ABCs of Thanksgiving

[majestyjo]

A is for Attitude.  A change of attitude can aid recovery.  Sometimes I have to take action to adjust my attitude or I have the change my attitude so I can take action.

[majestyjo]

B is for Blame. I had to stop blaming others and look at myself. When I take me out of the situation, I have 'bla' left, and there is nothing left to beat myself up about. I only get out of the program, what I put into it. If I focus on the blame game, I stay sick.

[majestyjo]

C is for Clarity. This is a disease of perception, so each day I try to remember to ask for clarity. I need a clear, clean mind to help me make decisions in today; otherwise, I find myself in muddy waters and things look murky and I can't see the forest for the trees.

[majestyjo]

D is for Detach.  Detach or divorce yourself from someone who doesn't have your best interest at heart.  Detach doesn't mean physically, but mentally and emotionally.  If there is physical abuse, then detachment means get yourself out of that situation, even if you are abusing yourself.  Detach from the feelings that make you feel unworthy.  Remember you are a Child of God and His Love is unconditional and your God is always there for you.  Don't detach from your God, He can show you a better way of life.

[majestyjo]

E is for Each day is a new beginning. A day can start any time. I can stop, take a moment and connect with my God and ask for Good Orderly Direction for the NEXT 24 hours.

[majestyjo]

F is for Find. Find a home group, a place where you feel comfortable and safe. Find a sponsor, someone who has what you want and is walking their talk. Find the time to work the Steps and Traditions and apply them to your life. You will find that life is just so much better when you apply the program to your life.

[majestyjo]

G is for Gratitude. It is an action word. Don't just say it, show it.

[majestyjo]

H is for Honest.  Not just cash register honest, although that helps.  But honest with yourself.  You can't be truly honest with others if you can't be honest with yourself.

[majestyjo]

I is for Insecure. When I came into recovery, I had no self-worth and felt very insecure about life and about myself. The program helped me to find myself and be more secure within myself. I went with other volunteers from women's detox to see an 'intuitive' healer. She said that pain in your feet means insecurity, and it is true as I have issues with my son.

[majestyjo]

J is for Justification. It is a part of my disease. For many years, I thought I had to justify my existance. Old tapes kept me sick, and I had to let them go and make new ones. It was okay to be me.

[majestyjo]

K is for Kit. Pick up your old kit bag and try, try, try. That is my version of the old World War I song. In my kit bag, I have the tools of recovery.

90 TOOLS FOR SOBRIETY

1 ) Stay away from that first drink, taking the 1st step daily.
2 ) Attend AA regularly and get involved.
3 ) Progress is made ONE DAY AT A TIME.
4 ) Use the 24 Hour plan.
5 ) Turn your "dis-ease" to a sense of ease. Picture yourself as "recovered."
6 ) Do first things first.
7 ) Don't become too tired.
8 ) Eat at regular hours.
9 ) Use the telephone. (not just after the fact but during too.).
10) Be active - don't just sit around. Idle time will kill you.
11) Use the Serenity Prayer.
12) Change old routines and patterns.
13) Don't become too hungry.
14) Avoid loneliness.
15) Practice control of your anger.
16) Air your resentments.
17) Be willing to help whenever needed.
18) Be good to yourself, you deserve it.
19) Easy does it.
20) Get out of the "IF ONLY" trap.
21) Remind yourself HOW IT WAS. Your last drunk, the feelings etc. Picture better alternatives.
22) Be aware of your emotions. Reason about them.
23) Help another in his/her recovery, extend your hand, listen.
24) Try to turn your life and your will over to your Higher Power.
25) Avoid all mood-altering drugs, read labels on all medicines.
26) Turn loose of old ideas.
27) Avoid drinking situations/occasions.
28) Replace old drinking buddies with new AA buddies.
29) Read the Big Book.
30) Try not to be dependent on another (sick relationships). Be independent or inter-dependent.
31) Be grateful, and when you're not, make a GRATITUDE list.
32) Get off the "Pity Pot"...the only thing you'll get is a ring
around your bottom if you don't.
33) Seek knowledgeable help when troubled and or otherwise.
34) Face it! You are in control of your destiny.
35) Try the 12 and 12, not just 1 and 12 or 1, 12 and 13!
36) Let go and Let God.
37) Use the "God box." (Write down your worries and problems. Put them in the God box. Once you've done so, you can no longer think about them for that day. Use God's answers: yes, no, or wait, I have something better in store for you. Don't forget to say thanks.
38) Find courage to change through the example of others who have.
39) Don't try to test your will power. When in doubt, DON'T. (Or don't, yet.)
40) Live TODAY, not YESTERDAY, not TOMORROW - projection is planning
the results before anything even happens.
41) Avoid emotional involvements the first year - you end up putting
the other person first and lose sight of "your" program.
42) Remember, YOU ARE NOT YOUR DIS-EASE. So, take it easy on yourself.
43) Rejoice in the manageability of your new life.
44) Be humble--Humility is not in thinking of yourself more, but in
thinking more of yourself less often. Watch the ego.
45) Share your experience, strength and hope as much as possible and as creatively as possible.
46) Cherish your recovery.
47) Dump your garbage regularly - GIGO = Garbage In Garbage Out.
48) Get plenty of "restful" sleep.
49) Stay sober for you - not someone else - otherwise it won't work.
50) Practice rigorous honesty with yourself and others.
51) Progress is made ONE DAY AT A TIME, not 10 years in one day!
55) Make no major decisions the first year.
56) Get a sponsor and use him/her.
57) Know that no matter what your problems, someone's had them before.
Don't be afraid to share, as a problem shared is one 1/2 solved.
58) Strive for progress not perfection.
59) When in doubt ask questions. The only stupid question is the one
not asked.
60) Use prayer and meditation.
61) Maintain a balance: spiritual, physical, emotional and mental.
62) Don't use other substances as a maintenance program.
63) Learn to take spot check inventories.
64) Watch out for the RED FLAGS ... things that give excuses for poor
behavior and inevitable relapse.
65) Know that its okay to be human ... just don't drink over it.
66) Be kind to yourself; it's about time, don't you think?
67) Don't take yourself so seriously - take the dis-ease seriously!
68) Know that whatever it is that's causing pain - it shall pass.
69) Stay as far away from the DRY DRUNK SYNDROME as humanly possible.
70) Don't give away more than you can afford oo, your sobriety comes
first and must be the number 1 priority. Protect it at all costs.
71) Take down those bricks from the wall around you; you'll be able to
see the daylight better. Let people know who you are.
72) Get a home group and attend it regularly.
73) Know that the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming
train, but actually a ray of hope. Drop the negativity.
74) Know that you are not alone, that's why the "We" is in the steps.
75) Be willing to go to any lengths to stay and be sober.
76) Know that no matter how bleak and dark your past may be, your
future is clean, bright and clear if you don't drink today.
77) Stay out of your own way.
78) Don't be in a hurry--remember "TIME = Things I Must Earn".
79) Watch the EGO. "EGO = Ease God Out".
80) Protect your sobriety at all costs. Keep the light on you.
81) Learn to listen, not just hear. Be open-minded and nonjudgmental.
82) Know that if your insides match your outsides, everyone looks good.
83) If the rest of the world looks bad, check yourself out first.
84) Gratitude is in the attitude.
85) When all else fails ... punt! Up the number of meetings!!!
86) Remember FEAR = FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL!
87) If they knew better, they'd do better. Think about letting things go.
88) Handle what you can and leave the rest, don't overtax yourself.
You can only accomplish so much in a given 24 hours.
89) Honesty and consistency are key factors in recovery.
90) Let the little kid in you out - learn how to laugh from the gut.

-adapted from ideas by Bob

Today I am reminded that the tools are applicable to all areas of my life. This is a living program. The program shows me how to 'live' clean and sober without the use of drugs and alcohol.

Drugs are but a symptom of my disease, the problem is me. So when I take the drugs and alcohol away, all I have left is me. The program shows me how to live with myself.

[majestyjo]

L is for Listen to learn, Learn to listed. A good slogan for this is "Hesitate and Meditate." Or better still, shut up and listen, you just got here, what do you know. That was what I was taught, and it took me a while as I was one of the sick one. It may be hard to believe, but I was very introverted and I had to learn a new way of life, going back to where I came from was not an option.

[majestyjo]

M is for Misery. Misery loves company. When you feel miserable go to a meeting. I always feel better as a result of being there. One thing I do know, me alone with me with no contact with others, make me a miserable person. I have no one around to point a finger at unless I do it mentally.

Winter Blues can bring us down. We need to connect with other in order to recovery. Me alone with me is me in being in bad company.

[majestyjo]

N is for Nothing. There is nothing in any given day, that I can't handle with my God's help. Using is not an option. For me to use is to die, and I choose to live, just for today. One day at a time, doesn't mean doing nothing, just sitting around and waiting for my God to do the work, He expects me to do my part.

[majestyjo]

O is for Opinion. Everyone has one. It is often best kept to ourselves, but not so easily done. We want to get in there and set the record straight according to Hoyle as they say, when in truth it is our own selfish, self-centeredness in thinking our way is the only way.

[majestyjo]

P is for Prayer. It works. If you don't have an understanding of God, pray any way. Keep praying, and you will see Him working in your life. God is as He reveals Himself to me in today.

[majestyjo]

Q is for Quit. We don't quit forever and ever. We just quit for today. We quit for this 24 hours, and if you find during those 24 hours, that you are having a difficult time, you can stop, say a prayer (the Serenity Prayer works), and start your day again. Just for today, in the next 24 hours, I choose not to use.

When I quit smoking, I lit my last cigarette at 2:15 p.m. on December 21, 1998. My day started at 2:15 p.m. and I said, "I may want a cigarette, but just for today, I choose not to pick up." I had to acknowledge the feeling before I could let it go.

[majestyjo]

R is for Return. Return to the Fellowship of your choice, the one that you relate to. Get back to basics. Return to the Steps and meetings. Remember it is your program, you may take something from the rooms of recovery, but on the whole, it is you putting together your own program of recovery. What works for you? If you are not clean and sober, what do you need to return to the Fellowship of the Spirit. This is a spiritual program with a spiritual solution.

[Lin]

S is for SPIRITUALITY. I found religion at church, but I found spirituality at alanon. LIN

[majestyjo]

T is for Trust. Trust God, clean house, and let go and let God, carry all your burdens. Trust Him/Her to lead your path.