Sept. 3, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

A problem well stated is a problem half solved.
 -- Charles F. Kettering
Denial never really goes away, it creeps into everyone's life. We may admit we're powerless over alcohol and drugs but still believe it was the school's fault that we were suspended. Denial is especially dangerous for us, because it spreads, gets out of control, and eventually takes away our most prized possession: sobriety.

But now we have the tools we need to combat denial. Other people can help us see what we're really doing. We can get to know ourselves better. And we can learn to change. Day by day, we grow stronger in recovery.

Today let me recognize denial, admit what's wrong, and begin to fix it.

From the book:

Our Best Days by Nancy Hull-Mast

Our Best Days by Nancy Hull-Mast. © 1990 by Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 2, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step

Monday, Sept. 2, 2013

Today, I can simplify the AA Program as it relates to my recovery to three basic concepts: choice, consequences, and responsibility. If I take the infamous first drink or use, after all the excuses or justifications I can think of and all the blame I can put on other people or circumstances in my life, drinking or using is my choice. And with that choice comes consequences, and with the consequences comes personal responsibility. Ultimately, I am the only one who will be responsible to the consequences of my choice, and the consequences of my drinking became simply too high for me to want to face the responsibility of my choice to drink or use again. And we must honestly remember the consequences of our choice to use or drink - separation from or loss of family and-or friends, loss of a job or the threat of it, standing before a judge after spending the night in the county jail's drunk tank after being nailed for another DUI or for physically hurting someone else like a passing motorist or whoever we picked a fight with. Today, I can pray that the high cost of the consequences of choosing to drink and now not wanting to be responsible to those consequences will keep me clean and sober another 24 Hours. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

Sept. 2, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Monday, Sept. 2, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
"Outline the program of action to new prospects, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to help them. It is important for them to realize that your attempt to pass this on to them plays a vital part in your own recovery. The more hopeless they feel, the better. They will be more likely to follow your suggestions. Tell them about the fellowship of AA and, if they show interest, lend them a copy of the book."

Can I get over the AA story to another alcoholic?

Meditation for the Day
You should try to stand aside and let God work through you. You should try not to block Him off by your own efforts, or prevent His spirit working through you. God desires your obedient service and your loyalty to the ideals of the new life you are seeking. If you are loyal to God, He will give you protection against mistakes. His spirit will plan for you and secure for you a sufficiency of all spiritual help. You will have true victory and real success, if you will put yourself in the background and let God work through you.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not interfere with the working of God's spirit in me and through me. I pray that I may give it full rein.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 2, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Monday, Sept. 2, 2013

Reflection for the Day
When I wake up, I'll think quietly about the twenty-four hours ahead. I'll ask God to direct my thinking, especially asking that it be free from self-pity and from dishonest or self-seeking motives. If I have to determine which of several courses to take, I'll ask God for inspiration, for an intuitive thought or a decision. Then I'll relax and take it easy, confident that all will be well.

Can I believe that when I give up my "rights" of expectations, I'll know freedom ...?

Today I Pray
I praise God for being able to praise God, to choose the times when I will seek Him, to find my own words when I talk to Him, to address Him in the way that seems most right to me. May I expect that He in turn must be free of my expectations, to affect my life as He sees fit.

Today I Will Remember
Who am I to try to tell God what to do?

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 2, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Monday, Sept. 2, 2013

The secret of cutting any tree down, regardless of size, is to hew it one chip at a time.

Men are not put in a position to do great things until they have established the reputation for doing many small things well.

If you have the great ambition to bring happiness to a whole world, a good starting point is within your own undershirt.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 2, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Monday, Sept. 2, 2013

Today's thought from Hazelden is:
Listening and Sharing

Let us review what others have said about listening and sharing:

"To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it."
 -- Churton Collins

"They that will not be counseled cannot be helped. If you do not hear reason, she will rap you on the knuckles."
 -- Benjamin Franklin
"Don’t give your advice before you are called upon."
 -- Erasmus
"If a man’s faith is unstable and his peace of mind troubled, his knowledge will not be perfect."
 -- Buddhist Proverb
"Let no man presume to give advice to others that he has not first lived successfully himself."
 -- Anonymous

"People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be – not what you nag them to be."
 -- S.N. Parker

"An open mind, like an open window, should be screened to keep the bugs out."
 -- Virginia Hutchinson

"Philosophy is a purely personal matter. A genuine philosopher's credo is the outcome of a single complex personality; it cannot be transferred. No two persons, if sincere, can have the same philosophy."
 -- Havelock Ellis

Today I will not expect others to agree with my views. I will share and listen for what is good in others and myself. I will seek honesty and increased understanding from all my communications with others.

From the book:

The Reflecting Pond by Liane Cordes

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

Sept. 1, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step

Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013

Today, I ask in honesty if I have experienced the "spiritual awakening" required in Step 12, the culmination of fierce and thorough practice of the previous 11 Steps and mandated of us to be effective carriers of the Program's message to others. There is no blanket answer if we have had that spiritual renewal because that renewal is as unique to the individual as his or her program of recovery. But, in general terms, if I can say honestly that I no longer schedule my day around my addiction and don't want to, if I can say I am better mentally and emotionally by taking on those character flaws that fed my addiction, if I can say in honesty that I want to offer help to the addict still in active use, if I can admit that my will is self-will run riot and that the will of a wiser and stronger Higher Power must be my guide - then, and only possibly then, can I say I have undergone the awakening of a "new" and better character than the one that prevailed in my active addition and early stages of recovery. But, on the other hand, if I can say honestly I have not undergone a fundamental change in character, in emotion, in morality, I best backtrack to the very beginning, to Step One: "Admitted (I am) powerless ..." And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013

Sept. 1, 2013 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013

AA Thought for the Day
"Be careful not to brand new prospects as alcoholics. Let them draw their own conclusion. But talk to them about the hopelessness of alcoholism. Tell them exactly what happened to you and how you recovered. Stress the spiritual feature freely. If they are agnostics or atheists, make it emphatic that they do not have to agree with your conception of God. They can choose any conception they like, provided it makes sense to them. The main thing is that they be willing to believe in a Power greater than themselves and that they live by spiritual principles."

Do I hold back too much in speaking of the spiritual principles of the program?

Meditation for the Day
"I will never leave nor forsake thee." Down through the centuries, thousands have believed in God's constancy, untiringness and unfailing love. God has love. Then forever you are sure of His love. God has power. Then forever you are sure, in every difficulty and temptation, of His strength. God has patience. Then always there is One who can never tire. God has understanding. Then always you will understand and be understood. Unless you want Him to go, God will never leave you. He is always ready with power.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may feel that God's love will never fail. I pray that I may have confidence in His unfailing power.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 1, 2013 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013

Reflection for the Day
Based on their collective experience, The Program's founders suggested a prayer to be said when taking the Third Step - and making a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. "God, I offer myself to Thee, to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy power, Thy love and Thy way of life. May I do Thy will always!"

Have I abandoned myself to God as I understand Him?

Today I Pray
I praise my Higher Power for my freedom to find my own understanding of God. May my life be God's, whether I think of Him as a Father whose hand and spirit I can touch with an upward reach of my own, or as a universal Spirit that I can merge with as the hard outlines of my "self" begin to melt, or as a core of Divine and absolute goodness inside myself. May I know Him well, whether I find Him within me, without me or in all things everywhere.

Today I Will Remember
I thank God, as I understand Him, for my understanding of Him.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 1, 2013 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013

The alcoholic is usually conscious of his shortcomings, but he resents any well-meant attempt to discuss the matter with him. He knows that he has no defense. Logic is against him; lying frequently backfires on him and is therefore unreliable. He has but one avenue of escape, and that is the bottle - the very thing the well-intentioned friend is trying to avoid.

Our only approach that makes sense to him is the visible evidence that we are doing it, and acquainting him with the fact that it can be done.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 1, 2013 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013

Today's thought from Hazelden is:
I have to laugh at the times I’ve knocked myself out over a tough spot only to find out afterwards there was an easier way through.
 -- Robert Franklin Leslie

We receive messages throughout the day that tell us ways of doing things. The door to the store says, “Pull.” The red light tells us not to drive through the intersection. The cereal box says, “Lift tab and open.” Our car's gas gauge tells us “empty.” With these messages, we are given the guidance on which to base our decisions.

We can choose not to pull the door. Then we’ll spend a lot of time and energy pushing until we finally read the sign. All that effort expended, just because we couldn’t stop to get some guidance!

The Twelve Steps offer guidance for an easier way through life. We don’t have to knock ourselves out over these Steps; all we have to do is follow the direction they give us.

How can I use the Steps to make my life easier?

From the book:

Night Light by Amy E. Dean

Night Light by Amy E. Dean. © 1986, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation