Recovery ABCs

[majestyjo]

A is for Action.  Sometimes I have to change my attitude in order to take action or I have to take action to change my attitude.  Gratitude is an action word.  Don't just say it, show it.

[caressa222]

B is for Blessings. They are too numerous to count. The fact that I woke up yesterday morning and better able to see sunshine, it will aid in my healing. It was cool, only 70 deg. F. but it was nice. Have had a lot of sleep after my treatment at the Holistic center, and it will allow the transformation to take place.

[majestyjo]

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C is for Clarity. I will pray and ask for clarity as my disease is one of perception. I will pray and ask for God's Will for me in today.

[caressa222]

D is for Down Time. Take some down time, be it morning, noon, or night. Don't get caught up in busy, it is an addiction too. In down time, pick up a good book or watch your favorite TV show. If you are working, take a walk about, if need be, go to the washroom and only a few can bug you in there.

[caressa222]

E is for Each day is a new beginning. Letting go of yesterday, not projecting into tomorrow, and living in today and making the best of what the day may bring. Everything may not go as planned, it is how we handle life on life's terms.

[caressa222]

F is for Forgiveness. If God is forgiving, why can't you forgive yourself. You forgive the person, not the act itself.

[majestyjo]

G is for Gratitude. It was the topic for discussion at my anniversary today. Without you there is no me, so thank you for being a part of my recovery.

[majestyjo]

H is for Higher Power. It doesn't matter who your Higher Power is as long as it isn't you. That is what my service sponsor said to me. As a sponsee once shared, "I listened to my Lower Power for years, so it only seems right that I listen to my Higher Power in today. Many look at their HP as their Higher Self. We need to change that selfish, self-centeredness, to self care and changing our life around.

[majestyjo]

I is for Ideal. The ideal situation is to stay clean and sober. We may have lots of wants and desires, but we need to wait on our Higher Power and align our will with His. He supplies our needs, when we remember to stay in today, living in the moment.

[caressa222]

J is for Just for Today. For me, this means reading NA's meditation book daily. They always seem to say what I am thinking and they say it so much better than I can. Just for today, I choose not to use.

[majestyjo]

K is for Kit. There are many tools in recovery, gather them up into a kit and carry them where ever you go. An old time war song that still carries a good message.

[majestyjo]

L is for Look. Look around you. You can see the power of our God working in our life and in the lives of others. Look for a new way to live, look for the happiness and freedom offered by the 12 Steps and Traditions.

Remember to look at yourself, you are beary special.

[majestyjo]

M is for Motive. What is your motive and intent. My sponsor told me this many years ago, to examine them before I went to do anything.

Like people who see my name all over the board often say it is ego. For me, it is carrying the message of recovery. It helps me, and by helping myself, hopefully I am helping others.

[majestyjo]

N is for Nothing. Nothing changes, if nothing changes. A whole lot of nothing goes on when we pay lip service and don't walk our talk. Sometimes, we like the sound of our own voice and our ego takes over.

[caressa222]

O is for Outside.  Don't just work on the outside, recovery comes from within.  When the inside matches the outside, you know that you are on a recovery road that is leading in the right direction.  Outside of the program doesn't work for me, I need that face to face connect on a daily basis.  Without out that, I can go back into old patterns and behaviors.

[majestyjo]

P is for Patience. Have it if you can. I have more patience with others, I can see where they are coming from. Not so much with myself, I know where I have been, so there is no excuse. LOL!

[caressa222]

Q is for Quality. When you are looking for a sponsor, look for someone who has quality sobriety, someone who is walking their talk. Don't look at just the quantity of their sobriety, they may have forgotten where they come from. A little bit of both is recommended.   Pick a sponsor who has what you want.

[majestyjo]

R is for Relapse. We can fall by the wayside and slip mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, without having picked up a drink or our drug of choice. We can use other things has substitutions that can lead to a new addiction, and it all leads to the same soul sickness. I can't rest on my laurels. I need to work my program daily. I have daily reprieve contingent on my spiritual defense against that first drug.

[majestyjo]

S is for Silence. Spend some time alone. Silence the internal chatter and sit alone in a safe spot, and be with yourself. When we do this, it is so much easier to hear the Good Orderly Direction from our Higher Power. NO TV, ipod, phone, or best buddy, just you alone with your God. They say, me alone with me is bad company. I am not alone if I invite my HP into the circle.

[majestyjo]

T is for Try. All we are asked to do is try. Sometimes we fall short of our expectation, and we have to remember that our God is loving, caring and forgiving. We also have to lower our expectations, so they are attainable. JusT foR TodaY, I will try to be the best me I can be.