Spirit of Recovery

As the old song tells us, sometimes we need to hold onto things and sometimes we need to let go. Many of us in addiction recovery have held onto some things way too long! Learning how to rely on a Higher Power for guidance helps us know what to let go of, and when. And what to hold on to and build upon. Today we want to share our experience, strength, and hope on “when to hold ‘em” and “when to fo...

For many of us, when in early addiction recovery we are not inclined to trust others or other peoples' ideas of how things should be done. But once we make the commitment to clean and sober living, we have an opportunity to learn and trust a recovery process that has worked for many others. We get to decide if it will work for us. Today we want to share our experience, strength, and hope on learni...

Many gifts of addiction recovery come to us when we are willing to work for them. Part of that work is facing the wreckage of our past. To do so we must combine right intention with the guidance of a trusted advisor in order to get real results. We must “do the work”—but how do we go about doing this work? Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on finding our way from complacency...

When we get into addiction recovery, we learn to be mindful of our actions. We hear the phrase, “Do the next right thing,” which sounds like a great idea, but what does that actually mean? How are we supposed to know what the next right thing is anyway? Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on moving from aimlessness to freedom by doing the “next right thing.” Find the Spirit of...

Gratitude could well be the single most powerful spiritual practice for transforming our consciousness. We can literally take a bad day and "begin again" by bringing to mind that which we are grateful for. And although gratitude is not a magic bullet, it's an integral part of an addiction recovery journey. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on the spiritual practice of gratit...

When we first get into recovery, we learn we need a Higher Power in order to grow and change. But once we have found something that works for us (even temporarily) we must learn how to rely on and be guided by this Power. And in doing so, we find we can live with a new confidence. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope in learning to trust our Higher Power in all things. Support...

As we grow through our addiction recovery journey, we often come face to face with old habits that are hard to break! Fortunately, once we are a few steps down the recovery path we become willing to make new choices that support our new--and much better!--way of living. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on letting go of old habits and opening the door to a whole new way of b...

One thing we need in order to grow in our recovery is to walk our path with principled honesty. This can be more challenging than it sounds at first! But if we are willing to show up and do the work, we can drop the heavy load we have been carrying and enjoy a lightness of being that will transform our lives. Today we want to share our experience, strength, and hope on lightening the load through...

It takes courage and integrity to walk an addiction recovery path. If we persist, we will come to know ourselves as the spiritual beings we truly are, but first we must trek through the wreckage of our past. In order to move into the Light, we must face our Shadow. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on finding a path through the Shadow to the Light. Support Spirit of Recovery...

Many of us in addiction recovery can affirm that we've never let go of anything that didn't have claw marks on it! Even when we were, in essence, clinging to a sinking ship! But we eventually find that when we become willing to try a new way, our lives begin to change. When we can truly “Let Go” and allow a higher power to provide guidance and direction, our lives begin to become amazing. Today we...

When we are in early recovery, the idea of a life of peace and joy seems very far away. The good news is that we can get there! But first we must extricate ourselves from the disarray of an undirected life. We can then learn to trust a Higher Power, thus opening the door to sanity and hope. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on moving from disarray to genuine peace and joy by...

Did you ever feel like life would be so much better if you could just wipe the slate clean and start over? Well, you can do just that! In fact you can start over any time you decide. Our Higher Power gives us the ability to leave behind that which no longer serves us and move ahead in a new and better way. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on energizing your life by starting...

When we answer the call to assist another alcoholic or addict on their recovery path, we do so with generosity and gratitude. We do not pay our sponsors or expect payment from our sponsees. Recovery must be free from commerce if we are to be successful. Yes, there may be medical professionals involved in our recovery at first, and we certainly "render unto Caesar" as appropriate at that time. But...

Nobody else is responsible for our sobriety. We are the ones who direct, live and own our own sober experience. In this sense we are "fully self supporting" just as the 7th Tradition guides our recovery groups to be. But in active addiction we often tried to put our responsibilities onto others. "If work wasn't so stressful, I wouldn't drink so much." Well, excuses like this will never keep us sob...

The lure of prestige has been the downfall of many on the recovery journey. We can get to feeling so good about ourselves that we fall into that old trap of wanting to be seen as the “number one man or woman” in the eyes of others. How can we remain true to our purpose and avoid the trap of pride? Can we practice humility without feeling humiliated? Today we want to share our experience, strength...

 The Fifth Tradition tells us that, “Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic/addict who still suffers.” When we first get into recovery, we learn we need to focus on ourselves in order to heal and grow. But, we quickly find that being of service to others is an essential part of our own healing. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on bala...

Nobody has ever stopped drinking or drugging if they didn’t want to. The motivation and commitment to get clean and sober is essential for success. Even though those of us walking a recovery path know that this alone is not enough, we also know it is foundational for living a life of freedom. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on finding and sustaining the motivation and comm...

It has been said that nobody can do our inner work for us, but we cannot do it alone. This is one of the paradoxes of addiction recovery! We need the company of others on the recovery path in order to truly thrive. This can be challenging to many who are new to addiction recovery because we can be used to doing things “our way”! After all, our was was the best way, right? Well maybe... But if we a...

 As the old song tells us, you got to "know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em." For those of us on a recovery journey, we have learned that sometimes we need to hold onto things and sometimes we need to let things go. Fortunately for us in addiction recovery, we make a spiritual practice of taking personal inventory as a way of life. We discern what to hold on to and what to let go of. If we...

For many of us, when in early addiction recovery we are not inclined to trust others or other peoples' ideas of how things should be done. We are often used to OUR way of doing things and can find it difficult to consider a new approach. But, once we make the commitment to clean and sober living, we have an opportunity to learn and trust a recovery process that has worked for many others. We get t...

When we get into addiction recovery, we learn to be mindful of our actions. We work to see more clearly the things we do, and to make better decisions about our actions. One thing we hear a lot in recovery circles that is essential in this work is the phrase, “Do the next right thing.” Now, this sounds like a great idea, but what does that actually mean? How are we supposed to know what the next r...

Many gifts of addiction recovery come to us when we are willing to work for them. We often hear those who have been around for a while saying things like, “It works if you work it.” And part of that work is facing the wreckage of our past. To do so we must combine right intention with the guidance of a trusted advisor in order to get real results. We must “do the work”—but how do we go about doing...

When we first get into recovery, we learn we need a Higher Power in order to grow and change. Some of us are put off by all the “God talk” that we are encountering, but that’s before we really learn what it means to find a Higher Power of our own understanding. It’s the “of our own understanding” part that is critically important. But once we have found something that works for us (even temporaril...

As we grow through our addiction recovery journey, we often come face to face with old habits that are hard to break! And we’re guessing you have had that same experience, most if not all of us have! But fortunately, once we are a few steps down the recovery path we become willing to make new choices that support our new--and much better!--way of living. As we do the work of walking a recovery pat...

It takes courage and integrity to walk an addiction recovery path. If we persist, we will come to know ourselves as the spiritual beings we truly are. But before we get to that wondrous discovery, we must trek through the wreckage of our past. As we say in the rooms, "If you walked 10 miles into the woods, you gotta walk 10 miles out of the woods." In order to move into the Light, we must face our...