Monday 31 October 2011

October 31 | AA 12 Steps In Action |


October 31 | AA 12 Steps In Action |

The fellowship aim to “AVOID CONTROVERSY:” by having one primary purpose, sobriety. Thank you founders and so good we can all have our own opinions on outside matters. We hear them, we share them, and we get quite heated about them, all the issues of life today. And still we are sober, one day at a time …

Great meeting last night, a chair which made me realise the importance of the steps, living principles to keep sober. The newcomer, how crucial it is to include them and support them and then fantastic sharing of life stories. And then a group conscience, which worked and made good suggestions to keep the group safe and secure by doing virtually nothing!

Question asked several times from all over the world about how to help a person deal with their own addiction. Highly intelligent people often try think their way out of the problem, just like I did [me average intelligent with a big ego back then]. Believing I had the power to cure myself and others. Now I understand It does take a village to raise a child, and a fellowship to keep me sober…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 31 2010 ~ my head used to be full of judgments I would share on others’ lives and their problems. I learned the seal of confidentiality the hard way in my early twenties, and still broke the seal a couple of times along the way. Harm done immeasurable back then, always I endeavour to let go judging others and work on my conduct today...

October 31 2010 ~ I need never be ashamed of being in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, the fellowship saved my life when I could not find a way to be sober today. I can say I am in AA that is my business to share if I choose. AA for sobriety, so I may live a unique, authentic and ordinary life, challenged daily like everyone else...

Sunday Bloody Sunday ~ olden days and internal battles as work loomed. I never seemed to be able to switch off and enjoy my weekends during heady career day’s back then in the insanity of trying to be everything all the time. And that song Sunday bloody Sunday, summed up the war in my head of trying to do the right thing all the time. Thinking and planning, problem solving, always a full brief case and a diary full up months ahead…

A happy Sunday today, with an agenda, an open honest willing outlook and a day with plans. Completely flexible and subject to change as the day can change, it has been another busy day. I started my day with a dear god, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.

An exhortation or request to a higher power, to be able to learn what I can do, and cannot do today because there are limits. I have a lot to do and cannot do everything I might wish because I am human. And with the outlook of progress not perfection, I have a better chance of good outcomes as my good conscience suggests, give myself a break for being human and not superhuman. To be able to give and take, go with the flow, all good reminders. As the clocks went back an hour here in London, I was up at four rather than five this morning. And busy with things to do.

Morning reflections as I share in my head or out loud, step one and powerless over people places and things, step two is sanity restored daily contingent on my connection to a power greater than me, that is wisdom of others who can help me and I can help them. And step three letting go of self will and self-obsession, so I can be influenced and learn from anyone today.

I can be open and learn today, I don’t have to be right, I need humility and welcome change as learning is forever. As we learn more, we see we do not control, we experience life as it is and have choices.

A visit from a friend, laughter and funny moments shared with coffee and croissants. All too brief an encounter! And some editing of yesterday’s photographs until lunch with family close by in a beautiful restaurant Bibendum – "The most consistently excellent restaurant" also known as the Michelin Building. I live right next door. And it was a wonderful experience, and beautiful company.

Family always ask me if they were right to let me alone in my drinking days at the end. And an emphatic yes, because if I could not stop, how could they stop me. All the way down to rock bottom. And only by chance did I get the moment of clarity, I could not break my alcoholic behaviour without help, which came from those who knew how, and shared their path into sober life.

Attending a meeting tonight, where I am temporary co-greeter, and temporary co-treasurer and now temporary literature person whilst another is working away just for a while. All temporary until the posts are filled in good time. Unity service and recovery, all part of the life we lead today. People need time to make their minds up, always suggestions and never edicts from anyone to anyone else.

It was a great, to laugh and to feel sad as stories of today and other days are shared. When a meeting can share decades of wisdom and we are open to hear everything, listening is definitely a skill we need practice every day.
And finally a phone call to share the day and hope for calm with a friend. And upload some photo’s, write a note, and so to bed. Step ten done, gratitude for a day full and an empty head just now, with room to sleep and dream…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "AVOIDING CONTROVERSY October 31 All history affords us the spectacle of striving nations and groups finally torn asunder because they were designed for, or tempted into, controversy. Others fell apart because of sheer self-righteousness while trying to enforce upon the rest of mankind some millennium of their own specification. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 176

As an A.A. member and sponsor, I know I can cause real damage if I yield to temptation and give opinions and advice on another’s medical, marital, or religious problems. I am not a doctor, counsellor, or lawyer. I cannot tell anyone how he or she should live; however, I can share how I came through similar situations without drinking, and how A.A.’s Steps and Traditions help me in dealing with my life."
-/-


October 30 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Do I remember that I have a right to my opinion but that others don’t have to share it? That’s the spirit of “Live and Let Live.” Daily Reflections…

Telling me the truth about your feelings, what is happening in your life is all part of getting to know you. I always hope to love you just the way you are. No need to impress me, simply be the you, you are becoming today. Ordinary is where extraordinary begins…

Fear of rejection? We cover up in case something we say, something we do might upset what we may hope for and has yet to happen. The more we evade the truth, the less easy it is to keep to fictions we create, just in case people won’t like us. No wonder we end up with the wrong people, in the wrong places with the wrong things…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 30 2010 ~ I don't know what I don't know, and as each day comes with new information I keep on learning. Courage to change my opinions as reality gives me new evidence and helps keep me sober today. I can have opinions and views, at the same time they are subject to change at any moment, because of you today...

October 30 2010 ~ As a fellowship, Alcoholics Anonymous remains focussed on its primary purpose, which is sobriety. We as individuals remain unique and authentic, with views and beliefs as we come to understand from our living and from life experience. One focus, we still share our unique experience, strength and hope daily as we may...

Nearly time for prayer and meditation tonight and it has been a good day with plenty of contact and sharing with my fellows in a meeting. Phone calls to family close by, and we are lunching tomorrow. My day, up at dawn, and shocked out of sleep by noise and a delivery. Pondering on why insomnia haunts me, and then I realise I can catch up later with clocks turning back an hour tonight.

I don’t know about you, when invited to speak about something at a meeting, to do the “chair” which kicks off our sharing of experience strength and hope in recovery and sobriety. My chair and share on tradition ten. All about our fellowship keeping our focus on sobriety and how to keep the share about step ten without including something of everything connected to this tradition. I know I cannot. Twenty four suggestions we practice as principles in our living, twelve steps and twelve traditions, which are underpinned with an open honest outlook and the bedrock of unity service and recovery. And share something about me in my recovery, where I am today, and inclusive in five minutes. Five minutes, used to feel like a lifetime when I was ever asked to speak to a group of people, now five minutes will never be enough time. Gone are the glory stories of my drinking, more of the serenity and peace and freedom to be me, whoever I am by bedtime.

After the meeting, with some energy and a desire just to capture the life around me, I set off to the Duke of York Square on the Kings Road and take photographs of my favourite subjects, real live humans being humans.

And then home, another call and a change to a plan. Asked yesterday to a party, I felt yes and then said no. We do this, the automatic yes, and the good news on this occasion invited by someone who knows me inside out and sort of knew it could be a no for tonight. I need be careful, I get tired easily and overdo everything because I feel the desire and need to keep inventing and changing. I find it hard to shut down and get embroiled in interesting things to do. Some of the time.

Balance again, as I put up new curtain poles, drilled filled and screwed, and then black out thermal blinds. I took my time, was really patient, rested in between each part of the process. Keeping everything in the moment of course, to make sure nothing will fall down.

Then I remembered, I need eat, and then I recalled I need upload my photographs, the raw material, copy the batch of over four hundred to edit during the week.

By now, somewhat drained mentally, I forget how much I need listen when in a meeting as I did the “chair” and listening and paying attention, I heard and felt each fellows experience strength and hope.

And listening to a music documentary about Elton John, I felt reminded of candle in the wind, grief and tears, joy and tears and love across the decades. Love is love, when we feel it and when we don’t, you know it too.

Am I missing a party tonight? Yes I am missing connection for tonight, not forever thankfully. Easy does it, and find our balance, tomorrow is another day and life is always today.
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "LIVE AND LET LIVE never since it began has Alcoholics Anonymous been divided by a major controversial issue. Nor has our Fellowship ever publicly taken sides on any question in an embattled world. This, however, has been no earned virtue. It could almost be said that we were born with it. . . . “So long as we don’t argue these matters privately, it’s a cinch we never shall publicly. ” TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 176

Do I remember that I have a right to my opinion but that others don’t have to share it? That’s the spirit of “Live and Let Live.” The Serenity Prayer reminds me, with God’s help, to “Accept the things I cannot change.” Am I still trying to change others? When it comes to “Courage to change the things I can,” do I remember that my opinions are mine, and yours are yours? Am I still afraid to be me? When it comes to “Wisdom to know the difference,” do I remember that my opinions come from my experience? If I have a know-it-all attitude, aren’t I being deliberately controversial?"
-/-


October 29 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



My life story: the facts and events through time. My feelings: about the facts of my life and expressing them. My part in the problem of life “back in the day,” overwhelming and unseen emotions pushed away. We did our best with what we knew, and then acceptance of life on life’s terms. A daily review keeps me in the emotional and spiritual solution today…

Belonging somewhere when all I had was a park bench and a bottle... I did not know what to do with myself when I came to the last days of drinking. Life was so desolate and I felt alone. I had let everyone down, and could not cope. I feared fellowship and being judged. Some did but most accepted me as a human who could be sober one day at a time…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

“Newcomers and Old Timers” ~ Too Much Information

We are all battered by information all day long. With a mind pickled in alcohol, driven to be perfect and always being set up by ourselves and our promises to fall short of perfect, the world can become a very grim place, every day. Even when we stop the pickling process and get sober, the amount of information still to process is the same. And we can keep life simple if we choose to do so.

Virtues we seem to hold as good for us. A work orientation, a work skill, problem solving, planning, decision making, getting the job done and moving on to the next job and then another. Always on the move, always being ready, and an attitude of can do and can learn. Always an outlook of positivity and we get measured constantly. From cradle to grave it seems we can hardly take a breath without being in some form of assessment.

In fellowship we suggest, stop and take it easy, take some time to get your bearings. And still the world turns and the world seems ever so difficult. Most of us realise a lot of our time has been about thinking the next move, the next drink. And of course dealing with our addiction has taken so much time. We had relived glory days, and tried to repeat them, we had been engrossed in planning ahead too, so it comes as a bit of a shock that we have time to feel, and time to think in sobriety.

Keep Life Simple!

How can we? Keeping life simple in a complicated world can be daunting, as life does tend to speed up in recovery. Starting with a plan for today has been my focus in recent years. I have projects and I have recovery. My life is completely different to what it was before I gave up the drink. And it is not unusual as we become sober that our priorities in life take a completely different turn.
First Step for me was to stop self-harm through drink, join in life again and see where sobriety might take me. And the suggested set of principles underpinning sober life: the twelve steps and twelve traditions, to stop me committing suicide by practicing the steps and homicide by practicing the traditions. Twenty four key principles, not to be learned and put into practice in a day, a way of living an authentic and purposeful life of my choosing. Simple progress and never perfect, twenty four elements under the words, open honest and willing, with unity service and recovery in fellowship.

And what do we get in all this? A way to live with freedom of choice, finding out what we may do, what is possible and what is not possible. Life always under review by us, and knowing we can cover our daily needs and be less bothered by the old wants we had based on our old addictive behaviour.

Keeping life simple, getting involved in life again, going to fellowship meetings and learning to deal with old fears and let go old attitudes and behaviour. Not easy when my head, my heart cried out for relief from reality in those early days.

On a daily basis, learning what was and is right for me to do is simple, and always complicated by too much information.

Too Much Information Today?

There will be too much information today, too many choices to consider if I become overwhelmed and just shut down. I do not need to shut down, and can filter what I need concentrate on today, my basic needs. To be sober, to be open and honest, and to be willing to change as life is changing. Letting go the notion I can control anything has been a real way to make progress. As I feel life as it is today, rather than think what life should be, I am free of self will and can roll with the experience I am having. As often said, “Go with the flow” and see where we may go and be a part of the experience. And letting go and choosing new directions is simple if we do not fear change.

Practicing the principles of fellowship opens me up to life, stops me holding on to the impossible, and considering the possible. To be able to change as life and the world changes is now done with a sober head. Simply in the moment, emotional and spiritual reality, happy when happy is happening and sad when sad is happening…
Just for today

Full Blog http://www.doninrecovery.com
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "OUR SURVIVAL since recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, it is imperative that we preserve in full strength our means of survival. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177

The honesty expressed by the members of A.A. in meetings has the power to open my mind. Nothing can block the flow of energy that honesty carries with it. The only obstacle to this flow of energy is inebriation, but even then, no one will find a closed door if he or she has left and chooses to return. Once he or she has received the gift of sobriety, each A.A. member is challenged on a daily basis to accept a program of honesty. My Higher Power created me for a purpose in life. I ask him to accept my honest efforts to continue on my journey in the spiritual way of life. I call on Him for strength to know and seek His will."
-/-

October 28 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



In fellowship “my beliefs are what make me human; I am free to hold any opinion,” and the same applies for everyone. We do not impose our beliefs on our fellows, indeed it would be folly and cause some to get drunk all over again. At the same time, AA has one primary purpose, for us to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety…

I woke up sober today. I needed to remind myself of this simple fact which has been occurring for some time. The world may be “Going to hell in a hand basket,” and still I can cope with reality and have enough porridge in the cupboard to feed this bear today…

We do not have to please people today. We do not have to control people today; all we need is truth, love and wisdom. Truth comes from listening and understanding, love is what we learn to receive and give. And wisdom comes from the universe as we understand it today. Does god work in mysterious ways? I feel and think not just for today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 28 2010 ~ Drunk or sober we are still having a spiritual experience. And some support the notion of heightened spiritual connections under the influence of drink or drugs. My experience is simple, I have a more informed spiritual experience sober, more likely to remember the experience and learn from them one day at a time...

October 28 2010 ~ sober first, and real life happens. We can be dismayed daily or joyous daily as life offers. When I stopped drinking, life felt like hell, then got easier and easier to deal with on a daily basis. These days when all hell breaks loose, I don't and can cope, find help and support, get back to balance whatever that is today...
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "AN UNBROKEN TRADITION We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177

How much it means to me that an unbroken tradition of more than half a century is a thread that connects me to Bill W. and Dr Bob. How much more grounded I feel to be in a Fellowship whose aims are constant and unflagging. I am grateful that the energies of A.A. have never been scattered, but focused instead on our members and on individual sobriety. My beliefs are what make me human; I am free to hold any opinion, but A.A.’s purpose — so clearly stated fifty years ago — is for me to keep sober. That purpose has promoted round-the-clock meeting schedules, and the thousands of inter-group and central service offices, with their thousands of volunteers. Like the sun focused through a magnifying glass, A.A.’s single vision has lit a fire of faith in sobriety in millions of hearts, including mine."
-/-

October 27 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



I feel okay this morning; daily reflections yesterday reminded me I am not god, simply equal to everyone. And reading from this day last year: Ram Dass often said at the end of his happenings; “and of course I may be wrong.” “Ego: edging god/good out.” Humility is the key to me learning from you today…

“GLOBAL SHARING the only thing that matters is that he is an alcoholic who has found a key to sobriety.” And “the only requirement is a desire to stop drinking.” What would have happened if there had been rules, laws and regulations in fellowship?

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 27 2010 ~ for years now I have been in action and practicing the principles of sober spiritual living. I still learn every day, and so far cannot say with any certainty what life is all about. I just get to know more about life, my feelings, and my spiritual path on a daily basis.

October 27 2010 ~ Last night, seeing people, feeling a part of fellowship, the meeting before the meeting, the meeting itself, and the meeting after the meeting outside in the cold. All part of real life today. A sense of belonging, a feeling of inclusion and understanding, all equals under the cloudy skies, and today sunshine before the rain...

October 27 2010 ~ Unity Service & Recovery ~ the legacies, traditions... I love studying the traditions and putting them into practice. Same as the principles of: open, honest and willing. We are all learning, I learn something new in the traditions every day and how they impact on my daily living. Unique in our journey, authentic in our learning, progress and never perfect...

From Dr. Richard Alpert to Baba Ram Dass – Right and Wrong “of course everything I have said may be wrong.”

From Don to DonInLondon, simply a nickname for the internet, I am still the same and often called, Don O or Odd, Donald, Mr O, Mr Don and a lot more besides! Simply I am just another person on the planet and we all get called many things, I am an alcoholic too, in recovery a day at a time and this often causes some prejudice towards me, which is a consequence of who and what I am. I prefer people know me as I am and not with some part of me hidden away which is my personal choice in action. My Mum often used to mention Richard Alpert and still does from time to time. She always shares that after he gave a talk on a subject connected to spiritual living, he would say something along the lines of “of course everything I have said may be wrong.”

And of course everything I have said may be wrong too. I like this feeling of not being right and often being wrong, because I am if I am preaching or suggesting I know what is right for anyone I am serving no one. I do not know what is right for anyone; I have enough of a job on most of the time finding out what is working for me today.

So when I got to understand that the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous was a fellowship which placed the wellbeing of the individual at its heart and as groups focussed on sober living, I was attracted to learning how to live sober and spiritually. And the spiritual outlook was to be developed through action and not theory, and it would be my understanding which kept me spiritual and sober today, reality as it is and as I come to understand it before bedtime.

Another thing I heard Ram Dass say to Timothy Leary, when Leary asked him what he thought God is his reply was “God is a doorway.” I could spend years looking for the right door I guess, but the door way is always now and always a choice based on factors like truth, love and wisdom. Simple, the next action and choice made in good conscience and an open honest outlook to improve life today.

To improve life and living for everyone, and not just me!

And in a happy state of mind, I might be wrong about everything, and what a good feeling it is, to be me and learning on a daily basis, to be free and make choices and mistakes today…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "GLOBAL SHARING The only thing that matters is that he is an alcoholic who has found a key to sobriety. These legacies of suffering and of recovery are easily passed among alcoholics, one to the other. This is our gift from God, and its bestowal upon others like us is the one aim that today animates A.A.’s all around the globe. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 151

The strength of Alcoholics Anonymous lies in the desire of each member and of each group around the world to share with other alcoholics their suffering and the steps taken to gain, and maintain, recovery. By keeping a conscious contact with my Higher Power, I make sure that I always nurture my desire to help other alcoholics, thus insuring the continuity of the wonderful fraternity of Alcoholics Anonymous."
-/-

October 26 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Plans and day to day, I need make sure I have made every effort to see and put in action what I can do. As I reach out and open up, those who can help do. Practical and realistic, can be fantastic in results. Letting go self-will, acceptance, life on life’s terms offers endless possibilities, no longer prisoner of my own making…

One Ultimate Authority ~ And It’s not me! I am so pleased to be reminded of this simple and helpful fact of life. And true too for everyone on earth. I do not speak for God and thankful I do not speak for AA or you. The best we can do is share experience, strength and hope; wisdom will grow as it may grow today…

For me the solution is letting go obsessive behaviour, persistent wants will lead to self-will running towards riot. Letting go and sharing, asking for help means I do not fear my truth. I get help and wisdom from people. Needs met, the wants go away, redundant in this extraordinary world just for today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

One Ultimate Authority ~ And It’s not me!

A simple programme for complicated people in sobriety, yes it is. We urge ourselves to keep life simple, and at the same time we are capable of the most elaborate thinking. We humans are problem solvers, from the basics of how to build a shelter, how to keep warm, how to wash, how to anything, we can find our own unique and authentic methods.

We often have signs up in meeting rooms where we encourage ourselves to think, think, think. And we do, do, do. Sometimes the brighter we think we are, the less able we are to follow a simple set of suggestions.

Maybe we are better with our feelings? After all if we are in fellowship we are on an emotional and spiritual journey of recovery one day at a time. If we are able to know what our feelings are in the present moment with a sober outlook, surely it is simple. In my experience of me, and I can only speak for me, finding out what my feelings are has been very difficult.

For decades I felt able to express my happiness and joy, and for the same amount of time, I had no real understanding of the other half of my feelings, unhappiness and sadness. Indeed anything with a perceived negative had been pushed so far down inside I did not even recognise how I was feeling.

Every feeling has a purpose, especially the feelings of anger and resentment which are primary causes of drinking, relapses and slipping backwards off the water wagon. I heard people say they had relapsed on their feelings in my early days in recovery. As I was only just discovering I had anger and resentments, it came as grim news to me. I needed to feel the anger and resentments, against myself and perceived anger and resentments at others, or how could I work the twelve steps?

Learning about feelings has been so rewarding, I want all the feelings as they happen and to know why, then I can come to terms with all that is happening to me in the moment of now. Being real about my feelings now as they happen and not building up great mountains of impossible complications. The steps helped me clear the backlog of old resentments and anger I had pushed down and drunk alcohol to escape their consequences.
Today’s Feelings

If I can experience life as it is today, and feel my emotions as they happen, I keep life in the moment and make better choices. Feelings felt now are as sharp as they need be equal to the experience I am having, rather than exaggerated by old feelings and history, of here we go again.

Catch Up

I still play catch up with how I am feeling today, because I am still learning every moment. The delayed reaction is good sometimes, so I work out what is going on so I can respond. When I have a “gut reaction” these days, responses are better, because I am in this day and in this moment. Not always, I am still playing catch up, progress and not perfection till my last breath I suspect…

All good for today.


October 26 2010 ~ I love fellowship, we can have our own faith and beliefs, our own understanding of a god or no god, our personal culture and politics are left outside and preserved as we see fit. We share experience strength and hope, learn sober living daily, retain our authenticity as individuals and live to good principles today...

October 26 2010 ~ why do we need a group conscience when I know my conscience is good enough to direct my fellows in recovery? The answer is simply I may know what is right for me in recovery, but I do not know what is right for you! Groups with consciences, anarchic democracy, personal opinions melded into a primary purpose, sobriety in fellowship today...

-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "ONE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 132

When I am chosen to carry some small responsibility for my fellows, I ask that God grant me the patience, open-minded ness, and willingness to listen to those I would lead. I must remind myself that I am the trusted servant of others, not their “governor,” “teacher,” or “instructor.” God guides my words and my actions, and my responsibility is to heed His suggestions. Trust is my watchword, I trust others who lead. In the Fellowship of A.A., I entrust God with the ultimate authority of “running the show.”
-/-

October 25 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Our personal opinions, beliefs and outlooks are our own. Long may we hold good to good conscience. And our personal outlook does not translate into rules, laws and regulations in fellowship. We do not impose our views on others in fellowship. AA has no opinion on outside issues, at the same time we all have opinions on outside issues, it is what we stand for in living…

In fellowship we somehow find our sober path. Sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, and we can go forwards backwards and sideways in our attitudes and behaviour. As we are restored to sanity, we might wonder at the insanity of our world, in constant turmoil. Is it any wonder as we are all learning today? Once we accept life is difficult, it can cease to be a problem and simply about solutions day to day…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 25 2010 ~ spiritual experiences of the educational variety? Can there be any other experience than educational as we live and learn about nature and providence? We learn most with humility, not stuck or fearing what we do not know. As we become familiar with truth, love and wisdom, faith and courage help us be open to change today...

October 25 2010 unity, service and recovery: clarity in our primary purpose, to share a message of experience, strength and hope of sobriety. Spiritual, mind, body and breath in the moment of now, experiencing reality. Agreeable or disagreeable, our emotions connected and our expression of truth, love and wisdom as it is today...

Sobriety makes anything possible and reality can be a very bewildering state of affairs. With a clear head, no longer tormented and stuck in a malady, we are open, honest and willing to listen, change our outlook and make good our daily living.
Gumption and Common Sense

The good news is we can make progress and keep sober on a daily basis as we learn how. At the same time we do need to use our gumption and common sense in fellowship. We need to learn what works for us as individuals and what does not work. That is the beauty of hearing experience, strength and hope; we sort out what is good for us and let alone what does not.

Experts And Professionals – Only as good as their last case scenario?

Our gift in fellowship is relating and learning from each other. Alcoholics like anyone else are as good as their last case scenario, that is the ability to go to bed sober and wake up to start a new day. Same applies to any professional we may encounter, bus drivers, taxi cab drivers, doctors, psychiatrists, bankers, psychologists, teachers, lecturers, you might listen to them and find some wisdom useful or their wisdom can be completely useless and erroneous.

Alcoholics in Recovery

We are not professional in our outlook in recovery. Most of us carry a lot of emotional damage, and although we can maintain our sobriety, it does not mean we know what is good for anyone else. We simply share what has worked for us and what we hope will work again. We do not become expert on the quality of anyone else’s sobriety or their credentials to deliver others into sobriety. Always sobriety is a personal, unique and authentic journey.

We do not decry professionalism in other fields

Some professionals are worth heeding, and we learn who they are when we need to. Medical science enables millions of people daily to be physically and emotionally well. Without medical science I would be dead today. With medical science I live today, revived to whatever normal is for me…

Sobriety contingent on our spiritual condition

Our spiritual condition is dependent on our physical ability to function, our ability to experience our feelings and our interaction, or how we deal with life as it is now.

Recovery is a blend of so many different elements, when we stop learning the quality of our recovery suffers. We are all capable of ignoring common sense and not using our gumption, rubbishing what works for others and thinking we know better. I do not know better than anyone else, my problem is I think do all too often.
Tradition 10: Alcoholics Anonymous (and Al-Anon) has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never to be drawn into public controversy.
Tradition Eight "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centres may employ special workers."

“ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS will never have a professional class. We have gained some understanding of the ancient words "Freely ye have received, freely give." We have discovered that at the point of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix. Almost no recovery from alcoholism has ever been brought about by the world's best professionals, whether medical or religious. We do not decry professionalism in other fields, but we accept the sober fact that it does not work for us. Every time we have tried to professionalize our Twelfth Step, the result has been exactly the same: Our single purpose has been defeated.”

-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "A.A.’s HEARTBEAT October 25 without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; . . . . AS BILL SEES IT, p. 125

Without unity I would be unable to recover in A.A. on a daily basis. By practicing unity within my group, with other A.A. members and at all levels of this great Fellowship, I receive a pronounced feeling of knowing that I am a part of a miracle that was divinely inspired. The ability of Bill W. and Dr. Bob, working together and passing it on to other members, tells me that to give it away is to keep it. Unity is oneness and yet the whole Fellowship is for all of us."
-/-

October 24 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



“I had a desire to stop drinking.” If I say I am an alcoholic, I am an alcoholic. If you judge me and say I am not an alcoholic of the kind in the big book and that you are of the kind in the big book, you don’t understand unity, service and recovery. A “real alcoholic” is responsible and understands the AA pledge…

Am I the problem or the solution today?

Contingent on the day I ask for help, my step six inventory can lead me to doom. Extremes: of fear, putting on a brave face and ego covering my ignorance, shame and guilt. My step seven shortcomings, short on faith, courage and confidence. Asking for help is humility, and learning follows as we find out what we can do and cannot do, and wisdom to know the difference today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 24 2010 ~ Life works with our primary purpose to be sober today. One day long is all we need remind ourselves, or ego can replace humility and our ability to learn, grow and be enriched on our spiritual path. Spiritual, the ability to cope with reality today and sober we are connected to truth love and wisdom as it manifests daily...

October 24 2010 ~ every human need realise we can be right and can be wrong in our outlook, that is how we learn. If ever we become so entrenched we cannot listen to experience, strength and hope shared with us, we lose sight and feeling for truth, love and wisdom in fellowship and society. Change we can today...

“Anvils of Experience” vs. “Anvils of Expedience:” I like tradition ten; indeed I like all the traditions. Here are a couple of views on tradition ten, "Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never to be drawn into public controversy." At the same time every fellow in the fellowship is brimming with personal opinions and long may it be so!

Tradition 10: An Oxymoron?

In theory it is a wonderful Tradition. In reality, there are many controversial issues and opinions that Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS) becomes involved in.

As the old saying goes, by not making a decision you are making a decision. The same goes for not having an opinion. By not taking sides, in theory, AA cannot put itself in a position other than that of neutrality. When neutral, there is no right or wrong nor is there a chance of problems diverting AA from its primary purpose of helping alcoholics recover if they (the alcoholic) desire to do so.

This Tradition is also some sort of oxymoron. Take 10 alcoholics and ask their opinions. You will probably get at least 12 opinions. All alcoholics have opinions, most of them strong ones. Controversy is what makes AA grow and prosper in a spiritual sense. It has been that way ever since AA began. All one needs to start a meeting is resentment and a coffee pot.

AAWS itself goes into the public courts litigating to protect property. By doing so, AAWS violates the confidentiality and anonymity of individual AA members and thus incites public controversy.

AA the Fellowship and AAWS the business and publishing empire are different entities. As a Spiritual Fellowship, AA members, meetings and groups help carry on this Tradition as it was intended by our founding members. As a business, AAWS has often violated this Tradition and places AA in jeopardy. Just a personal opinion... Mitchell Thankfulness that my "Anvil" is good for a day!

Tradition 10: Keep it Simple

AA could do nothing but die if it was not for this tradition. AA cannot "officially" hold opinion on various issues outside the program that could serve to alienate members who disagreed. I have heard many misinformed folks refer to AA as a cult, if not for tradition 10 it could develop into just that with policy set in New York and the rest of us expected to mentally follow. We would be like a political party.

I believe this tradition is important for individual AA members as well. On many an occasion "opinion" or treatment centre jargon is passed off as “AA lore.” Things like "anyone who smokes cigarettes isn't really sober" or when we attempt to be untrained Medical Doctors dealing with other members health and medication issues. I even read in the most recent Box 459 about a member whose sponsor told her she had to take a new sobriety date because she had surgery and had to have pain medication.

These sorts of opinions can get passed on to newcomers like important parts of the program when in fact they are outside issues. I feel that it is important for me to keep tradition 10 in mind when I share in meetings, the man or woman with the least knowledge of what this program is about is after all the most important person in the room.
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "“BY FAITH AND BY WORKS” On anvils of experience, the structure of our Society was hammered out... Thus has it been with A.A. By faith and by works we have been able to build upon the lessons of an incredible experience. They live today in the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, which – God willing – shall sustain us in unity for so long as He may need us. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 131

God has allowed me the right to be wrong in order for our Fellowship to exist as it does today. If I place God’s will first in my life, it is very likely that A.A. as I know it today will remain as it is."
-/-

October 23 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



I needed help to learn how to be sober. And now I know how to be sober for a day. We have our daily reprieve because of the help of everyone in fellowship. I am not a guru. I share what I learn. I could not stop drinking on my own, and on my
own I cannot keep another sober. It takes a village to raise a child and a fellowship to keep me and you sober…

A good close friend reminded me what to say to newcomers who felt AA was not going to work. She said “keep coming to meetings, because sooner rather than later, you will hear your own life story told by another.” It was a good reminder for
me, and now I have heard my life story countless times over the years. A daily reminder, a daily reprieve always good for me today…


DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 23 2010 ~ Fellowship, all walks of life, all ages and always an open door to share experience strength and hope about sobriety. What you see is what you get, attraction based on truth, love and wisdom. Sometimes, slowly, sometimes
quickly we learn. Sometimes ridiculous, sublime, tragic or wonderful, we share sobriety as life is today

October 23 2010 ~ Tradition five, all about sobriety, as a group we have but one purpose: to reach out to others who are still suffering. To share the experience, strength, and hope we have found inside the rooms with others. Not politics, not
religion, not plumbing, not banking or insurance, not doctoring or psychology. Simply sobriety today...


Rough and Ready – What you see is what you get – “w.y.s.i.w.y.g.”

"WYSIWYG", what you see is what you get. An old term used to describe reality. And in fellowship sometimes we are well turned out, or just turned out from a hostel. Every alcoholic in recovery has their unique story. Around me, people from
every walk of life. From professionals to hard manual workers, those who do something to those incapable of holding a cup of coffee as they shake from withdrawal from the last drinking bout. In London, one of the most diverse populations
imaginable we have hundreds of meetings of the fellowship and still we cannot help everyone, because not everyone wants to stop drinking.

When we were drinking, we did so for our own reasons. And then as drinking became a way of life, then a habit to do whatever it did and then no way to stop. Alcoholism, raw and unstoppable is a disease. As we pleaded with our inner
resolve that on any given day, that was the last drink we would take, we started again that day or the next or sometime too soon.

And every time we said we would stop, make things right, we drank again, and again. And if I could not stop myself, because I knew it was killing me, then those who loved me could not stop me either. Family and friends might have tried,
encouraged and begged, as I begged to be let go of this horror. Life was a horror, hiding and shamed, guilty of no self-will and no self-esteem.

How then was it possible that a fellowship of recovering alcoholics has an answer? Tradition five, there is one purpose of the group we are attending in fellowship, to share the message of experience strength and hope of recovery, and
nothing else. Each group comprised of many, or just a few with one purpose, sobriety today. So what we see in a meeting is everyone, from a newcomer to old timer just for today. And we can be joyful or quite ugly in our moods on any given
day. We are simply authentic and unique human beings with one similarity which is to maintain our sobriety as best we can today.

We share as we can about recovery today, keeping it real, we hear private and personal accounts of what is happening and how we are doing as we trudge the path of destiny. Simply life as it is with warts and all. So what you see is what you
get, real life. And we connect and see the similarities and then we can share and be a part of something bigger and more powerful. The combined wisdom of the many who struggle and often find joy for a day, and has lead from denial to
acceptance of life on life’s terms without a drink.

We can find a hundred years of sobriety in a room, and we lean on the accounts many share, to help us all keep sober today.

And although each person has their own outlook, their own personal affiliations, their own political or religious views, we need never impose a view on others, each with a right to their own personal outlook, it can be shared and will be shared,
and never imposed on another. Or we proselytise! A strange word I never heard before fellowship, in simple terms we need not impose our personal views or outlooks on others. Tread on our toes and we retaliate. As Mr Jagger said long
ago, “hey you get off my cloud!”

The attraction of AA is what you see is what you get, raw reality. And recovery is reality. Sometimes beyond our wildest dreams, sometimes so dire would not wish another to endure such pain. Life is difficult.
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "WHAT WE KNOW BEST “Shoemaker, stick to thy last!” . . . better do one thing supremely well than many badly. That is the central theme of this Tradition [Five]. Around it our Society gathers in unity. The very life of our
Fellowship requires the preservation of this principle. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 150

The survival of A.A. depends upon unity. What would happen if a group decided to become an employment agency, a treatment centre or a social service agency? Too much specialization leads to no specialization, to frittering of efforts and,
finally, to decline. I have the qualifications to share my sufferings and my way of recovery with the newcomer. Conformity to A.A.’s primary purpose insures the safety of the wonderful gift of sobriety, so my responsibility is enormous. The life of
millions of alcoholics is closely tied to my competence in “carrying the message to the still-suffering alcoholic.”"
-/-

October 22 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Life is Art and Science: Fellowship is emotional and spiritual development, so we may develop our feelings and how to cope with reality day by day. Spiritual living is always of the educational variety, and sometimes we do get a flash of inspiration and enlightenment. Slow, slow, quick quick slow, art and science, the dance of life in feeling and thinking, perceiving and judging as we can in the moment of now...

True tolerance is realising we are all challenged emotionally day to day. “Everyone in the world.” At our worst in a situation, it is the best we can be. And anyone emotionally challenged is the best they can be in that moment. Each person challenged as may be right now, and tolerance and love will determine outcomes. Consequences always, and the principle of forgiveness our timeless asset…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 22 2010 ~ true tolerance for me means I can live and let live, learn and let learn, know we are all finding the truth, love and wisdom of our reality today. I can see my mistakes clearly, most often as I tread on the toes of others, so when others tread on my toes, tolerance and forgiveness keeps me making progress and not complaining!

October 22 2010 ~ Learners always, with humility ["despite all his achievements, he has remained humble."] and achieve what is possible. We do not boast with inflated ego, ["arrogant, bumptious, chesty, conceited, egotistic (or egotistical), fatuous, haughty or highfalutin"]. We live, learn what we can do and cannot do today...


Full Blog http://www.doninrecovery.com

Timeless in the moment of now ~ Reality

A plan a dream, all about the future to be revealed as we pass from moment to moment sometimes full of anticipation, sometimes full of dreadful recollections as history repeats itself. On long journeys in the past, on trains and aeroplanes, haunting melodies as day dreams of people places and music, “let’s face the music and dance.”

There may be trouble ahead
But while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance
Let's face the music and dance

Before the fiddlers have fled
Before they ask us to pay the bill
And while we still
Have the chance
Let's face the music and dance

Soon
We'll be without the moon
Humming a diff'rent tune
And then

There may be teardrops to shed
So while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance
Let's face the music and dance
Dance
Let's face the music and dance

A love of real moments ahead, a love of danger and a love of trouble always a constant for me as time melted into the next moment. Always some chaos to share, and fun and laughter over the years and as time has gone by. Always driven to find the thick of life in some enterprise and endeavour. I realise an archetype in me, definitely of my time and my father’s time, driven to work hard and play hard. Wanting a fair world and standing up for the rights of the common man. And yet pulled into conventions and success as daily bread meant the ideals of youth were channelled into practical living. And tormented by lack of vision around me as the world turned to its tune and not mine, let’s face the music and dance. I don’t feel like I had a god complex, certainly there was ego that I knew better than the average politician and businessman, that life could be far better if… if they had my ideology and my outlook of fairness for all.

Joining in, I eventually felt the need to join in, and into the world of convention. But not quite immersed, always on the outside and never fitting into the game of life. Seeing the broader picture of actions taken which affected the greater good, in politics and commerce. I still do not fit to a particular class, or demographic, not because I don’t like, don’t want or feel like joining in, simply I just don’t fit a particular demographic. Good that I do not fit anywhere particularly, for me in my outlook just for today.

I have found a place where I do fit, in a fellowship, where we are all heretics, in the sense that we prefer to find out about living life, simply by living life. Where share experience strength and hope of being at one with our inner self, our conscience and learn to live reality rather than an insane fantasy. And we can find acceptance in what we can and cannot do on daily basis. We can change ourselves and not the world. That the impact of our behaviour has consequences, and whatever happens today can change if we change. We have learned to let go and move on to new ways and new outlooks. We have made a reckoning of the past, what we need stop doing and what we need keep doing to improve life. We have quantified our past errors and made restitution as best we can.

And today we look at and make the possible happen, always willing to change our attitude and outlook to the common good, and not to an affiliation. We reflect and share as we may…

We do face the music and dance…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "TRUE TOLERANCE October 22 Finally, we begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 92

The thought occurred to me that all people are emotionally ill to some extent. How could we not be? Who among us is spiritually perfect? Who among us is physically perfect? How could any of us be emotionally perfect? Therefore, what else are we to do but bear with one another and treat each other as we would be treated in similar circumstances? That is what love really is."
-/-

October 21 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Emotional and Spiritual: Every personality trait, under the influence of drink tends toward extremes of attitudes and behaviour. At extreme highs or lows there is no balance. We bring all our history of emotions into today and we can be overwhelmed. Sober, my feelings can be responsive and work in a balanced way today, in the moment feeling life as it is in the moment of now…

Good start today, phone call from my Brother and he is happy today. Deliveries and maybe some project work. My feelings? Okay in the moment, emotionally and spiritually. Bright skies and fellowship on a morning like this feels good and ordinary in an extraordinary way today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 21 2010 ~ Light and dark times, life and death, joy and sadness, throughout every moment we learn to cherish always. We cherish each experience, what it meant to us, what we can do differently, what we cannot change. We learn from every experience, similar or different, constantly changing and wisdom grows if we are growing too...

October 21 2010 ~ Step ten recovery is in every department of my life... When I am disturbed, the disturbance is in me, not the rest of the world. With a clear head, and support and challenge in recovery, I have the opportunity to respond rather than react to the particular situation and not a tainted history pulling me into mire today...

What have I done to deserve this? That I of all the people in the world was cursed with a malady, and then turned out to be an alcoholic. We may feel in some ways done down, made less than other people in the world. When I started sober life, the one day at a time way of dealing with life, I smile as I write because we can only deal with what is happening now. We might think we can make a plan and then carry it out. Ask any project manager, a wedding planner, a miner in Chile whatever happens as we are planning ahead and not concentrating in what is in front of us. Yes, did I deserve to be anything other than the person I am today? The simple answer is we are all subject to nature, and life as is, life on life’s terms whatever our particular present condition.

In recovery we learn the truth of one day, this particular day. And we can do everything we plan to do, hope to do, and maybe wish to do. Every endeavour is subject to change without notice. And the twelve steps of the fellowship for personal conduct help me deal with every eventuality, only in the moment when matters are going well, or matters are going off course.

Step ten in the programme, “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it,” gives me the answer to all my disturbances today, be they good or difficult.

Step eleven, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out,” is a life saver whether we are religious or spiritual or simply answering to good conscience, conscious contact with “good.”

Step ten and eleven help me keep my right size today, no more deserving or less deserving than any other person on the planet. Prayers to good, meditation with good conscience, to the god we come to believe in or not, a power greater than us helps us keep our feet on the ground. Providing we are not putting our needs before anyone else on the planet!

Years of despising the idea that there was a god festered in me for a long while, because I saw those with plenty thanking god for their good fortune and not sharing their good fortune with anyone else! Deserving or not deserving is purely a personal view, and not one of nature or providence. We live with history and live in a very lopsided society. So the god of my understanding is a constant challenge for everyone on a personal level. The challenge is truth, love and wisdom as we demonstrate in our actions today. Or simply, God is truth, love and wisdom in action.

I am grateful I broke down and could not keep sober in the end, my life had become completely unmanageable and the insanity of drinking and an alcoholic who could not stop was a life and death challenge to me.
What saved me? The truth, love and wisdom I learned in the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous. A fellowship of men and women open to anyone with a desire to stop drinking and find a new way to live one day at a time. Simply: a way of living to truth, love and wisdom, everyone in the same day with a primary purpose to be sober so that we can meet the challenge of today.

What do I pray for? Gumption: openness, honesty and willingness. Often to improve my common sense by sharing with my conscience and god, a share step ten about what has been possible and what has not, and what can I do to improve life for the common good. Meditation comes in many forms, listening and reflections on the present and then emptying our minds making room for new endeavours. We learn to change; we change our actions daily, sometimes quickly sometimes slowly. Learning is difficult as is life.

No guarantees!

If I had been born sooner, I would never have enjoyed an extended stay on the planet. In recovery, I was able to understand a better way to live. I also became a type 1 diabetic, and was finally diagnosed with clinical depression. Life remains difficult, at the same time, there is joy and sadness as life offers. Still above ground today…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "NOTHING GROWS IN THE DARK October 21 We will want the good that is in us all, even in the worst of us, to flower and to grow. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 10

With the self-discipline and insight gained from practicing Step Ten, I begin to know the gratifications of sobriety — not as mere abstinence from alcohol, but as recovery in every department of my life. I renew hope, regenerate faith, and regain the dignity of self-respect. I discover the word “and” in the phrase “and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.” Reassured that I am no longer always wrong, I learn to accept myself as I am, with a new sense of the miracles of sobriety and serenity."

-/-

October 20 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Bewildered: “to lose one's bearings.” Beleaguered in the wilderness; needing to find a path back to reality. When we cannot say we are atheist, agnostic or believer? Developing faith to do the next right thing is a way. For me asking for help was the answer, faith and humility helped me develop courage and confidence no matter what the outcome, I get freedom to choose today…

A step six decision based on fear, a brave face with ego covering shame and guilt offers old insane outcomes. A step seven decision based on faith courage and confidence and help from our friends will yield a new outcome, a free choice. It might work out or not, as the case may be. We move on and let go as we learn...
DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 20 2010 ~ Humility for me means learning life every day. There is acceptance in knowing I work at life, serenity is in the action today. We understand what we can do what we cannot do as we are part of life, included, loved and with choices open to us in our current situation. At one with life and in the universe in moment... of now


October 20 2010 ~ a calming concept of god. Sober I feel able to trust the wisdom of many with experience strength and hope of recovery. We have an inner voice of good conscience. In the fellowship, with wisdom and a good conscience, my actions in the world are influenced to be open, honest and willing to change. A learner today...
Full Blog http://www.doninrecovery.com

Attraction vs. Promotion ~ knowing the difference!

In my experience of the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous, there have been many instances where I find myself wondering what the difference is between attraction and promotion to alcoholics anonymous. Often what seems complicated is very simple, and sometimes it can take years to sink in to the confused brain, namely mine!

At a meeting last night, the whole confusion has become clear to me. For years I have been writing about my life in recovery, and what I learn on a daily basis. Life is not a theory, it is a daily practice. And on some occasions my words or videos have offended the sensibilities of some in the fellowship of AA, over issues of anonymity and issues of attraction and not promotion.

In the meeting we had a reading from our AA book, the preface. It was the first time I had heard the reading in a meeting and a long time since I had read it. It shares about the fellowship, how it has grown and how it helps people find a way to keep sober one day at a time. Some people and I seemed astonished that the preface was our focus. It was an illuminating moment for me.

Attraction ~ what you see is what you get!

Indeed this is the heart of fellowship. We see recovery in action, from a newcomer to an old timer. From someone still drunk and reeling from their malady, to people living and sharing about their sobriety, just for today.

Promotion ~ selling an idea or a concept

Promotion in the context of our fellowship would be offering a guarantee of sobriety. Some kind of salvation is on offer. And anyone who has tried to find the cure for alcoholism most likely knows it is a very difficult to find a cure. So far hard science and will power have failed.

The Spiritual Path

I have heard the spiritual path described as the ability to cope with what is happening today. Spiritual is quite a difficult, a mixture of beliefs and a mixture of activities. Some believe in god, some believe in a higher power, some believe in good conscience, some believe… and on and on. The good news is if we can live today, with a clear head, and make up our own minds about what is spiritual, we are spiritual. And most likely living to good conscience in an open, honest and willing manner, a part of the world and not trying to control it.

Sobriety contingent on our spiritual condition is quite easy. If we are able to keep sober, we can cope with reality, be open and honest, and see what we can do and what we cannot do. Feel life as it is, and develop our ability to cope and make the best of what is possible. We will always endeavour, and we will deal with the up and down of life. We become able to love people, be loved back and be useful in our activities, work and home.

Attraction is seeing the result of living sober in others and learning how. Often we see the pain and then the joy of recovery, simply freedom of choice and a return to normal living as it can be today.

There are no guarantees in life, and we if we promoted fellowship and AA as a guaranteed outcome, we would defy reality and set people up for failure. Experience is our teacher, and we know in all living there are no guarantees. Anyone can be stricken with anything anytime.

Seeing recovery, taking part in recovery, sharing experience strength and hope in recovery, is life in action. What you see is what you get, if you take the action and include yourself in life with a sober head. Attraction yes, promotion no!

Anonymity

As spiritual life is about living to the truth and being able to cope, we may need sanctuary to learn how. Anonymity affords the opportunity without prejudice, to find truth in living as we would find in other places, medical, religious and wherever else we may go to confide. Anonymity is a key. How we share about our recovery, is a personal choice and a spiritual given, and we do not share about others.
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "SOLACE FOR CONFUSION obviously, the dilemma of the wanderer from faith is that of profound confusion. He thinks himself lost to the comfort of any conviction at all. He cannot attain in even a small degree the assurance of the believer, the agnostic, or the atheist. He is the bewildered one. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 28

The concept of God was one that I struggled with during my early years of sobriety. The images that came to me, conjured from my past, were heavy with fear, rejection and condemnation. Then I heard my friend Ed’s image of a Higher Power: As a boy he had been allowed a litter of puppies, provided that he assumes responsibility for their care. Each morning he would find the unavoidable “by-products” of the puppies on the kitchen floor. Despite frustration, Ed said he couldn’t get angry because “that’s the nature of puppies.” Ed felt that God viewed our defects and shortcomings with a similar understanding and warmth. I’ve often found solace from my personal confusion in Ed’s calming concept of God."
-/-

Step Ten, AA 12 Steps, Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 Steps AA, Addiction And Recovery, Addict, Alcoholic, Alcoholism, DonInLondon, Life Works


AA Daily Reflections ~ "SOLACE FOR CONFUSION obviously, the dilemma of the wanderer from faith is that of profound confusion. He thinks himself lost to the comfort of any conviction at all. He cannot attain in even a small degree the assurance of the believer, the agnostic, or the atheist. He is the bewildered one. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 28

The concept of God was one that I struggled with during my early years of sobriety. The images that came to me, conjured from my past, were heavy with fear, rejection and condemnation. Then I heard my friend Ed’s image of a Higher Power: As a boy he had been allowed a litter of puppies, provided that he assumes responsibility for their care. Each morning he would find the unavoidable “by-products” of the puppies on the kitchen floor. Despite frustration, Ed said he couldn’t get angry because “that’s the nature of puppies.” Ed felt that God viewed our defects and shortcomings with a similar understanding and warmth. I’ve often found solace from my personal confusion in Ed’s calming concept of God."
-/-


October 19 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Our hut meeting last night seems to get big and crowded these days. Newcomers and old timers: listening to experience, strength and hope and then an eager clamour to share about recovery. I see many with conflicts of opinion and outlook. Yet we still bond over our common issue, simply to be sober today…

Step one, our main taproot to learning how to be sober today. Powerless over alcohol, and happily powerless over people places and things for a day. I have every freedom open to me for a person living and managing my choices based on life as they are, real options based on reality today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 19 2010 ~ loved and accepted. To be loved and accepted we start with ourselves, for being human and fallible. Amends made and forgiveness for how we have behaved in active addiction. With humility we keep sober, we can forgive everyone everything. There is one path, the human path of living. Forgive always, accept and deal with the consequences.

October 19 2010 ~ when we are new recovery life, it is very difficult to shake off shame and guilt. We forget we have a malady. Admit and accepting our alcoholism is the first step, there is no shame and no guilt once we accept, we need deal with the consequences, and then live a new life one day at a time. Amends and humility always…

Pots and Kettles! Sobriety is very funny sometimes, especially with the twelve steps which keep us focussed on our behaviour and not the rest of the world. Under pressure, when we are hungry, angry, lonely and tired, or simply anything happening which disturbs us, we put on our judging hats and become unpleasant.

Frank Sinatra sang “My Way” and the song resonates. Sid Vicious made a cover of my way, which I enjoy from time to time. And behind each version maybe a whole lot of things are being expressed. One way seems gentle; one way is expressed with venom. Both versions of my way can be very difficult. “My way or the highway.” Selfish we can be and often an excuse for putting others down or simply making our way more important than others.

We forget that we all live in the present moment, that this moment is defining the next and the next. When we have anger right now, or as we might surmise from step ten, there is something disturbing us and what can we do to “fix” this disturbance? Step ten used in the moment, how am I feeling, why and what can I do? Step ten is alarmingly helpful. I feel put down, not considered, not happy, not something. I am feeling something. Am I feeling a thousand hurts or the one I feel in this moment?

We can drag our whole history into this one moment. And this is not helpful. Having got to step ten, we are dealing with what happens now. If our whole history of feeling comes flooding in to form a red haze of indignation and resentment, we need some help most likely and fast!

In recovery every imagined hurt can come back in a flash. Some people go to anger management; some people make sure they are thoroughly working the twelve steps. Yet the twelve steps is only a paper exercise until we live them as principles in all we do.

As we know in recovery we make progress and are never perfect. Same goes for everyone we encounter; life right now is our teacher. And as we treat others they will most often return our conduct with fair measure or unfair measure as the moment offers.

When we feel serene, it is because we are at one with our environment, when we feel disturbed, it means something inside us is disturbed, or we are reacting to a disturbance. It is for us to learn what the most appropriate response is and not something we dig up from the past.

We live in the moment, best we are able to respond to the moment and not our history. In addiction all perspective was lost, and we were most likely stuck seeing the world one way. In recovery we are asking ourselves to change, not the rest of the world.

Feet stamping and how dare you, can be immediate and then the actions happen and we feel defeat and wounded as get back what we dish out. Responding, asking the question, “what is really disturbing me now” we get the answer and then an appropriate response. We feel anger, we say “I feel angry because” and that is ok. I can feel hungry, angry, lonely and tired anytime. I just need work out why and what I can do. Dealing with my feelings and then responding provides perspective on the “now” situation without dragging me back to, “why does this always happen to me?” The answer is in what we decide to do.

We need to learn not to react as always, or we remain in the insanity of old behaviour and people respond to old behaviour with their old behaviour.

Forgive everything, learn and change our responses. Be assertive not aggressive. Learn and change is what I need to do, not change others.

Consequences

There are always consequences to our actions and behaviour, and same too for people we know long term or short term. Step ten for disturbances in the moment; our actions and behaviour define us, not them. Sometimes we need let go and move on with love and cherish what is good. Saints and sinners all in one we are, and so are they, whoever they may be…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "A. A.’S “MAIN TAPROOT” the principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 21-22

Defeated, and knowing it, I arrived at the doors of A.A., alone and afraid of the unknown. A power outside of myself had picked me up off my bed, guided me to the phone book, then to the bus stop, and through the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous. Once inside A.A. I experienced a sense of being loved and accepted, something I had not felt since early childhood. May I never lose the sense of wonder I experienced on that first evening with A.A., the greatest event of my entire life."
-/-October 19 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Our hut meeting last night seems to get big and crowded these days. Newcomers and old timers: listening to experience, strength and hope and then an eager clamour to share about recovery. I see many with conflicts of opinion and outlook. Yet we still bond over our common issue, simply to be sober today…

Step one, our main taproot to learning how to be sober today. Powerless over alcohol, and happily powerless over people places and things for a day. I have every freedom open to me for a person living and managing my choices based on life as they are, real options based on reality today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 19 2010 ~ loved and accepted. To be loved and accepted we start with ourselves, for being human and fallible. Amends made and forgiveness for how we have behaved in active addiction. With humility we keep sober, we can forgive everyone everything. There is one path, the human path of living. Forgive always, accept and deal with the consequences.

October 19 2010 ~ when we are new recovery life, it is very difficult to shake off shame and guilt. We forget we have a malady. Admit and accepting our alcoholism is the first step, there is no shame and no guilt once we accept, we need deal with the consequences, and then live a new life one day at a time. Amends and humility always…

Pots and Kettles! Sobriety is very funny sometimes, especially with the twelve steps which keep us focussed on our behaviour and not the rest of the world. Under pressure, when we are hungry, angry, lonely and tired, or simply anything happening which disturbs us, we put on our judging hats and become unpleasant.

Frank Sinatra sang “My Way” and the song resonates. Sid Vicious made a cover of my way, which I enjoy from time to time. And behind each version maybe a whole lot of things are being expressed. One way seems gentle; one way is expressed with venom. Both versions of my way can be very difficult. “My way or the highway.” Selfish we can be and often an excuse for putting others down or simply making our way more important than others.

We forget that we all live in the present moment, that this moment is defining the next and the next. When we have anger right now, or as we might surmise from step ten, there is something disturbing us and what can we do to “fix” this disturbance? Step ten used in the moment, how am I feeling, why and what can I do? Step ten is alarmingly helpful. I feel put down, not considered, not happy, not something. I am feeling something. Am I feeling a thousand hurts or the one I feel in this moment?

We can drag our whole history into this one moment. And this is not helpful. Having got to step ten, we are dealing with what happens now. If our whole history of feeling comes flooding in to form a red haze of indignation and resentment, we need some help most likely and fast!

In recovery every imagined hurt can come back in a flash. Some people go to anger management; some people make sure they are thoroughly working the twelve steps. Yet the twelve steps is only a paper exercise until we live them as principles in all we do.

As we know in recovery we make progress and are never perfect. Same goes for everyone we encounter; life right now is our teacher. And as we treat others they will most often return our conduct with fair measure or unfair measure as the moment offers.

When we feel serene, it is because we are at one with our environment, when we feel disturbed, it means something inside us is disturbed, or we are reacting to a disturbance. It is for us to learn what the most appropriate response is and not something we dig up from the past.

We live in the moment, best we are able to respond to the moment and not our history. In addiction all perspective was lost, and we were most likely stuck seeing the world one way. In recovery we are asking ourselves to change, not the rest of the world.

Feet stamping and how dare you, can be immediate and then the actions happen and we feel defeat and wounded as get back what we dish out. Responding, asking the question, “what is really disturbing me now” we get the answer and then an appropriate response. We feel anger, we say “I feel angry because” and that is ok. I can feel hungry, angry, lonely and tired anytime. I just need work out why and what I can do. Dealing with my feelings and then responding provides perspective on the “now” situation without dragging me back to, “why does this always happen to me?” The answer is in what we decide to do.

We need to learn not to react as always, or we remain in the insanity of old behaviour and people respond to old behaviour with their old behaviour.

Forgive everything, learn and change our responses. Be assertive not aggressive. Learn and change is what I need to do, not change others.

Consequences

There are always consequences to our actions and behaviour, and same too for people we know long term or short term. Step ten for disturbances in the moment; our actions and behaviour define us, not them. Sometimes we need let go and move on with love and cherish what is good. Saints and sinners all in one we are, and so are they, whoever they may be…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "A. A.’S “MAIN TAPROOT” the principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 21-22

Defeated, and knowing it, I arrived at the doors of A.A., alone and afraid of the unknown. A power outside of myself had picked me up off my bed, guided me to the phone book, then to the bus stop, and through the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous. Once inside A.A. I experienced a sense of being loved and accepted, something I had not felt since early childhood. May I never lose the sense of wonder I experienced on that first evening with A.A., the greatest event of my entire life."
-/-

October 18 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



“True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith…” “Closed, dishonest and unwilling will lead us to fear…” I am an emotional and spiritual learner in sober times. Open to discovering my feelings and coping with the reality of life now. Honest endeavour in spot checking, and willing to learn from what happens today…

The “grief process:” 1. Denial 2. Anger 3. Frustration 4. Depression & 5. Acceptance… Grief is the epitome of every raw emotion felt when there is loss in our lives. We may need spin through the process a thousand times for each loss we have. And sometimes we spin through a thousand losses a thousand times and all at the same time today… Knowing is good, the process itself, as long as it takes for each event…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 18 2010 ~ humility always learning... Acceptance of life on life's terms. Our daily starting point where we accept everything is just as it can be now. We know our situation, sometimes joyful, sometimes miserable. Then we have a realistic outlook, can make the best choices open to us, and with realism choose and make changes every day

October 18 2010 ~ an open mind and always learning. Life is not an exam, with a pass or fail. Life is the adventure of the possible, because of what we chose to do. Our emotional and spiritual wellbeing is contingent on how we see real life now. With what we know, we can visualise new possibilities, open, honest and willing we can strive today...


Back to life, back to reality! First line of a song, which means so much more today compared to the halcyon days of drink. The old life, sex, drugs and rock n roll. I suppose it was like that back then, because that was what we learned life ought to be. I don’t think I had a startlingly different experience to the majority, I do feel I probably “bigged up” my experiences and exploits. Living in a twilight world for a long time, not all bad I must say, much fun along the way, if I measure fun in a hedonistic way. I can say drugs, as alcohol was my drug of choice, followed by people, places and things. Anything can be addictive, and we can be addicted to anything which is an obsession. Including self-obsession, money was another
one for me, never enough, never enough indeed as this was a way to value myself.

Living through the sixties as someone reminded me yesterday was a huge change in the way society saw life and the values of the time were to live now pay later in whatever the currency might be. The values around freedom of expression were soon put by the wayside as money, materialism and all the things of my youth were lost in a haze of fun times. And when we have lost our value and we can see no end to the same old same old we are in a spin of self-destruction. The politics of the time, grab it, grab it and run. Reads as cynical and in my inner world I was in conflict with the outer world of greed and success. No wonder I felt depressed. It was more than that, life was full of colourful pleasures and they were never fulfilling. The Beatles song, “love is all you need,” inspiring when it first came round and watched on the TV in black and white, followed by decades of yearning for love and not really understanding why my heart broke just a little bit more as the years passed by.

And now decades further on I know what it is to be loved, love back and be useful. Usefulness is characterised by our understanding of what is useful, and particular to a person. What is useful to one person is not so for another. And useful is about being happy in what we do. What is this thing called love? So many ways to experience love, as part of a family, as a friend, with a partner and on and on. Loving life because it is interesting, we have one, and we can be happy in every endeavour. Nothing is mundane in a life with love as its foundation.

Even when we have gone through decades of pain and misunderstanding, even when life is painful, if we love life and people, hardships are endured. To have love in our lives means the difference most days.

Today has started well, with an eye for simple gentle endeavours, I may be a bit stuck in gloom and pain caused by various conditions, I can take action. Phone family, be involved, be supportive, start the day anytime afresh. Be content in solitude, make a plan to get out and go out if practical. Share my feelings, expression is an action, writing and talking.

Life is always changing, and with humility we can see how we are a part of life. We all have our part and actions which help us to love what is happening and be loved for what we contribute. Usually and most often, when we have empathy and can express our genuine concern for others, others do the same to us. The most useful we can be is to be helpful, share our experiences as real as we can, and learn the same from those we encounter.

Today, where would I be without it? Back then of course, or in a fantasy without foundation…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "AN OPEN MIND October 18 True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith . . . TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 33

My alcoholic thinking led me to believe that I could control my drinking, but I couldn’t. When I came to A.A., I realized that God was speaking to me through my group. My mind was open just enough to know that I needed His help. A real, honest acceptance of A.A. took more time, but with it came humility. I know how insane I was, and I am extremely grateful to have my sanity restored to me and to be a sober alcoholic. The new, sober me is a much better person than I ever could have been without A.A."
-/-


October 17 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Last night with shoes on and ready to go to a meeting: eyes goes blurred, head feels light and balance goes wonky and temperature up. Tummy upset shoes off and sit down. Doing the right thing when we feel off is not always getting to the meeting…

Daily ref: “A DAILY TUNE-UP every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all of our activities.” For me, look at the big picture, as a part of life and society. It is not about me, it is always about us, the greater good and good conscience

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 17 2010 ~ a personal view: in fellowship "god" or "the power greater than us" helps us find our personal path. Everyone on the planet has their own understanding about god, a higher power and their own good conscience. We develop a personal compass of moral integrity. The common ground, open honest and willing, the experience is unique and authentic for today…

October 17 2010 ~ an appeal to good conscience or and god? Is there any difference? When we look at a simple path in recovery, the path follows our intentions to be open, honest and willing to live well for a day. Our vision is clear as we endeavour and face life on life's terms. Meditation and or prayer help us define our personal code of conduct and how to be spiritual today...

Let go and let the world happen. I am bemused by the past, where it was always about holding on. What on earth do we hold on to? We do live in a world which makes a virtue of material wealth and possessions. William Morris famously said, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. And so having lived where I am for over two years, I am applying the principles of useful and beautiful to my surroundings.

Can I say the same of what manifests in my head when I wake up and what is really going on for me, emotionally and spiritually? And I am reminded I share that our goal in life has a focus, “to love, be loved and useful.”

At the same time, “we must not throw the baby out with the bath water.” As we keep a hold of what is important to us. If we can keep a hold of anything, I do wonder what it might be.

I know I have plenty of space to store items of usefulness; they are so useful I have not used them in two years, and some remnants of an old life are still around me, some items useful, and some items so useful they have not seen the light of day since I arrived.

And the same applies in all aspects of living, keep a hold of what is cherished. There is nothing wrong in cherishing, sharing and utility. At the same time we do tend to covet, that is to wish we had something beyond our means or rightfully ours. Why else gamble, or risk our spiritual and emotional wellbeing? We are all capable of fantasy, and making a reality of what is not that helpful to us. Usually a desire to keep a hold of people, places and things for whatever the reason as it happens. And this is a block to me in my spiritual and emotional progress. We all need our freedom, to be a free spirit.

We live in a world of richness and texture. Some of us seeing more and more as our lights are turned on inside our heads. My lights were good when I was very young, followed by decades of misunderstanding and misdirection.
I do not know what is right for me, means I do not know what is right for you, and I share this as everyday life changes, our circumstances change we change if we have a desire to do so.

Where we go, what we do, how we conduct ourselves, all about purpose and we all have a moral understanding of right from wrong. In this enlightened world, the amoral elements are few and far between? A question always on a personal level, answered in our conduct today. Yet our world is full of those who have and those who have nothing. And the world is in material crisis. We are all touched by it, and we all have our personal responses.

Today is always about the actions we take. And today as I shed and release some material elements, so too a feeling of freedom in a desire that everyone I know feels a sense of spiritual and emotional wellbeing on their path. In the written passage of acceptance in the big book of AA, and the philosophy of just for today; “as I give to the world, so the world will give to me” means a great deal.

In truth, we do not bring anything but our being into this world, and when done we take nothing out in the material sense. Our impact is in what we have done, emotionally and spiritually. What we take with us beyond this world I have no real understanding to share or enlighten, other than a sense of peace in the knowledge that if I were to go today, my last breath might be offering hope to another on their journey. A good feeling, to be letting go, being useful in the moment of now, not hindering anyone’s progress as nature and providence offer today.
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "A DAILY TUNE-UP every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all of our activities. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

How do I maintain my spiritual condition? For me it’s quite simple: on a daily basis I ask my Higher Power to grant me the gift of sobriety for that day! I have talked to many alcoholics who have gone back to drinking and I always ask them: “Did you pray for sobriety the day you took your first drink?” Not one of them said yes. As I practice Step Ten and try to keep my house in order on a daily basis, I have the knowledge that if I ask for a daily reprieve, it will be granted."
-/-

October 16 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Spot check inventorying, anytime, anyplace and anywhere is key to knowing ourselves. How we are feeling in the moment of now, when life is happy, when life is sad, and when life is plain difficult. Feelings provoke our thinking; our thinking can be a liability or an asset. Steps six and seven at work just for today…

Spiritual experience morning meeting and we listen to the reading of the spiritual experience from the big book. My spiritual awakening happens every day, conscious contact with reality and is always of the educational variety. Coping with life as it is, learning to cherish everyone, even those who cannot cherish me. To love, be loved and useful. Emotional and spiritual progress from waking to sleep, gratitude is today…

Evening meeting, after nines at Eaton Sq. We put down the drink, and we feel life in the raw. Everything emerges from the past we can remember, from hard times and utter desolation to joyful reminiscences and tall tales. We learn how to emerge from insanity to sanity one day at a time…

Blog Link http://www.doninrecovery.com

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 16 2010 ~ continued to take personal inventory especially when life choices improve. When we realise that we are making progress, we need embrace our actions. We take risks and when we find success, checking out what has worked for us improves our life choices. We learn and gain knowledge, change and persevere. Being open, honest and willing, our higher power in action…

October 16 2010 ~ our daily reactions and behaviour... When I am disturbed, I need look at what I do, how I feel, why and what actions follow. A spot check on how life impacts on me helps me make the best choice on how I am impacting on people, places and things today. Choices and progress today improves my actions and outlooks.


We need be realistic in supporting our fellows in recovery. Often in a meeting, or other forms of media we can fall into the trap of suggesting people, places and things which can help another recovering alcoholic. All well and good if we know that a particular person, place or thing is ready, able and willing. And when we are asked directly to help another alcoholic in recovery, we stand a better chance of success in sharing experience strength and hope if the person asking is the person with the problem.

Often we hear great recovery from others, we like what they have to say and we might wish to know them better, as a friend, as a person we would like to get to know and even as a sponsor for the twelve step programme. It is a matter of chemistry, building trust, discovering the credentials another human has and their general demeanour.

Tradition 11 & 12 Attraction Not Promotion

Why were the founders of AA particularly cautious when stressing attraction rather than promotion?

In a very practical way, promoting sobriety, suggesting there is a formula for sobriety, selling sobriety with a guarantee is setting up the fellowship and setting up individuals to fail. Everything in the steps and traditions are suggestions, a way of living sober, where the individual alcoholic makes decisions on a daily basis to be sober.

What every alcoholic in recovery learns is we are attracted to people who show their sobriety in what they do and what they share about their experience strength and hope when asked.

Recovery fellowship works when we share how life is today, sober with choices, from newcomer to old timer, from drunken sharing to long term dry drunks commonly known as bleeding deacons. We see how it works in meetings of fellowship, and then we see how it may work in our own personal lives.

Attraction is what we see and can find connection to and believe is real, promotion of a concept or idea of recovery is not so helpful. “If you want what we have [sobriety]” “and are willing to take action, work at sober life one day at a time…”

“Rarely have I seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our steps” Many people read this as a guarantee. And many people forget the thoroughness required in the suggestions, the utterly defeating pain as life progresses slowly in early days and many fall, and trip and eventually find their way with support and doggedness.

No gurus and no superior methods, keep it simple, work hard and know this is a life threatening situation if we pick up a drink. And when we get to fellowship nothing is working as we might wish, so we need stress we need never drink or drug again if we put in the action.

No cure, simply one day sobriety contingent on our spiritual condition. Never promote an ideal, share the reality of recovery, life on life’s terms and living reality as it is. It is a beautiful world when we can see the truth, and find our path with needs met and wants forgotten.

Recovery needs to be attraction to real life and real sobriety, no fixes or guarantees. Promoting recovery falls into guarantees and promises which have no foundation. Never promote people places or things with guarantees that they or it might be the answer. Suggestions always lead to competent life choices for those striving and struggling, acceptance is the key to living today…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "THROUGHOUT EACH DAY this is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

During my early years in A.A. I saw Step Ten as a suggestion that I periodically look at my behaviour and reactions. If there was something wrong, I should admit it; if an apology was necessary, I should give one. After a few years of sobriety I felt I should undertake self-examination more frequently. Not until several more years of sobriety had elapsed did realize the full meaning of Step Ten, and the word “continued.” “Continued” does not mean occasionally, or frequently. It means throughout each day."
-/-

October 15 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



http://www.doninrecovery.com A “Just for Today” morning meeting: No chair, we can speak up and say anything and we do. I keep realising it’s about “How am I feeling” “Why” “And what I can do today?” My feelings determine how I think. Feelings are definitely real, and thinking covers them up, hiding the real truth which makes us drink…

A “courage to change” evening meeting: Brilliant chair, reminders that once we put down the drink, then recovery starts to deal with our emotional and spiritual sobriety, we don’t think our sobriety, we feel sober in the moment of now and then consider what we can do with courage to change today…

Powerless, insanity, letting go old thinking, life story, sharing, day to day, old behaviour fear, new behaviour faith, listing amends and willing, making amends when we can, spot check inventories, mediation, sharing the message…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 15 2010 ~ back then, stuck in the allergy, malady and ism's of obsession, fear was my constant companion. Step four and step ten liberates us. Step four, clearing the wreckage of the past, step ten to help me with my daily wrecking abilities, fear is now most often replaced with humility. Humility, to learn and learn and learn today...

October 15 2010 ~ my checklist not yours... often we can utilise our new found recovery tool kit to see our own situation and improve our outlook. As we become good at seeing our own situation, we can see how others may improve their outlook too. Best we apply our tool kit to our lives and not others, 12 steps of self-improvement always...

Humility: a key to keep courage, faith and confidence alive for today. Listening to a step five chair, "Step five is the continuation of AA's "[Alcoholics Anonymous] action steps." In this step, an AA member discloses everything from their written Fourth Step to their AA sponsor or a trusted friend. Many people try to skip this step, saying that as long as God and they know there is no need to involve anyone else. But remember," "if you don't do the Fifth, you're going to drink a fifth."
I listened avidly to one of my fellows and then many who shared all about this step of learning in our tool kit for living. What is it about meetings of our fellowship which inspire me? No matter what is going on in my life, something always connects to my situation today, and reminds me of what is always happening to me.

In step five, sharing the wreckage of my past, the obsessions, the striving for success, the falseness of my world and a complete distortion of my values, shared and bemoaned, let go of the best I could in my early days. And then learning to let go today with step ten, a daily inventory of what has been disturbing me.

I loved the principal share, full of wisdom and full of just about everything I have come to understand in recovery. That if I am disturbed, it is me who is disturbed, not the rest of the world and the only thing I can change is my outlook to my present situation. In other words keep learning, keep making the best choices, be open, honest and willing to change me, and not the world.

A good reminder for me, that when I finally made it to Alcoholics Anonymous, all that was left of my emotions which seemed to work, was fear, simply fearful of people, places and things. Fear my constant companion. And as I listened as each person who felt like sharing at the meeting spoke their truth, I realise that all the steps are there to help us make the best of who we are and what we are today. And from fear of everything, the most important gift that shone through was humility to be ourselves and keep on learning day by day.

I did not realise that my whole was based on fear, mainly of being found out as not good enough. I had no thoughts other than to strive to be a success at anything I tried. And to say yes to the next challenge in my career back in the day because that was what I should be doing. I once heard a person say no to a job, “I don’t want to do that, it is not interesting to me” and I was so surprised. Obligations always in “me” because of the challenge and the pay packet and the loyalty to those around me kept me stuck doing many things I did not like. Odd I felt that way back then, loyalty to many who had no loyalty to me. I look back and see the disturbance was always in me and not them.

Step four, the wreckage of the past, and then step five, sharing our wreckage with another we trust. The meeting helped me get more clarity, and particularly about step ten. When I am disturbed, I need to check out what is in me, why and what to do.

Humility is a big concept, at the same time it boils down to us being able to listen to our inner voice, and the voices of many who can help us today when we feel disturbed. I use the word disturbed to mean when my feelings say yes as much as say no to something. A good disturbance, often love, and bad disturbance, often fear.

And we can feel fear and love in the same moment, no wonder we often need humility to check out what is going on for us! Humility means we keep learning we keep sharing, we are not looking to be right, we are finding out what feels right.
When I share that life is very much about being able: “to love, be loved and have something useful to do and to cherish always” we need the humility to keep learning. Driven by fear, we are most often stuck in a daily bind. With an outlook based on being open, honest and willing, we have the “humility” to keep on changing as the world changes around us. Freedom from fear, growing humility offers serenity to accept what we cannot do and what we can do today. And in my case with lifetimes of wisdom to hear, shared and given freely in fellowship today.

I am grateful today.
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "MY CHECKLIST, NOT YOURS October 15 Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too. Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 67

Sometimes I don’t realize that I gossiped about someone until the end of the day, when I take an inventory of the day’s activities, and then, my gossiping appears like a blemish in my beautiful day. How could I have said something like that? Gossip shows its ugly head during a coffee break or lunch with business associates, or I may gossip during the evening, when I’m tired from the day’s activities, and feel justified in bolstering my ego at the expense of someone else. Character defects like gossip sneak into my life when I am not making a constant effort to work the Twelve Steps of recovery. I need to remind myself that my uniqueness is the blessing of my being, and that applies equally to everyone who crosses my path in life’s journey. Today the only inventory I need to take is my own. I’ll leave judgment of others to the Final Judge–Divine Providence."
-/-

October 14 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



A chair by a fellow 48 years sober at our after “eights meeting” last night was full of grace and humility. They were a co-founder of the group. Still the daily balance sheet: step ten and gratitude. A touch of the iron fist in the velvet glove, strength and wisdom tempered by love in fellowship…

An opportunity to share and utilise old skills and wisdom is always a challenge. My life has moved on to different challenges. How I used to be can be good to help others, it cuts deep into inner resources within me. Each day I learn limits to can do safely and cannot do. Self awareness is key…

Hearing people talk about their spiritual awakenings helps me find the truth for me. From day one, born into the world I feel spiritual was and is living in the moment. Every experience good or bad or in the middle, shapes me in the moment. I hope what you see is what you get as “truth, love and wisdom” works, just for today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 14 2010 ~ a meeting last night and we had a group conscience. All good: we may feel progress is often slow in our fellowship, for me it feels like we find a measured response as group embarks on decisions. As we find in fellowship, the less rules we try make, the more attractive to the newcomers we remain. Freedom, choice and anarchic democracy!

October 14 2010 ~ Step ten last night. I wanted to impose my views on others, I kept silent. I felt the rise of ego, my way is best and I know what is good to do. And then I smiled, let go and listened, the best way emerged as time and the debate of many made possible the best choice for everyone. The best choice for everyone today...
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "A PROGRAM FOR LIVING we retire at night, we constructively review our day. . . . On awakening let us think about the twenty – four hours ahead. . . . Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self – pity, dishonest or self – seeking motives. Alcoholics Anonymous Page 86

I lacked serenity. With more to do than seemed possible, I fell further behind, no matter how hard I tried. Worries about things not done yesterday and fear of tomorrow’s deadlines denied me the calm I needed to be effective each day. Before taking Steps Ten and Eleven, I began to read passages like the one cited above. I tried to focus on God’s will, not my problems, and to trust that He would manage my day. It worked! Slowly, but it worked!"
-/-

October 13 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Spot check inventories are fun, and completely empowering. I can say yes to the right actions and an emphatic no to actions trying to control people, places and things, and a really emphatic no to people trying to control me in the moment of now! Happy to bugger off and mind my own business today...

Steps 6 & 7, a six type day, easy to live in fear, wear a brave face and ego “the fig leaf” covering our shame and guilt? Or; a step seven day, where I find courage faith, and develop my confidence, feel the fear and do it anyway? At sixes and sevens? Always we find balance contingent on the day we ask for help and accept we can change today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 13 2010 ~ ego, fear and pride, just a moment away... back then in the thrall of alcohol, my ego was brittle, ready to break, fear a constant companion and pride made me put on a brave face. One day at a time in recovery we live, develop our courage and faith, feel more confident, we have fellowship and we need never be alone again...

October 13 2010 ~ poor me, pour me a drink... is that how it used to be? Until I realised I drank because I could not stop, my world was full of resentment and anger at myself and allowed me to feel the world was against me and did not care. No alcohol today, whatever I feel it is usually real and I have choices, life is what it is...

I feel good and go to a meeting, I feel bad and I go to a meeting, I don’t know how I feel and I go to a meeting. Meetings of my fellowship, Alcoholics Anonymous, where I have learned how to be sober one day at a time. Why is it “my” fellowship rather than “the” fellowship? It is mine because I am part of it, included, have freedom to be me within it and have choices in how to live today.

When I first heard that AA could help me stop drinking, I did not go and find out. I would have had to admit I was an alcoholic, an addict to alcohol that I could not stop drinking and I was on the floor at rock bottom in my life.

It took me years to recognise my will power had failed, that life was unmanageable from the park bench where I resided. That numerous trips to hospital and numerous accidents along the way to the park bench had just been bad luck and it was beyond my control. A Catholic priest came to give me the “last rights” when I was in hospital in intensive care. And I suggested to him to, “fuck off” because I was not a Catholic and he said “right now, don’t be so fussy.” I survived yet again still I clung to my life situation being simply my bad luck.

And every excuse to everyone, I can get better and I can sort myself out. I promised myself, and promised tomorrow I will quit. Tomorrow was far distant enough to make a drink seem right today.

When I was wounded and left alone, alone and lost, no way out I could not save myself, and no one person could help me back on to my feet, I felt it could get no worse. Every day was the same, wake up, drink, feel ill, wretch with every sip, seek oblivion and never want to wake up again. But I did keep waking up. That moment of clarity, “it cannot get any worse, I am still here and I cannot do this alone.”

Admit I am an alcoholic; I did as the years rolled on. Admitting was the first breakthrough in a long time. I cannot do this alone. And then the real job began.

I went to rehab, three months clean, rage boiled, and nothing was working to take the edge off my horrible life. Then relapse, homeless and then another moment with bottle in hand, my life held in the balance by a bottle. I took the first slug, and knew in that moment, another would be another and another. I poured it away. And I said to myself, I will for the first time give it a go one day at a time and see if I can make it.

I let go ego, and shared my fears, let go my brave face and owned up to what I was, and who I am today. In recovery one day at a time and what keeps me ticking along as life is difficult, not just for me but for everyone, is my fellowship Alcoholics Anonymous.

No rules, no conformity, no fees or dues, simply sharing experience strength and hope. Suggested steps, to be open, honest and willing to learn life daily and develop wisdom. To be a part of a fellowship and help; with the principals of unity and service, to help others keep in recovery, a day at a time…

I cannot change the past; I can live in the present and keep learning what my choices are today. Choices today, in the moment as life is and not as it was, nor a future fantasy without foundation.
Here we all are, in the ever present moment, imperfectly perfect experiencing life as may be, all a part of providence and nature… today.


-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "UNREMITTING INVENTORIES Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Alcoholics Anonymous Page 84

The immediate admission of wrong thoughts or actions is a tough task for most human beings, but for recovering alcoholics like me it is difficult because of my propensity toward ego, fear and pride. The freedom the A.A. program offers me becomes more abundant when, through unremitting inventories of myself, I admit, acknowledge and accept responsibility for my wrong – doing. It is possible then for me to grow into a deeper and better understanding of humility. My willingness to admit when the fault is mine facilitates the progression of my growth and helps me to become more understanding and helpful to others."
-/-


October 12 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



I was asked to chair a meeting local to me today. Even though I always say call me on the day, because I never know how I will be, it gives me a feeling of unease. We can feel guilt for the right reasons and the wrong reasons. A slave to obligation, old codes can cause self harm…

Wanted on short term loan Barn Owls - Barn owls are extremely efficient at getting rid of mice. One family of barn owls can eat up to 15 mice every night! Consider erecting a nesting box to attract them onto your property. Very disturbing having mice!

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 12 2010 ~ spontaneity and light-hearted, unburdened in recovery, we can be free to live in the moment. We do not dwell thinking about the past, and what we have to do to be happy in the future. We find our connection to right here and now, feel the experience of now, make best choices and live free today...

October 12 2010 ~ spontaneity and light-hearted, unburdened in recovery, we can be free to live in the moment. We do not dwell thinking about the past, and what we have to do to be happy in the future. We find our connection to right here and now, feel the experience of now, make best choices and live free today...

October 12 2010 ~ impulse: a wave of excitation. Happy, we are excited by our environment, people, places and things. We feel excited by life; our senses and feelings are sharpened with every encounter, moment by moment. Sad, same sharpness of senses and feelings, moment by moment, we live reality today with clarity and purpose...

In recovery, keeping our choices open today is always a challenge. And this month of October is all about step ten for me. Twelve steps in recovery, I am always alert to the desire to live in the present moment. Around living in the now, we build routines which help us. Step ten of the twelve steps is about a daily inventory of what has happened, what worked well, and what disturbed my balance in outlook.

Every day we encounter ordinary, and life is just ticking along, we are in the moment and not concerned about past events, or fearful of future events. Routine, connection to people, places and things feels okay and good. We feel included, a part of life and we have purpose in recovery. Stay sober, live life and experience everything.

Disturbance

Disturbance is a really good word to describe life being out of the ordinary and something unexpected happening. It could be a good disturbance, and we are elated or the opposite and we are fearful and react with enough presence of mind to keep calm. We control our responses. When we are disturbed we increase our alertness and it is something going on inside us, not other people.

Step ten is all about working on what disturbs us today. We might be angry by a confrontation, we might be happy by a chance meeting with a friend. Both feelings tell what is going on. Then we can work out why we respond well to happiness and why we feel the need to push away the confrontation with something or a parson we would avoid.

Avoidance

Is easier sometimes, if we can avoid pain we will. Natural, at the same time if we are in pain because something is happening over and over again, we need pay attention to the cause. The cause of pain is inside us and not in other people usually. We often pretend and put on the brave face, it is a moment to cover up so we do not have to deal or confront.

Anger and Resentment

Are always a moment away, annoyance at our denials can build when we let ourselves down and do not find courage and esteem to deal with people and places.
I feel my feelings today!

And I need to take account of what my feelings are. The why of how I feel is important when life is good or bad, to understand that my feelings are about what is happening to me now, and not pulling me back into history or a fear of some future event.

Ego, Fear and a Brave Face

With fear inside me, I can put on a brave face and my brittle ego will cover me up today.

Courage Faith and Confidence

With faith in the next actions I need take today, enough courage and support to keep confidence, and then I can meet my challenges as they happen.

Often what we fear is fear and not what will happen next. Imagination can be a difficult gift and we need it to make progress, simple progress and not perfection…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "CURBING RASHNESS when we speak or act hastily or rashly, the ability to be fair-minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 91

Being fair-minded and tolerant is a goal toward which I must work daily. I ask God, as I understand Him, to help me to be loving and tolerant to my loved ones, and to those with whom I am in close contact. I ask for guidance to curb my speech when I am agitated, and I take a moment to reflect on the emotional upheaval my words may cause, not only to someone else, but also to myself. Prayer, meditation and inventories are the key to sound thinking and positive action for me."
-/-

October 11 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Spot check inventory... used to start with "what the F£$%K is happening!" Ready to fight my corner... In early days, there was an argument around every corner. Today inventorying is less often in day to day living. I can go with the flow, see my part in it. I love suggestions in fellowship, but can easily get bent out of shape when instructed. Funny quirk for me…

Self restraint, starts with “how am I feeling, the why of it and what can I do?” Knowing my mood, my emotions leads me to know what is driving the way I think things through and what action can follow. Mood and feelings, where my thinking is taking me and the next right thing and knowing my part in next steps keeps me safer today…

Step Meeting: Step Twelve Works with the other eleven!

Rarely have we seen a person fail if they keep coming to meetings, and learn about life in recovery. I love going to fellowship meetings. Like tonight I see a friend share about step twelve, what it means to them and how it all works out if we simply keep safe one day at a time.

I see people I know and people who I sort of know. Sometimes we are friendly towards one another, sometimes something stops us from saying hello and good to see you, and sometimes our friends seem very distant. It is just the way it is. When someone is distant with us, there is a reason and maybe sometime we will get to know why, and often never know.

Recovery is always now, and recovery can feel good or harsh, odd and cold, warm and fuzzy. We just don’t know what is going on for other people around us, until they share, if they choose.

We feel what we feel. “Our Emotional and Spiritual Fellowship.” If we can understand our feelings in the moment of now, then we understand most likely what we can do, what we cannot do in the moment.

Spiritual Awakenings

I feel spiritual awakening is daily event. And that everything is indeed spiritual. Spiritual is coping with reality, and that is how it works for me. Awakenings to what happened to me are historical awakenings, and the future is not written.

Dealing with the mountain and back log of all those awakenings in my life story has made living in the moment, feeling life as it happens and living reality an experience beyond my wildest imaginings.

Asked aged five what I wanted to be, apparently I replied "King of course. "No longer driven to be King! Happy as a human being, being me just for today…
DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 11 2010 ~ Anger and resentments are natural, a reaction to life events which provoke us. In practising step ten on a daily basis, we find the cause. Was it the event today, or a tail spin into the past? As we find the cause, we find the right next action. We do not push down the feeling or deny it, we work on what we "can do" today...


October 11 2010 ~ "Things ain't what they used to be." So true for everyone and in recovery we look back at the past and don't stare. Knowing how it was back then and how we fixed ourselves is our experience. Step ten helps us face reality today, work out the cause and effect, looking for a solution rather than stuck in a problem today...
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "SELF-RESTRAINT Our first objective will be the development of self-restraint. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 91

My drive to work provides me with an opportunity for self-examination. One day while making this trip, I began to review my progress in sobriety, and was not happy with what I saw. I hoped that, as the work day progressed, I would forget these troublesome thoughts, but as one disappointment after another kept coming, my discontent only increased, and the pressures within me kept mounting. I retreated to an isolated table in the lounge, and asked myself how I could make the most of the rest of the day. In the past, when things went wrong, I instinctively wanted to fight back. But during the short time I had been trying to live the A.A. program I had learned to step back and take a look at myself. I recognized that, although I was not the person I wanted to be, I had learned to not react in my old ways. Those old patterns of behaviour only brought sorrow and hurt, to me and to others. I returned to my work station, determined to make the day a productive one, thanking God for the chance to make progress that day."
-/-

October 10 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



“It takes a Village to raise a child” and a “Fellowship to keep me sober”

I never had a village to help raise me, and indeed there was no real village for my parents either. My parents, one who seemed to understand life and feel it in the moment, one who seemed driven by expectations, dreams and disappointment. One an alcoholic, drowning their sorrows, the other trying their best to cope with life as it was and is today. One dead before their time: one alive and doing pretty well considering all the hardships and wonders over a long lifetime.

As an alcoholic in recovery, my outlook and attitude to the statement “it takes a village to raise a child” has become more meaningful. In active addiction, and learning life through all those years, I realise I had no village to help me find my path. I had a pub, a bar, night clubs and so many more influences which made me “king” in my own kingdom. It was a very small kingdom, just me. Back in the day I would have argued against the idea that it takes a village to raise a child. Because I felt I knew all there was to know about how to live my life and what to do with it. I could not see beyond my own experience and success.

Sayings like pride before a fall, did not apply to me, until I could not stop falling and falling. Addiction of any type seems to be based on lack of knowledge, lack of awareness. Ignorance is bliss, then we find we are heavily dependent and into addiction. No matter what our background is, addiction can happen and does happen to anyone from any walk of life.

I tried over and over to pull myself together and to pull my socks up. I tried to stop and failed. I did not know how to deal with addiction and my alcoholism.

Fellowship is and remains the key to my sobriety today. I am included, a part of something bigger than me. A society of people who: share experience, strength and hope to help others into recovery from active addiction one day at a time. We can carry the message and not the person. It takes a fellowship to help the newcomer. A newcomer can pull another back into the problem, which is why the fellowship works, “it takes a village of sober people to raise the newcomer out of the problem into the solution.”

Fellowship is essential in my opinion. The many in fellowship help the individual find their way. Fellowship cannot impose anything on the newcomer; individuals simply share their story of recovery. With enough people sharing, we find similarities and then we learn steps of recovery.

Like the village, fellowship is full of different relationships. Some good and some which can prove to be unhelpful if we think we know best. The most unhelpful can be a newcomer feels one person can fix them and their problems. We end up with two people and their problems are twice as difficult.

Experience shows it is the many voices and relationships based on fellowship which help a person find sobriety and keep sober day to day. Constant and always changing, that is fellowship as life changes, with hope we change and meet the challenges of life on life’s terms.

I have the benefit of a global and local village today, and being raised in fellowship, I am learning how to love, be loved and useful as life is and not ever how I imagined, one day at a time…


DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 10 2010 ~ Step ten a daily practice, not a daily theory on how we should be. We will be disturbed often by life experiences. Why? If we were always happy, always joyful, surely this is simply half the life story. We need feel the opposite, sad and unhappy, anger and resentment, all normal human living. It is what we do next which defines us today...

October 10 2010 ~ somebody hurts us and we are sore. As the song goes, "It's not unusual to be loved by anyone, It’s not unusual to have fun with anyone, but when I see you hanging about with anyone, It's not unusual to see me cry, oh I wanna' die" To love, be loved back and useful is "as perennial as the grass" ~ Max Ehrmann

To 'Go Placidly Amid the Noise and Haste'

The line goes "progress not perfection" in practising the steps. Many choose "progress through deception" which means "omissions of truth" defeat and stop our spiritual progress. And of course self deception covers up dishonesty, closes us down and will gnaw are our soul. We still make progress; it just takes us longer to get to the reality of today...
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "FIXING ME, NOT YOU, If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 90

What a freedom I felt when this passage was pointed out to me! Suddenly I saw that I could do something about my anger, I could fix me, instead of trying to fix them. I believe that there are no exceptions to the axiom. When I am angry, my anger is always self-centred. I must keep reminding myself that I am human, that I am doing the best I can, even when that best is sometimes poor. So I ask God to remove my anger and truly set me free.
-/-

October 9 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Opinion and belief is often confused with truth. Just because we believe and have an opinion, it may feel true for us, does not mean it is true for them, whoever them/they may be. For example, Einstein’s theory about his relatives is no longer law; the Neutrinos have repealed it…

What is the spiritual angle to the way we live? If we can agree that spiritual is simply “the ability to cope with reality” and in fellowship keep sober, then we are okay. If we make it more, it helps less, if we impose our view and belief, it does not work, I prefer to work with what works today…

"It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us." an obvious truth

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 9 2010 ~ often we are reminded of times past, and to the damage we endured in different parts of our life. A part of the acid test in sobriety is finding forgiveness for unspeakable acts of emotional cruelty to us and by us. Forgive, and learn or we repeat mistakes without realising. The steps, always about changing how we feel and live today...

October 9 2010 ~ It is a spiritual axiom [axiom: an established rule or principle or a self-evident truth]... Spiritual, our ability to cope with reality is always changing. Some days we are very able to deal with reality and other days, woes may pour down on us. Difficult days disturb us, how we feel and think, “Acceptance” is making best choices today...


Love not retribution... “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” A nursery rhyme: and most often a nursery crime in the making for many growing up in a difficult world. Learning how to endure insult and injury, and followed by the classic “I did not mean it.”

Usually when we react to emotional pain and we all learn how in our growing up in so many ways it is hard to resolve what response may be right as we live these moments. Some face torments head on, some resolve that words never hurt, some cover up and in the end we find a way to feel less pain and get on with life. There is no right or wrong response to words? I feel the words these days and the intent behind them. And I recall it all starts with a brave face, some better and some worse. Bullying and degrading behaviour is often sown into the fabric of life. And then ritualised bullying occurs all through our society and civilisation. Justifiable intimidation of individuals and nations happens every day as one set of beliefs hacks another set of beliefs into submission.

We may not be able to change the world, the outlook of another human being, and certainly not what has happened. We can change ourselves, our outlook and the way we respond to life today. We can find our own spiritual compass, our own values in living and make choices in our outlook and living.

Fortune can smile on anyone, any day and same applies in reverse. In recovery life we become more aware of what happens in this world and our part in all matters. How we choose to live, our outlook is open for change.
Simply put, humans with an open honest and willing attitude can change. It takes time to change, to learn to love rather than hate, to forgive most of all.

Forgiving is not for the feint hearted, forgiving is living with truth every day, that we can learn to live differently and to a spiritual path which is simply “truth, love and wisdom.” We may have been brutalised in the past, we may have broken all the rules of good conduct and whatever the moral codes we were taught. Once we know the difference in recovery and we know the path we have a chance to make good our living on a daily basis.

With truth, love and wisdom, our next right action is more likely to be peace and serenity. With hate, prejudice and retribution, our next justifiable action is more likely to be war and chaos. As an individual the choice of our next action will always define us. Step ten and a conscience help us make better choices and progress today.
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "A SPIRITUAL AXIOM October 9 It is a spiritual axiom [axiom: an established rule or principle or a self-evident truth] that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. 12 & 12

I never truly understood the Tenth Step’s spiritual axiom until I had the following experience. I was sitting in my bedroom, reading into the wee hours, when suddenly I heard my dogs barking in the back yard. My neighbour’s frown on this kind of disturbance so, with mixed feelings of anger and shame, as well as fear of my neighbour’s disapproval; I immediately called in my dogs. Several weeks later the exact situation repeated itself but this time, because I was feeling more at peace with myself, I was able to accept the situation–dogs will bark–and I calmly called in the dogs. Both incidents taught me that when a person experiences nearly identical events and reacts two different ways, then it is not the event that is of prime importance, but the person’s spiritual condition. Feelings come from inside, not from outward circumstances. When my spiritual condition is positive, I react positively."
-/-

October 8 | AA 12 Steps In Action |




“It takes a Village to raise a child” and a “Fellowship to keep me sober”


I never had a village to help raise me, and indeed there was no real village for my parents either. My parents, one who seemed to understand life and feel it in the moment, one who seemed driven by expectations, dreams and disappointment. One an alcoholic, drowning their sorrows, the other trying their best to cope with life as it was and is today. One dead before their time: one alive and doing pretty well considering all the hardships and wonders over a long lifetime.

As an alcoholic in recovery, my outlook and attitude to the statement “it takes a village to raise a child” has become more meaningful. In active addiction, and learning life through all those years, I realise I had no village to help me find my path. I had a pub, a bar, night clubs and so many more influences which made me “king” in my own kingdom. It was a very small kingdom, just me. Back in the day I would have argued against the idea that it takes a village to raise a child. Because I felt I knew all there was to know about how to live my life and what to do with it. I could not see beyond my own experience and success.

Sayings like pride before a fall, did not apply to me, until I could not stop falling and falling. Addiction of any type seems to be based on lack of knowledge, lack of awareness. Ignorance is bliss, then we find we are heavily dependent and into addiction. No matter what our background is, addiction can happen and does happen to anyone from any walk of life.

I tried over and over to pull myself together and to pull my socks up. I tried to stop and failed. I did not know how to deal with addiction and my alcoholism.

Fellowship is and remains the key to my sobriety today. I am included, a part of something bigger than me. A society of people who: share experience, strength and hope to help others into recovery from active addiction one day at a time. We can carry the message and not the person. It takes a fellowship to help the newcomer. A newcomer can pull another back into the problem, which is why the fellowship works, “it takes a village of sober people to raise the newcomer out of the problem into the solution.”

Fellowship is essential in my opinion. The many in fellowship help the individual find their way. Fellowship cannot impose anything on the newcomer; individuals simply share their story of recovery. With enough people sharing, we find similarities and then we learn steps of recovery.

Like the village, fellowship is full of different relationships. Some good and some which can prove to be unhelpful if we think we know best. The most unhelpful can be a newcomer feels one person can fix them and their problems. We end up with two people and their problems are twice as difficult.

Experience shows it is the many voices and relationships based on fellowship which help a person find sobriety and keep sober day to day. Constant and always changing, that is fellowship as life changes, with hope we change and meet the challenges of life on life’s terms.

I have the benefit of a global and local village today, and being raised in fellowship, I am learning how to love, be loved and useful as life is and not ever how I imagined, one day at a time…


Today 2011


Spot check inventory in the moment reminds me I can change me and my attitudes, cannot change “them and their attitudes.” Better for me to accept powerless over everything outside of me and keep to freedom to choose what next for me, based on real life as it is today. A limitless lode!

I am powerless over them, at the same time, I may try influence? Often we do influence through being open, honest and willing to change our own attitudes and behaviour. My side of the street…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 8 2010 ~ Step ten is always our part in living, not about others. This is part of accepting the acceptable with esteem, and not accepting the unacceptable with an ego driven reaction. Some days it seems we need change everything in our attitude and behaviour, better we do than lash out in anger and resentments today...

October 8 2010 ~ when we were wrong promptly admitted it... clearing up the wreckage of the present is far easier than letting everything build up into ruinous mountains all over again. Step ten keeps us on track with our spiritual condition, making better choices, letting go righteousness so we can live free with choices today...

Benefit of doubt? Anger and resentments today... Let others be their own best friend! No matter what? Yes if we are ready to charge up our anger and resentments and let loose our barrage of venom. Or do we come to a place of serenity around our feelings? I doubt we are saints, but most often we react out of fear and loss of esteem rather than a more balanced view, where we resolve the personal conflict we have with feelings we feel.

Progress not perfection is part of who we are. And in my world, when anger sits inside me, I get overwhelmed with all the negatives life has to offer. It is me, to know in any one day, I can be happy or sad, love or hate a situation where I have a part in it. And always the steps help me today. Each and every day our situation does change, because the world changes around us. Nothing stays the same, so we are best utilising all we know to make god the life we have.

In recovery we need check out the reasons why we feel a particular way as life happens, I am still a big learner in this endeavour. I often let matters slip, don't necessarily challenge, when a gentle challenge now will inform me if matters are good or simply messy and unresolved. Not knowing is good to an extent, but without some foundation for continuing to let a life situation develop, we can be back in the land of fantasy pretty quickly. When we love we do forgive, or we hope that matters will come to the good because everyone involved is good too. The road to hell is paved with good intent.

Expecting others to have the same values, same awareness and same desire for mutually beneficial outcomes. Expectations that others will be treating us the same as we treat them are resentments under construction. And expecting others to be sensitive to our needs without being explicit is equally a disservice on my part. Praying that others will find their way and stop self harm and harming others, indeed harming me too is a fantasy, we need check out the truth, especially is we fear loss of the fantasy for reality.

Step nine, making amends for harm done by me. Step ten, not falling into the same old mire over and over... We only find we are doing this in hindsight and when we practice the step.

Step ten is always for today, we feel hurt, it is probably self harm by not being assertive when it is appropriate and when we procrastinate hoping others will see our point of view. Equally when we don't take account of others in our plans, especially when we are making choices which affect others, we need expect a rebuke for our carelessness with their feelings.

A daily challenge to keep to truth, be open, honest and willing to change, be clear on my feelings and find out how others feel, recognise truth, and when I cannot see the truth, enquire with due care. And forgive everything, and know sometimes people come into our lives for the right reason, and we move away from those who serve only their self interest and will harm us over time. We are not here to change others; we are here to live a life with good choices based on the truth of now, not what we think life ought to be.

People can change and that is their choice and not mine. Let other people learn by their own actions and not by my instruction, I simply do not know what is best for them. I am still learning what is best for me today, how to love, be loved, and useful in the moment of now...

Sometimes we procrastinate with the best of intentions. Often around those we love. Love can help us forgive everything, and equally allow us to overlook obvious truths we are probably better off sharing.

-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59

I was beginning to approach my new life of sobriety with unaccustomed enthusiasm. New friends were cropping up and some of my battered friendships had begun to be repaired. Life was exciting, and I even began to enjoy my work, becoming so bold as to issue a report on the lack of proper care for some of our clients. One day a co-worker informed me that my boss was really sore because a complaint, submitted over his head, had caused him much discomfort at the hands of his superiors. I knew that my report had created the problem, and began to feel responsible for my boss’s difficulty. In discussing the affair, my co-worker tried to reassure me that an apology was not necessary, but I soon became convinced that I had to do something, regardless of how it might turn out. When I approached my boss and owned up to my hand in his difficulties, he was surprised. But unexpected things came out of our encounter, and my boss and I were able to agree to interact more directly and effectively in the future."
-/-

October 7 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Being in fellowship means I can be sober. And I have learned it is always the many in fellowship who help me day by day. Sometimes flattery and over confidence might lead me to believe I know better than you and everyone about how sober works. I don’t, it works now with help and support always…

Sharing with a newcomer last night, they find the advice and suggestions made by fellows in the rooms are often different and contradictory. I know every day is different, we all change and situations change. Listening for similarities and evidence identifies the sober way forward just for a day, what works today, may not tomorrow…

After Eights meeting tonight, warmth on a night where the autumn chill is setting in, leaves blowing in the wind... Seeing people I know, and newcomers, one behind me and one next to me. A few gentle words of encouragement for everyone new from the chair. And from me, a snatched conversation here and there. All ages and backgrounds, one primary purpose, love and compassion. To love, be loved and useful just for today. Now that is a kind of magic...

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 7 2010 ~ dear diary, I had a great day, sober and ready, feeling good, I was in the moment most of the time, was able to make good choices and be truthful about my feelings and outlook with all concerned. I wrote a gratitude list, and a step ten, forgave myself and everyone as the day went along, happy in the moment!

October 7 2010 ~ a daily reprieve contingent on our spiritual condition. What would we do without step ten, and a gratitude list? Most likely wake up with yesterday’s news still irritating us, and what about today without some meditation and reflection for breakfast? It is our choice, fresh and ready or an emotional hangover today...


Be your own best friend first! Step ten, a daily reminder that when we are disturbed, the disturbance is inside us and not in other people, unless we they have been disturbed by us or other situations. The daily reminder is that we are responsible for how we feel now and continue to feel about people places and things. Acceptance of how things are right now is simply a starting point. It can go something like this:

Asserting our situation (my outlook): First ask myself, how am I feeling? Second why am I feeling this way? And third, what can I do? This is a look inside our own feelings and why and what to do. For example, I feel lonely right now and out of sorts, I have been isolating and not in touch with fellowship or family or friends. Answer, make a call, go to a meeting, call family or friends make a plan to see them. A way to stop feeling lonely and remind ourselves we need to make the effort not them! Expecting something is resentment under construction.

Empathy with others (our collective feelings and outlook): First ask this question together, is this situation disturbing both us? Why is it disturbing? And what can we do about this? For example, a missed call, a missed meeting with them. We start with, how we feel, “I care about you, and I am sorry I missed talking with you.” We acknowledge the value we place on the relationship and how we feel about them. We then share what has disturbed us, and can talk about the situation without undermining their esteem…

Esteem and Confidence
Trying to be our own best friend, so we may befriend others is difficult. A tough ask when we have felt less than useful and have not built our esteem through positive attitudes and behaviour. This is what the twelve steps offer us in practical ways. A way to live sober and find our path. We will stumble, make lots of positive mistakes, misunderstand everything from time to time and feel lost. And as we gain experience, we learn it is okay to feel disturbed and find out why using step ten.
Step Ten – Assertiveness and Empathy
Assertive How Am I Feeling Why What Can I Do
Empathy How Are We Feeling Why What Can We Do

As we learn to be assertive about our feelings, we can develop esteem and confidence, as we learn about each other’s feelings, we develop empathy. Step ten is finding proportion and balance in our living and in situations which are disturbing and also when it is all running smoothly. We practice and write step tens to develop our process of self-examination and how to change out outlook, attitudes and behaviour. Easy to suggest, and difficult to do!

-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "DAILY MONITORING Continued to take personal inventory. . . . . TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 88
The spiritual axiom referred to in the Tenth Step–”every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us”–also tells me that there are no exceptions to it. No matter how unreasonable others may seem, I am responsible for not reacting negatively. Regardless of what is happening around me I will always have the prerogative, and the responsibility, of choosing what happens within me. I am the creator of my own reality. When I take my daily inventory, I know that I must stop judging others. If I judge others, I am probably judging myself. Whoever is upsetting me most is my best teacher. I have much to learn from him or her, and in my heart, I should thank that person"
-/-


October 6 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Spot check inventory: How am I feeling? Why? And what can I do? At any time of day these three questions are about self appraisal. Why I feel happy, or sad, or joyous or concerned and often simply uneasy. Then I smile at myself and check it out, ask a friend face to face, phone a friend. And always remind myself to see the situations as others may see it too. Self aware and "self less" we see the bigger picture today...

Life story, step four, and day story step ten... "When I have done the steps, will I have a life beyond my wildest dreams?" Today and every day I need a reality check! The steps are living principles, timeless agents and a part of me. This emotional and spiritual life where feelings fit reality and I can cope with life as it is. Open to providence and no longer a prisoner of expectations, freedom to choose in this imperfectly perfect moment of now...

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 6 2010 ~ "If you really knew me, would you be able to love me?" Secrets keep us stuck, covering up, putting energy into useless deceptions. When we deny the truth of who we were and are to ourselves, spiritual progress is impossible. In good conscience forgive yourself, free yourself, and tell yourself the truth, after all, it is just for a day...

October 6 2010 ~ Fear says, "you dare not look." Every day we all make decisions, some work out, some do not go the way we imagined. Usually we fear what we perceive as weakness and failure. The strength in sharing misfortune is our gift and wisdom, the strength of sharing everything is there is nothing to fear today...

Wanted dead or alive? Me alive today!

Who am I? Always a good question for me and for you? And if you really knew me, would you love me? Questions like these rattle around inside us as we fear life, fear people and fear showing ourselves completely. Self-prejudice is always a good starting point to foster fear, self-hate, self-deprecation and worse turning away from real life as we apply the same prejudice to everything we touch. We live a lie and find solace in the lies of others. Like the office party; or a social function, where we need be jolly because we are supposed to be jolly. Jolly exhausting without a drink, and jolly liberating if we have had a bucket of our favourite alcoholic tipple.

“Fear knocks on the door and faith answers.” Indeed in recovery life, we develop our faith, courage and confidence to tell the truth as we know it right now. Fear of telling the truth, not to rock the boat and to protect ourselves means we keep doing half hearted, half dead to us activities which are closing us down. In work life we feel obliged often to tow the party line. Sometimes through economic necessity we need work and toil to make money to keep a roof over our heads. Until we see a choice to move on and keep faith with ourselves. In family life, here is the nub of where we feel a white lie will suffice. Open, honest and willing we develop our spiritual living, and when we lie we hinder our spiritual living.

Our programme of recovery through practice of the twelve steps is hard work in early days and hard work every day. Emotional and spiritual wellbeing for ourselves and others is made possible by telling the truth as we know it right here and now today.

When a partner says “do I look fat in this?” how do we answer? The real answer lies in our spiritual being today… “I love you as you are, and yes you do…”

Fear! Of hurting someone unnecessarily? Or just simply unable to tell a simple truth? Or what is the payoff for the deception to us and the other person? Lies start small, and get big! A fat lie.

Every time we tell a lie, big or small we may reason our way forwards, but the feeling is always there, fear of truth.

Truth liberates everyone, and stops self-prejudice, and prejudice generally. We find we cannot be intolerant, and in step ten, tolerance and love are seen as key. Tolerance for the way we are and still making progress, and tolerance and love for others still making progress.

Of course tact and diplomacy, asking others to judge themselves if they must, but not asking us to validate them with lies. It is an art not a harsh statement, it is tact with care, and it is always about spiritual and emotional wellbeing.
Life is an art and not a science, although many of us tried and failed the thinking scientific route and drank out of frustration and resentments at the world. Love is a feeling, as the song goes by Boston.

Spiritual is always now based on truth, and love is a feeling we have just now, and life is always in the present. So much time spent covering up the past, covering up in the present with an imagined brighter future means we have lost touch with now, and we miss the colourful life around us. And as we dream of the future, we make no choices to let it happen.

In the now, our choices let us make steps towards our preferred living situation. Always now, based on truth. Never a fantasy. Life is hard and difficult, and forever rewarded in the now spiritually and emotionally, it is never the destination which is inevitable.

-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "FACING OURSELVES October 6 And Fear says, “You dare not look!” TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 49

How often I avoided a task in my drinking days, just because it appeared so large! Is it any wonder even if I have been sober for some time, that I will act that same way when faced with what appears to be a monumental job, such as a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself? What I discover after I have arrived at the other side–when my inventory is completed–is that the illusion was greater than the reality. The fear of facing myself kept me at a standstill and, until I became willing to put pencil to paper, I was arresting my growth based on an intangible."
-/-
October 5 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Have I a gratitude list for today? I wake up and wonder how it is I am alive! I feel pain, and it is okay and familiar physically. I feel right sized emotionally and coping in the moment of now. Spot check inventory always handy and available, when I respond rather than react today…

I am always taken with the sharing and honesty we find in recovery. Into reality... and hoping that as we prospect this new day, truth, love and wisdom prevails...

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 5 2010 ~ Self-preservation, automatic responses to similar situations, old baggage’s can be a real nuisance, most often people who remind us of how we were back then, as we point the finger at them, or give them the finger, usually some fingers are pointing back at us on our own hands. Drive carefully with our new wisdom today!

October 5 2010 ~ Baggage of a lifetime... we need be careful sifting through our personal inventories of attitudes behaviour and stored wisdom. We might feel able to let go what no longer works, it is never too far away and can kick off with the right ingredients today, namely people, places and things! Vigilance and humour good today...


A head full of memories some useful and some we might wish to forget. Some say they have lost decades to alcoholism and addiction; memories are thin at best or nightmares at worst. Today I hope to cherish, and in a difficult world, learning is always now. To have compassion and passion, to love, be loved and useful. Peeling back the veneer, the hotbed of reality, can do, cannot do and wisdom in the moment of now...

Today is all about baggage in the daily reflections. Old ways of living and old ways of responding to success, failure or simply days we felt had nothing much in them, can keep coming back to haunt us. We need remind ourselves we were always there in those days back then. And back then has a lot of wisdom which still works today. We may be “reborn” developing new ways to live, and we need keep a hold on wisdom which works.

I was a driven individual in my drinking days and in many ways still feel driven today by feelings, the motives these days are different. Olden days were full of fear, feeling it was not cool to have “fear” as a companion and pushing it away. Show no fear, face up, brave face, and fight rather than flight. Somehow all my feelings became merged under a thin veneer of ego, propped up by feelings pushed down and an ocean of attitudes and behaviour and alcohol to take the sting off anything.

The edge was taken off certainly, and when feelings came through, the good ones, love, faith, courage and esteem, they were welcome, but without the counterbalance of the downside, there were no real measures for me. It was black and white and no real colour. Peace and happiness were a blur as the next right thing to do with work and home life, finding love and finding the next collectible experience. I missed the point completely, because all I knew was success, or bleak failure covered over in the oblivion of fixing me in my dislocated world.

Loss death and addictions were required to find rock bottom, an anxiety state two years long, a breakdown and desolation. Those who have been there know and those who have not hopefully need not. Rock bottom is as devastating for each who experience rock bottom, there is no competition a rock bottom is a low as it need be, deep unfathomable, we are lost in bleakness.

Step ten seems a way to keep our balance in an extreme world, where people are driven to extremes. Always driven, tutored into finding the “x “factor, some magic which pulls us from the cliff edge to safety. Or worse seeking some fleeting moment in time where we are recognised and worthy. Most who seem to catch the public eye and expose their “x” factor will later flounder as normality seems overwhelmingly flat.

And with all the torments endured, to find ourselves free of being noticed, free of being anything but ordinary in an ordinary life, balanced being restored daily in practising some simple steps we find ordinary living remarkable, most of the time. Of course, as we progress and get older, colour in life becomes richer and more emotional. In early days the colours of life crash in, up and down and then settling as each day we uncover or simply discover our world as it is, and not imagined.

Emotional and spiritual progress, subject to current life conditions, needs met, and wants forgotten.

We cannot stem the progress of time physically, and many of us find we get natural aging slowing down our abilities. And some of us get a raft of complications and diseases, and we don’t mind, as we say another day above ground is a success. We seem happy with our lot.

And some days, even though we may have had some close calls, and brushes with the afterlife, we will feel some resentments and anger, because we don’t hide from our feelings today. Life is always a balance in the moment of now…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "YESTERDAY’S BAGGAGE... For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 88

I have more than enough to handle today, without dragging along yesterday’s baggage too. I must balance today’s books, if I am to have a chance tomorrow. So I ask myself if I have erred and how I can avoid repeating that particular behaviour. Did I hurt anyone, did I help anyone, and why? Some of today is bound to spill over into tomorrow, but most of it need not if I make an honest daily inventory."
-/-

October 4 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



"Let me live vicariously through you" experiencing life through sympathetic participation in the experience of another [a vicarious thrill]. The “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” My old mask gone and with the help of step ten, no need for Mr Hyde today…

Spot check inventories? Love them and hate them, it’s what goes on inside me I need be concerned about in the moment. When I take my inventory and not yours, serenity is possible in the heated or tranquil moment of now. Progress and never perfect for me…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 4 2010 ~ so easy to look at others and their behaviour, our twelve step tool kit let loose, undermines people places and things. Steps to improve our outlook: and our attitudes and behaviour. As we see our part in living, we learn to forgive and love ourselves, and then forgive and love, even the unacceptable? A question for today...

October 4 2010 ~ a necessary pruning? Step ten all about our attitudes and behaviour, our reactions and responses to life today. My step six defects, judging and blaming others, based on fear, a brave face, ego to cover up. Step seven, courage faith and confidence to look at my part in life. At sixes and sevens, step ten helps always today...

Refreshed and reminded of times past, times now and the promise of facing life on life’s terms, because I have fellowship. Sunday night meeting “lest we forget,” a great meeting for me and my fellows seemed to be okay. Some may have been upbeat, some down, some indifferent, some with something to say. I can say I was there and I was not alone, as to what else goes on, it is anonymous. It was good to see many friends, and got me wondering about other friends. As always we turn our attention to newcomers, and we remind ourselves the most important person in the room is the newcomer. Even if they don’t seem too good to know, we are better for knowing them. A.A. All about… us, not me!

Steps and always the steps bring us back to earth, where all humans dwell. The traditions hold the fellowship together, unity service and recovery, the steps to develop our spiritual progress.

In emails some discussion of spiritual matters made me realise that evolution is key to us humans wherever we are. The spiritual journey enhanced by our ability to live in reality. As some believe we have choices in the life we choose before we get here, it is also subject to evolution, we are evolving whatever our state of being may be, and it is always in the now, subject to the choices we have based on reality… And reality is where we are, here and hereafter is my guess. I do not know anything for sure, except “now.”

After last night, I was upbeat, and then the inevitable drag this morning, counterbalanced by a ride out on my electric bicycle to see the world, life is very painful walking and cycling unaided is not possible due to on-going injuries. Colourful and busy, seasons are changing and as daylight gets shorter, fellowship meetings help keep me from the dark. Easy does it for me, good things have been happening, at the same time a deep sadness as life is changing as it may.

Gentle moments for today...
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "A NECESSARY PRUNING we know that the pains of drinking had to come before sobriety, and emotional turmoil before serenity. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 94
I love spending time in my garden feeding and pruning my beautiful flowers. One day, as I was busily snipping away, a neighbour stopped by. She commented, “Oh! Your plants are so beautiful; it seems such a shame to cut them back.” I replied, “I know how you feel, but the excess must be removed so they can grow stronger and healthier.” Later I thought that perhaps my plants feel pain, but God and I know it’s part of the plan and I’ve seen the results. I was quickly reminded of my precious A.A. program and how we all grow through pain. I ask God to prune me when it’s time, so I can grow."
-/-
October 3 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Life is... a roller coaster in the moment of now! Emotional and spiritual, these are the twelve steps. Knowing how I am feeling [emotional] and coping in the moment of now [spiritual]. From aged five to forty five, I did have feelings, kept them to myself, and now? You know everything…

Sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly we make progress in the imperfectly perfect moment of now. Our mood and feelings impact on our thinking and actions today. All feelings are good, and if I know how I am feeling, I do know the difference. Everything, from sh1t to Shinola plays its part today!

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 3 2010 ~ joyful and sad, pain and pleasure, right and wrong "yin and yang" see-saws and counterbalances, balance appears to need a fine edge or we swing to extremes. Life happens, sometimes stormy and sometimes calm we have choices. As we accept life is difficult, we find what is possible in recovery with help, support and challenge today...

October 3 2010 ~ pain and pleasure our touchstones... we may prefer life to be black and white; experience teaches us life happens in colour. If we do the right thing we expect the right outcome? There is the expectation and the resentment under construction. No one deserves... nothing is predictable; we “feel” life sober as it is today...
To a friend: - grief and closure…
-/-
Very kind words to me, and appreciated. Life is always difficult, until we accept it the way it is. A mutual friend reminded me that expectations are resentments under construction. And also reminded me that we need be careful when we feel we deserve something, same applies.

One other matter which I realise you may be dealing with is loss. My Dad gone many years now, I loved him dearly and cherished him, and was never able to share this truth with him, mainly because I was just like him, a product of my upbringing and cut off from my feelings a lot of the time.

The good news, is I talk to him now, talk about him to family, we share a lot about how awful he was and how awful his life turned out, and in many ways how wonderful he was too. He died about three months sober, after being diagnosed as terminal.

We hear the word closure often.

I don't feel we need closure; we need understanding for how we became who we are today. And our ancestors have everything to do with how we turned out. I don't blame my Dad for anything these days or feel angry that he is gone. Actually he is not gone or dead. He lives on in his children. I talk to my Dad from time to time usually when I am alone, laugh and cry, see how life is in these conversations. It is part of living, our cherishing and loving and having memories, some awful as I said and some wonderful too.

People with a firm belief in god have conversations with god. I have no firm understanding on anything about god. What I do understand is we have a conscience and an inner voice which is always with us. The inner voice if you like is a dialogue we have about our daily life. If there is a god, and a hereafter we can access this wisdom. My Dad for all his faults wanted the best for us, as does the inner voice and whatever it may be connected to.

In my own way, I feel conscience the inner voice speaks with our feelings, love being the main voice we hear. Our conscience and inner voice want the best for us. If we ask the questions about what next, share our fears and faith in making the best choices we can, based on our real situation, we find peace in our next actions. No guarantees because life on earth is subject to nature and providence.

Meditation and prayer are not exclusive to those who are religious. Meditation and prayer is the dialogue we have with the universe, a way of seeing the world we live in, everything we are and everything we love. Love is eternal, no past tense, everything lives on…
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "serenity after the storm... Someone who knew what he was talking about once remarked that pain was the touchstone of all spiritual progress. How heartily we A.A.’s can agree with him. [12&12]

When on the roller coaster of emotional turmoil, I remember that growth is often painful. My evolution in the A.A. program has taught me that I must experience the inner change, however painful, that eventually guides me from selfishness to selflessness. If I am to have serenity, I must STEP my way past emotional turmoil and its subsequent hangover, and be grateful for continuing spiritual progress."
-/-


Spiritual principles to live life "real" ~ "Forgiveness" "Acceptance" "Surrender" "Faith" "Open-mindedness" "Honesty" "Willingness" "Inventory" "Amends" "Humility" "Persistence" "Spiritual-Living" "Service"

"Step 10: continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it"

This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime...

October 2 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Every line caused by age, every scratch, every scar, a life time etched into innocence. Every ding and dent of experience is evidence and proof of life. Beautiful to behold, we wear our history with grace in recovery. No need to hide who we are today…

A drinking career 35 years long, and in work 35 years of saying yes, asked and answered in work, successful and when I stopped drinking, everything stopped. “Back in the day:” a void and a feeling of emptiness. Now, more truth, love and wisdom flows, an open honest and willing outlook today…

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 2 2010 ~ hurt and happiness all can happen in the moment. Everything is going on, one moment serenity, the next, memories remind us of old times and we wonder when the spinning head will slow down. As the mountain of history has shaped us, we take it step by step today and we find more level ground and we progress today...

October 2 2010 ~ learning a new approach to our living, acceptance of life the way it is, drowning out the inner voice which is tormented by a want to fix is difficult. It is difficult for anyone open, honest and willing to change. We feel life in the moment without filters, emotions are embraced, understood. We feel, we think and we respond to this day...

I promise you changing our outlook and our way of living is difficult at first. We need to change, and acceptance is the answer:

“And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.

Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.”
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "the acid test... As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the adventure of a new life. But when we approach Step Ten we commence to put our A.A. way of living to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we stay sober, keep in emotional balance, and live to good purpose under all conditions? [12&12]

I know the Promises are being fulfilled in my life, but I want to maintain and develop them by the daily application of Step Ten. I have learned through this Step that if I am disturbed, there is something wrong with me. The other person may be wrong too, but I can only deal with my feelings. When I am hurt or upset, I have to continually look for the cause in me, and then I have to admit and correct my mistakes. It isn’t easy, but as long as I know I am progressing spiritually, I know that I can mark my effort up as a job well done. I have found that pain is a friend; it lets me know there is something wrong with my emotions, just as a physical pain lets me know there is something wrong with my body. When I take the appropriate action through the Twelve Steps, the pain gradually goes away."
-/-


October 1 | AA 12 Steps In Action |



Spot check inventories, help us make progress rather than hinder ours or anyone else. My part in matters, what is disturbing me? Usually if our feelings are genuine and based on the current situation, we can modify our behaviour, make a good choice, walk in others shoes, as long as we don’t get blisters today…

Today I may be able to see your point of view, especially if I take time to do a spot check inventory. The inventory will help me decide and make a better choice, to continue to be included in the situation or “get the hell out of Dodge” due to an emergency in the moment of now… [Imminent justifiable anger usually]

DonInLondon 2005-2010

October 1 2010 ~ Step ten our personal inventory of our conduct, not other people. As we live the steps often we can see the apparent "horrors" in other people's attitudes and behaviour, or rather we see in others what we hate in ourselves. Step ten always our part, always needing forgiveness for ourselves and others today, cherish always...

October 1 2010 ~ Am I the problem or part of the solution... We will make mistakes, hopefully as many as we need to make sense of problems and what the solutions in our conduct need to be made. Solutions to our part in life: not contingent on what others do or do not do. Our choices improve as we find solutions today...

New month, new step, October all about step ten: Our personal daily inventory

Sometimes we can measure our success as “another day above ground.” This was said recently to me as a member of the fellowship walked by where I live in London. Indeed, today is another day above ground, and I have a toolkit to help me keep sober today.

Step ten is our personal inventory to help us make the best choices we can as we live sober. Step ten is about us and our sobriety, our attitudes and ways of behaving when life is good and when life is simply difficult. The danger of step ten like all the other steps is we can so easily slip into judging others and taking their inventory. We can see the problem and the solution is what others need do to make our lives work more easily.

A step to improve the quality of our spiritual living, open and honest, we are willing to change. And this step involves reflection on what has worked today and what has not worked. Understanding the problems and living in the solutions we have. Better choices and a better outcome. As we reflect on each day, we are meditating too. Meditation is part of our spiritual development. Meditation and prayer are more deeply understood as we live step eleven.

Always, steps are about our personal development, our toolkit to live life well, needs met and our wants tend to disappear. Needs met! Steps are not a way to get something we want, wants tend to be what we imagine life should be.

Wants and expectations undermine our living, and often said by many in recovery, “wants and expectations are resentments under construction.” Resentments and anger, serve no one long term. We will get angry and resentful often, that is a problem all humans face, and as we work through our step ten daily, we see solutions and or we learn to let go, see our part in matters, developing our realistic choices by the day.

Step ten helps us understand life. We always have the serenity prayer to helps with our needs and wants in any moment:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference”

Words from others on step ten: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. This step has absolutely no connection with step four. Note, in step four, it calls for a searching and fearless Moral inventory. This step calls for a personal inventory. This step is our daily check on ourselves.

Excerpt from a recovery website: "At night, after you are in bed and the day is over; review your day and pray. Think about your day, what you have done, who you were with and what has transpired. If you find something that you are not proud of apologize. Do not permit these things to go unattended. It is not the so-called "big" things which seriously affect the alcoholic in their new life, but the "little" things. Diligent practice of the 10th every day reinforces that character defects quickly became damned obvious on a daily basis. Admitting a wrong is difficult, we have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone - even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have turned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally. That is the miracle of it. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense."
-/-

AA Daily Reflections ~ "lest we become complacent... It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. [Big book]

When I am in pain it is easy to stay close to the friends I have found in the programs. Relief from that pain is provided in the solutions contained in A.A.’s Twelve Steps. But when I am feeling good and things are going well, I can become complacent. To put it simply, I become lazy and turn into the problem instead of the solution. I need to get into action, to take stock: where am I and where am I going? A daily inventory will tell me what I must change to regain spiritual balance. Admitting what I find within myself, to God and to another human being, keeps me honest and humble."

-/-

Spiritual principles to live life "real" ~ "Forgiveness" "Acceptance" "Surrender" "Faith" "Open-mindedness" "Honesty" "Willingness" "Inventory" "Amends" "Humility" "Persistence" "Spiritual-Living" "Service"

"Step 10: continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it"

This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime...
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From A.A. COMES OF AGE

"The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. The A.A. Steps & Traditions are neither rules, regulations, nor laws. Perhaps the secret of their power lies in the fact that these life-giving communications spring out of living experience and are rooted in love." ~ "We find it amazing that the newcomer can start the A.A. program without any specific beliefs or, for that matter, without any beliefs whatsoever. All a person needs is the open-mindedness and the willingness to believe that WE BELIEVE this program works..."
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Step Ten, AA 12 Steps, Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 Steps AA, Addiction And Recovery, Addict, Alcoholic, Alcoholism, DonInLondon, Life Works


Step Ten Video Reading