Aug. 5, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Monday, Aug. 5, 2013

In our drinking days, when we were called upon to face a problem, we would sidestep it, tunnel under it, jump over it or run away from it. It never occurred to us to face it and to walk through it.

It is remarkable how cowardly a trouble is when face to face with a person who is ready and willing to take him on. Try it.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 5, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Monday, Aug. 5, 2013

Today’s thought from Hazelden is:
Self-Acceptance and Self-Knowledge

God, grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things I can

And wisdom to know the difference.

This well-known prayer expresses some key guidelines to our philosophy of living. One group member explained it this way:

“For me, the things I cannot change are other people, places, and circumstances. The only things I can change are my attitudes, reactions and action toward the people, places and circumstances in my life.

“The wisdom to know the difference, well, that’s a hard one. I don’t always know what I can and cannot change until I try changing it. Wisdom comes by trial and error. The more experience I have, the more understanding, knowledge, and wisdom I have.”

Today I will accept that much of my wisdom can only come through my daily experiences. I need to expect to make some mistakes in my attitudes, actions, and judgment of what I can and cannot change. I will learn to be patient with myself and others as I gain more understanding from my mistakes.

From the book:

The Reflecting Pond by Liane Cordes

The Reflecting Pond by Liane Cordes. © 1981 by Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 4, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013

” …(S)ubconsciously I was in earnest about wanting to quit liquor forever. It was no momentary emotionalism born of self-pity in a maudlin condition. I was seeking something, and I was ready to learn. I did not need to be told that my efforts were and would be unavailing if I did not get help. …(L)ittle by little, I learned how my need could be met. The story of Alcoholics Anonymousfascinated me.” - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “Personal Stories,” Ch 7 (“The News Hawk”), p 258.

Today, all I need ask is how much more the cost to answer how willing I am to get sober, when enough is enough, when I can take no more, when self-loathing and self-disgust are enough to motivate me to take responsibility for both my addiction and recovery and get to work on them both. If I’ve reached the proverbial bottom but, more practically, if I’ve hit the point when not even I believe my lies anymore, when I’ve had enough of needing more whiskey or any other drug every day just to achieve “normalcy” and when the “buzz” doesn’t buzz anymore and when I have no other option but to believe that there is something better – my time has come. TheTwelve Steps are there; all I need do is begin working them, Step by Step. How much more is my addiction going to cost me? Starting today, no more. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

Aug. 4, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
We in AA are offering a kind of psychological program as well as a spiritual one. First, people must be mentally able to receive it. They must have made up their minds that they want to quit drinking, and they must be willing to do something about it. Their confidence must be obtained. We must show them that we are their friends and really desire to help them. When we have their confidence, they will listen to us. Then the AA fellowship is a kind of group therapy. Newcomers need the fellowship of other alcoholics who understand their problem because they have had it themselves. Individuals must learn to re-educate their mind. They must learn to think differently.

Do I do my best to give mental help?

Meditation for the Day
“And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee.” It is the flow of the life eternal through spirit, mind and body that cleanses, heals, restores and renews. Seek conscious contact with Godmore and more each day. Make God an abiding presence during the day. Be conscious of His spirit helping you. All that is done without God’s spirit is passing. All that is done with God’s spirit is life eternal.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be in the stream of an eternal life. I pray that I may be cleansed and healed by the Eternal Spirit.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 4, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013

Reflection for the Day
One of the best ways to get out of the self-pity trap is to do some “instant bookkeeping.” For every entry of misery on the debit side of our ledger, we can surely find a blessing to mark on the credit side; the health we enjoy, the illnesses we don’t have, the friends who love us and who allow us to love them, a clean and sober 24 hours, a good day’s work. If we but try, we can easily list a whole string of credits that will far outweigh the debit entries which cause self-pity.

Is my emotional balance on the credit side today?

Today I Pray
May I learn to sort out my debits and credits, and add it all up. May I list my several blessings on the credit side. May my ledger show me, when all is totaled, a fat fund for good things to draw on.

Today I Will Remember
I have blessings in my savings.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 4, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013

It is almost a general rule that no one achieves in life what they planned in their youth. The great ambitions of our teens never seem to materialize.

In spite of all our plans, it is a safe bet to say, however, that we are where we were intended to be, doing the things that we were intended to do, whether we like it or not. Apparently we are not running the world.

It is very probable that we would have made a terrible mess of it had we followed our wishes and would have wound up a much bigger flop than we did. No matter what our station in life, we can daily thank God that it is no worse than it is.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 4, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013

Today’s thought from Hazelden is:

I just pictured in my mind what I wanted to do. You can use that same formula in accomplishing anything in life.
 – Ida Bellegarde

The imagination is a powerful tool. With practice we can perfect our use of it and the results will astound us. Research has shown that athletes who visualize a practice session on the field or mountain or course hone their skills as effectively as those who practice “in the flesh.” This may be hard to believe, but it’s nonetheless true.

If this formula has worked for others, it can work for you too. But how do you begin? First, consider what you would like to do. The next step is to sit quietly, close your eyes and imagine, in detail, the activity you want to pursue. Stay quiet with this image until it feels natural. Take special note of the sensations you feel throughout your body, the colors you see around you, your inner voice’s message. Absorb the experience fully before coming back to reality.

Repeated “journeys” with your mind will make any activity feel familiar, and enough familiarity makes success possible.

I am not prevented from doing anything I really want to do. Using my imagination to experience it the first time will get me started.

From the book:

Keepers of the Wisdom by Karen Casey

Keepers of the Wisdom © 1996 by Karen Casey

Aug. 3, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013

Today, I’m fed up – filled to the rim with those self-destructive, self-absorbed character defects like anger, self-pity and anxiety about what’s been said and done, and what’s ahead. And, today, I’m sick of carrying the garbage, the excess baggage that I acquired in my drinking days and may still be toting even without the booze. I want what the Program promises – if I work for it. That means, finally, getting out from under the ponderous weight of that chip on my shoulder, and letting go means letting God and working with the Program so as not to take that weight back. Even if in sobriety I can rationalize or justify whatever resentment and any other ill feeling I harbor for someone or something, the Program commands that it has no role in my recovery and, in fact, can derail it like a super-train jumping its track at 200 mph. The predictable outcome? Total self-destruction. I didn’t come this far this long to fall apart or to implode because of whatever self-destructive trap I set. Today, I need to know how it feels to be free of anger, self-pity, worry and resentment and, today, I’m fed up enough to get with the Program. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

Aug. 3, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
We in AA must remember that we are offering something intangible. We are offering a psychological and spiritual program. We are not offering a medical program. If people need medical treatment, we call in a doctor. If they need a medical prescription, we let the doctor prescribe for them. If they need hospital treatment, we let the hospital take care of them. Our vital AA work begins when a person is physically able to receive it.

Am I willing to leave medical care to the doctors?

Meditation for the Day
Each moment of your day which you devote to this new way of life is a gift to God. The gift of the moments. Even when your desire to serve God is sincere, it is not an easy thing to give Him many of these moments: the daily things you had planned to do, given up gladly so that you can perform a good service or say a kind word. If you can see God’s purpose in many situations, it will be easier to give Him many moments of your day. Every situation has two interpretations – your own and God’s. Try to handle each situation in the way you believe God would have it handled.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may make my day count somewhat for God. I pray that I may not spend it all selfishly.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 3, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013
Reflection for the Day
The Twelve Steps were designed specifically for people like us – as a shortcut to God. The Steps are very much like strong medicine which can heal us of the sickness of despair, frustration and self-pity. Yet we’re sometimes unwilling to use The Steps. Why? Perhaps because we have a deep-down desire for martyrdom. Consciously and intellectually, we think we want help; on a gut level, though, some hidden sense of guilt makes us crave punishment more than relief from our ills.

Can I try to be cheerful when everything seems to be leading me to despair? Do I realize that despair is very often a mask for self-pity?

Today I Pray
May I pull out the secret guilt inside that makes me want to punish myself. May I probe my despair and discover whether it is really an impostor – self-pity with a mask on. Now that I know that the Twelve Steps can bring relief, may I please use them instead of wallowing in my discomforts.

Today I Will Remember
The Twelve Steps are God’s stairway.

Hazelden Foundation

Aug. 3, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013

The educated person knows things, but the wise man knows people. It is not possible to know life without knowing the individuals that make up the world.

A man is not a thing – he’s a combination of certain good and bad traits that make him distinctive among his fellow men. Each one is an influence for good or evil, whether we realize it or not. When we rub elbows with our associates, we exchange some of our characteristics with them. Watch, therefore, your companions for, if they are unclean, they are sure to soil your clothes.

Hazelden Foundation