Reflections For Every Day - September

[yukonm]

September 1

Today's Thought:

I was able to accept the fact that I had done all that I could do to make amends and that I was not responsible for her accepting it or not. I have walked through the guilt and fears. Now life is better than I ever could have imagined.

Submitted By:

Bill T.

[yukonm]

September 2

Today's Thought:

Alcohol is no longer part of my personal life, but its history of destruction and damage is still in my mind. Strangely my grown children still think of me as a derelict - I am hoping that will change.
With all their variations, faults and failing AA meetings are still about members helping members. They do a great job.

Submitted By:

Larry

[yukonm]

September 3

Today's Thought:

Were I to attempt to "sell" - or even explain - my beliefs to others, I know that I would come up short. I would not be able to find words to accurately express these spiritual understandings that serve me so well. I would like to better able to explain but simply accept that I cannot.
I feel an incredible and truly precious closeness and intimacy with several recovering friends whose personal spiritual beliefs are radically different from mine. We easily find our common ground and base our relationships on that.

Submitted By:

Harry K.

[yukonm]

September 4

Today's Thought:

I had not been honest about anything for a long, long time. I realized if I was to be successful with the steps I had to be honest. I had to do more than say them. It had to come from the heart.
Submitted By:

Rover

[yukonm]

September 5

Today's Thought:

I had to come to a place where I was comfortable with myself first. Then, the people I was attracted to and who were attracted to me were healthier and happier. I am married now, but I had reached a point prior to meeting my spouse where I knew I didn't need to be with anyone else in order to be happy. That left me in a place where I could be open to a healthy relationship where we could grow together, rather than feed off each other.

Submitted By:

Lorin

[yukonm]

September 6

Today's Thought:

It was false pride which kept me from getting help or making contact with people whenever I needed it. I just didn't want to admit to myself that I cannot do every darn thing on my own.
Then, one night, I called a program pal. I was in real distress, kind of an anxiety attack. Anyhow, first thing she said was something like, "Thank you for calling me! I never knew you needed help because you always seem so independent!"

Submitted By:

Rose R.

[yukonm]

September 7

Today's Thought:

One of the methods said to not include those things you did when you were drunk that you know you would not do now that you are sober. Well, that simplified it for me because there was a hell of a lot of things I did drunk that I darn sure knew I would not do sober. It was nearly more than two years in the fellowship before I did a Fourth Step and I pretty well knew the sober me by then.

Submitted By:

Rover

[yukonm]

September 8

Today's Thought:

When I went to my first meetings I too had a hard time accepting that I wouldn't be able to drink for the rest of my life. That sounded like such along time. I was 23 at the time and I had my whole life still to live, how could I ever say I would never drink again?
I was told to take it in small amounts of time. The slogan One Day At A Time, is for those of us who can not swallow the concept of forever. I could accept that I would not drink one day at a time, I also could accept that I would not drink just for today

Submitted By:

Deidre

[yukonm]

September 9

Today's Thought:

We all wish we could go back and change the past, especially when we are having difficulty dealing with the present. Let the past go and deal effectively with today. Every day we are given the gift of a brand new day in which to do things differently. Focus on now and see what you can do about that.

Submitted By:

Heather

[yukonm]

September 10

Today's Thought:

I could accept the idea that I was an alcoholic, but I could not accept the idea that anything else in my life needed changing, besides my drinking. Since I returned to AA, after a relapse that left me in a state of utter desperation, my mind opened up and I realized that the people who were living the steps were living a whole lot better and happier than I was.
It's suggested that a newcomer attend 90 meetings in 90 days. For me, that was necessary because it took at least three months before I could comprehend anything.

Submitted By:

Brenda

[yukonm]

September 11

Today's Thought:

I really believe that a healthy relationship is best achieved by leaving the women in the fellowship alone until a person has put together some really solid sobriety, keeping in mind that 13-stepping is not limited to men as the aggressor. They tell you not have a relationship for at least a year. I don't consider dating different women outside the fellowship a relationship.

Submitted By:

Rover

[yukonm]

September 12

Today's Thought:

As someone who relapsed after several years of sobriety, and am now a year into my new sobriety, I can tell you what was told to me: you have to find a new experience of the program -- the old one isn't sufficient anymore. You can do that by taking the steps again from the beginning.
There is something terribly self-centered about the alcoholic/addict (myself very much included) that causes us to believe, that when we are in pain, our pain is special and is bigger and more important than anybody else's pain.

Submitted By:

Kurt

[yukonm]

September 13

Today's Thought:

I must love myself very much to want to continue in sobriety, I must respect myself enough to know that even if I relapse I can get right back up, and begin all over again. And believe me it is difficult to relapse and not continue to drink. But it is doable. And it is very doable when I can seek the support and the unconditional love of an entire group.

Submitted By:

Moonlight

[yukonm]

September 14

Today's Thought:

I was blessed to have a man stand me on my feet and walk me through the steps as they are outlined in the Big Book. I have since done the same with many others. They needed a sponsor, not a friend.

Submitted By:

Henry S.

[yukonm]

September 15

Today's Thought:

I prayed hard for God to help. Then, as I read step 2, I saw the insanity clause. That was it. I was insane. Nothing would ever change while I stayed insane.
All of a sudden, my life was filled with people who were in the same boat. They understood. I discovered if I didn't pick up the first drink, I didn't have to worry about the rest. This happened over a period of time. It did not happen in a day, but one day at a time.

Submitted By:

Jean R.