September 10

“If God dropped acid, would he see people?” – George Carlin

“Assisted spiritual experiences.” That sounds like a lot of bullshit! All your author’s opinion, of course. But I personally don’t see much value in getting high on L.S.D. to have a spiritual experience or maintain contact with a Higher Power. I simply can’t imagine the outcome would have any lasting effect. Maybe it’s just my “closed mind, man!” Speaking from personal experience, I have had to wrestle my Higher Power into the boat like an alligator tearing flesh from zebra on the Serengeti, but I did it. I did it the old-fashioned way! I examined my beliefs as an atheist, walked across that bridge into agnosticism, finally ended up quitting the debating society, and have been on the path to being “spiritual” ever since. It takes an honest effort to have that kind of faith. You can’t ingest or inject it. You can’t “fake it 'til you make it” or any other shortcut.

Reflections

Are you moving toward or away from your Higher Power today?

Daily Challenge

Don’t watch documentaries on Netflix about people taking Ayahuasca to find recovery. It’s depressing.

September 9

Listening to and trusting your intuition is not an easy thing to do in sobriety. After some time goes by, we learn to develop that skill and begin to hear that inner voice that calls us to do what is right and veer away from what is less than favorable. Remember, it’s not just listening but trusting that inner voice. Some of us have had such a hard time with that “other voice” that we hesitate to trust the voice that we are hearing. That’s why we talk. That’s why we share what’s really going on with us and where we are at. But once you find that you can listen and trust that intuition, it does get easier to follow.

Reflections

Am I having trouble listening to and trusting my intuition?

Daily Challenge

Find someone to talk to, someone you can trust.

September 8

“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

When you have hit bottom and come out on the other side, using your voice to help others is essential. Only you know where the landmines are buried. You have been down the path that leads to freedom, and those who come after you need help to get to where you are. You have found a new way to think, and it can be invaluable to others looking to do the same. We do not do this alone; nobody recovers in a vacuum, as a sick mind cannot heal itself. And boy! We sure do have some sick minds. Have you listened to our podcast lately? It doesn’t matter if you have one day or one thousand days sober. You can help anyone with less time than yourself. And as some of us know, those first few days can be the most difficult to acquire.

Reflections

When was the last time you helped someone get and maintain sobriety? How did it go?

Daily Challenge

Find one thing to do today for the newcomer in your life. Buy them a book, save them a seat, or give them a call. Your pick.

September 7

“For a righteous man may fall seven times, and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.” – Proverbs 24:16

We can be knocked down the seventh time, but we can rise again for the eighth. If our intentions are good and we are attempting to live well, we can survive the storms of the average life. But being an ex-addict/alcoholic is not always the “average life.” Being in recovery will not give you immunity from the hazards of life. It will come, and it will kick your ass. But you can get up again. You can overcome your troubles. What is needed to maintain your life in recovery is the same thing that got you here. Stay open, honest, willing, active, and most of all, stay sober.

Reflections

Are you living righteously or wickedly?

Daily Challenge

What “wickedness” are you still doing today?

September 6

There is a Japanese art to repairing broken pottery. It’s called Kintsugi. Usually, the attempt to repair these broken items is made not because of the object's value from a monetary point of view. The decision to mend an item is usually based on its importance to a person. The repair adds beauty to the piece and becomes part of that object's history. It repairs the item and hardens it with a visible vein of gold. Ultimately making the object more valuable in the process. Recovery is a lot like that for us. We are still broken, but we are now stronger in those broken areas before we were broken. We have been “kintsugied.”

Reflections

Are you stronger now than you were before recovery?

Daily Challenge

What can you repair and make better than it was before?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi

September 5

Don’t forget to play! Discover the things that used to excite you. Find the things that sparked your curiosity, that made you get up in the morning. There are three words that, recently, I kept scribbling in my Big Book and Big Red Book: “Childish versus Childlike.” For far too long, I lived childish when I really desired to be childlike. I wanted to feel excited about life, but I was often bitter, resentful, spiteful, and full of piss and vinegar. Even though I desired to live differently, I couldn’t under the influence. So, now that you’re sober, try to tap into your childhood feelings. Look for the things that you liked as a young child. For me, it was drawing, writing, and art. I loved creating things from found objects and using my imagination. Loved listening to music as I created. These are two of my favorite things to do at the same time! All those things sparked wonder, curiosity, and excitement. They activated parts of my brain that made the world seem magical.

Reflections

Am I living “childish” or “childlike”?

Daily Challenge

Find something childlike to do today.

September 4

In recovery, we often say, “Your bottom is where you stop digging.” Where and when you put down the shovel is up to you, entirely. When in a hole, we suggest not making matters worse by continuing to dig. The addict or alcoholic will often think, “If I have gone this far, I might as well see what else is down here and how far it goes!” The truth is there is nothing but a deeper hole. As Bill Wilson discusses in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, “Quicksand stretched around me in all directions. I had met my match. I had been overwhelmed. Alcohol was my master.” Bill knew that the more he tried to squirm, the more he would have made it worse and sunk ever deeper. What is needed is to let go and surrender. To give up and give in entirely to the understanding that we have shoveled our last clump of dirt and reached the end of a long and hard-fought battle. We can understand this intellectually, but its acceptance is ultimately exemplified by our actions.

Reflections

Have I accepted that I am an addict/alcoholic? If so, what actions have I taken or am I taking that prove it?

Daily Challenge

The next meeting you’re in, be the first one to share when the meeting is officially open. Grow a pair!

September 3

I want what I want when I want it! Wah! There is a type of person that Dr. Sigmund Freud called “His Majesty, the Baby,” and it was made popular in recovery by Dr. Harry Tiebout. This personality type could describe many of us in the rooms of recovery. This personality (a.k.a. King/Queen Baby) is angry at and/or afraid of authority figures. Seeks approval from others. Has difficulty accepting any personal criticism. Has an addictive personality and is driven to extremes. Is self-rejecting or self-alienating. Often immobilized by anger and frustration (adult fits). Can be lonely even when they are in a crowded room. Always blaming others. Feeling unappreciated. Never feeling like they fit in with others. Everything is always black and white, and usually, they never see any gray areas. They cannot tolerate weakness in themselves or others. They are addicted to excitement and love creating chaos. Does this sound like any part of you? If not, what the fuck are you doing reading this book?

Reflections

Are you a King/Queen, Baby?

Daily Challenge

Also, see: adultchildren.org (The Laundry List – 14 Traits of an Adult Child of an Alcoholic/Addict)

September 2

Have you ever been let go from a job or laid up in the hospital for an extended period of time? Maybe you have just done time? Or perhaps the world falls into a pandemic, and your life and plans are put on hold. How did/do you handle it? Where do you apply your focus in times like that? Do you complain and wait it out or do you adapt and move forward? What can you do to put this time and space to good use? Do you get busy living, or do you get busy dying? The author Robert Greene defines our behavior at these times as “alive time or dead time.”* Do you make the most of your time, or do you waste it? Do you look for opportunities before you or choose to make less with what you’re given? It is your choice.

Reflections

When have you used your time unwisely? What could you have done differently during that time instead?

Daily Challenge

Make a list of things you would like to learn. Then, keep that list handy the next time you are confronted with the choice of “alive time or dead time.”

* https://youtu.be/IaKT9Ph8ChU and https://youtu.be/V2mvgmR7vp8

September 1

You’re not the only one. You are selfish. That’s all there is to it. It’s not the end of the world, but it accounts for many of the issues you have with others. You care about your needs more than others, and why shouldn’t you? It’s very natural, and it’s what got you this far. Everyone is selfish to a certain extent, and that’s just the nature of human beings. Right? So, why make any effort to be more giving, loving, caring, considerate, and generous? What’s in it for you? Well, this is what we like to call in the“program,” a “spiritual axiom.” When we care for others and look to be generous with others, we can sometimes benefit from it more than the person we are trying to help. It may not be immediately evident, but try it for a while and see what you get out of it. You’ll be surprised.

Reflections

In what ways can you help others today? Who in your life could use a leg up or a helping hand. Don’t get codependent over it. Just look where you can be helpful.

Daily Challenge

Write down your strengths today. Then, make a list of the things you do better than anyone else you know.