Most people who have been living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of the world being unsure. This is not the reality of the world is so unsure that I have to fight it and overcome all obstacles that life throws at me. The world for many of us in recovery is the reality that we need to accept what we cannot overcome or control. What we cannot overcome or control is the reality of we cannot successfully go back to the world of using because using for us is to die to the reality of being free from the reality of active addiction. We know that better people than us have tried and in reality they died in all different manners of mental, spiritual, and physical ways. It is sad to say that physical death trumps all. Don’t pick up. Please reach out. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery need to experience a good dose of ample reality to experience and navigate life on life’s own terms. Ample reality consists of living in wellness and in struggle. It also consists of good times and hard times in which we strive and we thrive facing good emotional and mental health regardless of adversity and setbacks while we will also experience joy, happiness, and freedom. Ample reality lets us know that life is doable, faceable, and survivable as we live in reality while living in one day at a time recovery in which aloneness ends and we become inextricably connected to other recovering people who have experienced ample reality living life on life’s own terms. We know that ample reality is a gift for many. It is more common than we think. Peace.
A reality of living in one day at a time recovery is that we discover that we are made until we become the living maturing person that recovery gives birth to one day at a time. In other words we believe we are made until we are born. Some people believe this to be the recovered person who is no longer afraid of anything. For most of us this reality does not exist. (Fools rush in where angels fear to tread). Courage is an act of consciousness derived from faith and reason. In other words – we don’t need to poke the bear. What we discover that our greatest act of courage is, is that we remain abstinent one day at a time even when life is falling apart and we live sober lives regardless of any adversities that we experience. We discover resilience and are born into grace. Peace.
Those of us who have been in recovery for a few years know change happens. This is a reality. We change. Hopefully we have picked up a few more coping skills as time passes. Often we feel more comfortable around people and our levels of adaptation and flexibility grow. We become more considerate and thoughtful towards other people. For most of us we cannot say we have seen the light or that we have been reborn, but we do try and travel our journeys one day at a time. As difficult as they might be, our journeys are a little lighter. We no longer choose to be too important though we know we do fit into the grand scheme of things. We believe that maybe some day we can help someone else. And we believe God, the spirit, or perhaps the universe is our friend. When we come to this point in our journey we start to be aware of selfless love. It’s a reality we partake in from time to time. Not always but every once in a while. Change happens. One day at a time the journey continues. Not perfectly but as it should. It’s our new reality. Peace
Many people living in one day at a time recovery have a need to create the common enemy. It is a coping skill we develop when we are choosing to create a scapegoat or scapegoats in order that we have someone to blame for all our current, past, and future problems. It’s the reality of non-responsibility and it destroys communities and togetherness. It creates rifts and hard feelings in families. The reality of this blog is that we (people living in one day at a time recovery) are people who take responsibility for our own recovery. We do so by admitting that we are addicts and our lives are unmanageable. Addiction and its irresponsibility is a sad fact of life. There is no-one to blame. Not the government, the rich, the poor, the immigrants, the church or the powerful. Recovering people form communities and they are imperfect communities, but we help each other solve our problems. We reach out, we abstain, and we help each other. It’s called taking ownership of our lives. We’re not perfect. We know that. Nonetheless we are part of the solution. It’s called owning our reality. Peace.
There are some people living in one day at a time recovery who know what it’s like to be the passive and the kind. Those of us who are not often shame those of us who are. At least that is the way it feels at times. If we are passive, it is often because life has made us so. It is a reality of having a peace loving soul. Not everyone understands this. It often is a characteristic of the meek. Such a nature also creates the kind soul. Kindness is a wonderful human attribute which makes the world a better place. There would be no true sense of community if it wasn’t for kindness and this would greatly impair the reality of togetherness. The truly kind souls know this. When we understand this we understand the reality of grace and we know that grace is not weakness. It’s all about love and love brings us hope. Peace.
Those of us living in one day at time recovery know that art can help us to escape. Stressors, boredom, or being overly busy can wind us up or force us to live with other ill feelings. At one time in our lives we avoided it by using. No matter how much we used, we found we could not escape. Sometimes we didn’t know why we were escaping, we just kept using. The monkey was on our back. We needed to be free. Today, maybe watching a movie, or listening to music helps us to break free for a bit. Maybe creating art takes us out of ourselves. What we know is we do step work, try to help others, and take care of ourselves. We need to escape – especially when we know what we are escaping from. It’s called self-care. We need it. One day at a time.
Some people living in one day at a time recovery spend time ruminating about the simplest of slights that seem to offset a sense of belonging or perhaps even their God given sense of valued self-worth. Our over-sensitive egos understand this all too well. When we reality check with our inner-most being (our true-selves) we ask these simple questions – “How much will this slight matter in 5 years, or 5 months, or 5 days?” Inner reflections formed with a basis of love (not only for ourselves but for others too) most often reveal – “not much”. Thus comes the reality of the practice of letting go. We have better things to do than to ruminate about slight offenses which stir the egos’ need for resentment. We need to trust in grace. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery practice the realities of hope and faith which we believe are the foundations of our wellness and doable living. Wellness and doable living help us to maintain one day at a time abstinence and keep us attuned to a love for life giving us the resilience to live and to survive the adversities which interfere with our peace of mind. In all reality we get to understand that hope and faith are the strongholds of life and recovery keeping us alive so that we can thrive and maintain the realities of recovery. We make the choice to survive and live one more day one day at a time. We reach out. We’re not alone. In doing so we will see that life gets better. We know this from experience. Peace.
Those of us who live with mental health disorders and addictions need to come in out of the rain. Depressed, lonely, and tired is the rain no-one should live in. Those of us who are living in one day at a time recovery know this. We came in out of the rain. We reached out for help. Reaching out is the courageous and brave thing to do. We received professional help and some of us found our way in out of the rain. Many of us found tools to help live well lives. Many of us live one day at a time. Whether we believe it or not, we deserve to feel good. We deserve to come in out of the rain.