have programmed me to expect. But that programming from my yesterdays was dictated by a whiskey bottle and, God granting, there is no whiskey bottle in my today. I therefore cannot fear that what I do today will poison my tomorrow. My life, my sobriety, my hopes, my dreams, my fears, my recovery - all are today. Today is all I have, and I must not be lax in strengthening it to make tomorrow's today the promise of something good. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2021

Jan. 31, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021

AA Thought for the Day

Drinking cuts you off from God. No matter how you were brought up, no matter what your religion is, no matter if you say you believe in God, nevertheless you build up a wall between you and God by your drinking. You know you're not living the way God wants you to live. As a result, you have that terrible remorse. When you come into AA, you begin to get right with other people and with God. A sober life is a happy life because, by giving up drinking, we've got rid of our loneliness and remorse.

Do I have real fellowship with other people and with God?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that all sacrifice and all suffering is of value to me. When I am in pain, I am being tested. Can I trust God, no matter how low I feel? Can I say, "Thy will be done," no matter how much I am defeated? If I can, my faith is real and practical. It works in bad times as well as in good times. The Divine Will is working in a way that is beyond my finite mind to understand, but I can still trust in it.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may take my suffering in my stride. I pray that I may accept pain and defeat as part of God's plan for my spiritual growth.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 31, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021

Reflection for the Day

One of the most constructive things I can do is to learn to listen to myself and get in touch with my true feelings. For years, I tuned myself out, going along, instead, with what others felt and said. Even today, it sometimes seems that they have it all together, while I'm still stumbling about. Thankfully, I'm beginning to understand that people-pleasing takes many forms. Slowly but steadily, I've also begun to realize that it's possible for me to change my old patterns.

Will I encourage myself to tune in to the real me? Will I listen carefully to my own inner voice with the expectation that I'll hear some wonderful things?

Today I Pray

I pray that I may respect myself enough to listen to my real feelings, those emotions which for so long I refused to hear or name or own, which festered in me like a poison. May I know that I need to stop often, look at my feelings, listen to the inner me.

Today I Will Remember

I will own my feelings.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 31, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021

Nothing great was ever achieved without overcoming great obstacles, and no hero of history deserves more acclaim than those who were triumphant over self. But do not let us swell up too much with pride. If we are honest, we know that with our character-weakened souls, with our "fogbound" brains, we could accomplish nothing of ourselves. It was only when we, in our desperate surrender, threw our lives and our wills into His keeping that He, in His mercy, removed the obstacle. Unknown, even to ourselves, there must have slept in us that Faith of a mustard seed, that can remove mountains.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 31, 2021 - Good morning and let's make the most of this beautiful Sunday and what it has to offer

 

Good morning and let's set out this wonderful Sunday with determination and faith that nothing that the world and anyone has in store can ruin it ...have a sincerely great and productive but paced and safe day, and give no time to anything and anyone out to make it less

Jan. 30, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

It is only when people begin to shake loose from their preconceptions, from the ideas that have dominated them, that we begin to receive a sense of opening, a sense of vision. — Barbara Ward

A sense of vision, seeing who we can dare to be and what we can dare to accomplish, is possible if we focus intently on the present and always the present. We are all we need to be, right now. We can trust that. And we will be shown the way to become who we need to become, step by step, from one present moment to the next present moment. We can trust that, too.

The past that we hang onto stands in our way. Many of us needlessly spend much of our lives fighting a poor self-image. But we can overcome that. We can choose to believe we are capable and competent. We can be spontaneous, and our vision of all that life can offer will change—will excite us, will cultivate our confidence.

We can respond to life wholly. We can trust our instincts. And we will become all that we dare to become.

Each day is a new beginning. Each moment is a new opportunity to let go of all that has trapped me in the past. I am free. In the present, l am free.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 30, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021

Today, progress, not perfection. In recognizing the difference, I might learn patience over impatience not only with others but with myself. Progress requires that I focus on just this day while perfection forces me to look to the unrealistic and unattainable goals beyond tomorrow. And by preoccupying myself with tomorrow, I am likely to neglect something today - and that failure will likely sabotage any tomorrow I might have. Tomorrow will hold nothing good if I neglect today. Today, then, will be focused on one thing at a time and first things first. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2021

Jan. 30, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021

AA Thought for the Day
A drinking life isn't a happy life. Drinking cuts you off from other people and from God. One of the worst things about drinking is the loneliness. And one of the best things about AA is the fellowship. Drinking cuts you off from other people, at least from the people who really matter to you, your family, your co-workers and your real friends. No matter how much you love them, you build up a wall between you and them by your drinking. You're cut off from any real companionship with them. As a result, you're terribly lonely.

Have I got rid of my loneliness?

Meditation for the Day
I will sometimes go aside into a quiet place of retreat with God. In that place, I will find restoration and healing and power. I will plan quiet times now and then, times when I will commune with God and arise rested and refreshed to carry on the work which God has given me to do. I know that God will never give me a load greater than I can bear. It is in serenity and peace that all true success lies.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may strengthen my inner life, so that I may find serenity. I pray that my soul may be restored in quietness and peace.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 30, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021

Reflection for the Day
Have I gained freedom simply because one day I was weak and the next day I became suddenly strong? Have I changed from the helpless and hopeless person I once seemed to be simply by resolving, "from now on, things will be different ...?" Is the fact that I am more comfortable today than ever before the result of my own willpower? Can I take credit for pulling myself up by my own bootstraps? I know better, for I sought refuge in a Power greater than myself - a Power which is still beyond my ability to visualize.

Do I consider the change in my life a miracle far beyond the workings of any human power?

Today I Pray
As the days of sobriety lengthen, and the moment of decision becomes farther behind me, may I never lose sight of the Power that changed my life. May I remember that my sobriety is an ongoing miracle, not just a once-in-a-lifetime transformation.

Today I Will Remember
Life is an ongoing miracle.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 30, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021

After several years on the Program, we still have to guard against rationalizing. When it comes to selling ourselves a bill of goods, we are tops. Our drinking was most always occasioned by a "good reason," or so we thought; the real reason - the fact that we were alcoholics and therefore compulsive drinkers - never occurred to us. A good reason can always be found for our actions, but the real reason is frequently obscure. Lord, teach us to know the difference.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 30, 2021 - Good morning and let's go for a productive but paced Saturday and weekend

 

Good morning and let's get going on what we want to be a super Saturday and serene weekend ...make today productive but paced and safe -- and no need to bother with anything and anyone planning to blow it up

Jan. 29, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Friday, Jan. 29, 2021

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar. — Edward R. Murrow

Sometimes we believe anything from an earlier generation is outdated. With technology, this may be true. But people are not necessarily wiser today. Some time-tested wisdom is sliced to slivers on the cutting edge of what’s new. Old-fashioned honor and morality too often are made to seem hopelessly archaic.

The widespread attraction of mind-altering chemicals, the restlessness of many people, the search for a simple, fast spiritual fix—all testify to a hunger that many newfound beliefs have failed to satisfy. We are fortunate to have found in our program an answer to the malaise that afflicts so many people. In its simplest form, it’s called love; in its purest form, God.

I thank God that the wisdom of the ages is still relevant today.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 29, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Friday, Jan. 29, 2021

Today, if I am holding onto a resentment that I have turned over to my Higher Power but have taken back, I will do what the Program suggests: pray daily for two weeks for the target of my resentment. We are encouraged that the Program's suggestions that we use in recovery give us serenity and freedom from the character defects that weigh us down. No defect that weighs us down is stronger than resentment. Today, I'll give the Program's suggestion to pray for the person I resent a try, however grudgingly, and admit my prayers aren't totally altruistic. They are actually for me ...because the person I resent nor anyone else is worth the mental and physical cost of holding and feeding my resentment and anger. Enough is enough: no more empowering someone else to mess with my recovery and serenity and live in my brain rent-free. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2021

Jan. 29, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Friday, Jan. 29, 2021

AA Thought for the Day
What a load wasting money puts on your shoulders! They say that members of AA have paid the highest initiation fee of any club members in the world, because we've wasted so much money on liquor. We'll never be able to figure out how much it was. We not only wasted our own money, but also the money we should have spent on our families. When you come into AA, that terrible load of wasted money falls off your shoulders. We alcoholics were getting round-shouldered from carrying all those loads that drinking put on our shoulders. But when we come into AA, we get a wonderful feeling of release and freedom.

Can I throw back my shoulders and look the whole world in the face again?

Meditation for the Day
I believe that the future is in the hands of God. He knows better than I what the future holds for me. I am not at the mercy of fate or buffeted about by life. I am being led in a very definite way, as I try to rebuild my life. I am the builder, but God is the architect. It is mine to build as best I can, under His guidance.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may depend on God, since He has planned my life. I pray that I may live my life as I believe God wants me to live it.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 29, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Friday, Jan. 29, 2021

Reflection for the Day
I used to imagine my life as a grotesque abstract painting; a montage of crises framed by end-upon-end catastrophies. My days all were grey and my thoughts grayer still. I was haunted by dread and nameless fears. I was filled with self-loathing. I had no idea who I was, what I was or why I was. I miss none of those feelings. Today, step by step, I am discovering myself and learning that I can be free to be me.

Am I grateful for my new life? Have I taken the time to thank God today for the fact that I am clean and sober - and alive?

Today I Pray
May calm come to me after the turmoil and nightmares of the past. As my fears and self-hatred dissipate, may the things of the spirit replace them. For in the spiritual world, as in the material world, there is no empty space. May I be filled with the spirit of my Higher Power.

Today I Will Remember
Morning scatters nightmares.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 29, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Friday, Jan. 29, 2021

On that awful day when the world had toppled about us, when all hope had departed and only wild desperation remained, then was the night darkest and nearest was the dawn. At this darkest hour, we "hit our bottom." There was no way to go but UP.

As dawn follows darkness in Nature's scheme, so darkness follows again in its turn. All things, save God, are transitory and what one day can bring, another day can take away. Let us not feel too secure in our sobriety, for darkness will come in the regular course of events, and we must be sure we have provided ourselves with the Light which will enable us to keep our footing on the slippery paths ahead.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 29, 2021 - Good morning and let's make it a rip-roarin' but productive and safe Happy Dance Friday

 

Good morning and let's get kicking to the Happy Dance Friday ...have a really terrific and productive but paced and safe day -- and don't allow anything and anyone to trip you up

Jan. 28, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

AA Thought for the Day

In the story of the Good Samaritan, the wayfarer fell among robbers and was left lying in the gutter, half dead. And a priest and a Levite both passed by on the other side of the road. But the Good Samaritan was moved with compassion and came to him and bound up his wounds and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

Do I treat another alcoholic like the priest and the Levite or like the Good Samaritan?

Meditation for the Day

Never weary in prayer. When one day you see how unexpectedly your prayer has been answered, then you will deeply regret that you have prayed so little. Prayer changes things for you. Practice praying until your trust in God has become strong. And then pray on, because it has become so much a habit that you need it daily. Keep praying until prayer seems to become communion with God. That is the note on which true times of prayer should end.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may form the habit of daily prayer. I pray that I may find the strength I need as a result of this communion.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 28, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021

Today, at day's end, I will look back and know by the grace of God that I did the best I could in all my affairs. If in prayer and meditation I find that I have not fully surrendered to my Higher Power some problem or character defect, I will know I have asked for the wisdom and humility to surrender it once and for all and that, if there is a tomorrow for me, I may be one day closer to that total surrender. I will not have reason to regret some communication with someone else because I was either cruel or indifferent to their needs or feelings. I will be grateful that I was not tempted to take the first drink that always leads to disaster, and I will go to sleep tonight with the comfort that my Higher Power blessed me with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2021

Jan. 28, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021

AA Thought for the Day
What a load hangovers put on your shoulders! What terrible physical punishment we've all been through. The pounding headaches and jumpy nerves, the shakes and the jitters, the hot and cold sweats! When you come into AA and stop drinking, that terrible load of hangovers falls off your shoulders. What a load remorse puts on your shoulders! That terrible mental punishment we've all been through. Ashamed of the things you've said and done. Afraid to face people because of what they might think of you. Afraid of the consequences of what you did when you were drunk. What an awful beating the mind takes! When you come into AA, that terrible load of remorse falls off your shoulders.

Have I got rid of these loads of hangovers and remorse?

Meditation for the Day
When you seek to follow the way of the spirit, it frequently means a complete reversal of the way of the world which you had previously followed. But it is a reversal that leads to happiness and peace. Do the aims and ambitions that a person usually strives for bring peace? Do the world's awards bring heart-rest and happiness? Or do they turn to ashes in the mouth?

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not be weary, disillusioned or disappointed. I pray that I may not put my trust in the ways of the world, but in the way of the Spirit.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 28, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021

Reflection for the Day
Now that I am in The Program, I am no longer enslaved by alcohol and other drugs. Free, free at last from the morning-after tremors, the dry heaves, the three-day beard, the misplaced eyelashes. Free, free at last from working out the alibis and hoping they won't unravel; free from blackouts; free from watching the clock so that I can somehow get that desperately needed "first one."

Do I treasure my freedom from chemical enslavement?

Today I Pray
Praise God that I am free of chemicals. This is my first freedom, from which other freedoms will develop - freedom to appraise my behavior sanely and constructively, freedom to grow as a person, freedom to maintain relationships with others on a sound basis. I will never cease to thank my Higher Power for leading me away from enslavement.

Today I Will Remember
Praise God for my freedom.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 28, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021

Man was created in the image of God. We are told that the heart of man is the Temple of the Holy Ghost. A realization of this fact makes the desecration of the body as sacrilegious as the desecration of any church.

We alcoholics have a lot of mess to clean up in our Temples in order to make them a fit place for communion with the God in us.

If we really want God to work in and through us in the rehabilitation of other alcoholics, we must provide Him at least a clean workshop.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 28, 2021 - Good morning to Thursday that's guaranteed to be great because it's the day before the Happy Dance Friday

 

Good morning and let's kick it in gear for a fantastic Thursday ...make it a productive but paced and safe day -- and, as always, don't empower anything and anyone to make it less

Jan. 27, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin as self-neglect. — William Shakespeare

We will never achieve a feeling of true safety by seeing our self-image in terms of our character defects. To give our shortcomings such power is to ensure that we will never have enough faith or strength to go forward; we are either condemned to trying to change the past or trying to control the future.

The only safety is in the present, affirming the positive qualities we possess. Even if we’re in deep sorrow this moment, we can feel safe by appreciating that we have the ability to grieve, which takes courage and passion for life. Appreciating our many good points is a way to counteract the fear that eats away at our security.

There are a number of ways we can affirm our worth. We can write affirmations, ask others for positive support, list our good qualities, and include our progress in recovery in our daily inventory. We deserve to have the freedom that comes from feeling safe within ourselves.

What am I saying to myself right now—“I’m a failure” or “I’m wonderful, and I love you?”

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 27, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021

Today, "Let Go and Let God" does not absolve me from responsibility to be an active participant in my redemption from the damage and pain to others of my drinking days. "Let Go and Let God" commands that I turn my will over to my Higher Power for knowledge of HIS will for me and "the power to carry (it) out." It does not give me the easy out by expecting God to do it for me. In accepting an active role in my recovery instead of expecting it to come to me by reading the Big Book and going to meetings, I understand that sobriety is a two-level process. On the surface, I cannot drink; on a deeper level, I cannot expect a change in spiritual and emotional conditions that come solely by not drinking. I am responsible for my condition as an alcoholic; likewise, I am responsible for my recovery. "Let Go and Let God" does not excuse me from either responsibility. Today, I "Let Go and Let God" by surrendering MY self-will and listening to my Higher Power for HIS will and the knowledge to carry it out. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2021

Jan. 27, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021

AA Thought for the Day
Alcoholics carry an awful load around with them. What a load lying puts on your shoulders! Drinking makes liars out of all of us alcoholics. In order to get the liquor we want, we have to lie all the time. We have to lie about where we've been and what we've been doing. When you are lying, you are only half alive because of the fear of being found out. When you come into AA and get honest with yourself and with other people, that terrible load of lying falls off your shoulders.

Have I got rid of that load of lying?

Meditation for the Day
I believe that in the spiritual world, as in the material world, there is no empty space. As fears and worries and resentments depart out of my life, the things of the spirit come in to take their places. Calm comes after a storm. As soon as I am rid of fears and hates and selfishness, God's love and peace and calm can come in.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may rid myself of all fears and resentments, so that peace and serenity may take their place. I pray that I may sweep my life clean of evil, so that good may come in.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 27, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021

Reflection for the Day
I can attain real dignity, importance and individuality only by a dependence on a Power which is great and good, beyond anything I can imagine or understand. I will try my utmost to use this Power in making all my decisions. Even though my human mind cannot forecast what the outcome will be, I will try to be confident that whatever comes will be for my ultimate good.

Just for today, will I try to live this day only, and not tackle my whole life problem at once?

Today I Pray
May I make no decision, engineer no change in the course of my lifestream, without calling upon my Higher Power. May I have faith that God's plan for me is better than any scheme I could devise for myself.

Today I Will Remember
God is the architect. I am the builder.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 27, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021

We alcoholics are the world's greatest squanderers. During our drinking days we squandered our money, our health, our time, our intellect, our reputations, in fact everything - not for a purpose, but to make ourselves oblivious to the fact that we were doing so.

We who have accepted the AA way of living must never give up our old habit, but we should learn to spend ourselves for a constructive purpose.

That purpose is to help the other alcoholic. We are the best qualified people in the world for the job. Years of conditioning and thousands of dollars went into the process of making us experts. We have no other means of atoning for the past, no other way of showing our appreciation for the Grace of God which saved us, but to squander ourselves for this world-needed purpose.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 27, 2021 - Rise 'n shine for what's guaranteed to be a great Wednesday because we're halfway to the weekend

 

Good morning and let's get hoppin' on a wonderful Wednesday with determination to make it productive, safe and serene ...that means flipping off anything and anyone thinking they can screw it up

Jan. 26, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver and the other gold. — Joseph Parry

Friendship is wonderful. But what is true friendship? This is a question we encounter in early recovery, and it will be important for the rest of our lives.

A friend is someone we know, like, and trust. When we first get sober, we should look at the people we call friends. Are the things we like about them important to our healthy self or things our Inner Addict likes?

We become like our friends. That is why it is important to choose friends we want to be like. It takes work to sort this out when we first get sober because we have collected “friends” who are bad for us.

Where do we find good friends? First we can look to the people we knew, liked, and trusted before our addiction. Next we can look in our recovery groups. When we are a friend to the right person, then we will have a friend.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me to choose friends, old and new, who help me be the person I really want to be. Help me be that kind of a friend to them, too.

Today’s Action

I will list the five people who have been my closest friends in my life. What do I like about each of them? Would I trust them to help me be my best?

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 26, 2021 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021

Today, my Program that is based on three concepts: choice, consequences, and responsibility. I understand now that drinking is a choice and the reasons I concoct to justify it are nothing more than rationalizations - excuses - or contributing factors to which I am surrendering my control. If I choose to drink, there are inevitable consequences as all actions have, and my long history with drinking proves that the consequences are usually the same, are never less and usually worsen. And with those consequences comes responsibility to them, and the consequences are predictable - a hangover, regret for what I did or said when I was drunk, maybe another DUI, possibly waking up in the county jail's drunk tank - again. Today, the consequences are too high for me, and I don't want to be responsible to them. And if I don't want to be responsible to the consequences of drinking, the choice is clear and logical - don't drink. I choose not to. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2021