Author: Dennis W.

I appreciate the wisdom of those who came before me.

They learned hard lessons and spared me from having to do the same. They saved me a lot of trouble.

They showed me the right direction so I could make right choices.

There is no express-lane for getting through life. I have had to take my lumps but I’m better off as a result.

My path hasn’t always been smooth but I can’t complain. I’m still on it.

I guess they really knew what they were showing me.

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

I did not try to get clean and sober because I thought it was a good idea.

Not because someone begged me to stop using.

Not because a judge threatened me.

Not because an employer or a spouse threatened me.

I could not stand being inside my own skin, could not look at myself in the mirror, and alcohol stopped removing my discomfort. Alcohol just brought more terror. I was desperate.

I had lost my soul and wanted to die. All because I was a slave to a substance which used to make me feel free.

I don’t want to suffer anymore.

It’s personal. That’s why I can’t make someone else want to be clean and sober. 

The desire comes from within me.

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

Sometimes we hurt and it’s not easy to be strong. We feel powerless and weak because of the pain.

We can’t always be strong. Sometimes we need someone to be strong for us.

When I need it, I must allow someone to be strong for me.

When I’m needed, I must be strong for someone who is hurting.

It always comes back around. That’s what God does for us.

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

Some simple things I should consider in order to make this journey easier…

If I am hurting myself, I should stop;

If I am hurting another, I should stop;

If I am guilty, I should make amends;

If I am remorseful, I should ask to be forgiven;

If I am resentful, I should forgive;

If it doesn’t feel right, I shouldn’t do it;

If it feels right, I should do it.

Life is hard sometimes. If I don’t like it, I should get over it.

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

Most alcoholics and addicts never recover from their addictions. For most who have tried, it is the hardest course in their lives.

But recovery is not an academic exercise. It demands spiritual and psychic change.

It requires honesty, humility, and daily practice.

It is a self-correcting and self-grading course unlike any other.

It requires the desperate desire to succeed like a drowning person.

Cheating isn’t tolerated because I only would be cheating myself.

The exam is pass-fail. Happiness or suffering. Life or death. But we get to retake the test every day.

I have never wanted to succeed at anything more in my life.

I pray for those who are failing and for those who have failed.

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

There are always lessons to be learned, if I pay attention and keep an open mind.

Years ago, I used to meet weekly with a group that included a few old-timers. They never brought their troubles along but instead shared their insight and wisdom after listening to fools like me.

I wondered why they even bothered since it seemed like they had their lives all together.

Helping someone else helped themselves. They were divinely-guided.

Helping someone else helps me.

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

When I get impatient, it exposes my self-centeredness.

If my self-centeredness causes me to be harsh with others, I am the problem.

Sometimes I don’t get what I want or when I want it.

Sometimes I expect too much.

Sometimes I just have to wait.

Everything happens on God’s Terms and in God’s Time, not mine.

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

Some people refuse to ask for help until they absolutely need it.

Some people refuse to ask for help at all.

Some people refuse to use the help that is offered.

Some people expect others to not only help, but also to carry their burden for them.

Everyone finds their way. Some just take the more difficult path.

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

My life is always changing. It has more to do with growth than it does with time.

Depending upon my circumstances, sometimes I want change to stop and sometimes I want change to stand still.

My perspective changes with my spiritual condition.

If I look at today with dread, I might see today through an ugly lens.

If I look at today with gratitude, I might see today as the greatest gift ever.

Today is the greatest gift ever.

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

I am powerless over alcohol and drugs. I had to learn that the hard way, but I accept that fact.

I am powerless over other people. People will be the way they will be whether I like it or not. I accept that fact.

The rest of the world does not revolve around me, as much as I sometimes wish it would.

It’s a whole lot easier for me to get through each day by taking care of “my side of the street”, and let others take care of theirs.

Sometimes I need a little reminder about that.

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