Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand that doughnuts don’t always have holes, rainbows aren’t always seen, and paintings aren’t always paint by numbers. In other words people aren’t always the same and recovery doesn’t always advance in a straight line. Now that we know this we need to understand that it is our own resilience given to us through God’s grace that makes it possible for us to string day after day together so that we might get to experience long-term abstinence which gives us the opportunity to see that we are all different yet we are all the same. We just want the troubles to end and they do one day at a time. What we are saying is that our beliefs expand as we grow. It’s a step in life’s continuing development and it’s one of life’s greatest gifts. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know what it is like to heave feelings of discomfort which might make us feel paralyzed. We might also feel like there is something crawling in our beings all at the same time. Many of us have experienced this while craving for our drug of choice and we could say that we were experiencing what was once called the Heebie Jeebies. Experiencing the Heebie Jeebies is a very difficult thing to do especially in early abstinence. To get through these times many of us seek help from others as we attend 12 step meetings. What we understand is we don’t have to face these these feelings alone. If we hang on we will discover that there is divine intervention at work. Options just happen and we make it through another day. What once was impossible now happens. We stay abstinent. We understand belonging and we understand freedom from active addiction. Reality and recovery are doable. We know grace. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of doable independence. In being doable independent we recognize the reality of needing help, reaching out for help, and giving help to others when we are capable of doing so. This is the circle of doable independence and knowing its reality is important for us so we can find and live in one day at a time recovery. We could call this circle a fleet of wishes, a legion of hope, and an endless supply of grace that we get to experience one day at a time. When we experience this we know that no one person is an island. Now we are ready to grow. Gratitude becomes a big part of our daily lives. We welcome reality and its doable independence. The mystery is uncovering one day at a time. We are awakening. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of living in a dark and dreary mist. Some would say that such a place is necessary for human growth but most of us would choose not to live there. This is the reality of addiction. Many of us while living in such despair cry out, “God help me” and God does. We uncover and discover the reality of resilience. Our prayer life begins. Unexplained things start to happen. Some of us find ourselves in a hospital, a detox, a rehab, or a 12 step meeting and in doing so we find the reality of one day at a time recovery. The darkness lifts and the mist evaporates. The sun begins to shine. We understand that life will never be perfect but it will be doable and it will be doable with happiness and joy. Welcome to hope. It has always been. Peace.
Once upon a time many people who are living in one day at a time recovery were kids living in their own little worlds. We had dreams of becoming rock stars, actors, sports figures, or poets. To us life didn’t appear to be too terribly lonely but we did have desires of being or making friends. When we did, and when active addiction held us in its grips something detrimental happened to us. What happened was we couldn’t grow up (for a while anyways). Active addiction began to own us and what always happens in addiction is we hit a wall and we knew we needed help. It was now time to grow up. We reached out and found help in 12 step personhoods. It was the beginning of an awakening. We started to grow up (this is not a put down because we all need to be a part of maturity). Reality was dawning. When we found reality we discovered a life of miracles. It’s an opportunity to live a life of grace. Once upon a time is gone. Enjoy the new reality. Peace.
Every single last one of us who are living in one day at a time recovery never saw the ill affects of active addiction coming. We were people who lived our lives being ill at ease and the buzz we got from using brought us a hint of euphoria giving us the courage and the confidence we longed to have. We did not see the chains that grew around our being day as we became unable to take responsibility like any mature person could do. Suffering became a daily occurrence for us. In our desperation we reached out for help and found ourselves meeting with people who were recovering in 12 step programs and other forms of peer support. Many of us turned to professional help. Recovery was now in our grasp. We found the reality of grace which was nothing short of a miracle. Providence had intervened. Peace
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the twisted reality of “I am”. In truth we are saying I am worthy of love and belonging as well as I am important. What we discover is our egos tell us that any thought or direction that criticizes its being is wrong because our egos, that need to be all important, fears the reality that it is not the whole picture but it is just a small piece of the puzzle. In time we get to understand that the ego might always be the first to speak up but our every being learns to accept and enjoy being a part of instead of being the unique part from. We start to realize how foolish our thinking can be. We learn how to let go. It’s all grace and in this we welcome that we belong. We start to grow. The doors are opening. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand that their abstinence is changing the world for other people. This happens because their adjustments to life changes the realities of their personalities which in turn brings concern for others which makes the world a better place for those close to them. We, and we are switching to we now, become aware of this change as we become vessels on a calm sea becoming ever so dependable to those close to us. We are simply becoming conduits of a better energy who are reaping the benefits of freedom from active addiction. What we are now understanding is the world is changing and we are just going with the flow. God, the spirit, or the universe has made it so and we know it’s all about grace. Peace.
Most people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of being overly attached. Such an attachment can be the cause of many of our fears. We are afraid of losing what we have or haven’t gotten yet especially when such an attachment is all consuming. Often this attachment is in actually a dependance often similar to the realities of addiction especially when we need to practice the reality of letting go and letting God. When we understand this we understand the nature of addiction which is our fears have created a need for certainty. Reality tells us that certainty is never guaranteed in life and we need to face its reality. When we are living in one day at a time recovery we live with and accept uncertainty. We stop trying to control everything. Grace becomes our mentor. As was said, “We let go” Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery come to a point in their lives where they understand what is debatable and what is not. For some of us who are older, we realized that we were blind and deaf before we were in our 50’s. What we realized is that before this we were developing innocents who had little clues as to who or what we are. By the time we reach our 60’s we realize our need for grace and that we have all paid the price for having narcissistic egos which we get to understand functioned proudly, though frightened, trying to defend its worthiness. Reality is though that when we hit our 60’s it wanes a bit should we let it. Now we really get to know ourselves. The need for grace is no longer debatable. We need it. It’s knocking at our door. Peace.