sarahjangel1

When we admit our powerlessness and our inability to manage our own lives, we open the door to recovery.An addict has no control over drugs.Our inability to control our usage of drugs is a symptom of the disease of addiction.We are not responsible for our disease, but we are responsible for our recovery. Eventually we realize we are powerless.We have found that we had no choice except to completely change our old ways of thinking.We began to see that every clean day is a successful day.Surrender means having not to fight anymore.We become willing to do whatever is neccessary to stay clean, even the things we don't like doing.We find hope.It is not where we were that counts, but where we are going.
Get a program-and stick to it!

Don W

Great reminder for those thinking and acting. Don W

sarahjangel1

Thanks Don, it is nice to know someone appreciated what I said...it's so important to give it away..I am an addict and a rape survivor..but today I choose to stay clean...today I try to help another addict by telling my story..so many don't realize that it is a new day! We have another chance to live & love. That is so beautiful. It isn't worth losing everything I have built back up, by doing another hit. Its so stupid, if you think about it! We have destroyed our lives for that next bag or bottle. My friend, recovery friend, thought he could do one more bag. It didn't work that way. His heart stopped, and he overdosed. That could have been me or you. That's messed up. I CHOOSE TODAY TO STAY CLEAN! JUST FOR TODAY....

Don W

Thanks Angel, I haven't been on the PTSD site for awhile so you may have already found it. I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. There are many others on that sight with the same issues. Today I treat both at the same time using the proper methods. I also nolonger self medicate with alcohol. Don W

sarahjangel1

First of all, I would like to say thanks to, Don W. who like me was abused. I have to compliment him. As a woman, it is very hard to admit that I was sexually abused by my father, from ages 3-8. But I know that a man has a harder time admitting it. But, for anyone out there reading this... You also have the power to stay sober. You must do what is necessary to stay clean. If that means, cleaning out your closets, so be it. No price is to high to pay to get sobriety. You must get rid of the garbage in order to keep the recovery. Its okay today...Don & I will be okay, as long as we can share our stories to help other people with theirs, we WILL stay clean...

You can only keep what you have by giving it away....

sarahjangel1

This morning, over coffee {one of my many habits}, I was thinking about what I was going to write today...I guess I'll tell a little about myself...I am an addict/alcoholic/ addictive personality/child sexual abuse survivor/rape survivorX3...yes I have been thru to hell and back many times. I could feel sorry for myself like I had all those years. Drowning myself in booze,pills,dope...but today I look at my life differently. I choose not to be the victim any more. I choose not to let my father haunt my dreams and my every waking moment any more. Yes, I am a survivor of many things BUT today I choose to "LIVE"...why torture myself for things I couldn't control? Do you still torture yourself for those bad memories or bad choices you made??? I don't...not any more...when I was in my addictions...I merely existed...today I live..with gratitude I give to God, for saving me...Because at that moment..that last second before I completely gave up..He pulled me up and saved me..throughout everything I have done wrong..He still loved me enough to do what I couldn't do for myself...I've finally learned..that it's not what you get in life that matters......ITS WHAT YOU CAN GIVE TO LIFE....if I could help just one person out there, listening to my story....all the pain I've been thru would be worth it...if you can't help yourself..Call to God and He'll help you..never give up...nothing or nobody in life is hopeless....With that,..I will keep coming back....

sarahjangel1

Being able to live life, on life's terms was an important step for me.Being able to live and feel human again was relieving, yet uncomfortable at first. By facing the past and letting go of it is still hard, but I am working on acceptance. It is far more easier my facing it, not hiding it. Every day I am given another chance. Another chance to live. I am grateful today I woke up clean, and last night went to bed clean.I'm stronger today, more then I've ever been. With God,the medication,therapy,meetings,friends,the 12 steps,and family, I know I can do anything. My faith grows more and more, with every clean day.Spirituality comes with faith, in God, myself, the program, and my loved ones...
Remember- You are responsible for your own sobriety..and if I can stay clean..I know anyone can...Just for today...

sarahjangel1

The history of recovery is truly a story of a grassroots movement.People coming together who shared a common history and shared a common dream for a better life created it.Those who chose not to judge each other, but to support each other,started it.Those who strggled alone,but recovered together,continued it.It has truly become a recovering community:a community of hope,strength,acceptance,love,and resiliency.Regardless of when or why it started,or who or what institutions participated,recovery is a gift that has been given to all of us.
"Recovery is a gift that has been given to all of us."..What are you going to do with it?? Today I choose ......recovery....

sarahjangel1

Just for today my thoughts will be on my recovery,living and enjoying life without the use of drugs.
...Just for today I will have faith in someone in NA who believes in me and wants to help me in my recovery.
...Just for today I will have a program.I will try to follow it to the best of my ability.
...Just for today through NA I will try to get a better perspective on my life.
...Just for today I will be unafraid,my thoughts will be on my new associations,people who are not using and who have found a new way of life. So long as I follow that way...I have nothing to fear.

sarahjangel1

"When the pain of remaining the same becomes greater than the pain of changing, we will change."
Any change involves overcoming fear.Our minds manufacture a hundred excuses for remaining right where we are,afraid to try something new.We find that most of our pain comes not from change but from resistance to change. In NA, we learn that change is how we move forward in our lives.With new things in our lives, we find new joys and loves....
Just for today...I will release the old, embrace the new, and grow.

Aren't you ready for growth? Sometimes it is scary, but you can use the fear as an asset, not a crutch. I know I had a hard time going to meetings, at first. After all, I didn't know anyone. But then, I thought, I don't know anyone, so I can say anything. They won't judge me. Little did I know, that the fellowship of NA turned out to be my family. They understood everything I was going through. Now, my home group meets once a week, for 2 hours. It is truly our addictions that bind us together....don't be afraid...try it!

sarahjangel1

:xmasu "God, grant me the serenity....
to accept the things I cannot change...
the courage to change the things I can...
and the wisdom to know the difference...

It's relatively easy to accept the things we like-it's the things we don't like that are hard to accept.In recovery, we pray for wisdom to know the difference between what can and can't be changed. Then, once we see the truth of our situation, we pray for the willingness to change ourselves.
Just for today: God,grant me the wisdom to know the difference between what can be changed and what I must accept. Please help me gratefully accept the life I've been given.

sarahjangel1

Just for today:I will make indirect amends by reaching out to an addict who may need help.I will strive in some small way to make my community a better place in which to live.

Today,with the love and guidance of members in NA,we are giving back to the world around us rather than taking.We are making our communities better places to live by carrying the message of recovery to those we encounter in our daily lives..So, with all the destruction we've done, don't you think we should give back?????Instead of thinking of yourself today, do a good deed for someone else....just for today..I will think of someone else's needs before my own...

sarahjangel1

Just for today...In my relationship with God,I am the powerless one.Remembering who I am,today I will humbly accept the gifts of God.

In prayer,I speak,God listens.When I meditate I ask for guidance,willingness,strength, and knowledge,but I have to listen for His will for me.God will give me what I need, when I need it. I make no commands. I just ask.I know He will show me the way if I listen.So many of us only pray when we are stuck or we want something. If your child only came to you when the needed something wouldn't that make you feel bad???So I choose to thank God every time I can for all that He has given me. I do the work...because He loves me,as His child...Just for today..and everyday....I will be humble..

sarahjangel1

:e15l Just for today: I will be courageous today.When I am afraid,I'll do what I need to do to grow in recovery...

Have you ever heard: "Dream an impossible dream?" I have come a long way in my recovery.Let me be brutally honest. If I was to tell you to think of the lowest low a woman can go and then said to times that by ten. That's how low I was.When I started,let me tell you, I was a mess. But every day I put one foot in front of the other and things began to happen. Since then,I have taken many steps, the next one harder then the last. I had goals, set a good slow pace. And began to reshape my world.Now, there are endless possibilities..I'm not going to tell you it was easy,or I wasn't afraid....It was hard and I was scared..Today is much better then it was yesterday...and tomorrow will even be better...can I stay clean, just for today???? You better believe it! "With faith,comes strength...."

sarahjangel1

:sn Just for today; I will be quiet and still,listening for the voice of truth within myself. I will honor the truth I find.

"We have been experts at self-deception and rationalization." Basic text, p.27
We must be honest with ourselves,our program,and our God.We no longer have to lie.We must acknowledge our defects and change our lives.When we become silent,self-honesty will be there for us to find..

sarahjangel1

:rose Our disease slowly separates us from our family and leads us toward destruction of everything important to us.There is no instant or easy cure. The only answer is to admit we are powerlessness,humble ourselves,and submit to the process that will eventually bring recovery.....

sarahjangel1

:e18o Today I understand that recovery is many little acts and subtle changes in attitudes.Recovery is not talking differently-it is being different.I will follow through on plans that I make and keep my life simple.I will not allow abuse in my home,of me or anyone else .I will take a positive attitude toward my life.Recovery is not only about reworking my past-it is about not repeating it.It is the little steps I actually take that count.Major changes can be deceptive because wherever I go,I take myself with me.A small inner change,if it is real,can have a more transforming effect than a large outer one.Setting impossible,unreachable goals for myself is just another way to stay sick.Doing something small will give me self-respect and serenity. Today I can only do what I can do.

sarahjangel1

..."ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."
Tradition Twelve

Sometimes it's hard to accept others' character defects.As we recover together,we not only listen to others talk in meetings,we wlso watch how they walk through their recovery.The more we get to know other members, we become aware of how they live their lives.We have found tolerance to be a principle that strengthens not only our own recovery but also our relationships with others

Just for today:I will strive to accept others as they are.I will try not to judge others.I will focus on the principles of love and acceptance.

sarahjangel1

Just for today: As I keep growing in my recovery,I will search for new ways to practice my program.

The 12 steps are a process, a path we take to stay a step ahead of our disease.Meetings, sponsorship, service, and the steps always remain essential to ongoing recovery.To keep our recovery fresh and vital, we need to stay alert for opportunities to practice our program......

sarahjangel1

:andy: "Our newly found faith serves as a firm foundation for courage in the future." Basic text, p.93

The foundation of our lives is what the rest of our lives is built upon.When we were using,that foundation affected everything we did.When we decided that recovery was important, that's where we began to put our energy.As a result,our whole lives changed.In order to maintain those new lives, we must maintain the foundation of those lives: our recovery program......Each day , we must renew our commitment to recovery,maintaining that as our top priority.

Just for today: I want to continue enjoying the life I have found in recovery. Today, I will take steps to maintain my foundation.