“When I got sober, reliance on anything other than self was a totally foreign concept.”

“Our insecurity, our fears & anxieties push us to overextend ourselves. We spent years using alcohol and/or drugs to help fulfill our dreams and aspirations. Now, accepting the fact we are alcoholic, we may try to make up for lost time by demanding too much; of ourselves and others to bring us a sense of worthiness. In recovery, making some progress every day is the best way to succeed. We must be wary of the compulsion to do too much. After all, we're still addicts/alcoholics. Life is a process. Recovery is a process. Every day we get chances to learn that whatever we didn't master yesterday, it’s ok. No one is keeping score. Today, help me take a deep breath; to ease up, and appreciate the progress so far. I'll remind myself that making some progress each day is enough.”

“The misconception of self-will centers around a common philosophy of ‘I can do it, and I must do it, and I will do it.’ Accepting our alcoholism or addiction, we are learning to rely on Something else. Rather than total reliance on ‘me, my efforts, and my results’ we begin the journey of building an active trust in God’s grace and mercy. Yet, the common blockage of this ever-recurring pattern of reliance on self and achievements might simply be called perfectionism. The ego always wants to feel that it’s achieved the goals driving us. Grace and forgiveness are always a humiliation for the ego. We used to rely on alcohol and other drugs; why not rely on Something else? Today, help me surrender to Your Mystery as replacements to my addictions.”