October 16

Don't Live Only in the Present

The pointers on a clock's face indicate the present time, but the present and future can be seen as well. A digital clock has no past and no future, only the now. Ours is a digital clock generation. Chemical addiction is just another manifestation of preoccupation with the present. Cherished values of the past are rejected and serious dangers for the future are ignored. The momentary high is all that counts. In recovery we discover how destructive this narrow perspective is, and we change our attitudes. What the world needs is a recovery program to overcome this addictive attention to the present.

October 17

Treat Your Body With Respect

A person is composed of a physical body that houses a divine soul. The body is thus a temple that contains the Divine, and as such should be accorded its due honor. Just as it is forbidden to injure the body of another person, it is forbidden to injure ourselves. It is forbidden to introduce harmful chemicals that ruin or deface the body. The body is a sacred object that must be accorded due reverence. Just as sobriety restores respect for the body so that we no longer deface it, it must also restore the dignity of the body's actions. And our behavior must reflect the sanctity of the human being.

October 18

Concern for the Common Good

We must respect the rights of others, just as we do our own. A man who was clearing his yard threw rocks into the street. A wise man rebuked him, Why do you throw things from someone else's property into your own? The thrower later went bankrupt and lost his property. How wise was the man who rebuked me, he said. It is the street that is my permanent property. We may selfishly think that what we own is ours forever. The only thing that is truly ours is that which we share with the rest of the world. If we injure anything or anyone in the world, we are injuring ourselves.

October 19

Learn From Others' Hindsight

Many get their priorities in order too late. I have had opportunities to be with people during the last few days of their lives. Some said, I regret I did not spend more time with my family. Or I regret I did not come to religious services more often. Never did anyone say, 'I regret I did not spend more time at the office. We can certainly take advantage of the hindsight of others. In recovery we have learned how unwise it is to favor immediate gratification over long-term consequences. If we put these two ideas together, we can live our lives in such a manner that we will have few regrets.

October 20

Distorted Judgment

How can we divest ourselves of resentment? If we think back on things we did during active addiction, we find regrets. We certainly did not intend injuries that occurred. Use of chemicals is not the only way judgment can be distorted. All kinds of ideas and emotions interact to bring about judgment. Many people who provoke us are acting under distortions of judgment. We feel sorry for them, as we do for someone behaving destructively under the influence of chemicals. But if we can't manage to feel sorry for people who suffer from distortion of judgment, at least we can refrain from hating them.

October 21

Stay in Control

Surrender need not be a bad word. Many people have an automatic control in the brain that shuts off the desire for mind-altering chemicals. For example, they will not take more than one or two drinks. But others must use manual control, and trouble invariably results. If automatic controls cannot be repaired, the only solution is to improve the manual. This is what we do when we join a recovery fellowship. We do not give up control; we improve what control is available. Surrender means only that the automatic system is out of commission and we must strengthen the manual control.

October 22

Are You Open to New Ideas?

If we were to reckon what new knowledge we acquired each day, we might discover we learned nothing new. Why? Because we feel we already know enough. But, "a fool is better off than someone who considers himself wise," states Proverbs 26:12. Someone who thinks himself wise will never learn anything. People with years of quality sobriety state, "There has never been a meeting at which I didn't gain something." People who abandon the program say, "There was no point in going. It was the same thing over and over again." The former are open to learning, the latter are not.

October 23

Can You Be Alone With Yourself?

Loneliness is painful. Many have resorted to chemicals to try to escape from loneliness. The difference between solitude and loneliness is that in solitude we have ourselves and are comfortable being with ourselves. The lonely person has no self, or has a self that is despised. The lonely person cannot tolerate being with either a despised self or in a state of nothingness. Recovery and fellowship are effective because they provide the companionship of other people. The recovery program helps us discover the true self: someone who can be not only tolerated but also actually enjoyed.

October 24

Learning From Each Other

We need old friends to help us grow old, and new friends to help us stay young. Not many have the opportunity to befriend people of all ages, but people of all ages attend recovery program meetings. And because it is generally the oldest members who have the most years of sobriety, young people are encouraged to seek their advice or engage them as sponsors. The program is always replenished with newcomers. The old are always needed, and never outgrow their usefulness. Perhaps the program is not the proverbial fountain of youth, but it is a far cry from people who feel that life is behind them.

October 25

Dreamers and Doers

The Serenity Prayer is well formulated. It might have read, God grant me the courage to change that which I can and the serenity to accept that which I cannot change. A recovering person remarked, Once I accept things as they are, I can create things as they might be. Great inventors and explorers had dreams that led them to achievements. Yet few daydreamers are inventors or explorers, because people who live in a world of fantasy cannot accomplish anything. It is only if we have a firm basis in reality, accepting it for what it is, that we can make changes. That is how we must approach life.

October 26

The Treasure Within

There is a legend about a man who dreamt repeatedly a treasure was buried at the foot of a bridge. When he began digging, he was stopped by an officer who said, How foolish. Why, I have dreamt there is a hut under which is buried treasure. The man realized this was his own hut, and upon returning home, found the treasure. Our quest for happiness can take us to the four corners of the world, to different relationships, to various occupations -- or to chemicals. Why engage in a fruitless search? We may be so busy looking for a treasure elsewhere we fail to discover it where it really is -- within ourselves.

October 27

The Emptiness of an Unexamined Life

Voltaire said doubt is not a pleasant state, but certainty is a ridiculous one. Voltaire was criticizing the person who refuses to submit to critical analysis. Although I am certain I write with a pen, I have no objection to anyone who wishes to examine whether it really is a pen because I am certain of the fact. However, there are certainties we refuse to examine. We are defensive and fear that analysis will prove our belief to be untrue. The active addict refuses to submit to evaluation. He is certain he is not addicted. It is this kind of certainty that is indeed ridiculous.

October 28

Infantile Amusements

When I grow up, I want to be a child. This statement was made by a grown-up who recalled freedom from worry that characterized childhood. Grown-ups have authority and power, yet crave the carefree spirit of childhood. While our intellect tells us we can never be children again, our hearts long for the fabled fountain of youth. Our entertainment industry is a sophisticated version of childhood play. Our intellect must triumph, however, and we must assume the serious business of life. We can be amused and we can distract ourselves with entertainments, but these activities should not become our goals in life.

October 29

Can an Addict Be Honest?

For many, truth is a virtue; for people in recovery, it is life saving. Addiction is characterized by certain behavior patterns, foremost among which is lying. No one has ever maintained truthfulness while being an addict. Just as the first drink or drug can be the beginning of a full-blown relapse, so can the first lie set the addictive pattern into motion. Dedication to truthfulness yields rich dividends, because it eliminates the need to lie and avoid doing things we might wish to conceal. This is why the recovery program insists on rigorous honesty. The "inability to be honest" is the factor most responsible for a failure to recover.

October 30

Turn Down the Volume

Good arguments do not require many decibels to be heard. The strength of an argument is enough to carry it. It is only when the argument is weak that we yell loudly, trying to impress others with sound what is lacking in content. I have never heard anyone yell, I am an alcoholic. But I have heard very loud protests, I am not an alcoholic. Attention to the loudness of an assertion can help gauge its validity. If you find yourself yelling, at home, at work, with friends, pause and reflect. If what you're saying is really correct, there should be no need for screaming. If you wish to be heard, speak softly.