Latest / Sober Readings / A Lifetime Process
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Welcome to Sober Readings. Today is Monday, April 6th. Happy Monday, everyone. Today's reading from Daily Reflections. A lifetime process. were having trouble with personal relationships. We couldn't control our emotional natures. We were a prey to misery and depression. We couldn't make a living. We had a feeling of uselessness. We were full of fear. We were unhappy. We couldn't seem to be of real help to other people. That is from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, page 52. These words remind me that I have more problems than alcohol, that alcohol is only a symptom of a more pervasive disease. When I stopped drinking, I began a lifetime process of recovery from unruly emotions, painful relationships, and unmanageable situations. This process is too much for most of us without help from a higher power. and our friends in the fellowship. When I began working the steps of the AA program, many of these tangled threads unraveled and, little by little, the most broken places of my life straightened out. One day at a time, almost imperceptibly, I healed. Like a thermostat being turned down, my fears diminished. I began to experience moments of contentment. My emotions became less volatile. I am now, once again, part of the human family. Today's reading from 24 Hours, April 6, AA Thought for the Day. Every alcoholic has a personality problem. He drinks to escape from life, to counteract a feeling of loneliness or inferiority, or because of some emotional conflict within himself, so that he cannot adjust himself to life. His alcoholism is a symptom of his personality disorder. An alcoholic cannot stop drinking unless he finds a way to solve his personality problem. That's why going on the wagon doesn't solve anything. That's why taking the pledge usually doesn't work. So ask yourself today, was my personality problem ever solved by going on the wagon or taking the pledge? Today's meditation for the day. God eradicates your life with the warmth of his spirit. You must open up like a flower to this divine irradiation. Loosen your hold on earth, its cares and its worries. Unclasp your hold on material things. Relax your grip, and the tide of peace and serenity will flow in. Relinquish every material thing and receive it back again from God. Do not hold on to earth's treasures so firmly that your hands are too occupied to clasp God's hands, as He holds them out to you in love. Today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may be open to receive God's blessings. I pray that I may be willing to relinquish my hold on material things and receive them back from God. And for today's final reading, I reached into the stack of grapevines, grabbed one, and grabbed January of 2015. And this short reading is titled, An Old Timer Needs Hugs Too. We as responsible AAs put most of our focus on helping the new person. It is right that we do that. The new person is part of our primary purpose. Then we spend the rest of our AA energy watching the one to five year members grow in their life skills and spiritual matters. But what happens to the old timers? It's assumed that because old timers have been sober for many years, their lives are under control and they're at peace most of the time. I'm here to tell you that we need hugs as well. The older we get, the more health issues we have. And that includes our friends and families too. Often, when looking for jobs at our age, we find that employers want younger workers. Death also becomes an issue. Although we often seem on the surface to have all the answers, please remember old timers are alcoholics in recovery too. Just like the new person, we need attention, love, and hugs. Take a moment today and show how grateful you are to those who paved the road ahead of you. And thanks to all the old timers who made AA possible for me when it was my time to sober up. That's written by John L. in Citrus County, Florida. So thank you, John L. That was a great reminder that although newcomers are usually the most important person in the room, old timers are important as well, and we can't just forget about them. They pave the way. They, in most cases, in my case, ⁓ took me on as a sponsee and showed me the way to stay sober and how to live a sober life. So thank you to all the old timers in the program. We have not forgotten you, that's for sure. I'd love to hear about some of the old timers out there in your home groups. So send me an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com and tell me some stories about the old timers in your home group, in your area, so I can share them on my podcast. That'd be great. I'd love to hear it. So that's it for today's episode of Sober Readings. If you enjoyed the show, please do me a big favor. Hit that like button, share this episode with someone who might need it, including the old timers, and drop a comment and let me know what you thought. Make sure you're following and also click that like and share button. Listen, if you love to read sober literature and you'd like to be a guest reader on my show, I'd love to have you. Just shoot me an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com and we can make that happen. Also, another way to get me an email is to go to my website, soberreadings.com and fill out that short form. And while you're there at the website, you can click that scrolling red link to follow the show. And if you'd to drop a dollar in the donation basket, the virtual donation basket for today's reading, just click the donate button. So thank you so much for listening. Stay sober, keep reading, and I'll see you in the next episode. Until then, remember, just for today, don't drink, go to a meeting. and keep coming back. Have a great day. And as my friend Larry says, best day ever.