Daily life and coping with stress
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Saturday, January 9, 2021
Thought for the Day
When we were drinking, most of us had no real faith in anything.
We may have said that we believed in God, but we didn't act
as though we did. We never honestly asked God to help us and
we never really accepted His help. To us, faith looked like
helplessness. But when we came into A.A., we began to have
faith in God. And we found out that faith gave us the strength
we needed to overcome drinking. Have I learned that there
is strength in faith?
Meditation for the Day
I will have faith, no matter what may befall me. I will be
patient, even in the midst of troubles. I will not fear the
strain of life, because I believe that God knows just what
I can bear. I will look to the future with confidence. I know
that God will not ask me to bear anything that could overcome
or destroy me.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may put this day in the hands of God. I pray
for faith, so that nothing will upset me or weaken my determination
to stay sober.
~~~
Use the Telephone
When we join OA, we discover that we are not alone. We become
part of a large network of individuals who share a common
problem, compulsive overeating, and who gain strength and
support from each other. The telephone is our lifeline. A
phone conversation is a mini meeting, and most of us find
that we need several each day.
It is suggested that we make at least three phone calls every
day, in addition to calling our food sponsor. We call in times
of temptation and difficulty, and we also call when we have
good news to share. A phone call may be a means of preventing
problems later in the day or it may be simply a gesture of
friendship and fellowship - keeping in touch.
Whatever the reason, the person called is helped as much
as the caller. The telephone call is a reminder that none
of us is alone, that we have a program, which sustains us,
and that together we shall succeed.
May I not be too proud or too shy or too busy to use the
telephone.
~~~
AN ACT OF PROVIDENCE
It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped
our minds into such an obsession for destructive drinking
that only an act of Providence can remove it from us.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21
My act of Providence, (a manifestation of divine care and
direction), came as I experienced the total bankruptcy of
active alcoholism—everything meaningful in my life was
gone. I telephoned Alcoholics Anonymous and, from that instant,
my life has never been the same. When I reflect on that very
special moment, I know that God was working in my life long
before I was able to acknowledge and accept spiritual concepts.
The glass was put down through this one act of Providence
and my journey into sobriety began. My life continues to unfold
with divine care and direction. Step One, in which I admitted
I was powerless over alcohol, that my life had become unmanageable,
takes on more meaning for me—one day at a time—in
the life-saving, life-giving Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.
~~~
Returning our sponsor's kindness
Page 9
"Our earliest involvements with others often begin with
our sponsor."
Basic Text, p. 57
Our sponsor can be an abundant source of recovery information,
wisdom, and loving words. They've done so much for us. From
the late night telephone calls to the hours spent listening
to our recovery writing, they've believed in us and invested
their time to prove it. They've lovingly and firmly shown
us how to be honest. Their boundless compassion in times of
turmoil has given us the strength to go on. Their way of helping
has prompted us to seek our answers within ourselves, and
we've become mature, responsible, confident individuals as
a result.
Though our sponsor has given so generously and has never
demanded repayment, there are things we can do to show our
appreciation. We treat our sponsor with respect. They are
not a trash can designed for us to dump our garbage in. They
have their times of trial, just as we do, and sometimes need
our support. They are human, have feelings, and appreciate
our concern. Maybe they would like to receive a card in the
mail or a phone call expressing our love.
Whatever we do to return our sponsor's kindness will enhance
our personal recovery, not to mention the joy we'll bring
to our sponsor.
Just for Today: My sponsor has cared for me when I couldn't
care for myself. Today, I will do something nice for my sponsor.
Thursday, January 07
Don't Take the First Compulsive Bite
OA says that if you don't take the first compulsive bite,
you won't overeat. It is that first extra bite that gets us
into trouble. The first bite may be as "harmless"
as a piece of lettuce, but when eaten between meals and not
as part of our daily plan, it invariably leads to another
bite. And another, and another. And we have lost control.
And there is no stopping.
It is the first compulsive bite that breaks abstinence. When
we take it, we cheat ourselves and fall back into slavery
to our appetites. To rationalize by saying that just a little
deviation won't make any difference is like saying that someone
is just a little bit pregnant.
All we have to give up is the first compulsive bite. Then
we do not have to worry about the rest of them. Simple. Once
we decide not to take the first one, our problem is solved.
Abstinence is a lifeboat. It is possible to stay afloat in
the lifeboat as long as we do not jump out by taking the first
compulsive bite.
Thank you; Lord, for the saving gift of abstinence.
Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters
~~~
AT THE TURNING POINT
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning
point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59
Every day I stand at turning points. My thoughts and actions
can propel me toward growth or turn me down the road to old
habits and to booze. Sometimes turning points are beginnings,
as when I decide to start praising, instead of condemning
someone. Or when I begin to ask for help instead of going
it alone. At other times turning points are endings, such
as when I see clearly the need to stop festering resentments
or crippling self-seeking. Many shortcomings tempt me daily;
therefore, I also have daily opportunities to become aware
of them. In one form or another, many of my character defects
appear daily: self-condemnation, anger, running away, being
prideful, wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity.
Attempting half measures to eliminate these defects merely
paralyzes my efforts to change. It is only when I ask God
for help, with complete abandon, that I become willing—and
able—to change.
From the book Daily Reflections
by Alcoholics Anonymous
~~~
Recovery
Page 7
"Narcotics Anonymous offers addicts a program of recovery
that is more than just a life without drugs. Not only is this
way of life better than the hell we lived, it is better than
any life that we have ever known."
Basic Text, p.107
Few of us have any interest in "recovering" what
we had before we started using. Many of us suffered severely
from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Getting high and
staying high seemed like the only possible way to cope with
such abuse. Others suffered in less noticeable but equally
painful ways before addiction took hold. We lacked direction
and purpose. We were spiritually empty. We felt isolated,
unable to empathize with others. We had none of the things
that give life its sense and value. We took drugs in a vain
attempt to fill the emptiness inside ourselves. Most of us
wouldn't want to "recover" what we used to have.
Ultimately, the recovery we find in NA is something different:
a chance at a new life. We've been given tools to clear the
wreckage from our lives. We've been given support in courageously
setting forth on a new path. And we've been given the gift
of conscious contact with a Power greater than ourselves,
providing us with the inner strength and direction we so sorely
lacked in the past.
Recovering? Yes, in every way. We're recovering a whole new
life, better than anything we ever dreamed possible. We are
grateful.
Just for Today: I've recovered something I never had, something
I never imagined possible: the life of a recovering addict.
Thank you, Higher Power, in more than words can say.
by NA World Services
~~~
To affect the quality of the day - that is the highest of
the arts.
—Henry David Thoreau
We are the sculptors of our day. We can mold it creatively
into a wonderful masterpiece. We control the amount of moisture
we mix into our clay. We pound it, shape it, stroke it, and
love it. Others can offer suggestions, and we gain new perspectives
from their advice, but it is finally our own creation. Our
knife may occasionally slip, or our mixture of earth may be
too dry. Any great artist suffers temporary setbacks. Besides,
imperfections in art often make it all the more interesting.
How creative can I be in my life today?
From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families
~~~
Thought for the Day
When temptation comes, as it does some times to all of us,
I will say to myself: "No, my whole life depends on not
taking that drink and nothing in the world can make me do
it." Besides, I have promised that Higher Power that
I wouldn't do it. I know that God doesn't want me to drink
and I won't break my promise to God. I've given up my right
to drink and it's not my decision any longer. Have I made
the choice once and for all, so that there's no going back
on it?
Meditation for the Day
In silence comes God's meaning to the heart. I cannot judge
when it enters the heart. I can only judge by results. God's
word is spoken to the secret places of my heart and, in some
hour of temptation, I find that word and realize its value
for the first time. When I need it, I find it there. "Thy
Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may see God's meaning in my life. I pray that
I may gladly accept what God has to teach me.
From Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Hazelden Foundation.
Wednesday, January 6
Recovery at home
Page 5
"We can enjoy our families in a new way and may become a credit
to them instead of an embarrassment or a burden."
Basic Text, p.104
We're doing great in recovery, aren't we? We go to a meeting
every day, we spend every evening with our friends in the
fellowship, and every weekend we dash off to a service workshop.
But if things are falling to pieces at home, we're not doing
so great after all.
We expect our families to understand. After all, we're not
using drugs anymore. Why don't they recognize our progress?
Don't they understand how important our meetings, our service,
and our involvement with the fellowship are?
Our families will not appreciate the change NA is working
in our lives unless we show them. If we rush off to a meeting
the same way we rushed off to use drugs, what has changed?
If we continue to ignore the needs and desires of our partners
and children, failing to accept our responsibilities at home,
we aren't "practicing these principles in all our affairs."
We must live the program everywhere we go, in everything we
do. If we want the spiritual life to be more than a theory,
we have to live it at home. When we do this, the people we
share our lives with are sure to notice the change and be
grateful that we've found NA.
Just for Today: I will take my recovery home with me.
by NA World Services
Monday, January 4
The love of the fellowship
Page 4
"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. 92
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'd 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.
by NA World Services
Read more => https://jftna.org/jft
~~~
BEGIN WHERE YOU ARE
We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning.
A much more important demonstration of our principles lies
before us in our respective homes, occupations and affairs.
— ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 19
It's usually pretty easy for me to be pleasant to the people
in an A.A. setting. While I'm working to stay sober, I'm celebrating
with my fellow A.A.s our common release from the hell of drinking.
It's often not so hard to spread glad tidings to my old and
new friends in the program.
At home or at work, though, it can be a different story.
It is in situations arising in both of those areas that the
little day-to-day frustrations are most evident, and where
it can be tough to smile or reach out with a kind word or
an attentive ear. It's outside of the A.A. rooms that I face
the real test of the effectiveness of my walk through A.A.'s
Twelve Steps.
From the book Daily Reflections
by Alcoholics Anonymous
Read more => www.aa.org/pages/en_US/daily-reflection
~~~
Thought for the Day
Have I admitted I am an alcoholic? Have I swallowed my pride
and admitted I was different from ordinary drinkers? Have
I accepted the fact that I must spend the rest of my life
without liquor? Have I any more reservations, any idea in
the back of my mind that some day I'll be able to drink safely?
Am I absolutely honest with my self and with other people?
Have I taken an inventory of myself and admitted the wrong
I have done? Have I come clean with my friends? Have I tried
to make it up to them for the way I have treated them?
Meditation for the Day
I will believe that fundamentally all is well. Good things
will happen to me. I believe that God cares for me and will
provide for me. I will not try to plan ahead. I know that
the way will unfold, step by step. I will leave tomorrow's
burden to God, because He is the great burden-bearer. He only
expects me to carry my one-day's share.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not try to carry the burden of the universe
on my shoulders. I pray that I may be satisfied to do my share
each day.
From Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Hazelden Foundation.
Read more => www.hazeldenbettyford.org/thought-for-the-day/twenty-four-hours-a-day
~~~
A tip-off to an abusive family system is a situation in which
nobody ever apologizes.
— Karen Shaud
When we get a tip-off, we can open the door to a whole new
way of looking at the world. The tip-off about apologies can
help us learn to have a healthier family. It is hard to apologize,
but with practice, it will get easier. We are learning that
we can make mistakes, and admit them, and that other people
will accept our apologies. In the same way, we are learning
we can accept others' apologies. Apologies are sometimes hard
to make. It helps to keep in mind that we make them as much
for ourselves and our own growth as for the person we apologize
to. We are not worthless just because we make mistakes, but
we increase our value t o ourselves and others by being able
to recognize them and apologize.
From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families by Hazelden
Foundation.
Saturday, January 2
Happiness is like manna; it is to be gathered and enjoyed
every day.
—Tryon Edwards
Life is like a winding path surrounded by flowers, butterflies,
and delicious fruit, but many of us spend much of life looking
for happiness around the next corner. We do not bend to enjoy
the happiness, which is ours for the taking just at our feet.
In our desire to reach the "pot of gold," the complete
and lasting happiness we all want to fill our lives, we ignore
anything which doesn't seem worthy of such a large ambition,
or which can't give us the whole thing all at once.
Happiness is all around us, but it often comes in small grains.
When we gather it grain by grain, we soon have a basketful.
~Today's Gift
Thought for the Day
What makes A.A. work? The first thing is to have a revulsion
against myself and my way of living. Then I must admit I was
helpless, that alcohol had me licked and I couldn't do anything
about it. The next thing is to honestly want to quit the old
life. Then I must surrender my life to a Higher Power, put
my drinking problem in His hands and leave it there. After
these things are done, I should attend meetings regularly
for fellowship and sharing. I should also try to help other
alcoholics. Am I doing these things?
Meditation for the Day
You are so made that you can only carry the weight of twenty-four
hours, no more. If you weigh yourself down with the years
behind and the days ahead, your back breaks. God has promised
to help with the burdens of the day only. If you are foolish
enough to gather again that burden of the past and carry it,
then indeed you cannot expect God to help you bear it. So
forget that which lies behind you and breathe in the blessing
of each new day.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may realize that, for good or bad, past days
have ended. I pray that I may face each new day, the coming
twenty-four hours, with hope and courage.
~Twenty Four Hours a Day
FIRST, THE FOUNDATION
Is sobriety all that we can expect of a spiritual awakening?
No, sobriety is only a bare beginning.
— AS BILL SEES IT, p. 8
Practicing the A.A. program is like building a house. First
I had to pour a big, thick concrete slab on which to erect
the house; that, to me, was the equivalent of stopping drinking.
But it's pretty uncomfortable living on a concrete slab, unprotected
and exposed to the heat, cold, wind and rain. So I built a
room on the slab by starting to practice the program. The
first room was rickety because I wasn't used to the work.
But as time passed, as I practiced the program, I learned
to build better rooms. The more I practiced, and the more
I built, the more comfortable, and happy, was the home I now
have to live in.
~Daily Reflection
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.
~jftna.org
Help!
When we hit bottom and are ready to swallow our pride, help
is available. When we admit that by ourselves we are powerless,
a Higher Power takes over. Most of us have tried for years
to control what we eat by ourselves. Often it seems that the
harder we try, the more miserably we fail. We despair. When
we are truly desperate and ask for help, OA can help us.
We have proven that we cannot solve our problem alone. A
diet is not enough. We need a program that fills our emotional
and spiritual needs as well as our physical ones.
Step by step and day by day we can learn to live without
overeating. We will gradually become convinced that no amount
of physical food will ever satisfy our emotional and spiritual
hunger. The Higher Power, which infuses each OA GROUP, becomes
our lifesaver and our nourishment.
God, save me from myself.
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