Reflections for Every Day - January

[yukonm]

January 1

Pam Says:

I often feel that I am not doing my recovery "right" because I don't do many of the things I hear others talk about at meetings. But I haven't had a drink for almost two years... so I must be doing something right!

[yukonm]

January 2

Elissa G. Says:

Each day brings its own challenge. Living a sober life means living life on life's terms. In order to live this life, I must remember to use my recovery toolbox. In it are the tools given me by this fellowship. Prayer, meditation, the steps, a meeting, a chat with my sponsor... the direction to meet the challenge is there, if I remember to use the tools.

[yukonm]

January 3


Ariel Z. Says:

When I discovered my husband was drinking on his long commute home from work, I moved our whole family to another state to be closer to his job. Little did I realize he would wind up driving back to our old state to get alcohol in the middle of the night -- and then he would drink all the way home. You just can't control the disease no matter how hard you try. When I learned to turn it over and all that energy poured back into my own affairs, I got a whole new lease on life.

[yukonm]

January 4

Deb G. Says:

I have been in recovery many 24 hours and I would like to say a word about sponsorship. I have had many sponsors who just quit calling me back. This hurts and is confusing. I have learned now not to take it personally and to ALWAYS make it a point to call the people I sponsor back.
If you sponsor someone, I believe you have a responsibility to that person to return phone calls, emails, etc. If you can no longer fulfill this responsibility, please let your sponsees know you no longer have the time, energy, whatever to sponsor them. I urge members of our fellowship who are fortunate enough to be asked to sponsor someone not to just assume that person doesn't need to hear from you (no matter how many 24 hours the sponsee has been sober).

[yukonm]

January 5

Steve R. Says:

Honesty - What a novel concept, and an absolute necessity in recovery. We've become so accustomed in our addiction/alcoholism to lying to ourselves (and everyone else), that becoming honest is a radical change that is a mighty tall order to fulfill.
First, we must become honest with ourselves, and the first and most important step to achieving this is to admit we have a problem and that we need to do something about it.

The second thing is to be honest with one's own 'higher power' or 'a God of one's own understanding'. This, at first, involves admitting what we admitted to ourselves and asking for help in overcoming the addiction/alcoholism we're battling.

Third comes honesty with others. Through becoming honest with ourselves and our higher power, this becomes possible and achievable.

While honesty, by and of itself, does not constitute recovery, it is an integral part of it. Honesty must become a daily part of our lives: with ourselves, a God of our own understanding, and others.

[yukonm]

January 6

Marise B. Says:

Faith has allowed me to have trust in the process. Trusting in the process helped me trust in oneself. I needed to get to the meetings to understand the process and I will not trade places with another. I am three years sober and I have never experienced so much joy and freedom from bondage. I now have true meaning in my life and are grateful to all those who had faith in me when I was down.
Life is a miracle and my past is an asset. My future is in the hands of my higher power and the spiritual principles, however there is action I need to carry out if I want to remain sober. It's not about what I want but what I need to do. Best wishes to you all and don't give up, there is hope for us all.

[yukonm]

January 7

Coleman J. Says:

Two questions I try to remember to ask myself whenever I'm faced with a difficult situation:
Would my Higher Power approve of what I am about to do?

What would an ADULT do in a situation like this?

[yukonm]

January 8

Carrie Says:

Every bottle has a bottom. It might look good when it's full, but it is depressing when it is empty! Yet 'One drink is too many and a thousand are not enough.' Another bottle is never the answer.
Every bender leads to the fear and misery that come with those Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that always accompany me on my journey back to sobriety and freedom -freedom from the bottle!

[yukonm]

January 9

Carrie Says:

Every bottle has a bottom. It might look good when it's full, but it is depressing when it is empty! Yet 'One drink is too many and a thousand are not enough.' Another bottle is never the answer.
Every bender leads to the fear and misery that come with those Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that always accompany me on my journey back to sobriety and freedom -freedom from the bottle!

[yukonm]

January 10

Shawila Says:

When life finally all caught up to me, and with around 10 years clean (I like to call it the 911 end of working AA in my life) I hit a hard emotional, spiritual, and physical bottom that I really believe was worse spiritually than the day I arrived to Alcoholics Anonymous. I wanted more than ever to drink or die. I didn't know which was going to come first, I just knew that, here I was 10 years without any alcohol or drugs and I wanted to be DRUNK or DEAD. I felt hopeless and desperate.
God's plan was different than mine, and little did I know at that point what was in store for me. With me bowing before my creator and asking for help. Surrendering to my disease of Alcoholism I was restored to some sanity to get help and to live sober "One Day At A Time," with the Spiritual Tools given so freely to me.

[yukonm]

January 11

Michelle S. Says:

When I first got sober some years ago I remember hearing that everything would happen in time. I hated that word time. I had always been the kind of person that "wanted what I wanted when I wanted it" and I hated waiting for anything. If I was going to "get" being sober I wanted it right then and there I didn't want to go to meetings or work on myself I just wanted it to happen.
Then I went to a meeting and heard what Time stood for and it changed my life from that point forward. I heard that time stood for Things I Must Earn. I knew then and there that it was not going to be an easy road but if I was going to make it it was going to take time.

[yukonm]

January 12

Ted B. Says:

Recovery is work. A lot of very hard work. I know of no one who would say otherwise. I've learned that, without a daily (or twice or thrice-daily) spiritual "check-up," I am doomed to repeat the deplorable actions of the past. If I fail to treat my disease on a daily basis with prayers, meditation, meetings and step work, I quickly become sick. Regular contact with my fellow AA's and my HP keep me well.

[yukonm]

January 13

Cheryl R. Says:

It took some time in recovery to realize, I am no longer a victim; I can no longer 'claim' people 'do things to me'. They only trigger what is already there, things I have yet to really look at within myself. It can be painful, but the light beyond is definitely worth aiming for.
I feel both honored and privileged to have this life today and to be able to see others, and myself, in a whole new light. This is quite a journey, one that I never really embarked on before. And I can honestly say I wouldn't trade my worst day clean for my best day using.

[yukonm]

January 14

Nancy A. Says:

When I recovered from alcohol and drugs, I replaced those addictions with addictions to other things -- other people being the main one. A friend reminded me that it is important to work on recovery from this addiction as well. As a child and spouse of alcoholics, I have been abandoned and neglected.
Lately, I have opened my eyes to the fact that it is not only the alcoholic or addict who abandoned me and neglected me -- I abandoned and neglected myself while I was addicted to the alcoholic or addict. It is time to stop abandoning and neglecting myself and really take care of me.

[yukonm]

January 15

David D. Says:

It wasn't until I was sitting in prison for DUI that I realized I was happy. Then I realized it was because I wasn't drinking. So when I got out I didn't drink and now I can't imagine drinking. Even the thought scares me. I now have four years sobriety and am doing something with my life.

[yukonm]

January 16

Anita C. Says:

What helped me in this recovery process is the simple statement made by an old-timer, "If I don't pick up that first drink today, I can't get drunk today." I always thought it was the first six pack or the first gallon of wine. This statement was a revelation to me especially working with the Big Book.
The "Doctor's Opinion" had given me the reason I drank the way I did. It is an allergy of the body and the compulsion of the mind. I thank God and this old-timer for this insight.

[yukonm]

January 17

GettingBetter Says:

We are not bad people trying to get good, we are sick people trying to get better. It's not so much about the drinking, as it is the thinking.

[yukonm]

January 18

Magnolia Says:

When we stop blaming our disease for our behavior and surrender that is when we start listening to God. Reading the acceptance prayer helped me alot when I first got into the program, I read it faithfully everyday for three years. I still reflect on it.
The doctors had given me six months to live, in February I will have 9 years, by the grace of God. Thanks to everyone in the fellowship, I love how the program has and is teaching me to live on life's terms.

[yukonm]

January 19

JP Says:

No matter what, get your life in order before tackling other projects. It might seem selfish to you or others, but it's the most important step in your successful recovery.

[yukonm]

January 20

JP Says:

No matter what, get your life in order before tackling other projects. It might seem selfish to you or others, but it's the most important step in your successful recovery.

[yukonm]

January 21

Linda G. Says:

I have been working the Al-Anon program for 5-6 months. I have accepted I am powerless over alcohol or another's behavior. I am free to be me, help me, love me and have hope for the alcoholic in my life. Life is good in Al-Anon.

[yukonm]

January 22

Heather F. Says:

I used to think that life was worthless and that nothing was ever going to change. I thought I would always be worthless and no matter what I did drinking and all the misshaps and damage that went along with it would just continue until I walked in the doors of AA. I only drank for 5 years but that was enough for me to be suicidal, angry and pathetic.
Now almost two years later, one day at a time, I have a life. A real life. I have a Higher Power, a network of friends I can truly count on, self-respect and dignity. I know that when I walk in the rooms of AA I will be accepted no matter where I am at that day. I have been blessed with a wonderful sponsor. She has taught me real honesty. I owe what I am today to the program and the people who keep coming back.

[yukonm]

January 23

Marty Says:

The first week I had seven days of continuous sobriety - I was hit with gratitude. It was a God-thing. I was so grateful every morning to wake up sober that I was able to remember those feelings throughout the day. Later on a sponsor suggested I write a gratitude list: five things that I was grateful for today, right now, right this moment.
I still do this - when the pity starts; when I start to whine; when alcoholic thoughts jump into my head, I start a gratitude list. My thinking is rearranged and I can enjoy my life, my sobriety, the gifts I have been given. Gratitude has been an integral part of my sobriety for 15 years now.

[yukonm]

January 24

Peggy C. Says:

If you're panicking about a situation remember: everything changes. Chances are in another minute, or an hour, or a day you'll feel differently. Ask for God's inspiration in that moment - send him forth into your day or situation and you will be protected.
The most important thing I've learned this year is that 98 percent of my fears never come true. Relax and wear the world as a loose garment... as a sober, clean individual!

[yukonm]

January 25

Janene C. Says:

All thoughts have value. Good thoughts breed good values. Bad thoughts undermine what we value.

[yukonm]

January 26

Nancy P. Says:

I hit bottom and skidded sideways for awhile. What brought me to recovery was being brought to my knees, it total despair. I was finally ready, really ready to do what ever it took to get better. I had to remain opened minded to change, and willing to do what ever it took. I keep this attitude steadfast, and will soon be celebrating three years clean from active addiction.

[yukonm]

January 27

Jennifer D. Says:

I have realized that after a little over a year clean that my bottom was as bad as I want it to get. I still had material possessions but I was dying on the inside, slowly. I was a dressed up trash can. I know that I have to attend meetings and work a strong program so I don't forget how bad it was or how bad it could still get.

[yukonm]

January 28

Stobey Says:

The struggle is not against the tangible it is the struggle against chaos and despair. It is in meetings that I have found hope in this struggle. My job requires me to travel, so I go to meetings all over the country. They have saved my life countless times. This is my third New Years sober and I have never been more at peace, felt more centered, than today.

[yukonm]

January 29

Josie Says:

What I understand today is that for me to stay whole and present in my recovery I have to believe in myself. I do steps 1, 2, and 3 at the onset of a difficult situation. Letting my Higher Power in my heart allows me the freedom to view the situation with more clear understanding and less reaction on my part because I become aware of his will and not mine.

[yukonm]

January 30

Chris M. Says:

I was "sober" for 1-1/2 years when I thought I had lost everything to my disease. Then I started working on myself. I found out that through working a program and talking to trusted friends I may have lost a lot of material possessions, but that I had gained something more valuable. I found my Higher Power, and I found myself.
My first 18 months of sobriety was spent in anger, frustration and loneliness. Now I am at peace, I have a vast wealth of friends, and most important, I have a relationship with my God, and with myself. I will be celebrating two years in February and I couldn't be happier with who I am today.

[yukonm]

January 31

Walt B. Says:

The greatest gift AA has given me has been the choice of sobriety itself. "The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking" it doesn't guarantee I will. The gift of sobriety came to me via repetitive meetings, endless questions and painful soul-searching. It was all a choice of my own volition, and support from a Higher Power that I didn't know existed.
The pain inside myself had to be so great that I had to make that choice -- "Do I change or die?" That choice is a daily, sometimes momentary choice, because the drink and the damage it brings is always just an arm's length away. If I have admitted I am powerless then I truly know it's a choice.