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Alcoholism: The three most dangerous words for an alcoholic, "I've been thinking."
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Be satisfied with the needs instead of the wants.
Teeton Sioux
Letting Go Of Finances
Letting go doesn't mean we don't care. It's about having faith that things will work out. Let's take a look at how letting go applies to the issue of money. John had been an alcoholic for years. Over time, the disease destroyed his life, including his financial health. He hit bottom and finally began recovery. After a while, he was able to start making progress in life. But his finances were in terrible shape. For a while, he hid all the bills in a drawer. Then one day, he took out the bills and started to make a plan. Instead of feeling hopeless and overwhelmed, he applied the Twelve Steps to this area of his life. He called his creditors. He gave himself a budget. He did the best that he could and he let go of the rest.
Slowly, over the years, he began to rebuild his credit. He paid off his debts, a little at a time. He applied for a credit card, the kind you have to pay in advance. Then after a year, his limit was raised. He doesn't use the card for credit; he uses it for a credit rating. He's now got a checking and savings account. He pays his taxes and manages to save a little every week. Sometimes things happen. Cars break down. People get sick. The rent gets raised. That unexpected expense come up, out of the blue, just when you thought you were ahead.
There were many years I couldn't do my budget on paper. No matter how I arranged it, more had to go out than I could see coming in. I did my best, took responsibility for myself, then let go. Worry never helped. An attitude of taking responsibility for myself did. What we cannot do for ourselves, God will do for us. And God knows we need money to live here on earth. What was that the Bible said? Seek money first, and then you'll have peace? Nope, I got that backwards. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else shall be added unto you." Manifest what you need from a place of responsibility, trust, and peace.
God, teach me to let go of worry about money.
Melody Beattie
October 14
A PROGRAM FOR LIVING
When 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!
Page 296
©ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLDSERVICES INC.
October 14 The end of loneliness
"With the love that I am shown in Narcotics Anonymous, I have no excuse for loneliness."
©Basic Text, p. 262
Addiction is a lonely disease. We may be surrounded by people but, sooner or later, our addiction drives a wedge between us and even our closest loved ones. Many of us are driven to Narcotics Anonymous by a desperate loneliness.
Though we may approach the rooms of NA with caution and suspicion, we are welcomed with a hug, a smile, and a warm "keep coming back." This may be the first place where we have felt welcome in a long, long while. We watch other members talking and laughing, leaving the meeting in groups for more talk at the local coffee shop. We wonder if we, too, could become a part of this loving bunch.
Our pattern of isolation can make it difficult for us to join in. Over time, however, we begin to feel "a part of" rather than "apart from." Soon, when we walk into the rooms, we feel at home. We begin to make friends and our lives start to change.
NA teaches us how to overcome our isolation. Through our first tentative friendships formed in our home group, we start to find that making friends isn't hard. A sense of belonging comes when we share ourselves with others.
Just for today: I am thankful for the friendships my Higher Power has given me in NA. Because of them, I am lonely no more.
pg. 300
©Just
For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics
Anonymous
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"We avoid retaliation or argument. We wouldn't treat sick people that way. If we do, we destroy our chance of being helpful."
©Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition
How It Works
pg. 67
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OCTOBER 14
A.A. Thought for the Day
How big a part of my life is A.A. ? Is it just one of my activities and a small one at that? Do I only go to A.A. meetings now and then and sometimes never go at all? Do I think of A.A. only occasionally? Am I reticent about mentioning the subject of A.A. to people who might need help? Or does A.A. fill a large part of my life? Is it the foundation of my whole life? Where would I be without A.A.? Does everything I have and do depend on my A.A. foundation? Is A.A. the foundation on which I build my life?
Meditation for the Day
Lay upon God your failures and mistakes and shortcomings. Do not dwell upon your failures, upon the fact that in the past you have been nearer a beast than an angel. You have a mediator between you and God - your growing faith - which can lift you up from the mire and point you toward the heavens. You can still be reconciled with the spirit of God. You can still regain your harmony with the Divine Principle of the universe.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not let the beast in me hold me back from my spiritual destiny. I pray that I may rise and walk upright.
Page 287
Aspects of Spirituality
"Among A.A.'s there is still a vast amount of mix-up respecting what is material and what is spiritual. I prefer to believe that it is all a matter of motive. If we use our worldly possessions too selfishly, then we are materialists. But if we share these possessions in helpfulness to others, then the material aids the spiritual."
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"The idea keeps persisting that the instincts are primarily bad and are the roadblocks before which all spirituality falters. I believe that the difference between good and evil is not the difference between spiritual and instinctual man; it is the difference between properand improper use of the instinctual. Recognition and right channeling of the instinctual are the essence of achieving wholeness."
1. LETTER, 1958
2. LETTER, 1954
No one should have to go to sleep hungry.
Thank You Werfree
Thank you Richard
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