You Are Not Alone Why Meditate? Hundreds of volumes have been written about the spiritual benefits of meditation. Almost every spiritual tradition since the beginning of recorded Thought history has recognized the spiritual benefits of meditation. I believe, however, that meditation plays a specifically valuable role in the lives of For The Day people in recovery. The twelve step program is spiritual, First, it is important to recognize that a relapse always occurs in the mind long before the actual using begins. The entire thinking process undergoes based on action coming from love….. a transition that ultimately leads to the decision to use. Meditation basically - Martha Cleveland amounts to training the mind. We really don’t know our mind! When you sit down to meditate, it immediately becomes clear that the mind operates quite independently from your volitional, conscious self. Your thoughts race and you find it almost impossible to quiet your mind. Over time, by watching the mind during meditation, we can come to know our mind and watch it. We can watch the direction it’s going, and we can differentiate between normal mental activity and “stinking thinking” which ultimately will lead to relapse. It’s all a matter of training the mind to lead one deeper To be spiritual means to be an active person. into recovery. It means spending time with others. It means sharing love. Second, there is overwhelming medical evidence that shows significant It means looking for ways to be more loving to others. cellular damage occurs in the brain as a result of getting drunk or high. It means looking for ways to make the world a better place. This is one of the main reasons relapse generally occurs during the first 12 Step three helps us to look at the world better. months of recovery. We also know that these cells regenerate through a We turn our lives over to the care of our higher power. process called neuroplasticity; meditation is the one activity that seems to So let’s allow care to direct our lives. stimulate and maintain this regeneration process. Measurements of brain Let’s always be asking ourselves “is what I’m doing something regeneration show that meditation speeds the process. It is obvious that that shows I care?” the faster the brain of an addict/alcoholic can regenerate, the better the outlook for recovery. Prayer for the Day These, then, are two primary reasons that meditation is an important Higher power, let me be active in a loving, caring way. practice to undertake for people beginning recovery. It should become a Let the love in my heart be my guide. lifelong, daily practice, like brushing your teeth. Spending just 20 minutes per day in meditation is one of the most beneficial things you can do to Action for the Day ensure your continued recovery. Today, I’ll do something good for someone and keep it a secret. George Mann MD Chairman of the Board, The Retreat YOU ARE NOT ALONE Page 1 12 Steps Principles of Recovery of Alcoholics Anonymous STEP Honesty – Surrender STEP We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives 1 1 had become unmanageable. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could STEP Belief STEP 2 2 restore us to sanity. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care STEP Faith and Commitment STEP 3 3 of God as we understood Him. STEP Courage and Diligence STEP Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 4 4 STEP Truth and Integrity Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being STEP the exact nature of our wrongs. 5 5 STEP Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of Acceptance and Growth STEP character. 6 6 STEP Humility STEP Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 7 7 STEP Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing Brotherly Love STEP to make amends to them all. 8 8 STEP Justice and Forgiveness Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except STEP when to do so would injure them or others. 9 9 Continued to take personal inventory and when we were STEP Perseverance and Vigilance STEP 10 10 wrong promptly admitted it. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact STEP Longing and Need STEP with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will 11 11 for us and the power to carry that out. STEP Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, Gratitude and Serenity STEP we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and practice these 12 12 principles in all our affairs. Page 2 YOU ARE NOT ALONE YOU ARE NOT ALONE Page 3 The Serenity Prayer GOD GRANT ME THE Are we Human beings SERENITY having a TO ACCEPT THE THINGS Spiritual experience? I CANNOT CHANGE; COURAGE TO CHANGE THE OR THINGS I CAN, AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE Are we Spiritual beings having a DIFFERENCE Human experience? Page 4 YOU ARE NOT ALONE CAME TO BELIEVE - Aiséirí Staff Seminar 2019 Page 5 12 Steps of AA Explained STEP 1 “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.” Addiction experts are quick to say that a person has to admit there is a problem before recovery can truly begin. But the First Step of the 12 Steps of AA means more than this – it means finally rejecting The the denial and self-deception that so often accompanies addiction. In the First Step, the addicted person has to accept the fact that their addiction is beyond their control. With that admission comes the realization that “their” way of doing things simply isn’t working. And once the suffering addict/alcoholic realizes THAT, they can be more receptive to the idea that they will need help to recover. 12 Steps There are two crucial words in the First Step: • Powerless – This means that the person has lost control over their consumption of drugs and/ or alcohol. They no longer can regulate when or how much they consume. The addiction is in of charge. The important thing to consider about powerlessness is this – it means that it is impossible to drink or use drugs “safely”. It also means that sobriety is not a matter of “having more willpower” or “trying harder”. This works well with the disease model of addiction. Addiction isn’t a moral failing. That means simply “being a better person” doesn’t work. If someone gets the flu, that’s not because they aren’t trying hard enough. It’s because a force beyond their control gave them the flu. Alcoholism works the same way. • Unmanageable – This means that the drinking/drug use is having a negative impact on the rest of the person’s life: • Health problems AA • Relationship issues EXPLAINED • Legal difficulties • Feelings of guilt, shame, and remors Page 6 YOU ARE NOT ALONE YOU ARE NOT ALONE Page 7 STEP 2 STEP 3 “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care restore us to sanity.” of God as we understood Him.” There are two considerations for the Second Step of the 12 Steps of AA. The first two Steps were about reflection – but the Third Step of the 12 Steps of AA is about action. At its simplest, the Third Step means deciding to get out of your own way. First and foremost, the Second Step is about HOPE. Rather than being resigned to a hellish downward spiral of addiction, a person comes to understand that recovery IS possible. For some non-religious people, the Third Step can be problematic, which is why “God as we understood Him” is important. Your Higher Power does not have to be a deity. It can also be: In other words, although the struggling addict/alcoholic has no control over THEIR compulsion, that doesn’t mean that there is not a solution. • The recovery process itself So the second consideration of this Step is that it is possible to gain strength, inspiration, and • Medical and mental health professionals guidance from something outside of and greater than one’s self – IF stubborn ego can be laid aside. • The innate strength of human nature In other words, when you can temporarily make yourself subordinate to someone or something • Your support system that is helping you, it is possible to be guided in the right direction. That’s because alcoholism is, by its nature, a selfish behavior. It’s not selfish in the moral sense. But it does focus on only meeting the • The fellowship you receive from other addicts/alcoholics needs of the self. When the self is no longer the highest priority, it’s easier to stop drinking. The exact nature of your Higher Power is personal – it only has to be something outside of and greater Some people are put off by the idea of a higher power. But AA isn’t a religious organization. The than yourself in which people can place their faith. This helps people look outside themselves. As a higher power doesn’t have to be God, or any specific interpretation of God. In fact, there’s an entire result, they are less likely to give in to their demons. AA group that’s focused on secular help. It’s called Secular AA. It could be fate, karma, or anything else. The point is that you need to find a source of inspiration to help you stay sober.