The Power Of Love
"We begin to see that God's love has been present all the time, just waiting for us to accept it."
Basic Text, p.46
God's love is the transforming power that drives our recovery. With that love, we find freedom from the hopeless, desperate cycle of using, self-hatred, and more using. With that love, we gain a sense of reason and purpose in our once purposeless lives. With that love, we are given the inner direction and strength we need to begin a new way of life: the NA way. With that love, we begin to see things differently, as if with new eyes.
As we examine our lives through the eyes of love, we make what may be a startling discovery: The loving God we've so recently come to understand has always been with us and has always loved us. We recall the times when we asked for the aid of a Higher Power and were given it. We even recall times when we didn't ask for such help, yet were given it anyway. We realize that a loving Higher Power has cared for us all along, preserving our lives till the day when we could accept that love for ourselves.
The Power of love has been with us all along. Today, we are grateful to have survived long enough to become consciously aware of that love's presence in our world and our lives. Its vitality floods our very being, guiding our recovery and showing us how to live.
Just for today: I accept the love of a Higher Power in my life. I am conscious of that Power's guidance and strength within me. Today, I claim it for my own.
pg. 231
From Sponsor to Sponsor
August 17, 2004
Spiritual Growth Our Only Option
Up Or Down
"This is our road to spiritual growth. We change every day.... This growth is not the result of wishing but of action and prayer."
Basic Text, p. 35-36
Our spiritual condition is never static; if it's not growing, it's decaying. If we stand still, our spiritual progress will lose its upward momentum. Gradually, our growth will slow, then halt, then reverse itself. Our tolerance will wear thin; our willingness to serve others will wane; our minds will narrow and close. Before long, we'll be right back where we started: in conflict with everyone and everything around us, unable to bear even ourselves.
Our only option is to actively participate in our program of spiritual growth. We pray, seeking knowledge greater than our own from a Power greater than ourselves. We open our minds and keep them open, becoming teachable and taking advantage of what others have to share with us. We demonstrate our willingness to try new ideas and new ways of doing things, experiencing life in a whole new way. Our spiritual progress picks up speed and momentum, driven by the Higher Power we are coming to understand better each day.
Up or down - it's one or the other, with very little in between, where spiritual growth is concerned. Recovery is not fueled by wishing and dreaming, we've discovered, but by prayer and action.
Just for today: The only constant in my spiritual condition is change. I cannot rely on yesterday's program. Today, I seek new spiritual growth through prayer and action.
pg. 238
From Sponsor to Sponsor
"This is our road to spiritual growth. We change every day.... This growth is not the result of wishing but of action and prayer."
Basic Text, p. 35-36
Our spiritual condition is never static; if it's not growing, it's decaying. If we stand still, our spiritual progress will lose its upward momentum. Gradually, our growth will slow, then halt, then reverse itself. Our tolerance will wear thin; our willingness to serve others will wane; our minds will narrow and close. Before long, we'll be right back where we started: in conflict with everyone and everything around us, unable to bear even ourselves.
Our only option is to actively participate in our program of spiritual growth. We pray, seeking knowledge greater than our own from a Power greater than ourselves. We open our minds and keep them open, becoming teachable and taking advantage of what others have to share with us. We demonstrate our willingness to try new ideas and new ways of doing things, experiencing life in a whole new way. Our spiritual progress picks up speed and momentum, driven by the Higher Power we are coming to understand better each day.
Up or down - it's one or the other, with very little in between, where spiritual growth is concerned. Recovery is not fueled by wishing and dreaming, we've discovered, but by prayer and action.
Just for today: The only constant in my spiritual condition is change. I cannot rely on yesterday's program. Today, I seek new spiritual growth through prayer and action.
pg. 238
From Sponsor to Sponsor
Sunshine is the Laughter of Nature
Meditation For The Day
Sunshine is the laughter of nature. Live out in the sunshine. The sun and air are good medicine. Nature is a good nurse for tired bodies. Let her have her way with you. God's grace is like the sunshine. Let your whole being be enwrapped in the Divine spirit. Faith is the soul's breathing in of the Divine spirit. It makes glad the hearts of human beings. The Divine spirit heals and cures the mind. Let it have its way and all will be well.
From Tammy's Recovery Resources. (see link at left)
Sunshine is the laughter of nature. Live out in the sunshine. The sun and air are good medicine. Nature is a good nurse for tired bodies. Let her have her way with you. God's grace is like the sunshine. Let your whole being be enwrapped in the Divine spirit. Faith is the soul's breathing in of the Divine spirit. It makes glad the hearts of human beings. The Divine spirit heals and cures the mind. Let it have its way and all will be well.
From Tammy's Recovery Resources. (see link at left)
Avoid the Paths to Nowhere
by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski:
"In our haste, we often look for shortcuts. Who hasn't driven to an unfamiliar area and found what looked like a shortcut on the map and taken it only to discover that it really was a very slow route and that taking the highway might have indeed been a few miles longer but it would have brought them to their destination much sooner.As someone said: 'A shortcut is often the fastest way to get to somewhere you don't want to be.'
"Two men were put into a maze and one soon found his way out. He stated that whenever he came to a dead end, he retraced his steps and marked the entrance to that path so that he would know which one not to take. If this principle is true with road travel, how much more so it is with the paths through life where the apparent easier way is so often misleading. Some paths in life lead nowhere. We can either discover them ourselves or we can ask our elders and profit by their experience. They may have marked off those paths that they found led nowhere. "
"In our haste, we often look for shortcuts. Who hasn't driven to an unfamiliar area and found what looked like a shortcut on the map and taken it only to discover that it really was a very slow route and that taking the highway might have indeed been a few miles longer but it would have brought them to their destination much sooner.As someone said: 'A shortcut is often the fastest way to get to somewhere you don't want to be.'
"Two men were put into a maze and one soon found his way out. He stated that whenever he came to a dead end, he retraced his steps and marked the entrance to that path so that he would know which one not to take. If this principle is true with road travel, how much more so it is with the paths through life where the apparent easier way is so often misleading. Some paths in life lead nowhere. We can either discover them ourselves or we can ask our elders and profit by their experience. They may have marked off those paths that they found led nowhere. "
August 13, 2004
An Experience You Must Not Miss -- Recovery
From PONDERTHIS.ORG.:
August 12, 2004
Big Book Page 89
"To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends -- this is an experience you must not miss."
August 12, 2004
Big Book Page 89
"To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends -- this is an experience you must not miss."
Addiction and recovery primer
From Pridesource.com:
"Trying to determine if you are addicted to an activity or substance can be very difficult, and it often takes years. Sometimes, people can overcome an addiction with little effort. For example, it takes time to build up an addiction to most drugs, and there is a time period where a person can walk away without becoming addicted. At some point, however, it's like a switch that's been thrown, and once the addiction takes hold, it requires a lot of support to stop using the substance."
"Trying to determine if you are addicted to an activity or substance can be very difficult, and it often takes years. Sometimes, people can overcome an addiction with little effort. For example, it takes time to build up an addiction to most drugs, and there is a time period where a person can walk away without becoming addicted. At some point, however, it's like a switch that's been thrown, and once the addiction takes hold, it requires a lot of support to stop using the substance."
August 10, 2004
On the road to recovery
From the Arizona Daily Star:
"'I've had ups and downs since I got off drugs, but that's to be expected,' 23-year-old Nicky Bozymowski said. 'Living in a ditch was a motivation. All we would do is fight. It was bad.'"
Read the full article here,
"'I've had ups and downs since I got off drugs, but that's to be expected,' 23-year-old Nicky Bozymowski said. 'Living in a ditch was a motivation. All we would do is fight. It was bad.'"
Read the full article here,
'One Sky' Approach to Prevention
From Hazelden:
"We often hear about the great toll substance abuse has taken in Native American communities, yet we hear little about the innovative things being done to combat these problems...
While the needs and traditions of tribes may vary dramatically, American Indians are all under 'one sky,' according to founders of One Sky Center, a new national resource center and the first to serve Indians from all U.S. tribes and urban communities."
Read this story of hope here.
"We often hear about the great toll substance abuse has taken in Native American communities, yet we hear little about the innovative things being done to combat these problems...
While the needs and traditions of tribes may vary dramatically, American Indians are all under 'one sky,' according to founders of One Sky Center, a new national resource center and the first to serve Indians from all U.S. tribes and urban communities."
Read this story of hope here.
August 06, 2004
Sharing From the Heart
From the Native American Indian General Service Office
of Alcoholics Anonymous (NAIGSO-AA) come
these stories shared from the heart.
of Alcoholics Anonymous (NAIGSO-AA) come
these stories shared from the heart.
Climbing Out of the Bottle
"On the surface, there is nothing about Bill that is exceptional. He was born and raised on the south shore of Long Island, went to a local university, married, had children and has worked for the same Fortune 500 company for over 10 years. What makes Bill unique is the fact that he has been in recovery for the past 10 months."
Read about his story here.
Read about his story here.
August 03, 2004
"Fall seven times, stand up eight" and other quotes
Lost time is never found again. --Thelonious Monk
Time is a created thing. To say, 'I don't have time' is like saying 'I
don't want to...' --Lao-Tzu
There are really only 2 choices: worry or trust God. --unknown
Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. --Og Mandino
Don't let yesterday use up too much of today. --Native American Proverb
Fall seven times, stand up eight. --Japanese Proverb
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. --Confucius
If you put everything off till you're sure of it, you'll get nothing done. --Norman Vincent Peale"
Time is a created thing. To say, 'I don't have time' is like saying 'I
don't want to...' --Lao-Tzu
There are really only 2 choices: worry or trust God. --unknown
Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. --Og Mandino
Don't let yesterday use up too much of today. --Native American Proverb
Fall seven times, stand up eight. --Japanese Proverb
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. --Confucius
If you put everything off till you're sure of it, you'll get nothing done. --Norman Vincent Peale"
Recovery means leaving old life behind
In an article in The Maryville Tennesee Daily Times Steve Wildsmith explains:
"There's a particular saying in the rooms of recovery that may sound corny, but it's applicable: 'If you hang out in the barbershop long enough, you're going to get a haircut.' If I hang out in bars and with old friends, I'm eventually going to get high again. I know what goes on in those old places -- the same thing going on when I was hanging out there.
Today, I know that I can't go around those old friends, either. Not to say hello (that's what the phone is for), not to see how they're doing (the same things they've always done), not to share my recovery (I'm not in the hero business, and more often than not, they'll get me high before I get them clean)."
"There's a particular saying in the rooms of recovery that may sound corny, but it's applicable: 'If you hang out in the barbershop long enough, you're going to get a haircut.' If I hang out in bars and with old friends, I'm eventually going to get high again. I know what goes on in those old places -- the same thing going on when I was hanging out there.
Today, I know that I can't go around those old friends, either. Not to say hello (that's what the phone is for), not to see how they're doing (the same things they've always done), not to share my recovery (I'm not in the hero business, and more often than not, they'll get me high before I get them clean)."
Addiction is a treatable disease, not a sign of human weakness
An article from the Bermuda Royal Gazette:
"Twenty-five years ago Hillary Soares recalls meeting a 19-year-old drug addict. 'She was desperately thin, full of tears, she had nowhere to go. It was hopeless, I was curious about why she had chosen to do this to herself, she said. This was before I had come to understand drug addiction as a disease.'"
"Twenty-five years ago Hillary Soares recalls meeting a 19-year-old drug addict. 'She was desperately thin, full of tears, she had nowhere to go. It was hopeless, I was curious about why she had chosen to do this to herself, she said. This was before I had come to understand drug addiction as a disease.'"
Three Minutes of Cyber Peace
August 02, 2004
Admission Leads to Happiness
The dryblog daily quota from Jane:
'There was nothing fun or glamorous about drinking. It was a miserable existence... I did not think it was a problem until 18 months ago, when I realised I did have a problem and I admitted it to myself. Alcoholics are in denial. They don't want to admit it. I consider myself an alcoholic and if I have one swig of an alcoholic drink that would just start me off again. I have no doubt in my mind about that. Once I had it I would get a craving and would not be able to stop... Now life's fantastic. It's just unbelievable. I never thought I could stop drinking, even though I repeatedly tried to stop on my own... There was a period recently where they were things happening in my life I had very little control over and I did come quite close to having a drink. But instead of picking up a drink, I picked up the phone and spoke to somebody else about how I was feeling and got support.'
- Jane, 'Suffolk Evening Star'"
'There was nothing fun or glamorous about drinking. It was a miserable existence... I did not think it was a problem until 18 months ago, when I realised I did have a problem and I admitted it to myself. Alcoholics are in denial. They don't want to admit it. I consider myself an alcoholic and if I have one swig of an alcoholic drink that would just start me off again. I have no doubt in my mind about that. Once I had it I would get a craving and would not be able to stop... Now life's fantastic. It's just unbelievable. I never thought I could stop drinking, even though I repeatedly tried to stop on my own... There was a period recently where they were things happening in my life I had very little control over and I did come quite close to having a drink. But instead of picking up a drink, I picked up the phone and spoke to somebody else about how I was feeling and got support.'
- Jane, 'Suffolk Evening Star'"
"Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present."
"Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present." -- Albert Camus
The just-ended Democratic Convention spoke often and passionately about Hope and it reminded Joyce Wycoff (Good Morning Thinkers!) of some of Margaret Wheatley's comments in her book turning to one another, simple conversations to restore hope to the future. Please follow the highlighted link to read more.
The just-ended Democratic Convention spoke often and passionately about Hope and it reminded Joyce Wycoff (Good Morning Thinkers!) of some of Margaret Wheatley's comments in her book turning to one another, simple conversations to restore hope to the future. Please follow the highlighted link to read more.
"I was like Gollum...then I found God"
From Dryblog:: "It was nearly four years ago that Peter Howson came face to face with Jesus Christ.
Shattered by addictions to drink and drugs and at the lowest ebb of his life, the artist sought refuge in prayer while attending a rehabilitation centre in the Borders.
'I got down on my hands and knees to pray and I asked for help and Jesus appeared to me when I asked for him. It wasn't as if he was standing in front of me or as if there were angels or bright lights, but I felt his presence and a sense of tremendous love. I knew I would never drink or take drugs ever again,' he recalls. "
Scotsman.com
Shattered by addictions to drink and drugs and at the lowest ebb of his life, the artist sought refuge in prayer while attending a rehabilitation centre in the Borders.
'I got down on my hands and knees to pray and I asked for help and Jesus appeared to me when I asked for him. It wasn't as if he was standing in front of me or as if there were angels or bright lights, but I felt his presence and a sense of tremendous love. I knew I would never drink or take drugs ever again,' he recalls. "
Scotsman.com
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