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Recovery Just For Today

deficiT

deficiT

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Hey guys, I thought something cool I could do was start a thread for daily posts related to recovery.

There are a couple different options for things to do from various 12 step programs, but probably my favorite is the Narcotics Anonymous book "Just For Today". This book has a reading for each day, and is often used as an icebreaker or topic finder of sorts for NA meetings.

I know that 12 step can be a contentious topic for those in recovery, and if you dont like AA or NA, thats cool! This thread likely isnt for you then, and I would prefer to avoid this turning into a debate at any point.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these readings, if you have any, please feel free to share. And then, by the end of the year, we should essentially have the full book, as long as I dont forget a day (I will)

I'm doing this to keep myself accountable and invested in my recovery, but also for the benefit of others. I am not completely sober and I will not pretend to be, but through posting these readings I hope some people will read along and open their mind to some of these principles. I know all the slogans. My favorite is "take what you need, and leave the rest". I apply this to most of my life, if something isnt for me, that's fine, but I can gather wisdom from anything I read.

(If I should forget a day over the next year, ping me, because I want to get all of these here on Bluelight)
 
November 04, 2024
Exchanging love
Page 322

"...we give love because it was given so freely to us. New frontiers are open to us as we learn how to love. Love can be the flow of life energy from one person to another."

Basic Text, p. 105

Love given, and love received, is the essence of life itself. It is the universal common denominator, connecting us to those around us. Addiction deprived us of that connection, locking us within ourselves.

The love we find in the NA program reopens the world to us. It unlocks the cage of addiction which once imprisoned us. By receiving love from other NA members, we find out--perhaps for the first time--what love is and what it can do. We hear fellow members talk about the sharing of love, and we sense the substance it lends to their lives.

We begin to suspect that, if giving and receiving love means so much to others, maybe it can give meaning to our lives, too. We sense that we are on the verge of a great discovery, yet we also sense that we won't fully understand the meaning of love unless we give ours away. We try it, and discover the missing connection between ourselves and the world.

Today, we realize that what they said was true: "We keep what we have only by giving it away."

Just for Today: Life is a new frontier for me, and the vehicle I will use to explore it is love. I will give freely the love I have received.
 
deficiT said:
Today, we realize that what they said was true: "We keep what we have only by giving it away."
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I like this also. I know if we are feeling down or depressed and we are able to help someone else we will start to feel better. Also people who are mean are also miserable themselves. It makes sense that there would be no inner peace when we are unkind to others.
 
November 05, 2024
God's guidance
Page 323

"Our Higher power is accessible to us at all times. We receive guidance when we ask for knowledge of God's will for us."

Basic Text, p. 95

It's not always easy to make the right decision. This is especially true for addicts learning to live by spiritual principles for the first time. In addiction, we developed self-destructive, anti-social impulses. When conflict arose, we took our cues from those negative impulses. Our disease didn't prepare us to make sound decisions.

Today, to find the direction we need, we ask our Higher Power. We stop; we pray; and, quietly, we listen within for guidance. We've come to believe that we can rely on a Power greater than ourselves. That Power is accessible to us whenever we need it. All we need do is pray for knowledge of our God's will for us and the power to carry it out.

Each time we do this, each time we find direction amidst our confusion, our faith grows. The more we rely on our Higher Power, the easier it becomes to ask for direction: We've found the Power we were lacking in our addiction, a Power that available to us at all times. To find the direction we need to live fully and grow spiritually, all we have to do is maintain contact with the God of our understanding.

Just for Today: My Higher Power is a source of spiritual guidance within me that I can always draw upon. When I lack direction today. I will ask for knowledge of my Higher Power's will.
 
November 10, 2024

Fear or faith?

Page 328

"No matter how far we ran, we always carried fear with us."

Basic Text, p. 14

For many of us, fear was a constant factor in our lives before we came to Narcotics Anonymous. We used because we were afraid to feel emotional or physical pain. Our fear of people and situations gave us a convenient excuse to use drugs. A few of us were so afraid of everything that we were unable even to leave our homes without using first.

As we stay clean, we replace our fear with a belief in the fellowship, the steps, and a Higher Power. As this belief grows, our faith in the miracle of recovery begins to color all aspects of our lives. We start to see ourselves differently. We realize we are spiritual beings, and we strive to live by spiritual principles.

The application of spiritual principles helps eliminate fear from our lives. By refraining from treating other people in harmful or unlawful ways, we find we needn't fear how we will be treated in return. As we practice love, compassion, understanding, and patience in our relationships with others, we are treated in turn with respect and consideration. We realize these positive changes result from allowing our Higher Power to work through us. We come to believe--not to think, but to believe--that our Higher Power wants only the best for us. No matter what the circumstances, we find we can walk in faith instead of fear.

Just for Today: I no longer need to run in fear, but can walk in faith that my Higher Power has only the best in store for me.
 
I think it is difficult not to have some fear when we really control very little of our circumstances. I do agree belief in a higher power helps, but it doesn't make fear go away completely. I don't think it's a bad thing to want to control our own lives but fate just doesn't always agree.

Also I disagree that we are always treated kindly in return for compassion and kindness. This has not always been my experience unfortunately. But I try to choose to remain kind.

I do believe God wants the best for us, but I can't ignore the bad things that happen to good people on a daily basis. This can cause a spiritual crisis at times, wondering why these things happen.

Thank you for posting this!
 
November 11, 2024
From surrender to acceptance
Page 329

"We surrender quietly and let the God of our understanding take care of us."

Basic Text, p. 26

Surrender and acceptance are like infatuation and love. Infatuation begins when we encounter someone special. Infatuation requires nothing but the acknowledgment of the object of our infatuation. For infatuation to become love, however, requires a great deal of effort. That initial connection must be slowly, patiently nurtured into a lasting, durable bond.

It's the same with surrender and acceptance. We surrender when we acknowledge our powerlessness. Slowly, we come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can give us the care we need. Surrender turns to acceptance when we let this Power into our lives. We examine ourselves and let our God see us as we are. Having allowed the God of our understanding access to the depths of ourselves, we accept more of God's care. We ask this Power to relieve us of our shortcomings and help us amend the wrongs we've done. Then, we embark on a new way of life, improving our conscious contact and accepting our Higher Power's continuing care, guidance, and strength.

Surrender, like infatuation, can be the beginning of a lifelong relationship. To turn surrender into acceptance, however, we must let the God of our understanding take care of us each day.

Just for Today: My recovery is more than infatuation. I have surrendered. Today, I will nurture my conscious contact with my Higher Power and accept that Power's continuing care for me.
 
kris66 said:
I would like to know what others think but I have a hard time with the word "surrender."
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my own struggles with the semantics (the whole thing, not just this part) aside, there are some good points. while reading through this thread i learned to work my way around certain words.

eminencecampaign said:
To turn surrender into acceptance, however, we must let the God of our understanding take care of us each day.
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for me the acceptance must come before the surrender (now dealing with the words here, not the overall meaning).
i can't surrender to something i haven't accepted.

but i agree that first there must be some kind of interest and an agreement with it (which for me is acceptance)
then i can start to drop all my fears and reservations while i keep learning and understanding until i'm ready to surrender.
 
lecroute said:
my own struggles with the semantics (the whole thing, not just this part) aside, there are some good points. while reading through this thread i learned to work my way around certain words.


for me the acceptance must come before the surrender (now dealing with the words here, not the overall meaning).
i can't surrender to something i haven't accepted.

but i agree that first there must be some kind of interest and an agreement with it (which for me is acceptance)
then i can start to drop all my fears and reservations while i keep learning and understanding until i'm ready to surrender.
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That makes sense to me. Acceptance and understanding would need to come first.
 
Knowing the difference between healthy behavior and unhealthy.

By knowing the best behaviorism for the best results. To know and understand this as well.

And my thought for today also.
 
kris66 said:
I would like to know what others think but I have a hard time with the word "surrender."
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It's something I struggle with too. It is hard to allow yourself to let go, and truly surrender because to do that, you have to release your ego, as well as your clinging and control over external circumstances.

Meditation can help with this. To me it is the best way to actively cede control, ultimately you have to learn how to handle and control your thoughts. You become your thoughts, ultimately, they shape your actions, and, although they are not *real* in a material sense, they very much determine the outcome of your life and all of your relationships, with family, friends, loved ones, God, anything. They will eat you alive if you let them, being able to just let life happen, is an amazing gift, and strategy in anxious moments.

lecroute said:
my own struggles with the semantics (the whole thing, not just this part) aside, there are some good points. while reading through this thread i learned to work my way around certain words.


for me the acceptance must come before the surrender (now dealing with the words here, not the overall meaning).
i can't surrender to something i haven't accepted.

but i agree that first there must be some kind of interest and an agreement with it (which for me is acceptance)
then i can start to drop all my fears and reservations while i keep learning and understanding until i'm ready to surrender.
Click to expand...
Well, I mean have you truly accepted something if you have not yet surrendered to its will?

I think thats the general point. To accept something, you must allow it to be, without interference. In this reading its talking about God or a higher power, a lot of this shit is.... but I think its true for a lot of things.
 
This is another daily NA reading, it feels pertinent so I will post it, if you guys like these ones too ill post them, as well. Its called a Spiritual Principle a Day:

​
November 11, 2024
Willing to Explore New Directions
Page 326

"With self-acceptance comes a willingness to creatively explore new directions."

Living Clean, Chapter 4, "Wellness and Health"

Our willingness to stay clean triggers willingness to improve our lives. In turn, we're able to look at ourselves with greater clarity and a realness we never imagined possible. Our minds become open to an awareness of our shortcomings and our limitations. We humbly evaluate and acknowledge our assets. Acceptance of where we are right now creates a willingness to move forward. And like everything in recovery--and in life--we won't experience self-acceptance perfectly. Rather, it's something we strive for daily.

In recovery, accepting ourselves doesn't mean we accept our conditions. Instead, we can pursue new goals that better mirror the self we have come to accept. Many of us who find some stability in NA also find the willingness to create new opportunities for ourselves or take ones that are offered to us. We now know that we don't have to be held back or be victimized by our past. We follow through on a long-held dream, rent our own place for the first time, enroll in or finish college, or start a family.

We also can be led by a deep-seated knowing, or what one member called "divine dissatisfaction." A motivating, self-affirming voice tells us it's time to move on from the relationship that we've used all the arrows in our quiver to save. It tells us to move on from a job that's no longer fulfilling us, to move to a new city, to just move our lives in some significant way. We learn to trust our instincts.

Our self-acceptance helps us to be willing to make mistakes--and then be willing to forgive ourselves and learn from them. We find ourselves often being more flexible, knowing that we'll be okay no matter what, more resilient and responsible, less of a perfectionist. If one endeavor doesn't work, we're willing to feel the pain of failure and then seek an alternative strategy to reach our goal.

——— ——— ——— ——— ———

I am determined to accept who I am and who I'm becoming today. With those arrows in my quiver, I'm willing to point my life in a new direction and take aim
​
 
November 12, 2024
Our own story
Page 330

"When we honestly tell our own story, someone else may identify with us."

Basic Text, p. 98

Many of us have heard truly captivating speakers at Narcotics Anonymous conventions. We remember the audience alternating between tears of identification and joyous hilarity. "Someday," we may think, "I'm going to be a main speaker at a convention, too."

Well, for many of us, that day has yet to arrive. Once in awhile we may be asked to speak at a meeting near where we live. We might speak at a small convention workshop. But after all this time, we're still not "hot" convention speakers--and that's okay. We've learned that we, too, have a special message to share, even if it's only at a local meeting with fifteen or twenty addicts in attendance.

Each of us has only our own story to tell; that's it. We can't tell anyone else's story. Every time we get up to speak, many of us find all the clever lines and funny stories seem to disappear from our minds. But we do have something to offer. We carry the message of hope--we can and do recover from our addiction. And that's enough.

Just for Today: I will remember that my honest story is what I share the best. Today, that's enough.
 
This is what I find most helpful and inspiring. Other people's stories, even if they occasionally relapse, are motivating for me. That's the reason I started reading on bluelight and that's what I find most interesting.
 
kris66 said:
This is what I find most helpful and inspiring. Other people's stories, even if they occasionally relapse, are motivating for me. That's the reason I started reading on bluelight and that's what I find most interesting.
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I know that's why it's called real life learning and sharing. It's a blessing because real professionals have limited time and their own lives as well.

Its and amazing experience from learning from that kind of understanding and exact helpfulness. But mostly the fact that someone IS there.

Thank you for your good comment. I actually learned a lot from that. Kind of another blessing.

Take care. But thank you.
 
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