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Bluidkiti's Alcohol and Drug Addictions Recovery Help/Support Forums (https://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/index.php)

- Alcohol, Drugs and Other Addictions Recovery (https://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=12)

- - Just for Today (https://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1950)

MajestyJo

09-03-2016 12:20 AM

Quote:

Higher Powered

Page 256

"Daily practice of our Twelve Step program enables us to change from what we were to people guided by a Higher Power."

Basic Text, p.8

Who have we been, and who have we become? There are a couple of ways to answer this question. One is very simple: We came to Narcotics Anonymous as addicts, our addiction killing us. In NA, we've been freed from our obsession with drugs and our compulsion to use. And our lives have changed.

But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Who have we really been? In the past, we were people without power or direction. We felt like we had no purpose, no reason for living. Our lives didn't make any more sense to us than they did to our families, our friends, or our neighbors.

Who are we really becoming? Today, we are not merely clean addicts, but people with a sense of direction, a purpose, and a Power greater than ourselves. Through daily practice of the Twelve Steps, we've begun to understand how our addiction warped our feelings, motivations, and behavior. Gradually, the destructive force of our disease has been replaced by the life-giving force of our Higher Power.

Recovery means more than cleaning up-it means powering up. We have done more than shed some bad habits; we are becoming new people, guided by a Higher Power.

Just for Today: The guidance I need to become a new person is ready at hand. Today, I will draw further away from my old lack of direction and closer to my Higher Power.

Each time I go to a meeting, I get Good Orderly Direction from a group of drunks and drug addicts. Alcohol is a drug. I need to get rid of the old to make room for the new.

MajestyJo

09-03-2016 12:20 AM

Quote:

Each time I go to a meeting, I get Good Orderly Direction from a group of drunks and drug addicts. Alcohol is a drug. I need to get rid of the old to make room for the new.

MajestyJo

10-29-2016 10:14 AM

Quote:

October 29, 2016

Living in the now

Page 315

"Living just for today relieves the burden of the past and the fear of the future."

Basic Text, pp. 94

Thoughts of how bad it was-or could be-can consume our hopes for recovery. Fantasies of how wonderful it was-or could be-can divert us from taking action in the real world. That's why, in Narcotics Anonymous, we talk about living and recovering "just for today."

In NA, we know that we can change. We've come to believe that our Higher Power can restore the soundness of our minds and hearts. The wreckage of our past can be dealt with through the steps. By maintaining our recovery, just for today, we can avoid creating problems in the future.

Life in recovery is no fantasy. Daydreams of how great using was or how we can use successfully in the future, delusions of how great things could be, overblown expectations that set us up for disappointment and relapse-all are stripped of their power by the program. We seek God's will, not our own. We seek to serve others, not ourselves. Our self-centeredness and the importance of how great things could or should be for us disappears. In the light of recovery, we perceive the difference between fantasy and reality.

Just for Today: I am grateful for the principles of recovery and the new reality they've given me.

Today is a not so good day, it is so important to stay in the moment, in the now. I haven't had a migraine that has taken me back to bed since I quit smoking 18 years ago. Today just might be an exception. I find myself fighting it, yet then I ask myself why, and I get the answer, "Because you need to." The weather has a big part of it, so again the key is acceptance.

MajestyJo

11-08-2016 02:25 AM

Quote:

Acceptance And Change

"Freedom to change seems to come after acceptance of ourselves."

Basic Text pg. 56

Fear and denial are the opposites of acceptance. None of us are perfect, even in our own eyes; all of us have certain traits that, given the chance, we would like to change. We sometimes become overwhelmed when contemplating how far short we fall of our ideals, so overwhelmed that we fear there's no chance of becoming the people we'd like to be. That's when our defense mechanism of denial kicks in, taking us to the opposite extreme: nothing about ourselves needs changing, we tell ourselves, so why worry? Neither extreme gives us the freedom to change.

Whether we are long-time NA members or new to recovery, the freedom to change is acquired by working the Twelve Steps. When we admit our powerlessness and the unmanageability of our lives, we counteract the lie that says we don't have to change. In coming to believe that a Power greater than we are can help us, we lose our fear that we are damaged beyond repair; we come to believe we can change. We turn ourselves over to the care of the God of our understanding and tap the strength we need to make a thorough, honest examination of ourselves. We admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being what we've found. We accept the good and the bad in ourselves; with this acceptance, we become free to change.

Just for today: I want to change. By working the steps, I will counter fear and denial and find the acceptance needed to change.

pg. 371

I have to be willing to change. I often have to pray for the willingness to be willing to change.

Like the last line "...find the acceptance needed to change." Never thought that I too easily give in and accept things that are no longer working for me and I need to change my perception and my outlook.

Never thought of changing my acceptance, indeed, food for thought! At least not to my knowledge, although I might have in another context. Hmmmm!!!

MajestyJo

12-12-2016 02:13 AM

Quote:

December 11, 2016

Misery is optional

Page 361

"No one is forcing us to give up our misery."

Basic Text, p. 29

It's funny to remember how reluctant we once were to surrender to recovery. We seemed to think we had wonderful, fulfilling lives as using addicts and that giving up our drugs would be worse than serving a life sentence at hard labor. In reality, the opposite was true: Our lives were miserable, but we were afraid to trade that familiar misery for the uncertainties of recovery.

It's possible to be miserable in recovery, too, though it's not necessary. No one will force us to work the steps, go to meetings, or work with a sponsor. There is no NA militia that will force us to do the things that will free us from pain. But we do have a choice. We've already chosen to give up the misery of active addiction for the sanity of recovery. Now, if we're ready to exchange today's misery for even greater peace, we have a means to do just that-if we really want to.

Just for Today: I don't have to be miserable unless I really want to be. Today, I will trade in my misery for the benefits of recovery.

I am only as miserable as I make up my mind to be. I have freedom of choice as long as I don't pick up that first drug, what ever form it takes. A drug is a drug.

Substitution doesn't work. All I do is end up with two or more addictions.

https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.M...=0&w=300&h=300

MajestyJo

12-15-2016 11:50 PM

Quote:

December 16
Where There's Smoke...

"Complacency is the enemy of members with substantial clean time. If we remain complacent for long, the recovery process ceases."

Basic Text pg. 80

Recognizing complacency in our recovery is like seeing smoke in a room. The "smoke" thickens when our meeting attendance drops, contact with newcomers decreases, or relations with our sponsor aren't maintained. With continued complacency; we won't be able to see through the smoke to find our way out. Only our immediate response will prevent an inferno.

We must learn to recognize the smoke of complacency. In NA, we have all the help We need to do that. We need to spend time with other recovering addicts because they may detect our complacency before we do. Newcomers will remind us of how painful active addiction can be. Our sponsor will help us remain focused, and recovery literature kept in easy reach can be used to extinguish the small flare-ups that happen from time to time. Regular participation in our recovery will surely enable us to see that wisp of smoke long before it becomes a major inferno.

Just for today: I will participate in the full range of my recovery; My commitment to NA is just as strong today as it was in the beginning of my recovery.

pg. 366

No way I could be complacent today, too many things got my attention. First off was hitting red lights going down main street, then we thought it was an accident, and when we got to the hold up, we saw the police had blocked John street and there was yellow ticker tape all around the court and there were a lot of police cars. Never did listen to the news to see what happened. Then I got to my group and got to chair the meeting. What do I do, forget the announcements and had to be reminded.

When I got home, I got attacked by a bout of fatigue, and I tried to come on line and combat it, but just had to go to bed. Tonight, when I went to take burgers out of the freezer, the lid fell on my arm, tore some skin and badly bruised it. I realized how much fear I had been carrying around since the put me on a blood thinner. Every time I moved my arm, it would start bleeding again. I had been thinking of my friend Theresa before I went to sleep today, but didn't call her. Seeing as I had to sit still and put pressure on my arm, I decided to call her only to find she had been thinking of me. She didn't call because she figured I would be sleeping, and I was.

I had two load of laundry to do. I got it done, but it was really pushing it. I finally had to ask my son for help to banadage my arm, I couldn't do it myself.

This is a one day at a time program. All things that happened to me would have been a reason to pick up. For me to use is to die, each day I have to find another option. I am so grateful for the tools of the program that help me to deal with life on life's terms.

https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.M...=0&w=224&h=156

MajestyJo

12-20-2016 08:00 PM

Quote:

December 20, 2016

Overcoming self-obsession

Page 370

"In living the steps, we begin to let go of our self-obsession."

Basic Text, p.97

Many of us came to the program convinced that our feelings, our wants, and our needs were of the utmost importance to everyone. We had practiced a lifetime of self-seeking, self-centered behavior and believed it was the only way to live.

That self-centeredness doesn't cease just because we stop using drugs. Perhaps we attend our first NA function and are positive that everyone in the room is watching us, judging us, and condemning us. We may demand that our sponsor be on call to listen to us whenever we want-and they, in turn, may gently suggest that the world does not revolve around us. The more we insist on being the center of the universe, the less satisfied we will be with our friends, our sponsor, and everything else.

Freedom from self-obsession can be found through concentrating more on the needs of others and less on our own. When others have problems, we can offer help. When newcomers need rides to meetings, we can pick them up. When friends are lonely, we can spend time with them. When we find ourselves feeling unloved or ignored, we can offer the love and attention we need to someone else. In giving, we receive much more in return-and that's a promise we can trust.

Just for Today: I will share the world with others, knowing they are just as important as I am. I will nourish my spirit by giving of myself.

In order to recover, I need to share my experience, strength, and hope. If I don't share it with others, it will shrivel up and die. The Spirit will go out of the blessings I receive as a result of working the Steps, because I will be back in my ISMs, I Self, and Me.

MajestyJo

12-23-2016 10:44 PM

Quote:

December 23, 2016

New Ideas

Page 373

"We reevaluate our old ideas so we can become acquainted with the new ideas that lead to a new way of life."

Basic Text, p.94

Learning to live a new way of life can be difficult. Sometimes, when the going gets especially hard, we're tempted to follow the path of least resistance and live by our old ideas again. We forget that our old ideas were killing us. To live a new way of life, we need to open our minds to new ideas.

Working the steps, attending meetings, sharing with others, trusting a sponsor - these suggestions may meet our resistance, even our rebellion. The NA program requires effort, but each step in the program brings us closer to becoming the kinds of people we truly want to be. We want to change, to grow, to become something more than we are today. To do that, we open our minds, try on the new ideas we've found in NA, and learn to live a new way of life.

Just for Today: I will open my mind to new ideas and learn to live my life in a new way.

Last night I was speaking to my spiritual advisor and was advised to change my thinking and thought patterns when I was praying. Indeed food for thought. A topic comes up until the lessn finally sinks in. A person at my home group keeps putting "open minded" on the topic list and every one was sick and tired of talking about it, me included. :(

MajestyJo

01-01-2017 09:43 PM

Here is the link for the daily reading:

www.jftna.org/jft/

These readings are also included in the Daily Readings at the top of the forum.

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/w...terWelcome.gif

MajestyJo

01-01-2017 09:44 PM

January 01, 2017

Vigilance

Page 1

"We keep what we have only with vigilance..."

Basic Text, p. 60

How do we remain vigilant about our recovery? First, by realizing that we have a disease we will always have. No matter how long we've been clean, no matter how much better our lives have become, no matter what the extent of our spiritual healing, we are still addicts. Our disease waits patiently, ready to spring the trap if we give it the opportunity.

Vigilance is a daily accomplishment. We strive to be constantly alert and ready to deal with signs of trouble. Not that we should live in irrational fear that something horrible will possess us if we drop our guard for an instant; we just take normal precautions. Daily prayer, regular meeting attendance, and choosing not to compromise spiritual principles for the easier way are acts of vigilance. We take inventory as necessary, share with others whenever we are asked, and carefully nurture our recovery. Above all, we stay aware!

We have a daily reprieve from our addiction as long as we remain vigilant. Each day, we carry the principles of recovery into all that we do, and each night, we thank our Higher Power for another day clean.

Just for Today: I will be vigilant, doing everything necessary to guard my recovery.

MajestyJo

01-04-2017 09:20 PM

Quote:

NA Just For Today

January 4

The Love of the Fellowship

"Today secure in the love of the fellowship, we can finally look another human being in the eye and be grateful for who we are."
Basic Text p. 89

When we were using, few of us could tolerate looking someone in the eye-we were ashamed of who we were. Our minds were not occupied with anything decent or healthy, and we knew it. Our time, money, and energy weren't spent building loving relationships, sharing with others, or seeking to better our communities. We were trapped in a spiral of obsession and compulsion that went only in one direction: downward.

In recovery, our journey down that spiral path has been cut short. But what is it that has turned us around, drawing us back upward into the open spaces of the wide, free world? The love of the fellowship has done this.

In the company of other addicts, we knew we would not be rejected. By the example of other addicts, we were shown how to begin taking a positive part in the life around us. When we were unsure which way to turn, when we stumbled, when we had to correct a wrong we had done, we knew our fellow members were there to encourage us.

Slowly, we've gotten the feel of our freedom. No longer are we locked up in our disease; we are free to build and grow and share along with everyone else. And when we need support to take our next step, it is there. The security we've found in the love of the fellowship has made our new lives possible.

Just for today: I can look anyone in the eye without shame. I am grateful for the loving support that has made this possible.

The people in the rooms loved me back to good health. They loved me until I could love myself.

https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.M...=0&w=213&h=163

MajestyJo

01-20-2017 12:14 PM

Quote:

January 20, 2017

One promise, many gifts

Page 20

"Narcotics Anonymous offers only one promise, and that is freedom from active addiction..."

Basic Text, p. 106

Imagine how it might be if we had arrived at the doors of Narcotics Anonymous, desperate, wanting to stop using drugs, only to be met by a sales pitch: "If you just work the steps and don't use drugs, you'll get married, live in the suburbs, have 2.6 children, and start wearing polyester. You will become a responsible, productive member of society and be fit company for kings and presidents. You will be rich and have a dynamic career." Most of us, greeted with such a heavy-handed spiel, would have shrieked and bolted for the door.

Instead of high-pressure nonsense and frightening predictions, we are greeted with a promise of hope: freedom from active addiction. We feel a blessed relief come over us when we hear that we never have to use drugs again. We aren't going to be forced to become anything!

Of course, after some time in recovery, good things start happening in our lives. We are given gifts-spiritual gifts, material gifts, gifts that we've always dreamed of but never dared hope we'd get. These, however, are truly gifts-they are not promised to us just because we become NA members. All we are promised is freedom from addiction-and it's more than enough!

Just for Today: I have been promised freedom from active addiction. The gifts I receive are the benefits of recovery.

The one gift alone is priceless. The Dolphin means manna. I look at it as food for the soul.

http://www.angelwinks.ca/images/bett...bettyboop5.jpg

MajestyJo

03-01-2017 07:06 PM

Quote:

NA Just For Today

Anxiety Attack?

"[The] Power that brought us to this program is still with us and will continue to guide us if we allow it."
Basic Text, p. 26

Ever had a panic attack? Everywhere we turn, life's demands overwhelm us. We're paralyzed, and we don't know what to do about it. How do we break an anxiety attack?

First, we stop. We can't deal with everything at once, so we stop for a moment to let things settle. Then we take a "spot inventory" of the things that are bothering us. We examine each item, asking ourselves this question: "How important is it, really?" In most cases, we'll find that most of our fears and concerns don't need our immediate attention. We can put those aside, and focus on the issues that really need to be resolved right away. Then we stop again and ask ourselves, "Who's in control here, anyway?" This helps remind us that our Higher Power is in control.

We seek our Higher Power's will for the situation, whatever it is. We can do this in any number of ways: through prayer, talks with our sponsor or NA friends, or by attending a meeting and asking others to share their experience. When our Higher Power's will becomes clear to us, we pray for the ability to carry it out. Finally, we take action.

Anxiety attacks need not paralyze us. We can utilize the resources of the NA program to deal with anything that comes our way.

Just for today: My Higher Power has not brought me all this way in recovery only to abandon me! When anxiety strikes, I will take specific steps to seek God's continuing care and guidance.

When I heard people talking about anxiety attacks, I thought they where a bunch of whooses. Then when I learned to listen and learn, I realized that the pot was calling the kettle black. I had gone into grocery stores and left my buggy in the middle of the aisle and got off the bus if it got too noisy and crowded. I heard how they felt, I too had the tightening in my chest and my brain stopped working. As I learned to apply the program, it seldom happened to me. When it does, I do the deep breathing and pray and ask for help. I had to do that last night when the AA meeting got too noisy before it started.

It didn't help that two guys I didn't know who said they thought they knew me came up to me. One was from NA, but he didn't have the right name of the meeting for the church he mentioned. I had heard the name and had been to the meeting. The other one asked if I had gone to school in Hamilton. I didn't come to Hamilton until I was 17. I had been to a lot of east end meetings. He said he had 33 years in recovery and chaired the meeting. His group was in Stoney Creek and it was a meeting that I always felt worse after the meeting than I did before. I think it was the low ceiling and tiles, as well as the energy from the people in the group. I didn't go there unless it was for their group anniversary and I could get a ride. People knew me from different groups, I went to many, but didn't know all the people there.

MajestyJo

03-31-2017 07:46 PM

Quote:

NA Just For Today

God - Centeredness

"Gradually as we become more God-centered than self-centered, our despair turns to hope."
Basic Text p. 92

What a glorious thing to have hope! Before coming to Narcotics Anonymous, many of us lived lives of utter hopelessness. We believed we were destined to die from our disease.

Many members speak of being on a "pink cloud" their first months in the program. We've stopped using, made some friends, and life looks promising. Things are going great. Then reality sets in. Life is still life—we still lose jobs, our partners still leave us, friends still die, we still get sick. Abstinence is no guarantee that life will always go our way.

When the reality of life on its own terms sets in, we turn to our Higher Power and remember that life happens the way life happens. But no matter what occurs in our recovery we need not despair, for there is always hope. That hope lies in our relationship with our Higher Power.

This relationship, as expressed by the thought in our text, develops over time: "Gradually we become more God-centered." As we rely more and more on the strength of our Higher Power, life's struggles don't have to drag us into the sea of despair. As we focus more on God, we focus less on ourselves.

Just for today: I will rely on my Higher Power. I will accept that, regardless of what happens, my Higher Power will provide me with the resources to live with it.

I was "I" centered all of my life. As a sponsee once said, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to listen to my Higher Power in today. I listened to my Lower Power all of my life.

http://angelwinks.ca/images/animated/animated127.gif

MajestyJo

04-29-2017 01:42 AM

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MajestyJo

04-29-2017 01:42 AM

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MajestyJo

04-29-2017 01:42 AM

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MajestyJo

04-29-2017 01:43 AM

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MajestyJo

04-29-2017 01:51 AM

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MajestyJo

04-30-2017 08:24 PM

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MajestyJo

04-30-2017 08:25 PM

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MajestyJo

05-02-2017 02:12 AM

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MajestyJo

05-14-2017 05:17 AM

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.n...b4&oe=59769D9F

As they say, it is a journey, not a destination. I never get there. Each day is a new beginning.

MajestyJo

05-20-2017 05:56 PM

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MajestyJo

05-25-2017 12:46 AM

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The Just for Today readings are included in the Daily Readings, but found these on FB, so thought I would share them with you.

MajestyJo

06-25-2017 05:55 PM

Quote:

Step by step

"The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time."

-- Sydney Smiles

When I get overwhelmed by the number of tasks on my to-do list, I remind myself that the only way to get anywhere is step by step. And I cover the most distance in the journey of my life when I take a moment to decide which step will bring the greatest rewards.

"Often he who does too much does too little."

-- Italian Proverb

"If you chase two rabbits, both will escape."

-- Source Unknown

This reminds me that I need to be clean and sober. Sobriety doesn't happen with substitution.

MajestyJo

07-23-2017 04:45 PM

Quote:

NA Just For Today

Surrendering Self-Will

"We want and demand that things always go our way. We should know from our past experience that our way of doing things did not work."

Basic Text, p.78

All of us have ideas, plans, goals for our lives. There's nothing in the NA program that says we shouldn't think for ourselves, take initiative, and put responsible plans into action. It's when our lives are driven by self-will that we run into problems.

When we are living willfully, we go beyond thinking for ourselves - we think only of ourselves. We forget that we are but a part of the world and that whatever personal strength we have is drawn from a Higher Power. We might even go so far as to imagine that other people exist solely to do our bidding. Quickly, we find ourselves at odds with everyone and everything around us.

At this point, we have two choices. We can continue in our slavery to self-will, making unreasonable demands and becoming frustrated because the planet doesn't spin our way. Or we can surrender, relax, seek knowledge of God's will and the power to carry that out, and find our way back to a condition of peace with the world. Thinking, taking initiative, making responsible plans-there's nothing wrong with these things, so long as they serve God's will, not merely our own.

Just for today: I will plan to do God's will, not mine. If I find myself at odds with everything around me, I will surrender self-will.

pg. 213

As I like to say, surrender isn't giving up, it is giving over to our Higher Power. My best thinking got me to the doors of recovery, why should I think it should do me in good stead without making changes in my life.

Every time a butterfly appears, it generally means transformation and change. I had two butterflies land on my dress today.

MajestyJo

07-25-2017 01:41 AM

Quote:

NA Just for Today

July 24

The masks have to go

Page 214

"...we covered low self-esteem by hiding behind phony images that we hoped would fool people. The masks have to go."

Basic Text, p. 33

Over-sensitivity, insecurity, and lack of identity are often associated with active addiction. Many of us carry these with us into recovery; our fears of inadequacy, rejection, and lack of direction do not disappear overnight. Many of us have images, false personalities we have constructed either to protect ourselves or please others. Some of us use masks because we're not sure who we really are. Sometimes we think that these images, built to protect us while using, might also protect us in recovery.

We use false fronts to hide our true personality, to disguise our lack of self-esteem. These masks hide us from others and also from our own true selves. By living a lie, we are saying that we cannot live with the truth about ourselves. The more we hide our real selves, the more we damage our self-esteem.

One of the miracles of recovery is the recognition of ourselves, complete with assets and liabilities. Self esteem begins with this recognition. Despite our fear of becoming vulnerable, we need to be willing to let go of our disguises. We need to be free of our masks and free to trust ourselves.

Just for Today: I will let go of my masks and allow my self esteem to grow.

Just today I shared a memory with a friend. I told her of a person in my group who said, "Just because you change the color of your hair, do you think we won't recognize you." It changed from black, black and white, and as I smoked more, I had yellow in their like I had been a blond. I covered up the gray (and yellow from nicotine), with black, auburn, and then with a couple of errors with chlorine, plum and maroon, then brown, very short, short gray, blond, until the gray was mostly white. That's the story of my life! LOL! Even in recovery I went through an identity crisis until I allowed myself to be me.

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