Author: Dennis W.

“Relapse” in recovery is not a requirement for getting and staying sober. 

I have been told that those who pick up drinking or using drugs again have either forgotten how much they suffered or they have not suffered enough.

As a recovering alcoholic, relapse is a horrifying prospect which remains very real for me. I hope I have suffered enough and never forget that.

I need to remember that my recovery is a “daily reprieve”. My connection with the God of my understanding is essential to my recovery.

God, please care for the sick and suffering alcoholic. Please help them to find their way.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

My perspective dictates whether I have a good day or a bad day.  How I look at things determines what I think, how I feel, and how I act.

If I look for the good, I see the good.

If I look for the bad, I see the bad.

If I’m happy with what I have and not unhappy with what I don’t have, I remain grateful.

If I think that everyone is doing the best they can with what they’ve got, it’s easier for me to be compassionate.

I need to remember that life is supposed to be hard, not miserable.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

The obstacles I encounter along my life’s journey are meant to serve a purpose, but their meaning and value often are not understood until later on.

The obstacles are not intended solely to cause me pain and suffering.

This life is not a punishment. It is a gift.

Sometimes the hardships cause me to change course completely.

Sometimes they are intended to help me learn lessons that will save me further down the road.

Sometimes they cause me to help fellow travelers.

Sometimes they cause me to help myself.

God knows the meaning. In time, so will I.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

I can’t usually tell how someone is feeling just by looking at them.

When my soul is in pain I am silent and I avoid people. I recall a certain feeling of loneliness when I’m hurting.

I also recall the feeling of relief when someone reaches out with concern.

Showing compassion towards others does not go unnoticed and is never forgotten.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

I have heard it said that people change because of one of two motivators – inspiration or desperation.

For me, I am desperate to never go back to the way I was living. I never want to feel that way again.

Also, after seeing the change in others, I am inspired to try to live my life as they do – to try to find peace and serenity in my soul.

There is a chance for me if I never give up on myself.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

When I was early in recovery, I was thinking “So, I stopped drinking – now what?”

Stopping drinking, and then allowing myself to be led through a spiritual transformation changed me.

After all this time, I have come to realize that my life in recovery does have a purpose. I am starting to see it. I am trying to give hope to those who do not.

It’s only by the Grace of God that I’m still here. I must remember that.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

I used to operate with a constant sense of panic inside of me. I think it was because I never felt ok and that I felt that everyone could see my uneasiness.

I don’t do that anymore.

Sure, I get a feeling of restlessness from time to time but I have learned to calm my soul through my connection with the God of my Understanding.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

The burden of my fears was the toughest thing to face when I stopped drinking. I suddenly had to live each day without hiding inside of a bottle.

When I was drinking, it was pretty obvious to anyone. But when I stopped, I felt like my fears were also obvious to anyone.

Trusting God, identifying my fears, and then asking God to remove them has freed me from that burden.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

I used to think that “stopping drinking” was the end goal of all I was doing.

How wrong I was.

Living a life fueled by alcohol and drugs kept me from moving towards the life that was intended for me.

God’s Plan for my life is revealed to me as I seek Him and follow His Direction.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.

I cannot “fix” other people, just as they cannot “fix” me.

I need to learn to accept others as they are, and ask God to help them to get better.

I need to learn to accept myself as I am, and ask God to help me to get better.

God can do for me what I cannot do for myself.

God, please help me to be ok today. Thank You. Amen.