Topic of the week, words that begin with the letter "I"

[MajestyJo]

I is for Idea. It is a good idea to not pick up a drink or a drug today. It is a good idea to go to a meeting. If you don't feel like going to a meeting, don't walk, run to the nearest one. It is a good idea to call your sponsor, in good times as well as the not so good times. It is a good idea to build a relationship with your sponsor, yourself, and Your Higher Power.

The swan means grace.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Integrity. Walk your talk. Don't say one thing and do another. Take the words from the literature and off the screen of your Monitor and apply it to your life. Just knowing doesn't cut it, quoting it chapter and verse is good, but if not lived, it is of no value.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for ISMs. I, Self, and Me. I needed to get rid of the selfish, and self-centered ways of thinking. It was my thinking behind the using that cause me the problem. I had to go to a Higher Power, and give up the 'control' of my life. Controll is an illusion. Me alone with me, is me in bad company. When I find myself saying, "I!""I!""I!""I!". I know that I am being Self-Centered instead of God-Centered.

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[dwmoeller]

I is for Isolating.

This is something to be avoided. Isolating yourself can be a dangerous thing and can lead to relapse. Instead of Isolation, become involved...help one another.

[MajestyJo]

Thanks Dave, like that. Never thought of the word involved before. So true, be a participant in your recovery and get involved in service.

I know I wouldn't be sober in today, if I hadn't got involved in service. At first in my home group, and then when I had two years, the local jail, detox, treatment centers, speaking at meetings, and getting involved in community work.

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[dwmoeller]

I is for Identify

Identify your triggers. Then use your tools of recovery to help you cope with the triggers. Be on guard and when you hit a trigger, you will now how to respond without drinking/using.

[MajestyJo]

I is for Inches. This is a program of inches. We didn't get this way overnight, we don't get better overnight. We are works in progress.

It is not a quick fix program. Take the Steps one at a time. You have to inch your way through each Step. You can't learn all the facits of the Step in one go round.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Identify not compare. We haven't always walked the same path physically, we have on the whole, walked on similiar paths mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Isolation. Isolation is part of our disease, it is not a recovery tool. When we isolate, we isolate our soul and well as our body. We can do what I can''t do alone. We may be in a crowd but still feel alone.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Integrity. Everytime I see this word, I think "Walk your talk." As mysponsor told me in early recovery, "Do people look at you and see recovery?"

We learned about honesty and integrity - that the truth matters... that you don't take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules... and success doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square. Michelle Obama

Be Impeccable With Your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. Don Miguel Ruiz

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Ideals. We have great expectations and when we don't meet them we see ourselves as failures. We never thought to lower our expectations so that our goals were attainable. We didn't have to live in this grandiose world, we could take things one step at a time according to our Higher Power's Will not ours. I don't have to be the great I am.

Sometimes old tapes are hard to recognize, because they are so ingrained into us. What I have learned that in recovery, we can develop them. The new tapes we make in early recovery often need to be revised and/or replaced.

Sometimes, I may get a thought from a week ago that I think should be engraved in stone, only to find that my perception was off.

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[dwmoeller]

I is for If's

Do not go down the road of If's and Buts and If only...instead Live in the present. Be positive. Have an attitude of gratitude for another day of sobriety.

[dwmoeller]

I is for Integrity. Walk your talk!

[MajestyJo]

I is for Illness. We suffer from a disease, an illness that affects us mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. We need to remind ourselves that we need food for all areas, not just the physical. We can get hungry spiritually. What do you feed your spirit?

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Image. What kind of image do you portray? Do people look at you and see recovery? My sponsor told me many years ago, "If you have recovery, show it. Clean up your persona, clean up your actions, and clean up your mouth."

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[dwmoeller]

I is for Integrity. Learn to walk your talk!

[MajestyJo]

I is for Inch. If you give your disease and inch, it will take a mile. We only have a daily reprieve. Don't let your disease take away from your day. Let go of the past and live in today.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Ideals. When I was in a recovery house, we were asked to do a collage (spelling?) on how you thought you projected yourself to others., How you thought others saw you? How you wanted to look and be? How you felt before recovery?

Everyone use to call me "mother" all of the time. I was the caretaker and people looked to me to fix things or tell them what to do, when I coiuldn't even look after myself.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Ideas. We may have big ideas, but I have found that it is best to slow down and have a little talk with my Higher Power to see if we are on the same path. My ideas need to align with what He plans for my life.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Identify, Don't Compare. You don't have to travel the same path others have taken. We cana get of the dump truck before it gets to the dump. Listen and learn, and identify with others feelings and it isn't always the verbal message, look for the unspoken words.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Illness. We have an illness. We are sick people trying to get well. We are NOT bad people trying to get good.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Integrity. Walk your talk. You may be the only Big Book someone sees.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Intelligence. Many people try to think their way through the program, but it doesn't work that way. We can't intellectualize, it is a defect of character. We can be too smart for our own good. Learn to trust the process and let go and let God.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Inventory. Take 4 and 10 Step Inventories. Take a look see at what is there so you know what to change and what need nurturing. We are not all bad, although we may feel bad to the bone there is some goodness within in us, even if we try to cover it up. Bring things out of the darkness, into the light.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Internet. It can be a great recovery tool. It can bring us here to start our day with the Daily Readings. It can be a stumbling block because it is the pathway to social media and internet games that can stand between us and our God, when they become the focus of our life. There is nothing wrong with fun, but there is a lot to be said about obsessive, compulsive behaviour that needs to be turned over to our God. Anything that stands between me and who my God would have me be and do each day, becomes the god of the day.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Inter-Group. Once we get six months, we can get involved in service. Service is a god way to build your character and get out of self and help others. Inter-Group is one of the many ways you can get involved besides General Service Rep.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Illusion. They say control is an illusion. An illusion is an idea or a belief that isn't true. I thought I was in control, but it was my disease that was leading me around and I did anything it told me to do.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Include. If you were like me, you always wanted to be included. We are no longer alone. I can pass that feeling onto others make them feel included.

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[MajestyJo]

I is for Instinct. What does your instinct tell you? Du you listen for it? Women have instincts, men are more apt to have gut feelings. No matter what you call it, I see it as the Good Orderly Direction I need each day. When I listen to my instincts, I feel as though I am living God-Centered.

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