ABCs of Recovery

[majestyjo]

A is for Action.  What I put out, I get back.  If you do nothing, you will get nothing.  I need to do my part.  This is a thinking disease.  I have to change my thinking and my attitude.  That is why I have to go to meetings, to find out what worked for others.

It is progress not perfection.  All we are asked to do is try.

[majestyjo]

B is for Boredom. I hear many young people say they are bored. They are use to living on the edge and they find that they can't reclaim that feeling in recovery. It can be there, but you have to live the program taking the 12 Steps. There are natural highs in recovery.

[majestyjo]

C is for Care. In order to truly care for others, we need to take care of ourselves. If people don't see us walking our talk, our words lose their value.

[majestyjo]

D is for Do onto others. Do onto others as you would be treated. Take the focus off of you and direct it towards others. The best way to get out of Self, is to help others. By doing that, you help yourself.

[caressa222]

E is for Each day is a new beginning. Only 1 hours and 50 min. left to this day.

I will be glad too start a new day, this one has been filled with a lot of pain, mental and emotional as well as the physical of arthritis. The storm has been brewing and my 6 types of arthritis have all decided to raise their ugly heads. As I told myself when I got on the computer earlier, the best way to help yourself is to help someone else, so hopefully some of my words will help you know that you are not alone.

[majestyjo]

F is for Flow. I believe in going with the flow. If I am centered within myself, living in the moment, I believe the day unfolds as it should. Things will flow from one thing to another, without any help from me. I need to do the foot work, and do my part, and my God does the rest.

F.R.O.G. Fully Relying On God.

[majestyjo]

G is for Growth. When I work the steps, I grow as a person. When yo get to Step 12, you start again at Step One. As we work the Steps, we find more self-honest and awareness.

[caressa222]

H is for Hope. The 12 Promises are what gave me hope. When I saw them in long-form, I saw what was available if I worked the Steps, the program of recovery.

See: eor.proboards.com/thread/7922/twelve-promises-aa-long-form

[caressa222]

I is for Insecurities. It takes time to get rid of our insecurities. As we work the Steps, we get strong and stronger. We hold each other up as we walk the recovery road. As we grow in the fellowship of the spirit, we become strong and then we can be there for others.

[majestyjo]

J is for Just for You. Take care of yourself. Give yourself a hug. You are your own best friend. Learn to love yourself and all that love will bubbly up and spread to others.

[majestyjo]

K is for Know. When the time is right you will know. If you don't know, and there is doubt, recognize your God at work. If you don't know, don't do. I was told, "If you are doubting yourself, you are doubting your God. Take time to know your God.

[majestyjo]

L is for Legacy. I am so grateful for the legacy of the Fellowships. They have a great story to tell if we but listen to what worked for them.

[majestyjo]

M is for Make. Make each day the best that you can. Things happen in our day to day living, but we don't have to allow them to spoil our whole day. Make each day a moment by moment kind of day, then we won't be disappointed, disillusioned, or full of despair. Make an effort to get to a meeting, talk to your sponsor, read some literature. Literature from your fellowship or any other one that you qualify for.

[caressa222]

N is for Negotiate. Find what works for you. What worked for someone else doesn't mean it will work for you. Take what comes your way and put it on the shelf, then as you need it you can dust it off and either keep it for yourself or give it away to someone else who does need it. Everything isn't black OR white, there are shades of gray.

[majestyjo]

O is for Options. I do have them. I can choose to use or work my program and stay clean and sober in today. That brings me to another option, you may think it is alright to use something that isn't your drug of choice, but no matter what you pick up it all leads to the same soul sickness.

Just for today, I choose not to use.

[majestyjo]

P is for prayer. I watched a bit of 100 Huntley Street today. It said we need to be taught to pray. I am a firm believer, if the intent and the faith is there, it doesn't have to be a prayer of ritual, it can be a simple quest for help. For me it is about the thought, not about how it is worded. I have believed for a long time that a thought is a prayer.

[majestyjo]

P is for St.Patrick's Day.

Q is for Quit. Quit drinking green beer and drink green tea instead. You will remember what you did the night before.

[majestyjo]

R is for Relax and Rest. It is Sunday, so a good reason to do so, but we should take time out of our busy day, every day to relax, do some meditation, and spend time with our God.

[majestyjo]

S is for Sobriety. I think of it as soundness of mind. It means I have worked the Steps on a mental, emotional, spiritual and physical way. There is a difference between being sober and having sobriety. It is living a new way of life.

[majestyjo]

T is for Trust. When we come into the program, we are on wobbly legs, unsure of ourselves and wonder, what to do and what step to take next. We get to trust the program by watching others walk the walk before us.