“We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all of our activities.” (Alcohlics Anonymous pg. 85)
Living free is a journey of discovery and growth, experienced one day at a time. Each day has its own rewards and challenges which give us opportunities to grow or to give up. Here are some tips and resources to build you up and help you through both tough days and good.
(See also “12 Tools to Have in Your Recovery Tool Box”)
1) Start your day right!
“Step 11 suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn’t be shy in this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly. It works, if we have the proper attitude and work at it.” (A.A. Big Book, p.85)
Step 11: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.”
Here are some resources to help with daily prayer and meditation.
- Daily Reflection – from AA
- Daily Meditations – from Partners in Hope
- Our Daily Bread Devotional
- As Bill Sees It – selected writings of AA’s co-founder
- The full Serentity Prayer
We are Body, Mind and Spirit. Growing spiritually is important for a balanced life and long-term recovery, so whether you are a skeptic or a guru there are some suggestions to consider in our “Soul Food” section.
2) HALT! Hungry Angry Lonely or Tired ?
Even Superman has a weakness, so remember we aren’t Superman. Watch for these pitfalls that can trip you up: being Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Self-care must be part of a daily routine to set us up for success . Click to learn more about the pitfalls of being Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired and how to deal with them.
3) “I’d like to call a friend, Regis!”
On the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, when a contestant was stuck they had the option to call a friend who was prepared to help solve a problem. Likewise, all of us should learn to ask for help with life’s problems when they seem insurmountable.
Make a list of support people in your life. They can be family or friends, but sometimes the best help comes from someone who has experience struggling with, and overcoming, addiction. Decide now that you will call the people on your list if you start to consider drinking or using. And if you don’t have anyone on speed dial, click here for a few numbers to store on your phone or to call now.
4) Keep your side of the street clean.
“Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.” (Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 62)
When people have hurt or upset us, it’s a good time to say a prayer and do a Step 10 Inventory: “Step 10 reinforces the idea of taking a breath, assessing your emotions, and making a conscious assessment of whether they are appropriate or dangerous for your recovery.” (AlcoholicsAnonymous.com)
When I have problems I remember the familiar “Serenity Prayer” and also another version which goes like this: “God, grant me the Serenity to accept the people I cannot change; Courage to change the one I can; And Wisdom to know it’s me.”
5) Help someone else.
The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous discovered they stayed sober when they actively sought to help others struggling with alcohol. It is so important that they made helping others part of the 12th and last suggestion in their program.
There are many, many ways to serve people in our community, and that might be best for you, but doing “12th Step work” is about the only place your experience of addiction and incarceration can be used by our Creator to help another sufferer. If you are a member of a 12-Step Program, you can help others by helping at group meetings or by joining an area committee of your program.
If you are looking for a place to help, Edmonton AA has many active committees that need help. There’s even an active Corrections Committee with the goal of serving every AA member and non-member in area institutions.