Sept. 20, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Friday, Sept. 20, 2024

Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Faith is the subtle chain which binds us to the infinite.

-- Elizabeth Oakes Smith

Surrendering ourselves to a Higher Power is a big step. As addicts, trust has not been one of our strong points. On top of that, Step Three says we surrender to the "care" of God. Feeling cared for -- nurtured, trusted, listened to -- may not feel familiar either. The idea of a Higher Power who actually cares for us can seem pretty foreign.

A starting place can be the idea of simply making a decision. When we do that, we will be shown the way to turn our will and life over to the care of God. Building a relationship with our Higher Power is like building any other relationship; it takes time, honesty, and faith. God doesn't require perfect faith, only our willingness. If we do our part, God will do the rest.

Faith is knowing that which is beyond knowledge and seeing that which is beyond sight.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 20, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Friday, Sept. 20, 2024

“To most of us, making amends will take the rest of our lives, but we can start immediately. Just being sober will be making amends to many we have hurt by our drunken actions. Making amends is sometimes doing what we are capable of doing but failed to do because of alcohol; carrying out community responsibilities such as Community Funds, Red Cross, educational and religious activities in proportion to our abilities and energies.” -- Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “They Stopped in Time,” Ch 10 (“It Might Have Been Worse”), pp 381-82.

Today, I know I owe amends not only for what I have done but for what I didn’t do. If in my drinking days or even now I neglected to be a faithful spouse or partner, a nurturing parent, a productive employee or if I have failed to let go of a litany of character defects, atoning for failing to do what I should have done is as important as atoning for what I did do. To many people and in many cases, direct amends are not and may never be possible. But I can pray that my strongest and sincerest amend is to work for and remain sober. This is why we, the people in recovery, are here. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2024

Sept. 20, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Friday, Sept. 20, 2024

AA Thought for the Day
Step Four is, “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” Step Five is, “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” Step Six is, “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” Step Seven is, “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.” Step Ten is, “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.” In taking a personal inventory, we have to be absolutely honest with ourselves and with other people.

Have I taken an honest inventory of myself?

Meditation for the Day
God is good. You can often tell whether or not a thing is of God. If it is of God, it must be good. Honesty, purity, unselfishness and love are all good, unselfish helpfulness is good, and these things all lead to the abundant life. Leave in God’s hands the present and the future, knowing only that He is good. The hand that veils the future is the hand of God. He can bring order out of chaos, good out of evil, and peace out of turmoil. We can believe that everything really good comes from God and that He shares His goodness with us.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may reach out for the good. I pray that I may try to choose the best in life.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 20, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Friday, Sept. 20, 2024

Reflection for the Day
“When a man has reached a condition in which he believed that a thing must happen when he does not wish it, and that which he wishes to happen can never be, this is really the state called desperation.” — Schopenhaueral

The very real pain of emotional difficulties is sometimes very hard to take while we’re trying to maintain sobriety. Yet we learn, in time, that overcoming such problems is the real test of the Program’s way of living.

Do I believe that adversity gives me more opportunity to grow than does comfort or success?

Today I Pray
May I believe firmly that God, in His infinite wisdom, does not send me those occasional moments of emotional stress in order to tease my sobriety, but to challenge me to grow in my control and my conviction. May I learn not to be afraid of emotional summits and canyons for the Program has outfitted me for all kinds of terrain.

Today I Will Remember
Strength through adversity.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 20, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Friday, Sept. 20, 2024

The troubles of the backwoods mountaineer are just as big and just as numerous to him as yours are to you. They seldom crack up mentally, however, because they have no “experts” to cure them of their present worries by finding things wrong that they never suspected before, thus giving them a brand-new crop of worries.

We often worry ourselves into the psychiatrist’s office and then worry ourselves into another when we get the first one’s bill.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 20, 2024 - Good morning and let's flex those Happy Dance Friday muscles

 

Good morning and there's no greater motivation than Snoopy to get into the swing of this here-at-last Happy Dance Friday 

...make it a truly awesome day, folks

Sept. 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

-- Step Two of Alcoholics Anonymous

The Second Step pushes us to start believing in something other than ourselves. After facing that we are powerless in Step One, we feel vulnerable. What we do with our vulnerability is very important.

Hope is a power greater than us. We see others healing in the groups we attend, so we start to believe in a healing power. The power of the group is greater than us.

As we start to believe in hope, in our group, and in ourselves, we are slowly restored to sanity. When we were using alcohol and drugs, we knew our thinking and behavior were not balanced and sane, but we gave in because we had no hope. Now we have hope because we see that recovery creates a healthy life of sanity.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, I see you in the smiles and serenity of people in recovery. Please restore me to sanity.

Today's Action

Today I will make a list of the ways my active addiction made my thoughts and actions insane and off-balanced.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

“The mental twists that led up to my drinking began many years before I ever took a drink for I am one of those whose history proves conclusively that my drinking was ‘a symptom of a deeper trouble.’

‘Through my efforts to get down to ’causes and conditions,’ I stand convinced that my  emotional illness has been present from my earliest recollection. I never did react normally to any emotional situation.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “They Lost Nearly All,” Ch 12 (“Freedom From Bondage”), p 544.

Today, knowing that my emotional and spiritual sickness preceded my alcoholism, I also know that abstaining from drinking is not enough in my recovery. Drinking was, for me, but a symptom of a “deeper trouble,” and my recovery has to be worked and climbed step by step to overcome that symptom. Without tending to my “deeper trouble,” my recovery will be less sober and more like a dry drunk. Whatever my pre-drinking “deeper trouble” was — fear, anger, shame, loneliness, low or inflated self-esteem, resentment, depression or a diagnosed psychiatric condition — I need to confront and either come to terms with it or let it go. Then, and only then, can I move on with the business of recovery and serenity. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2024

Sept. 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

AA Thought for the Day
Let us continue with Steps Two, Three and Eleven. We must turn to a Higher Power for help, because we are helpless ourselves. When we put our drink problem in God’s hands and leave it there, we have made the most important decision of our lives. From then on, we trust God for the strength to keep sober. This takes us off the center of the universe and allows us to transfer our problems to a Power outside ourselves. By prayer and meditation, we seek to improve our conscious contact with God. We try to live each day the way we believe God wants us to live.

Am I trusting God for the strength to stay sober?

Meditation for the Day

“These things have I spoken unto you, that your joy may be full.” Even a partial realization of the spiritual life brings much joy. You feel at home in the world when you are in touch with the Divine Spirit of the universe. Spiritual experience brings a definite satisfaction. Search for the real meaning of life by following spiritual laws. God wants you to have spiritual success and He intends that you have it. If you live your life as much as possible according to spiritual laws, you can expect your share of joy and peace, satisfaction and success.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I will find happiness in doing the right thing. I pray that I will find satisfaction in obeying spiritual laws.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

Reflection for the Day

It’s still not exactly a “piece of cake” for me to accept today’s occasional pain and anxiety with any great degree of serenity, but I’m increasingly able to be thankful for a certain amount of pain. In The Program, we find the willingness to do this by going over the lessons learned from past sufferings — lessons which have led to the blessings we now enjoy. We can remember how the agonies of addiction — and the pain of rebellion and bruised pride — have often led us to God’s grace, and thus to new freedom.

Have I thanked my Higher Power for the miracle of my life this day?

Today I Pray

When I was helpless, I asked God for help. When I was hopeless, I reached out for His hope. When I was powerless over my addiction, I asked to share His power. Now I can honestly thank God that I was helpless, hopeless and powerless, because I have seen a miracle.

Today I Will Remember

From powerless highs to a Higher Power.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 19, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

The cry of the single word “Help” will bring more people to your rescue than a long and eloquent oration of your needs. If the God of your understanding is a personal God, one who has all Godly attributes in infinite quantities, then He knows your needs before your sluggish human intelligence is capable of realizing them. The secret of prayer is not long or frequent appeals in Biblical phraseology but an humble, contrite heart, a hope that expects its plea to be heard. A recognition of the Infinite Love that we acknowledge will do all those things which He, in His wisdom, knows are best for us.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 19, 2024 - Good morning and let's all have a fantastical and productive, worthwhile Thursday

 

Good morning and here's hoping for a fabulous and drama- and trauma-free Thursday for everyone ...and let's not get bogged down with people and things that aren't worth it

Sept. 18, 2024 - Reading sin Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024

Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose. Take which you please -- you can never have both.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Denial is sneaky and hard to detect. Like a chameleon, a denied reality tends to change color until it blends right in and seems to fit. Since we don't have to deal with what we don't see, we camouflage some truths that we're afraid will hurt or challenge us.

Some of us deny that anyone else ever lived in a family as dysfunctional as ours, or that our families were dysfunctional at all. Others insist only their siblings were affected, or only themselves. We may tell ourselves we're deliberating when we're really procrastinating. The varieties of self-deception are almost limitless.

Our talent for denial is an important reason for making friends in the program. We need people we can trust enough to tell us the truth -- loving people who will say what needs to be said, even if it's uncomfortable at first to hear.

I recognize my need for honest feedback. I'm less afraid of openness than I used to be.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 18, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024

“I’ve been benefited from a dictionary definition I found that reads: ‘rationalization is giving a socially acceptable reason for socially unacceptable behavior, and socially unacceptable behavior is a form of insanity’.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “They Lost Nearly All,” Ch 12 (“Freedom From Bondage”), p 551.

Today, getting drunk every night and waking every morning to shakes, dry heaves and a shot of whiskey instead a cup of coffee can’t be rationalized with, “Everyone drinks.” Not everyone gets drunk every day or has blackouts, and giving a “socially acceptable reason” for an unacceptable behavior is part of the insanity of alcoholism. And alcoholic drinking is not a socially accepted behavior. Today, in my recovery, the definition of insanity is expanded beyond continuing behavior that always leads to the same outcome to include rationalizing my unacceptable conduct with an acceptable reason. May it serve me well. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2024

Sept. 18, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024

AA Thought for the Day

Step Two is, “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Step Three is, “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” Step Eleven is, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” The fundamental basis of AA is a belief in some power greater than ourselves. Let us not take this lightly. We cannot fully get the program without this venture of belief.

Have I made the venture of belief in a Power greater than my own?

Meditation for the Day

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Dwell for a moment each day in a secret place, the place of communion with God, apart from the world, and thence receive strength to face the world. Material things cannot intrude because it is outside the realm of material things. When you abide in this secret place, you are under the shadow of the Almighty. God is close to you in this quiet place of communion. Each day, dwell for a while in this secret place.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may renew my strength in quietness. I pray that I may find rest in quiet communion with God.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 18, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024

Reflection for the Day

In every story we hear from others in The Program, pain has been the price of admission into a new life. But our admission price purchased far more than we expected. It led us to a degree of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain. And, in time, we began to fear pain less — and desire humility more than ever.

Am I learning to “sit loosely in the saddle” — making the most of what comes and the least of what goes?

Today I Pray

If God’s plan for us is spiritual growth, a closer alliance with His principles of what is good and what is true, then may I believe that all my experiences have added up to a new and improved me. May I not fear the lessons of pain. May I know that I must continue to grow through pain, as well as joy.

Today I Will Remember

I hurt; therefore, I am.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 18, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024

A deep stab wound must heal from within outward, or fresh tissue would grow over the lip of the wound and prevent the necessary drainage from beneath. Blood poisoning would set in and the poison would circulate through the entire body.

Human improvement works the same way. If it is only a surface cure, the poison remains in the heart and mind, affecting our entire life, and unless oral surgery is resorted to, our characters become infected.

The AA Program is moral surgery, wherein we remove sick and diseased thoughts and actions from deep within ourselves and thus become entirely healed.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 18, 2024 - Good morning with hopes of a terrific and worthwhile Wednesday for everyone

 

Good morning and let's get ready for this beautiful 

Wednesday with confidence that we can clear any hurdle the day has in store

Sept. 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024

Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

As a matter of fact, prayer is the only real action in the full sense of the word, because prayer is the only thing that changes one's character.

-- Emmet Fox

Erica Jong has said that we are spiritual beings who are human. Praying and meditating are ways we take care of our spirit. Prayer and meditation are disciplines suggested by the Eleventh Step of Twelve Step recovery programs: Al-Anon, CoDA, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and others.

Prayer and meditation are not necessarily connected to organized religion. Prayer and meditation are ways to improve our personal relationship with a Higher Power to benefit ourselves, our life and our growth. Praying is how we connect with God. We don't pray because we have to; we pray because we want to. It is how we link our soul to our Source.

We're learning to take care of our emotions, our mind and our physical needs. We're learning to change our behaviors. But we're also learning to take care of our spirit, our soul, because that is where all true change begins.

Each time we talk to God, we are transformed. Each time we connect with our Higher Power, we are heard, touched, and changed for the best.

Today, I will practice prayer and meditation. Whether I feel desperate, uneasy, or peaceful, I will make the effort to connect with my Higher Power, at least for a moment today.

Hazelden FoundatIon

Sept. 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024

Today, first things first, one thing at a time, one step at a time, one feeling at a time if one day at a time is too daunting a challenge. Today, I will quiet the noise in my mind for the Program’s wisdom to take me from the character defects that degrade sobriety into dry drunkenness — if not a wet one. If and when the responsibilities to sobriety seem too heavy, I will look to the Steps and live in the answer of sobriety instead of the problem of trying not to drink. And, in the end, the problem is not living with the struggle not to relapse: the answer is living in the Program. Today, I have the choice to live in sobriety instead of struggling to fight off what threatens it. Today, I can live in the answer, not the problem. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2024

Sept. 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024

AA Thought for the Day
Step One is, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.” This step states the membership requirement of AA. We must admit that our lives are disturbed. We must accept the fact that we are helpless before the power of alcohol. We must admit that we are licked as far as drinking is concerned and that we need help. We must be willing to accept the bitter fact that we cannot drink like normal people. And we must make, as gracefully as possible, a surrender to the inevitable fact that we must stop drinking.

Is it difficult for me to admit that I am different from normal drinkers?

Meditation for the Day
“Show us the way, O Lord, and let us walk in Thy paths.” There seems to be a right way to live and a wrong way. You can make a practical test. When you live the right way, things seem to work out well for you. When you live the wrong way, things seem to work out badly for you. You seem to take out of life about what you put into it. If you disobey the laws of nature, the chances are that you will be unhealthy. If you disobey the spiritual and moral laws, the chances are that you will be unhappy. By following the laws of nature and the spiritual laws of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love, you can expect to be reasonably healthy and happy.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may try to live the right way. I pray that I may follow the path that leads to a better life.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024

Reflection for the Day
In a letter to a friend, AA co-founder Bill W. wrote, “I don’t think happiness or unhappiness is the point. How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge? In my view, we of this world are pupils in a great school of life. It is intended that we try to grow, and that we try to help our fellow travelers to grow in the kind of love that makes no demands …When pain comes, we are expected to learn from it willingly, and help others to learn. When happiness comes, we accept it as a gift, and thank God for it.”

Can I accept both pain and happiness willingly?

Today I Pray
God, please help me remember that everything that happens to me has its worth, including the misery of addiction. May I believe that even my dependency was part of God’s Grand Scheme to bring me to Him.

Today I Will Remember
All that I am is all that has happened to me.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 17, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024

Many people in AA take too literally the statement they hear to the effect “we have no initiation fee or dues.”

Alcoholics Anonymous is not free — it costs a whale of a lot. It takes your time, your money, your thoughts, your prayers. It will give you a lot every day of your life, but it also requires a lot of your everyday living.

If you are stingy with AA, you are cheating yourself.

If you want a horse to work for you, you must feed him.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 17, 2024 - Good morning and let's flex those Tuesday muscles and have a great day

 

Good morning and here's an adorable pussy kitty wishing everyone a knockout and productive Tuesday

Sept. 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Monday, Sept. 16, 2024

Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Lying is done with words, and also with silence.

-- Adrienne Rich

Most of us are fundamentally honest people who would not deliberately tell an untruth. But there are circumstances when we may fear to say all that we need to. In relationships, for example, we may allow confusion, discomfort or resentment to build in ourselves or in a partner because of something we have left unsaid. We may assume that our feelings and wishes are known -- or think that they somehow ought to be -- when we haven’t spoken them aloud.

Whatever the context of a particular relationship -- romance, friendship, sponsorship, work -- we must never assume that others can read our minds. They cannot, any more than we know what they want, need, or believe if they have not said so. We needn't assume that we will look bad if we reveal our ignorance; in fact, we sometimes must be willing to keep asking questions until we understand a situation.

Today, I have the courage to communicate my needs and wants and to ask questions of others.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step

 

Step by Step
Monday, Sept. 16, 2024

“In two ways I may be a little different from other alcoholics. First, we all hear at AA meetings about those who have lost everything, those who have been in jail, those who have been in prison, those who have lost their families, those who have lost their income. I never lost any of it. I never was on skid row. I made more money the last year of my drinking than I ever made before in my whole life. My wife never hinted that she would leave me. Everything that I touched from grammar school on was successful. I was president of my grammar school student body. I was president of all of my classes in high school and in my last year I was president of that student body. I was president of each class in the University, and president of that student body. I was voted the man most likely to succeed. The same thing occurred in medical school. I belong to more medical societies and honor societies than men 10 to 20 years my senior.
‘Mine was the skid row of success. The physical skid row in any city is miserable. The skid row of success is just as miserable.’” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, “They Stopped in Time,” Ch 6 (“Physician, Heal Thyself!”), p 345.

Today, no pride in successes or acquisitions of things in my life — for they are no refuge from alcoholism. Skid row is just as miserable in my own home as it is under a bridge or in a homeless shelter. Responsibility comes with success and material gain as it does with irresponsible choices, and alcoholic drinking is not the responsible response to life when it is good any more than when it is bad. If I choose to “reward” my successes and material gains with irresponsible drinking, I risk turning my living room into skid row. Today, I accept responsibility to my sobriety just as I am responsible to the consequences of my drinking. What I have today is not promised me tomorrow. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2024

Sept. 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Monday, Sept. 16, 2024

AA Thought for the Day

Today, let us begin a short study of The Twelve Suggested Steps of AA. These Twelve Suggested Steps seem to embody five principles. The first step is the membership requirement step. The second, third and eleventh steps are the spiritual steps of the program. The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and tenth steps are the personal inventory steps. The eighth and ninth steps are the restitution steps. The twelfth step is the passing on of the program, or helping others, step. So the five principles are membership requirement, spiritual basis, personal inventory, restitution and helping others.

Have I made all these steps a part of me?

Meditation for the Day
We seem to live not only in time but also in eternity. If we abide with God and He abides with us, we may bring forth spiritual fruit which will last for eternity. If we live with God, our lives can flow as some calm river through the dry land of earth. It can cause the trees and flowers of the spiritual life – love and service – to spring forth and yield abundantly. Spiritual work may be done for eternity, not just for now. Even here on earth we can live as though our real lives were eternal.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may try to make my life a cool river in a thirsty land. I pray that I may give freely to all who ask my help.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time

 

A Day at a Time
Monday, Sept. 16, 2024

Reflection for the Day
We learn from others in The Program that the best way to deal with painful situations is to meet them head-on, to deal with them honestly and realistically and to try to learn from them and use them as springboards for growth. Through The Program and our contact with a Higher Power, we can find the courage to use pain for triumphant growth.

Will I believe that whatever pain I experience is a small price to pay for the joy of becoming the person I was always meant to be?

Today I Pray
May my Higher Power give me the courage I need to stop running away from painful situations. The chemical was my escape hatch, the trap door I counted on to swallow me when life became too monstrous or villainous to bear. Now that I have locked that door, may I face pain and learn from it.

Today I Will Remember
My compulsion: a trap-door — and a trap.

Hazelden Foundation

Sept. 16, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener

 

The Eye Opener
Monday, Sept. 16, 2024

The main objective in talking is to say something, not just anything. Words give a truer picture of a man than does a photograph, for words are reflections of the inner man, beyond the range of the finest camera.

Most of us alcoholics have been hurt more by our own words than we have by the words of others. Let us screen our words through our minds and give expression only to those words that are products of a sober and thinking intellect.

Hazelden Foundation