24hrsAday

One day at a time.. this has been one of the most Important parts of my recovery from Alcoholism.. it helps me Remember We only live in Today! Not Yesterday or the Future.. That is why they call it being Present.. i would never have made it this far without being reminded of this Often!

24hrsAday

made a good A.A. meeting Today.. i am glad i did.. it was outstanding!

DayTrader

Thanks 24! Thanks for reminding everyone that we live life one day at a time.... that the "now" is all we've got to work with. The past is untouchable as is the future. That's precisely what the 4th step seeks to uncover - what parts of the past we're still trying to live in (resentments) and what parts of the future we're trying to manipulate or control (fear + the opposite of powerlessness/manageability).

/.thumbsup.\

24hrsAday

Good points there DT.. thank you for Chiming in!

TheEnd

Thinking about this as "One Day at a Time" is the way that I have gotten this far. I was in a meeting about a month ago and the speaker who had like 20 or so years said that when ever she thinks about drinking, she just puts if off tomorrow. She said if it's really that important then she can do it tomorrow.

24hrsAday

i Like this.. whatever it takes to Make it!!!

tomdecel

Live for today but plan for the future. I prefer wholesale.

Every Sunday I look at my coming week and remind myself that there will be no drinking no matter what the entire week. 7 days sober per week counts a lot more (for me) than one day at a time.

TheEnd

If that's what works for you then work it

Kjell

Not only does this work for us alkies and addicts, it's one of the "secrets" to general happiness.

Thanks for the reminder!

24hrsAday

it does help us keep our perspective Kjell.. but, i Need to be Reminded!

BadCompany

One day at a time is a tenant of the AA program that goes through something of a metamorphosis as you work the program. In the early days of sobriety one day at a time is something of a party trick to get through a few white knuckle days. Much deeper than that though one day at a time, or today specifically is one thing that this disease took from me. Once you reach the fourth step it really blossoms into an anchor point of sobriety. If you look at the first major categories of the 4th step, they are resentment and fear. These things rob us of any peace in our lives today as resentment is all about yesterday and fear is almost always about tomorrow. It actually becomes both a guide and a goal. When i am not at peace with today I can look for these two deficts and go to god to remove the culprit. When we shake off the chains of yesterday and slip free of the yoke of tomorrow I can finally be rocketed into that 4th dimension and be truly free.

24hrsAday

From As Bill Sees It: 16:Never Again!
"most people feel more secure on the twenty four hour basis than they do in the resolution that they will never drink again. most of them have broken too many resolutions. it's really a matter of personal choice; every A.A. has the privilege of interpreting the program as he likes.

"personally, i take the attitude that i intend never to drink again. this is somewhat different from saying 'i will never drink again'. the latter attitude sometimes gets people in trouble because it is undertaking on a personal basis to do what we alcoholics never could do. it is too much an act of will and leaves too little room for the idea that God will release us from the drink obsession provided we follow the A.A. program."

letter, 1949

Isaiah

The idea of living in the moment is something I've found in AA and also a lot of religions and philosophies around the world.

I read something by a Buddhist writer many years ago that stuck with me. He said to live in the moment, but if you need to leave, leave. And don't overstay your welcome.

I heard the same thing in therapy. My sponsor, my first time through the 4th step, also advised me to just set time aside during the day to work on it, not dwell over resentments and fears all day long.

yeahgr8

With regard to alcohol one day at a time is a massive help in the early days of sobriety...its a lot easier to struggle through a 24 hour period than trying to comprehend how one will manage for, say, a year!

In the last few months it has made less sense with regard to alcohol as i am not struggling through each day anymore...mental obsession was removed from the beginning... but to be honest i was fearful of not at least paying one day at a time and other sayings lip service as i dont want to go back to drinking and that hell again!

These self imposed ideals actually stopped me from growing for a good few months this year, i ended up, for me, dry drunk...so after a period of pain had to rethink them and change again. I had learned that the new connection with a power greater than myself kept me sober when i moved country and job to a very foreign place with very few meetings at 6 months sobriety (i dont recommend big changes in first year though!) so if that higher power loves me and wants me to be happy why would they suddenly put the mental obsession back?

So one day at a time became a bit of a prison for me until i started applying it to just plain living in the day...but without the alcohol bit at the forefront...

The future is bright, whatever happens it can't be as bad as it was before, so im not afraid of it anymore...there is no point in projecting as i dont run this world and its people but i feel ok to plan now and look ahread with optimism and hope and gratitude.

There are some real misconceptions about AA out there...and i think without explanation phrases like this can be misconstrued as having to literally think within the day one day at a time to avoid drinking and, once recovered, thats just not true and, for me, caused me big problems thinking that way...i repeat once recovered, this change doesn't happen by magic...

Just my experience anyway:-)