Many of us living in one day at a time recovery understand when we are practicing being resilient in today we are creating hope for tomorrow. When we are living as resilient people there is a determination growing within us that brings a familiar strength that pushes us to keep going, and keep growing, in order that we can face adversity, while being capable of remaining abstinent one day at a time, today. This is the reality of hope which we lived yesterday, live today, and will live tomorrow. Our experience teaches us that life is a doable and inviting place to be when we practice becoming resilient while living in today. Resilience and hope happen before we even know it. They are gifts. Peace.
Those of us who live in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of exacerbating financial problems caused by careless spending. This happens to those of us who have difficulties sticking to a budget and putting money away for a rainy day. It also happens to those of us who have never really learned the reality of saying no to ourselves. Reality for most of us is that our incomes are not geared towards dealing with the exacerbating problems caused by careless spending. Two such problems are the stress and disappointment that occur because we are flat broke as soon as we get paid. The sad thing is that some of us who are now living in one day at a time recovery simply switched to or got caught up in a new addiction. We are being driven towards the buzz of spending. There is no perfection in life but there is progress. One day at a time recovery can and will teach us this. Most of us learn the hard way. It is a new found reality in life and it’s a challenging part of living in one day at a time recovery. We are soon to understand. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know what it is like to be a part of a recovering community. We choose to find some regularity of being well one day at a time, and we often find support in such communities. Some us find one day at a time wellness in the rooms of recovery while some of us find it in religious or spiritual communities. Then there is the reality in which some of us find wellness in both. What we cannot help but realize is that in these place we find healing, one day at a time freedom, and being part of. What we discover is that there are sinners and holy ones in both places who welcome us and become large supporters of our wellness in being part of. There is goodness everywhere. We can’t help but see this. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery know the fallen from grace story, and claim to have lived it. The sad thing about this story is we believed that we had to have lived in state of grace that was so innocently powerful we told ourselves we were worthy of praise and admiration from God, the spirit, or the universe itself, and had or should have had, a special place of belonging with them. We were left in dismay when those around us could not see our special reality or, unique status in being. After being in one day at a time recovery for a few years, or becoming mature in age, we see the error of our thinking when we see that we were not all that, and a bag of chips. What we come to realize is grace is what brought us into recovery and might have even saved our lives on numerous occasions. We had the same amount of unique status as everyone else, and our position in being was and is that grace holds us and grace had freed us from the bondage of active addiction. Our uniqueness is that we are inextricably connected with all things living and all things being. Thinking we are above others or that we are below others is dangerous thinking. We all belong to grace. Nothing can change that. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery believe that staying abstinent is a simple reality to finding hope. For many of us we find being frequent visitors who participate in the give and take that occurs in the rooms of recovery actually helps us to find a strength of freedom and grace which for many of us comes from the inextricable connection we find with each other. We are grateful because we don’t have to feel alone because we are frequent visitors and supporters to the rooms. Even those of us who were living introverted lives find we are part of a social species. We find that today we are living in and with the promise of hope and freedom from active addiction. It’s a simple reality. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand that we can live our lives as a bowl full of complicated simplicity. To keep it simple we need not use just one day at a time. Many of us choose to meet with other recovering people in the rooms of recovery and give and take is what happens when we meet. Often we mistakenly think we need the ideal job, the ideal home, the ideal relationship and a life full of ideal circumstances to be able to live happily in recovery but in doing so we make our lives really complicated by placing such conditions on being able to live happily one day at a time. The rooms of recovery teach us to keep life and recovery simple. Don’t use, reach out, give back, and help others. We will experience reality, grace, and freedom. Peace.
Those of us living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of uneven equality. This is the bitter-sweet truth of recovery. What we understand about people who live in long-time recovery is they have a lot of experience living life on life’s own terms and have successfully navigated many adversities, difficulties, and setbacks for many, many years while remaining abstinent in a way which they understand comes only from receiving grace one day at a time. Many of us fear it might not be the same for those new to recovery because the odds seem stacked against them, and it appears the playing field is uneven in regards to maintaining abstinence as they face life on life’s term. When we look seriously at such situations we see the equality of our endeavors because grace is grace and it is available for us all. We all had to grow and have to grow in grace to live the reality of uneven equality. Our equality is we are all just one drink, puff, or hit away from relapse and we are all equal in living life one day at a time. We share in the inextricable connection between recovering people and that is the gift of freedom and hope. In life, and in recovery, we are all equal regardless of how long we have been in recovery. 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.
What most people living in one day at a time recovery get to understand is that recovery isn’t just esoteric imaginings. Recovery is meant to be simple enough for common folk to understand, and in its simplicity we learn the reality of living life and recovery just one day at a time. It is one day at a time abstinence that has made it possible for many of us to find long-term recovery and be or become healthy, happy, joyous, and free people. We understand that both life and recovery have adversities that we will have to face. We understand that many of us who had gained some esoteric knowledge about addiction were certain to relapse because we were too smart to keep recovery simple and realistic. People who we meet in the rooms of recovery teach us that and in as such we surrender to the reality of grace. Peace.
Those of us who live in one day at a time recovery have to learn to at least say hi to our shadow. Our shadow is those parts of us we deny, repress, and attempt with all our might to keep from being known by others and also ourselves. We can act humble, caring, peaceful, and concerned for others but if we dig deep, is it really true? What we have learned is that addicts use to live and live to use. When we come to the total realization that we need to be high to function we understand the reality of our total self-centeredness, and we understand that everything is all about us. No matter how well we hide it, it is always there. When we accept this we can at least say hi to our shadow and maybe then we can recognize our egocentric way of thinking. When we do this we become open to one day at a time recovery which isn’t easy. Perhaps we will even stop punishing ourselves and others. It takes much grace and much patience from others for us to see this. We are stepping into a new reality and perhaps we will be the patient and humble people we hope to be. Peace.