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November 12

Step by Step

Today, if my last drink was 24 Hours ago or many 24 Hours ago, I have a choice to put my last drink another 24 Hours behind me or to ignore all I have learned either by experience or being in the Program. I have the choice to reinforce the first step within myself, that “(I) am powerless over alcohol,” and at least be willing to believe in the possibility of a Higher Power. Or I can re-empower alcohol to take control again and take me to the certainty of where continued drinking will lead me. I may be insecure or uncertain about life without alcohol, but I know with certainty where continued drinking will take me. Today, my choice is to drink or not to drink. Experience is proof beyond doubt where I end up if I drink; the Program is proof positive where I can be if I don’t drink. Today, grant that I choose wisely. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

TAKING TIME

Easy Does It, But DO It!

~ Anonymous ~

We earnestly believe in "Easy Does It." We know that any spiritual progress re-quires time to grow. Maturity is not an overnight miracle. We need to remember to take things slowly. The faster we rush, the more danger there is of a relapse that could delay vital growth. Only impatient people try to climb ladders several steps at a time.

But we are also taught that slow-but- sure progress does not mean making no effort at all. If we procrastinate, we stop growing and stand still. To delay is to invite rationalization and develop the fear of failing. We seek steady growth by solving problems along the way. We learn from each victory, and take time to enjoy them.

I will remind myself today not to push myself faster than I need to go. I won't push the river, I'll let it flow.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

All self-knowledge is purchased at the cost of guilt.

~ Paul Tillich ~

When we take our searching and fearless moral inventory, we walk directly into our feelings of guilt. We have done wrong and hurt people and there is no longer any hiding from it. That is why we are called to be fearless in our search. A great reward follows our admission, and that reward is the chance to know ourselves and make peace with ourselves.

When we get honest with ourselves about the effects of our actions, we feel the pain that we avoided by denial. It was somehow easier to hide and escape than to stand up to the truth. When we stand up to the responsibility for our actions and their effects on others and ourselves, we actually stand taller and feel more self-respect. Guilt itself is not a bad thing, but holding on to it and leaving it unrepaired is. We may not have known that we were buying something very precious by facing our guilt.

Today I will face my responsibilities for my actions and receive the benefits of knowing myself better.

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

In the end, I define what I think, feel, and believe.

~ Harriet Lerner ~

Many of us came into recovery confused about our beliefs. We tried to blend in with others, adopting their beliefs rather than risk looking different. Often we felt self-conscious, unsure of how to support our opinions if pressed. The game of pretend is finally over.

We don’t immediately know what we think and who we are just because we get sober. But Step Four helps us start unraveling our behavior. Being alone with ourselves in this process gives us our first honest glimpse of who we are. We are dismayed by some of our qualities and heartened by others. Let’s focus on the assets first.

Empowerment comes with doing a serious self- assessment. We soon understand that who we are is solely up to us. The real joy in this is realizing that who we will be, every moment of the day, is up to us too.

I am responsible for myself. What I think, feel, believe, and say is no one’s responsibility but my own. That feels good.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

I can practice believing that "this too shall pass"

Before I got into recovery, I was vulnerable. I reacted sharply and quickly to my emotions, especially anxiety and anger. Without asking for help often—without even thinking—I got high. I managed my problems with street drugs. I didn't know there was any other way.

But in the program I'm developing a better tool—faith. When I have faith, the cravings pass in minutes. When I let go, I find help, twenty-four hours a day, through my higher power and sponsor. When I believe that "this too shall pass," it is easier to accept my illnesses and the natural fluctuations of recovery.

As soon as I have cravings, I will put three program tools to work: the slogans, the telephone, and prayer.

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.

~ I John 3:18 ~

We are learning to break the cycle of addiction. By going into recovery, we are assuring that we will pass on much less dysfunction to our children. They will benefit from our new lives and the changes we are making. Now, we have become healthy role models, helping our children live better lives.

It is exciting to think that each successive generation will benefit from the recovery in our family today. Future children will be raised in families where active addiction has been replaced by more openness, honesty, clear thinking, and real communication. We can take pride in knowing that today’s work, today’s meeting, and today’s recovery will pay dividends for generations to come. In the meantime, we ourselves are living in the present with gratitude and healthy pride, choosing each day to affirm life.

Today let me show gratitude that recovery has benefits not only for my family but for future generations, too

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

What you become is more important than what you accomplish.

~ Author unknown ~

While there are twelve Steps in recovery and your work on them is made by moving through each, completion ol Step Twelve does not mean you have reached the end. So how, then, can you measure your progress?

Your anniversary date of when you stopped using is a way to measure the time in which you have been clean and sober. But the progress you have made in your growth, in the shifts and changes in your actions and behaviors, and in the quality of your life cannot be measured by a yardstick.

One way to measure progress is to ask your sponsor how you are doing. Hearing reassurance can help you understand you have made changes for the better. Another way is to reflect upon where you once were, how you once lived, the relationships you once had, and the addiction that once dominated your life. When you reflect upon your past and see it in the rear-view mirror, you can see the meaningful distance you have achieved from your former destructive way of living. When you are doing all you need to do in recovery, you are invested in the process and in the progress you can make.

Today I measure my progress by seeing the distance between my past life and my present way of living.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

How vastly different a troubled question looks to us at noonday and at midnight. We flinch in the hours of darkness from a problem we can meet bravely when we are on our feet, and under the momentum of the noonday vigor.

~ Charles B. Newcomb ~

We've often heard the phrase, "Things will look better in the morning." Somehow in the light of day, in the hustle and bustle of routines, our problems seem to recede from the shores of our minds. But as the hours turn from day to night, shadows lengthen, the stream of life stills, and our problems seem ready to wash up once again at our doors.

Perhaps we trust the day more because of the light and nature's rhythm. As night the darkness shrouds our vision, nature stops its movement, and people seem to be on their own rhythms. Yet we can trust the night by depending upon the light of the program and the natural flow extolled by the slogans. We can create our own rhythm and clear vision to see our way through a problem. Tonight can be secure to us if we will only trust.

I can work out solutions to my problems tonight as easily as if I were in the light of day by using the tools of the program.

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Working the program

Who can adequately describe the serenity and fulfillment found in working the program through the years full of hard times and good times? Who can fully express the feelings of acceptance and peace we can now find when in the midst of chaos? How can we share the joy that spiritual growth has embedded into our lives?

For those who have lived in the depths of despair and suffering, passing into this new state of being is truly a miracle. And we know surely that this is available to all who are willing to work for it.

Am I willing to work the program whole-heartedly at all times?

Higher Power, help me remember always that working my program is the only way for me.

Today I will work the program especially hard by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

It is not true that life is one **** thing after another—it is one **** thing over and over.

~ EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY ~

Newcomer

I've been letting go of a habit that I thought of as minor, nothing like the addiction that brought me here. I'm surprised to discover that I'm having some of the same feelings that I had when I first entered this program. I want to indulge myself, cry, run, explode with rage. How can anything so small be such a big deal?

Sponsor

Congratulations on recognizing the importance of this habit and taking an action to change your relationship to it. You're describing withdrawal symptoms; it's likely that this habit has served the same purpose as that served by your primary addiction. Without this "minor habit," you're again face-to-face with reality.

Most of us have more than one way to protect ourselves from realities we believe we can't face. We overlook or excuse "minor" habits for years, until one day the "minor" habit becomes an addiction. Letting go of a "minor" habit may remind us of our experiences in early recovery. If we face our addictive feelings head-on, with our experience in recovery to support us, we'll walk away freer than we've ever felt before.

Let's remember that we don't have to go through physical or mental detoxification, or other major life changes, on our own. Now, more than ever, is the time for sharing. It works.

Today, when addictive feelings arise, I trust that they're getting ready to leave. I assist their passage by talking about them with people in recovery.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

No one ever became noble simply by being moral. The great characters who have had their ennobling influence pass down through the ages are those who lived, labored and died for others.

Nothing endures that fails to serve a useful purpose and man, individually or collectively, is no exception. We must be of constant service to humanity or we are useless members of society.

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

Accepting Every Task

Dear God, help me find the strength to be effective and accept responsibility. I am asking You for the strength I need each day. You have proven in countless lives that for every day I live, You will give me that necessary power. I must face every challenge that comes to me during the day sure that You will give me the strength to face it. I pray that I may accept every task as a challenge. I know I cannot wholly fail if You are with me.

~ Adapted from Twenty-Four Hours a Day, September 29 ~

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

LET GOD!

People often say, "I try to do so-and-so, but I fail." The explanation for their failure is contained within the words themselves. You should never "try"; you should "let"—let God. When you "try" to do things, you are working from the outside. When you let God do them through you, you are working from the inside and success must come.

If you will reread the creation chapter in the Bible you will notice that God creates by "letting." God said "let," at every act of creation, and it was done. Now God creates by means of you if you will let him, but you must let. Someone said, "Let go and let God," and this is a wonderful recipe for overcoming fear or getting out of a tight place. In any case, the rule for creation is always to let.
Is any thing too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14).

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

Select, Don’t Settle

It is not what you ask for that is appalling; what is appalling is what you settle for.

~ Alan Cohen ~

As a teenager, I regularly heard a radio jingle for a men’s clothing store in New York City: “Select, Don’t Settle, at Barney’s.” Although I did not realize it at the time, the message was offering a profound instruction for life.

How much of how you live your life is your preference, and how much are you settling for? On a piece of paper make two columns: I Select and I Settle. Then consider your activities in the course of a day, week, month, or year, and honestly record what you’re doing that comes from your heart and what you’re doing that comes from fear, obligation, or accommodation.

Every time we settle, we die a little bit inside. When we accept something that we would not choose, we affirm that we do not deserve to be happy and that the universe cannot support us in living our vision. When we make a stand for our goal, we affirm that we are worthy to live in a loving and abundant universe.

After a lecture, I was invited to the sponsor’s office to unwind. “What kind of tea would you like?” Melodie asked.

“Peppermint,” I told her.

“I’m not sure if we have peppermint,” she noted as she rummaged through the shelf.

Quickly I responded, “That’s okay? I’ll take whatever you have.”

Melodie turned and glared at me playfully, “Didn’t I just hear you give a lecture on not settling?" Oops. (It’s always annoying when your students or children use your truth against you.) She searched again and announced, “Peppermint!”

A humbling lesson, but a good one. Ask for what you want, and as long as there is a chance of getting it, keep asking.

I pray to live at choice. Give me the strength to claim my highest good and not stop until my dreams come true.

I deserve the kingdom. I choose my life with self-respect.