Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand that when active addiction is in remission it is like vicious dogs that are sleeping. The best thing we can do is to let them sleep. When we do this we know better than to play in their yards. What this means is that we stay out of bars and and other consuming places. Why? We do this because vicious dogs might wake up acting friendly but their nature is to be vicious, dangerous, and even deadly. Even if we feed them, and especially if we feed them, they will eventually attack us. This can be predicted when we fall into active addiction. It always turns on us. Our reality is we let it sleep and stay out of its yard. We now have the ability to live happy and manageable lives. We respect this. Peace.
People living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of the disturbance which is always created when our addiction demands we go further and further into its active-self in order that whatever we use to catch a buzz becomes our one desire to fill that void that lives deep inside our very being. Some of us call this disturbance the monkey on our back or the unquenchable thirst in our soul. Finding one day at a time abstinence and participating in the work of one day at a time recovery harnesses this disturbance by such ways or practices of radical acceptance and giving or receiving grace. Many recovering people turn to 12 step recovery practices to find some sort of balance. Not perfect balance but doable balance. Recovery is all about stepping forward one day at a time. Life becomes manageable. Peace
People living in one day at a time recovery discover that the people we meet in the rooms of recovery have a shared understanding which is giving and receiving grace. In other words we learn to trust in the process of growth, reality, and freedom from active addiction. In no uncertain terms we uncover the reality that we are all just an arms length away from taking a drink, a puff, or whatever we could use to become impaired, inebriated, wasted, or buzzed. Knowing this we hold ourselves accountable and responsible not only to ourselves but also to each other. This is how it works which is together we can. We know that we have an inextricable connection with each other. We trust in the process and we trust in God, the spirit, or the universe. We have no other choice. It’s a shared understanding of grace. Peace.
Many people living life one day at a time know the reality of recovering in kindness and in grace. Kindness and grace are the foothills to the freedoms of abstinence and sober minded reality. Recovering from addiction while living in kindness and in grace we discover that resilience is often the result of struggle or joy, and such resilience brings with it the acceptance that kindness and grace are important lessons in how we should treat ourselves and others as we navigate the adversities and joys that we will experience one day at a time. If we are paying attention we cannot help but realize while living in kindness and in grace we share a great freedom with others who are living in one day at a time recovery which is that kindness and grace connects us all in a gifted experience of the really real. We become grateful. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know the reality of experiencing a broken hallelujah. This is the reality of hitting a bottom which in turn led us to finding one day at a time recovery. We have heard each other speak of this life-changing event with humble but broken gratitude. What we understand was we had to get sick enough to sincerely reach out for help. In this we found the gift of desperation which led us to find the inextricable connection between recovering people. We understand how the pain of our brokenness led us to a day at a time freedom and reality. Our lives are a paradox. For this we exclaim our broken, “Hallelujah!” We become living grace. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know what it is like to live in the middle of being. When we are in the middle of being we are immersed wholly and intentionally in the on-goings and the responsibilities of life, recovery, and one day at a time reality. When we are living in abstinence we are functional and productive people living life benefitting from the reality of living in one day at a time recovery while trying not only to help ourselves but also trying to help those who seek the reality of one day at a time recovery. What we come to understand is that as we live in the middle of being we abundantly and purposefully live our lives giving and receiving grace one day at a time. We experience and understand the importance of gratitude. It keeps us alive and well. Peace.
Most people living in one day at a time recovery know that life is not perfect. Nonetheless most of us know what it is like to live in the midst of love. When we are living in the midst of love we know the value of self-worth which teaches the reality of inherent dignity which means we treat ourselves, and everyone else, with the respect and the dignity that we expect ourselves to find within a world that lives and thrives within the midst of love. What we discover is compassion and kindness become a part of our life. Both in giving and receiving. When we are living in one day at a time recovery we understand that living in the midst of love is living in the gift of grace. It becomes our reality. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery develop the skill of seeing past our troubles. Living with a dash of resilience and a sprinkling of hope life and recovery have taught us the reality of this too shall pass. The difficulty of this too shall pass is it just doesn’t seem to pass quick enough. Hopefully we understand this is a common reaction to adversity. What we need to know is that we are not losing our minds. Reality and recovery let us know this and because of this many of us use and rely on a centering prayer such as the “Serenity Prayer” which can lead to acceptance, or courage, or wisdom. When troubled many of us seek out emotional support. We just need to be heard. Life can be hard but it is doable. We need to know this. Peace.
Those of us who live in one day at a time recovery understand that it is the therapists who do the therapy. Kind hearted recovering people understand all we have to share with others is our experience, our strength, and our hope. Should we try to take on the role of a therapist we could be harming those we are trying to help. Therapists are trained professionals who know how to hear what we as untrained people are unable to hear. Therapists pick up the meaning of certain body language cues. Trained professional understand to a much greater degree that when they are working with someone that time takes time. They also have treatment options that we probably know nothing about. For us we know recovery is one day at a time. We listen over coffee. We can be supportive but we let the professionals do what they do. It’s our basic reality. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand a time that we lived our lives acting in the reality of insane thinking. What we have come to realize is that if we were were to subscribe to the non-reality of insanity we had to believe our insanity was in actuality unsound thinking. What we came to discover was that our disorders created such chaos in our lives we could not see how unsound our reality really was. When we come to terms with this we have to see that we are people who are capable of finding good health when we discover one day at a time abstinence and recovery. Sometimes it is abstinence alone which restores our sanity. Sometimes we need abstinence and medication. Many of us need 12 step recovery. Join us in the rooms of recovery where we help each other become well again. Peace.