Sobriety Rocks

Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about The Power of Recovery Conventions

Dean Ornish “The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food.” 

It was great being at last weekend’s San Diego AA/Al-Anon Convention! From the Comedians at Thursday night’s Ice Cream Social to the closing speaker at Easter Sunday’s Spiritual Breakfast, this years’ event was most definitely an exciting weekend in recovery.
 
The golf tournament the poker run, fishing trip, dinner dance, 5k/10k, yoga, meditation, workshops, marathon meetings and recovery speakers, there was something for everyone and having all those people together again was fantastic.

The sense of community and commitment to sobriety was heartwarming. And seeing the success and growth of people who not so long ago were struggling, was inspiring and motivating. It was a great reminder of the transformative power of the unity, recovery, and service of 12-step programs.
 
But the real magic of last weekend’s Spring Round Up was the powerful message that recovery is fun, possible for all, and that no one has to face alcoholism or addiction alone.
 
If you’re having trouble getting connected, please reach out to your local 12-step office, contact me personally, or find a recovery event in your area, and get involved. There’s a lot going on in recovery, and you need be a part of it! 

Today we close with a breathing meditation to bring us more peace. So please, get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about The Magic of the Sobriety Countdown

Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.”
 
The magic of the sobriety countdown is alive and well! Yesterday’s Annual Easter Sunday Spiritual Breakfast Sobriety Countdown at the San Diego Spring Round Up was just as wonderful as ever.
 
Watching more than 1,000 recovering alcoholics standing in unison, and celebrating their sobriety time, until there was only one long-timer with more than 65 years of sobriety left standing, was inspiring.
 
Then, watching the 25 or so people with less than one year of recovery stand back up, and get counted down, until there was only one person left with four days since their last drink, was moving.
 
Long-timers who’ve gone through so much without having to drink, and new members who couldn't get through anything without drinking. A powerful reminder that recovery is possible, and that no one has to do it alone. 
 
The standing ovation for both brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my heart. It was a reminder that the more we praise and celebrate our lives, the more there is in life to celebrate. 

Wherever you are on your recovery journey, celebrate your recovery and acknowledge your achievement. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to maintain your sobriety.

Today we close with a simple mantra meditation for strength. So please, get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about Your Energy

Oprah Winfrey said, "Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."  ― 

Prior to arriving in the rooms of recovery, I expended tremendous amounts of energy merely trying to be normal. As my drinking, using, and negative behavior increased, so did the amount of negative energy I had.
 
When I landed in the rooms, I saw people putting positive energy into their past failures, cleaning up their mistakes, and gaining more positive energy as a result. When I finally took the steps, I too became filled with positive energy. 

All these years later, I see how simple it is. When I consistently work the 12-step program of recovery, I am enthusiastic about everything I do and I'm filled with incredible amounts of positive energy.
 
Today I put very little time into anything that's not positive. I don't have the energy for it. 

Remember, your energy is special. Be passionate, have fun, and most of all, do things that nourish your mind, body, and spirit, while recharging your positive energy.

Today we close with a refresh meditation. So please, get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about Do You Have a Safety Net

Bryant McGill said,  “The real safety net of life is community, family and nature.” ― 
 
When I was young and partying, I always assumed things would go my way. Looking back, that was the equivalent of sleepwalking blindfolded on a cliff edge fully expecting a safety net to be there when I fell.
 
Now I see how that way of living brought only so much luck, and when it was all used up, there was nothing to cushion my fall.

After all these years in recovery, when I'm considering taking a leap of faith, the majority of my friends and family will strongly suggest that I have a safety net or fallback plan in place beforehand, 'just in case.' 

But, my experience is, the only safety net I need is the unity, recovery and service of the program. It has proven over and over to be very generous, as long as I consistently take positive action and stay the course.
 
So, if you one day find yourself falling without a safety net, know in your heart that the universe will catch you, if you're doing the work.
 
Today we close with a mindfulness meditation. So please, get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about Coffee, Donuts and BS

Margaret Thatcher said, “There's always something to do to keep you from what you really should be doing.”

I remember how much I appreciated the casual atmosphere, small talk, donuts, and coffee they had at those first meetings I went to. It helped draw me in like a moth to a flame.
  
But, when “should I stay or should I go” time came, none of those things factored into my decision. I stayed because the community of amazing people, their depth of recovery, and the incredible amounts of service they were doing.
  
Don’t get me wrong. To this day I still appreciate meetings with extravagant, pre-meeting unity rituals. Heck, my Saturday morning home group serves one of the best continental breakfasts in town.
  
But, if the foundation of a meeting is built on pomp and circumstance, the meeting alone won't have the strength to support people who really need to heal.
  
Wherever you are in your recovery, I hope you have an amazing home group, an incredible sponsor, and a wonderful recovery community who are always knee deep in fun, waist deep in the steps, and nearly drowning in service.

If you don’t, please find them. Because coffee, donuts, and BS will only get us so far.

Today we close with a freedom meditation. So please, get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny

Alphonso Lingis said, "Those who find ecstasy do so not by visiting the shrines of civilization but by trudging in the swamps of human destitution and misery."

When I was young, I loved to do everything. Play, learn, explore, live, and take adventures. But, I was charging the road of happy destiny, not trudging it.
  
Unfortunately, aggressively attacking life led to a big crash and burn, and eventually, the rooms of recovery. When I first heard the saying, “trudge the road of happy destiny”, it validated my belief that sobriety was boring.
  
But oh, how wrong I was! For the past thirty years, trudging the road of happy destiny in recovery, has meant to live and walk with meaning and purpose every day. And it's been far more rewarding than life on any of the roads I traveled before.
  
Today, trudging the road of happy destiny means that every clean and sober day, whether we have one day sober or thousands of days – we're living with intention, and together, resolutely walking towards a better and more fulfilling life.
  
Wherever you’re at in your recovery, know that the journey is well worth any discomfort or price it takes to get here. So please, be true to yourself, and continue trudging the road of happy destiny with us.

Today we close with a calming meditation. So please, get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about The Keys to a Happy Life

The Buddha said, "If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart"

When I was young, I learned that honesty, integrity, hard work, accountability, service, compassion, and respect were integral to a happy life. But as my drinking and drugging escalated, the less and less I used those keys.
 
When I finally found the rooms of recovery, I heard about these twelve "spiritual principles" we were supposed to live by. So, I tried living by them, but I was still unhappy and continually fell short.
 
Then my sponsor suggested I jump in the middle of the program and take all the actions outlined in the 12 steps of recovery. Sure enough, when I finally took all those actions, I found the peace and happiness I had been looking for, and those spiritual principles began to materialize in my life.
 
Today the keys to my happy life begin with take all the actions outlined in the 12 steps of recovery, chasing my dreams, and living each day to the fullest. I’ve tried other ways, but this is the only one that works without fail!
 
If you aren’t as happy as you’d like to be, remember, you can turn it around today. Nothing is too big to overcome. Be true to yourself, stay in the middle of your support community, do the work, and don’t give up before the miracle happens.

Today we close with a peace meditation. So please, get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join us.

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Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about What’s In Your God Box

Albert Einstein said, “Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.”

I remember how ridiculous I thought it was the first time I heard someone talk about having a God Box. Sure enough, within weeks, my sponsor told me to get one too. 

So, like any good alcoholic-addict, I got the oldest, dirtiest, toughest looking “God” box I could find. At first, I put my 30, 60, and 90 day tokens in it, along with a couple names of people I had resentments at.

I didn’t think anything of it, but those resentments did go away. Over time, I started adding fears, goals, dreams, and plenty more resentments. Without putting too much energy into it, everything I’ve ever put in my God box, has been reconciled.

My current God Box has a variety of tokens, chips, medallions, prayers, a meeting in a pocket, and other things collected over the years. But, the most important are the tiny slips of paper with my handwritten worries, fears, goals, dreams, and desires on them.

Some are new, some are old, some were forgotten once placed inside. The beauty is, I know each will be taken care of, if I stay in the middle of the program, taking the next right action, and keep helping new people.

If have a God box, please, keep putting little scraps of paper with all your life’s issues inside. I guarantee, thy will be taken care of. If you don’t have a God Box, I urge you to get one.

Today we close with the peace meditation. So please, get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast. Today we talk about Trade Secrets

Henry Green said,  “The more you leave out, the more you highlight what you leave in.”

Remember when you were little, and the older kids seemed to know all the secrets about how everything worked. I felt that same way when I first got to the rooms of recovery.

Everybody was speaking a language that didn’t make sense. In one breath they said, “don’t make any major life changes”. Seconds later I heard, “you only have to change one thing, everything”. Then, “it’s a selfish program”, followed by “you’ve got to give it away to keep it”, or my all-time favorite, “you’ve got to surrender to win.”.

Which was it going to be? Surrender, or win? None of it made sense! But there was something wonderful going on with these people. So, I made it my mission to find out where the private board meeting was, the secret handshake, and their stupid password.

Here’s what I found out. While there are several hidden trade secrets in the rooms of 12-step addiction recovery, everybody knows them, and will freely share them with anyone they meet.

With that said, here are a few of my favorites. 1 - Only you can call yourself an addict or alcoholic, nobody else. 2 - It doesn’t say anywhere that we believe in God, only that we believe a power greater than us can restore us to sanity. 3 – There isn’t a “spiritual part of the program”, the entire program is a spiritual program.

The other that everybody knows is, it works if you work it. So, work it!

Today we close with a simple 12-styep meditation. So please site back, relax and join us.

Aloha

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Aloha and welcome to the sobriety rocks podcast, I’m your host, Kirk Waterman. Today we talk about I May Not a Saint, But I Keep Trying

Oscar Wilde said “The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”― 

The closest I’ve ever been to sainthood was in the first few minutes of my life. I was happy, joyous, free, and loved everyone. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that most everything is a competition, and nearly everyone is a rival.
  
Luckily, I also learned that competing wasn’t about winning or losing. It was about being your best, doing your best, giving your all, never giving up, and many other saint-like values.
  
Then, as my addictions grew, I drifted further and further from the saintly principles of my childhood. When I finally crashed and burned, I was introduced to a bunch of misfits, who were trying to live by some of the same saint-like ideals, I had been taught in my youth.
  
Today, all these years later, I know I’ve never been close to being a saint. But, I've been blessed with an incredible life, simply because I keep trying to do my best, and live by the same principles I learned from those reformed deviants, so long ago.
  
Wherever you are on your path, I hope you give yourself a break, and remember, none of us are saints, but we keep trying!

Today we close with a simple basic meditation from the ninth step of alcoholics anonymous,  So please get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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