TOPICS – 7 / 10 / 2025
1.TOWARD PEACE AND SERENITY
. . . when we have taken a square look at some of these defects, have discussed them with another, and have become willing to have them removed, our thinking about humility commences to have a wider meaning.
When situations arise which destroy my serenity, pain often motivates me to ask God for clarity in seeing my part in the situation. Admitting my powerlessness, I humbly pray for acceptance. I try to see how my character defects contributed to the situation.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 74
2.PRACTICING MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness focuses on remaining in the present. Through daily meditation, you can learn to recognize thoughts that lead to unwanted behaviors. For example, an alcoholic may learn that thoughts of inadequacy lead to anxiety, and that this anxiety makes him or her want to drink.
Through daily meditation, you can learn to recognize thoughts that lead to unwanted behaviors.
By practicing mindfulness, you can find emotional regulation in sobriety. You learn that negative emotions don’t last forever.
3.DENIAL
“Denial can be confusing because it resembles sleeping. We’re not really aware we’re doing it until we’re done doing it. Forcing ourselves—or anyone else—to face the truth usually doesn’t help. We won’t face the facts until we are ready. Neither, it seems, will anyone else. We may admit to the truth for a moment, but we won’t let ourselves know what we know until we feel safe, secure, and prepared enough to deal and cope with it.”
The Language of Letting Go
4.DRINKING DREAMS
A great many of us are startled to awaken some morning or night realizing we have just had an all-too-vivid dream about drinking. Probably, it’s a good thing that we find ourselves shook up and miserable at the notion of drinking, even in a dream. The beauty of sober sleep, once it is achieved, is the sheer pleasure of waking up—no real hangover, no worries about what may have happened in last night’s blackout. Instead, it means facing the new day refreshed, hopeful, and grateful.
LIVING SOBER