The ABC's of Recovery
 

A is for Attitude. Change it. Put some gratitude in your attitude. If nothing changes, nothing changs.

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B is for Belong. i never felt like I belonged. All my life, I felt like the outside looking in. It wasn't until I found the rooms of recovery that I found out where I belonged. I had to learn to identify, not compare.

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C is for Choice. We have freedom of choice. Once we make a choice, we can choose again. I choose you.

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D is for Detach. Mentally detach from the chaos of others. We detach because we love our alcoholic/addict. We sometimes have to physically detach, often to safe our own sanity.

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E is for Easy Does It...But do it. Sometimes we get caught up and busy and we need to slow down and experience each moment of the day. When we get caught up in busy, we really don't truly feel our emotions, we don't give ourselves a chance to live in today. Take it easy, but do it. Don't let easy be an excuse for not doing.

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F is for Fun. Fun, food, and frolic without the use of drugs. We can have a good time without having to pick up a drug.

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G is for GOD. Good Orderly Direction from a Group Of Drunks, and or Drug Addicts found in the rooms of recovery. God brings us there, He will see us through, however we perceive God to be. As I worked the Steps, my God is as He reveals Himself to me in today. One alcoholic/addict sharing with another alcoholic/addict who has been where you have been.

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H is for Happiness. I am responsible or my own happiness. It makes and completes my day by coming here and sharing with all who visit this site.

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I is for Isms. ISMs are I, Self, and me. The best way to get out of self, is to help someone else. It is meant for us to take action, not just think of someone, although that is nice. I am not sure that is what the soul requires.

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J is for Just for Today. Just for today, my thought will be on my new associations, people who are not using, and have found this new way of living. So long as I follow this way, I have nothing to fear.

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K is for Kin. Not all members in recovery get their families back. For my first few years AA was my kin and NA was my second family. It is important to build strong relationships for support.

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L is for Love. Love yourself and your family and friends. Reach out to others and spread that love around.

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M is for Move. Move away from those old habits, friends, and family member who are harmful to you sobriety. They don't want to admit you have a problem, because just maybe they have one too.

Move yourself to attend meetings, not just your home group. Build a firm foundation and make your space safe for you. you may not have drank with some of the people in the room, but there is no reason not to go for a coffee.

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N is for NOW. Stay in the now, don't focus on the past. We can't change the past, all we hav it the now. Stay in the moment in the day. Don't project into the future, stay grounded in today. What grounds you? For me it is water, washing my hands or my feet will do, but I wouls like a bubbling brook.

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O is for keeping an Open Mind. Our best thinking got us to the doors of recovery. So we have to change our thinking and find new ways to live. What we did for years, may no longer serve usin recovery. It may no longer be safe, especially if it has using memories attached to it. We need to make new memories and be open to learning.

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P is for Play. Have fun. Recovery is serious business, but we don't have to take ourselves so seriously. What do you like to do? You will be surprised as to what you can do clean and sober, and enjoy it too.

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Q is for Quick. There is no hurry, no race to run, but if you don't start going to meetings, quickly, you could relapse. It is important to be quick about finding a sponsor, even if it is a temporary sponsor, until you find the one you think you need. you have to be so quick with the Steps, that you don't get the complete message. It doesn't help to skimp over them unless your are prepared to go back and do the Step again. We only get what we put into our recovery.

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R is for Rooms. There is recovery to be found in the meeting rooms of the different Fellowships. Sometimes we can go to one Fellowship and get what you need, while others find help in other rooms. In early recovery, I went to the rooms of AA at least once a day. On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday to the rooms of NA. On Monday and Wednesday, I went to Al-Anon.

I went to AA for my denial, I went to NA for identification, I always knew I was an addict. And when I went to Al-Anon, I found myself and dealt with old tapes and childhood issues. I found myself in the rooms of recovery.

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S is for Serenity. When I think of serenity, it means being at peace within myself.

Just going through the day, going where my God leads, I find that calm amongst the turmoil. I got the thought today to stop and rest when i got off the bus and went to mall. I stopped beside my bank, with no thought of going in and then I thought of a question I had with my bank statement, and went in to see what I did wrong and it was my fault. I get that good orderly direction, it depends on whether I choose to listen to it. If I don't most times the Serenity goes out the window.

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T is for Trust. We tend to take things for granted. We don't always test things out, we just go head long into things and expect them always to be the same. It doesn't always happen that way. Things change, we change, and we often have to rebuild our trust, looking at reality and removing the blanket of denial.

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U is for Unity. This is a WE program. We celebrate our recovery and we are there for each other. One addict/alcoholic sharing with another addict/alcoholic. We can do what I can't do alone.

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V is for Vote. Cast your vote for the Fellowship that works for you. They say you should have no outside interests. We need to focus on our recovery.

The squirrel says to gather what you need and make your place safe to store them in.

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W is Wait. The Bible says, "Wait on the Lord." Wait for the Good Orderly Direction from your Higher Power. Don't try to make things happen. They are sure to go astray. All of a sudden the Light will go on, and you will know what to do. If in doubt, don't. Wait until the time is right.

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X is for 'Xtra. When you are feeling over emotional, especially if you are down in the dumps, go to eXtra meetings.

When you are coming up on an anniversary, go to eXtra meetings, especially to those you went to in early recovery to show gratitude fpr those who were put in your path.

When you need an attitude adjustment, go to eXtra meetings.

It probably would hurt to call your sponsor and do some Step work.

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Y is for Yes. You don't have to say "Yes" when you mean to say "No." You don't have to say "Yes, when you need to say "No." Say "Yes" when you mean it.

Just because you have learned to say "No" doesn't mean you always have to say it, don't for get "Yes."
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Z is for Zzzzzzs. Try to get as much rest as you can, even if you can't sleep. Sleep or lack of sleep, can be a real issue in recovery.

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A is for Attempt. All we can do is attempt to be the best that we can be. Sometimes we exceed and other times we fall short of our expectations, but the important thing is that we try.

I can't just sit back and say, "I can't." I at least to make an attempt to start to work the program in all my affairs.

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B is for Beware. Be aware of all the beauty around you. Beware of energies around you that are negative. Don't take on something that doesn't belong to you. Some people tend to project their stuff onto you and if you are not in a good space to receive it, set a boundary and detach.

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C is for Care. Take care of yourself. Top yourself up and then you have something in the tank to give to others.

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D is for DOG. DOG is part of what I call the God/Dog syndrome. Good orderly direction from a group of drunks/drug addicts/Divine Order Good.

When you look for the 'Divine orderly good' each day, you can't go too far wrong.

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E is for Easy Does It...but do it. That seems to be following me around lately. I think someone is trying to tell me something.

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F is for Forgive. Forgive others, but remember to ask for your God's forgiveness and for forgiveness for yourself.

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G is for But for the Grace of God, there go I. Be grateful for the program that allows you to become a better person.

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H is for Help

Help one another in his/her recovery, extend your hand, and be a good listener.

I is for Intimacy (In to me see) We need to get to know ourself in order to know what we need. We need to have a relationship with our God and our sponsor, before we look to a relationship with another. That is why they say, "No relationships in your first year.'

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J is for Jinx. Don't jinx yourself by saying, "I will never drink or pick up a drug again." We work this program one day at a time. Just for today, I choose not to use. Drugs take many forms, substitution doesn't work. We end up jinxing ourselves and end up with 2 or more addictions.

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K is for Keep

Keep it Simple is one of the AA slogans that have been around a long time. Why? Because it works.

L is for Love. Love yourself, love your neighbour, love your family and friends.

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Love is a good one for L! I Love it!!

M is for Maintain

Maintain a balance: S.P.E.M.

Spiritual
Physical
Emotional
mental

N is for New. Each day is a new beginning. I get a chance to work my program in today and gain a new perspective on my life. When I go to a meeting with the mind set of a newcomer, I am open to learning and see things in a new light.

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