March 15, 2014 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Saturday, March 15, 2014
 
How many times have we postponed that call to the guy we sensed needed us? We felt that he didn't phone us just to "shoot the breeze." True, he didn't come right out and call for help, and we did have something else to do. We decided we would take care of it tomorrow and then found out that tomorrow was too late.

Today is truly the only day we have; what we can do, what we should do - we must do today.

The map of the United States is different today because Longstreet was one day late arriving at Gettysburg.

Hazelden Foundation

March 15, 2014 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

I believe that everyone needs a mentor.
 -- Harry Bartholomew

We have all had mentors - many of them, in fact. We might not have labeled them as such, but throughout our lives we have been picking up ideas and mannerisms from many people. From some, we sought to learn specific skills, perhaps on the job or while in school. A few inadvertently became our mentors simply because of our proximity to them. Along the way, we may have chosen some mentors impulsively and to our detriment. The process of mentoring is how most of us learn, ultimately. Have we forgotten that we, too, have served as mentors for many others who have shared our journey?

We obviously are not through living yet. Thus we are not through mentoring either. Every encounter we have with someone is mentoring in action. One moment we're on the learning end; the next, perhaps we're acting as teacher. Mentoring has always been a two-way street.

We have never been able to control another's mentoring, but we have always been free to choose or refuse to follow his or her example. What we can control, and this has always been true, is the content of our own mentoring. Are we satisfied that we've done our best?

Today I'll remember that my role as mentor isn't over yet.

From the book:

Keepers of the Wisdom by Karen Casey

Keepers of the Wisdom © 1996 by Karen Casey

March 14, 2014 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Friday, March 14, 2014
 
Today, if I feel the need to talk or open up to someone about something that bothers and weighs me down, I will not be held back by my old character defects of fear, uncertainty, anger, self-imposed isolation or the thought that I might come off as "unloading" or "dumping" on someone. The Program has impressed on me that recovery is partly about mutual sharing and support, and I can't expect either if I put a lid on something I know I must give voice to, be it an admission of a wrong done long ago and still requires amend or the dread of saying I have been diagnosed with a potentially serious condition because to say it will make it true, or anything else. In asking for help if I need it, I might not get a solution but I might get release from anxiety, fear, dread, loneliness and all those other traits of my emotional and spiritual disease simply by talking to an empathetic ear or a co-AA who might have his own experience, strength and hope to share. Today, I will not be alone; I shall be a part, not apart. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2014

March 14, 2014 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Friday, March 14, 2014
 
AA Thought for the Day
Can I get well? If I mean, "Can I ever drink normally again," the answer is no. But if I mean, "Can I stay sober?" the answer is definitely yes. I can get well by turning my drink problem over to a Power greater than myself, that Divine Principle in the universe which we call God, and by asking that Power each morning to give me the strength to stay sober for the next 24 hours. I know from the experience of thousands of people that if I honestly want to get well, I can get well.

Am I faithfully following the AA program?

Meditation for the Day
Persevere in all that God's guidance moves you to do. The persistent carrying out of what seems right and good will bring you to that place where you would be. If you look back over God's guidance, you will see that His leading has been very gradual and that only as you have carried out His wishes, as far as you can understand them, has God been able to give you more clear and definite leading. You are led by God's touch on a quickened, responsive mind.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may persevere in doing what seems right. I pray that I may carry out all of God's leading, as far as I can understand it.

Hazelden Foundation

March 14, 2014 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Friday, March 14, 2014
 
Reflection for the Day
One thing that keeps me on the right track today is a feeling of loyalty to other members of The Program, no matter where they may be. We depend on each other. I know, for example, that I'd be letting them down if I ever took a drink. When I came into The Program, I found a group of people who were not only helping each other to stay sober, but who were loyal to each other by staying sober themselves.

Am I loyal to my group and to my friends in The Program?

Today I Pray
I thank God for the loyalty and fellowship of the group and for the mutuality of commitment that binds us together. May I give to the group in the same proportion that I take from it. Having been a taker during so many of my years, my giving used to be no more than a commodity for which I expected to be paid in approval or love or favors. May I learn the joy of pure giving, with no strings attached, no expectation of reward.

Today I Will Remember
A perfect gift asks nothing in return.

Hazelden Foundation

March 14, 2014 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Friday, March 14, 2014
 
It is very noticeable that most of the great religious teachers or prophets prescribed nothing but a code of morals and ethics. All their teachings were characterized by an almost complete lack of formal religious observances.

They have pointed out the direction but never the path. If we follow other men's paths, we fall over the same stones they fell over, and we got lost where they got lost. Each of us must carve out his own path, and the progress we make will be determined by our own efforts to advance.

Hazelden Foundation

March 14, 2014 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Friday, March 14, 2014

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

Nothing is more difficult than competing with a myth.
 -- Francoise Giroud
Sometimes we think we need to try and be something we're not. Maybe we feel pressure from friends to behave or dress like someone else.

All we need to do is remember when we were younger and dressed in our parents' clothes and shoes. We pretended to be grownups, and it was fun for a while. Then the huge shoes on our feet grew clumsy and uncomfortable and the mountain of rolled-up sleeves kept falling down and getting in the way. Soon we grew tired of the game and stopped pretending.

Today when we start feeling the pressure to be someone else, let's remember how hard it is to play a role that doesn't fit us.

From the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

Today's Gift © 1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation

March 13, 2014 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Thursday, March 13, 2014
 
Today, considering emerging developments in pharmacology that a vaccine may be pending in the treatment of alcoholism and other addictions, I will not waste any thought on the myth that I might return to responsible drinking some day. An "addiction vaccine" may, in fact, treat and even stop addiction from developing. But researchers caution that any vaccine treats only physical dependency, and alcoholism is a three-pronged condition that also includes emotional and spiritual ailments along with the physical. A vaccine, then, will do nothing to treat the psychology of addictive behaviors like compulsive drinking, gambling, over-eating and sexual obsession. Any "cure" that lets me slide by with drinking without the shakes, hangovers and dry heaves is worth nothing if the morning after still greets me with regret, remorse, shame or an appearance before a judge because of a DUI. My alcoholism is a three-edge sword of physical, emotional and mental dependency and, until there's a vaccine to repair a damaged emotional and spiritual soul, I am never "cured." Today, because an emotional and spiritual cure can't be condensed in a syringe, I'll stick with the Program. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2014

March 13, 2014 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Thursday, March 13, 2014
 
AA Thought for the Day
We've got rid of our false, drinking selves and found our real, sober selves. And we turn to God, our Father, for help, just as the Prodigal Son arose and went to his father. At the end of the story, the father of the Prodigal Son says, "He was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found." We alcoholics who have found sobriety in AA were certainly dead and are alive again. We were lost and are found.

Am I alive again?

Meditation for the Day
Gently breathe in God's spirit, that spirit which, if not barred out by selfishness, will enable you to do good works. This means rather that God will be enabled to do good works through you. You can become a channel for God's spirit to flow through you and into the lives of others. The works that you can do will only be limited by your spiritual development. Let your spirit be in harmony with God's spirit and there is no limit to what you can do in the realm of human relationships.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may become a channel for God's spirit. I pray that God's spirit may flow through me into the lives of others.

Hazelden Foundation

March 13, 2014 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Thursday, March 13, 2014
 
Reflection for the Day
All my life, I looked to others for comfort, security and all the other things that add up to what I now call serenity. But I've come to realize that I was always looking in the wrong place. The source of serenity is not outside, but within myself. The kingdom is within me, and I already have the key. All I have to do is to be willing to use it.

Am I using the tools of The Program on a daily basis? Am I willing?

Today I Pray
God gave me the courage to seek out the kingdom inside myself, to find that well-spring within me which has its source in the never-ending, life-giving river of God. May my soul be restored there. May I find the serenity I seek.

Today I Will Remember
To seek the inner kingdom.

Hazelden Foundation

March 13, 2014 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Thursday, March 13, 2014
 
When God makes a tree, it is exactly the species, size and shape He intended it to be. Nothing the tree can do will alter it in the slightest degree.

God, however, in His Wisdom, created man with all perfection, yet allows him to make of himself what he will. He gave us independent minds and wills because He intended that we, the highest form of all living beings, should work out our own mental and moral evolution from morality to immortality.

Hazelden Foundation

March 13, 2014 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

The most important thing we are doing right now is thinking nice thoughts. -- Jim and Marie BurnsJust thinking nice thoughts sounds so simplistic, doesn't it! Surely there is more in life to contemplate than that. But the power of nice thoughts, the impact just such a simple decision can have on our lives and the lives of everyone around us, is awesome.

Having nice thoughts and only nice thoughts is a significant departure for most of us. Far more commonly we quietly or vocally judged every man, woman, and child in our presence. Stopping ourselves from judging, in fact, stopping a judgment in its tracks, will reveal how swamped our thinking has been by the critical, mean-spirited side of us.

Seldom do we cultivate a quiet, peaceful mind. Seemingly out of control, our minds race from one idea, one judgment, and one negative opinion to another one of equal harm to ourselves and the entire human community. Perhaps we didn't realize that every thought we harbor has an impact, whether it's voiced aloud or not. We can't lay the blame for this violent, mean world solely on others. We've had a part in it, too. Every time we favor a nasty thought rather than a nice thought, we add to the turmoil around us. The good news is that we can choose between the two at will.

I will add to the tenor of the world today by my thoughts. I pray that I may choose them carefully.

From the book:

Keepers of the Wisdom by Karen Casey

Keepers of the Wisdom © 1996 by Karen Casey

March 12, 2014 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Today, let me not forget , as an alcoholic, that my character is one of extremes: one drink wasn't enough, so it became so many to skyrocket me into oblivion; anger wasn't expressed in acceptable forms and instead became spontaneous explosions of verbal or physical abuse; love was obsessive and possessive instead of allowing those I "loved" to be themselves and not what I demanded they be; when I was drunk, I was the best thing to happen to anyone; the morning after, I was the worst that happened to them; in apologizing, either I expected not just acceptance but praise for being so "big" to apologize in the first place, or I was so self-defeating that I prefaced apologies with, "I wouldn't blame you if ..." Today, when I am faced with responding to anything, let me remember the Steps and their Principles of surrender of self and will to the Higher Power, of humility, gratitude and selflessness, and of service in reacting with neither expectation of unreasonable returns nor with self-defeatism. Today, I am sober. I am now free to be what I am. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2014

March 12, 2014 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
 
AA Thought for the Day
The Prodigal Son "took his journey into a far country and wasted his substance with riotous living." That's what we alcoholics do. We waste our substance with riotous living. "When he came to himself, he said, 'I will arise and go to my father.'" That's what you do in AA. You come to yourself. Your alcoholic self is not your real self. Your sane, sober, respectable self is your real self. That's why we alcoholics are so happy in AA.

Have I come to myself?

Meditation for the Day
Simplicity is the keynote of a good life. Choose the simple things always. Life can become complicated if you let it be so. You can be swamped by difficulties if you let them take up too much of your time. Every difficulty can be either solved or ignored and something better substituted for it. Love the humble things of life. Reverence the simple things. Your standard must never be the world's standard of wealth and power.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may love the simple things of life. I pray that I may keep my life uncomplicated and free.

Hazelden Foundation

March 12, 2014 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
 
Reflection for the Day
If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we'll find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. So let us, with God's help, continually surrender these crippling liabilities. Then we can be set free to live and love. We may then be able to Twelfth-Step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional sobriety.

Do I try to carry the message of The Program?

Today I Pray
May I first get my emotional and spiritual house in order before I seek to carry out serious commitments in human relationships. May I look long and thoroughly at "dependency" - upon alcohol or other drugs or upon other human beings - and recognize it as the source of my unrest. May I transfer my dependency to God, as I understand Him.

Today I Will Remember
I am God-dependent.

Hazelden Foundation

March 12, 2014 - The Eye Opener

The Eye Opener
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
 
The mind of man is unable to approximate the untold millions of dollars that have been spent by us alcoholics in that futile chase after happiness, only to find that what we purchased was not happiness but misery, want, illness and despair.

By calling off the hunt, by quitting our quest for fun that we had always believed hid in the bottom of a bottle, we found happiness. The price of this happiness was only that we give happiness to others, and we learned that the more we gave, the more we had. We could eat our cake and have it, too.

Hazelden Foundation

March 12, 2014 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

Comparing my insides to other people's outsides causes me problems.
 -- Joan Rohde

For most of our lives we felt inferior. Others seemed smarter, wittier, and more attractive. We felt inadequate every time we compared ourselves to others. Getting sober hasn't freed us from this behavior, at least not completely. Fortunately, we now have tools that we can use in changing behavior that hinders our growth.

Talking with a sponsor, sharing with a friend, or asking God for help frees us from the hold of negative behaviors. Comparing ourselves to others doesn't have to shame us any longer. All that's necessary is to stop the thought, think instead of God's presence within, and quietly bless ourselves and the person who unknowingly triggered our reaction. Our progress in changing this shortcoming will be as swift as our decision to take this simple action.

I am in control of my thoughts. God will help me every time I start to compare myself to someone else today.

From the book:

A Woman's Spirit by Karen Casey

A Woman's Spirit by Karen Casey. © 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

March 11, 2014 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
 
Today, should I feel tempted to drink "just one" or if the temptation extends to "just one more night," let me have the honesty to admit to myself that I have already premeditated a slip or relapse and that I find the wisdom "to change the things I can." And a temptation is something I CAN change. Grant me the courage to do what the Program suggests when temptation calls: reach out to a sponsor, a co-member, or even an online contact BEFORE I take the drink. Asking for help AFTER the drink is too late. And if I don't have the sense to seek help before the drink, let me remember the yesterdays of morning afters and their residue: hangovers, shakes, guilt, remorse, memory loss, fear, shame. Is any of that worth the instant gratification of a drink and, with all honesty, does my drinking history have even ONE instance of cutting myself off after "just one?" Nope! Today, if I am tempted, let me have the courage to muster the honesty to tell myself that I am premeditating a relapse, that a slip is a myth and that the consequence simply isn't worth it. And, today, I'll call help. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2014

March 11, 2014 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
 
AA Thought for the Day
By having quiet times each morning, we come to depend on God's help during the day, especially if we should be tempted to take a drink. And we can honestly thank Him each night for the strength He has given us. So our faith is strengthened by these quiet times of prayer. By listening to other members, by working with other alcoholics, by times of quiet meditation, our faith in God gradually becomes strong.

Have I turned my drink problem entirely over to God, without reservations?

Meditation for the Day
It seems as though, when God wants to express to men what He is like, He makes a very beautiful character. Think of a personality as God's expression of character attributes. Be as fit an expression of God-like character as you can. When the beauty of a person's character is impressed upon us, it leaves an image which in turn reflects through our own actions. So look for beauty of character in those around you.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may look at great souls until their beauty of character becomes a part of my soul. I pray that I may reflect this character in my own life.

Hazelden Foundation

March 11, 2014 - A Day at a Time

A Day at a Time
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
 
Reflection for the Day
Since I came to The Program, I've begun to recognize my previous inability to form a true partnership with another person. It seems that my egomania created two disastrous pitfalls. Either I insisted upon dominating the people I knew, or I depended on them far too much. My friends in The Program have taught me that my dependence meant demand - a demand for the possession and control of the people and the conditions surrounding me.

Do I still try to find emotional security either by dominating or being dependent on others?

Today I Pray
May I turn first to God to satisfy my love-hunger, knowing that all He asks from me is my faith in Him. May I no longer cast emotional nets over those I love, either by dominating them or being excessively dependent upon them - which is just another form of domination. May I give others the room they need to be themselves. May God show me the way to mature human relationships.

Today I Will Remember
To have faith in His love.

Hazelden Foundation