Step Work

STEP WORK JUST FOR TODAY August 29 2016

We admitted we were powerless over chemical substances - that our lives had become unmanageable.

Psalm 107 v 14
He brought them  out of darkness, the utter darkness and broke away their chains.

By Joseph Dickerson / Recovery Connections 2016

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Best of the week from Choose Help Emotions in Early Recovery: "You Can't Heal What You Can't Feel" During early recovery we often find ourselves raw. But you can't heal what you can't feel. There are no quick fixes. Learn how to let it go. I've shared with lots of folks in early recovery the adage, "The good thing about being sober is that you feel more ...and the bad thing about being sober is that you feel more." We numbed ourselves so much for so long. In early recovery (and at other points in our journey when stress and fears run high) we find ourselves emotionally raw. Experiencing the highs and lows of our emotions can be completely overwhelming. Whether you're on a "pink cloud" or in a dark place, the good news is that this too shall pass. Add This to Your Toolbox: H.A.L.T. It stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired. H.A.L.T. works both as a preventative measure and a diagnostic tool. Recovery wisdom dictates that we must not allow ourselves to accrue too much of theseand that when we find ourselves overwhelmed we can ask which of these we are. It's simple and effective. It's also something our emotions can throw a wrench into. We come to see that what we hunger for is much more than just food. We realize that anger never travels alone and that there is always at least one other emotion present (Hint: It's usually one that requires vulnerability to express and anger masks it).  We know that even in the company of good people we can be lonely when we shut down or deny ourselves opportunities to connect. Tired is perhaps the hardest one. It's more than fatigue, it's being drained physically, emotionally, mentally, and/or spiritually. It's an emptiness that demands to be filled and a spirit that must be replenished.  We urge folks to consider what sustains them and to consider that growing spiritually is the key to manageability. Identifying and Coping Most of us in early recovery are immature emotionally. We may be very good at managing external things, yet struggle to regulate our internal experiences (emotions, thoughts, memories). We often feel "squirrelly" or "antsy." Anxiety is extremely common in recovery. We struggle to feel safe inside our own skin. Many of us experience social anxiety, obsessions, compulsions, and occasionalbouts of panic. Sobriety forces us to be acutely aware of the very things we've been running and hiding from. There is no way to let go of pain in a way that doesn't hurt. There's no way to face fear without being afraid and there's no way to release anger without getting angry. Identifying and coping are key. I recommend to those I serve that they check in with themselves frequently. This is as simple as asking... "what am I doing?" and "how am I doing?" If we are completely honest with ourselves, we can then ask, "What would I recommend to a friend in my shoes?" Reaching out, using healthy self talk, journaling, prayer and meditation are foundational to our stability. "I Let It Go" This expression most often means that we're ignoring it and trying our best to pretend we're not messed up about it. Acceptance and forgiveness hinge upon releasing our resentments. Again, there is no way to let go of pain in a way that doesn't hurt. There's no way to face fear without being afraid and there's no way to release anger without getting angry. You have to feel it to let it go. The most frustrating aspect of this is that letting it go is rarely a one time event. It took us years to get here and there are no quick fixes. "I Gave It to God" In order to "turn it over" we must first be willing to let it go (see above). I respect what any person's faith dictates. My Pentecostal friends have an expression that, "God is a gentleman." To me this means that our Higher Power won't force a course of action that impinges upon our free will. Surrender is equal parts desperation and willingness. In addition to experiencing and expressing our emotions, turning things over to our Higher Power requires acceptance of powerless and acknowledging that only with grace will we achieve our goals. When we ask our Higher Power to remove things like past pain or character defects, we receive the needed assistance. This most often comes in the form of people placed in our paths to guide us through the next part of the journey. There does not seem to be any instant gratification. Transformation is a process. Read in browser »   Recent featured articles: Relapse Prevention: How to Relax with Imagery SMART Recovery: A Free Science-Based Alternative to the 12 Steps Gut Bacteria Protect Your Mental Health. Learn How to Protect Your Microbiome The Four Ds – a Simple Relapse Prevention Strategy Avoiding Methadone Overdose During the Dangerous First 2 Weeks And, as always, thank you for reading! All the best to you and yours, Martin Schoel, founder of Choose Help P.S. If you’d like to dive into the conversation, make sure to follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook (40K+ people do). FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO A LOVED ONE Do you or someone you know need rehab? Click or 'Tap' to speak with us now: (877) 333-5266 Facebook Twitter Google Plus Pinterest

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News-Impact-Advocacy August 26, 2016 Don't forget to register for PRO- ACT Recovery Walks! 2016     Click here to register! Hope Against Overdose  August 31st, 2016 9:00am-10:00am PRO-ACT 1286 Veterans Highway, Ste. D6, Bristol, Pennsylvania Saturday, September 17 PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2016 Penn's Landing, Philadelphia Registration begins at 7:00 am; Walk begins at 9:00 am Post-Walk Program begins at 10:15 am Stand Against Stigma--Walk for Recovery!  Register for the Walk here-- it's free STAY CONNECTED:

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https://youtu.be/cw3zIA1NJU0

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 25 , 2016

STEP 12 Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.(AA Big Book)

Psalm 96:3 is part of a hymn lifting up the Lord and praising Him for all that he has done. Much like we are eager to tell people when we are in love, the same should be true of God. We are so filled with love for Him and the blessings of the Spirit that we cannot keep silent.(GODS BIG BOOK)

By Joseph Dickerson /Recovery Connections 2016

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 23 , 2016

STEP 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

(AA Big Book)

1 Corinthians 13 : 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

(GODS BIG BOOK) By Joseph Dickerson / Recovery Connections 2016

Step work 8 22

STEP WORK
JUST FOR TODAY August 22 , 2016

Step 10 Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
(AA Big Book )

Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. 
(GODS BIG BOOK ) By Joseph Dickerson / Recovery Connections 2016

Step work Aug 20

STEP WORK
JUST FOR TODAY August 20 , 2016

STEP 9 Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Matthew 18:15
If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.
By Joseph Dickerson / Recovery Connections 2016

Step work just for today

STEP WORK
JUST FOR TODAY August 19 , 2016

STEP 8 Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all
(AA Big Book)

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ...
(GODS BIG BOOK ) By Joseph Dickerson / Recovery Connections

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 17 , 2016

STEP 7 Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

Colossians 3:8, 12-13 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

By Joseph Dickerson/Recovery Connections 2016

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 14 , 2016

STEP 7 Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

1 Chronicles 21:8 David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly."

For those of you who don't know David was a great King who committed adultery with another mans wife . King David got her pregnant and to not get caught He murdered her Husband.God forgave King David and King David became the Greatest King of Israel.

By Joseph Dickerson /Recovery Connections 2016

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 13 , 2016

STEP 6 Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

PSALM 51    

3 I recognize my faults;

I am always conscious of my sins.

4 I have sinned against you—only against you—

and done what you consider evil.

So you are right in judging me;

you are justified in condemning me.

5 I have been evil from the day I was born;

from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.

By Joseph Dickerson / Recovery Connections 2016

TogetherAZ Blog: Are Arizona Addicts for Sale?

TogetherAZ Blog: Are Arizona Addicts for Sale?: By Jim Kreitler, CEO,  Calvary Addiction Recovery Center Florida and California have well-earned reputations as states where addicti...

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 10 , 2016

STEP 5 Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

By Joseph Dickerson /Recovery Connections 2016

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 9 , 2016

STEP 4 Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Psalm 44 v 21 Would not God have discovered it , since He knows the secrets of the Heart ?

By Joseph Dickerson / Recovery Connections 2016

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 7 , 2016

STEP 3 Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Isaiah 45:9 "Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker-- An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'?

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 4 ,2016

STEP 2 . Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Ezekiel 36:26 – And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

By Joseph Dickerson / Recovery Connections 2016

Prayers Recovery Rally

https://www.facebook.com/events/131252737277665/?ti=as

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 3 ,2016

STEP 1 .We admitted we were powerless over chemical substances that our lives had become unmanageable.

Galatians 5:19-21 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

By Joseph Dickerson/Recovery Connections 2016

STEP WORK 

JUST FOR TODAY August 2 ,2016

STEP 7 Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

Ephesians 4:22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 

4:23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 

4:24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

By Joseph Dickerson/Recovery Connections

Non-Drug Approach to Treating Pain Could Help Prevent Opioid Addiction: Researchers - Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

Non-Drug Approach to Treating Pain Could Help Prevent Opioid Addiction: Researchers - Partnership for Drug-Free Kids: A new study finds a non-drug approach to pain management that combines behavioral therapy and social support is effective. The researchers say such an approach could help reduce addiction to opioid painkillers, Science Daily reports.

Critics of New Drug Enforcement Law Say It Could Worsen Opioid Epidemic - Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

Critics of New Drug Enforcement Law Say It Could Worsen Opioid Epidemic - Partnership for Drug-Free Kids: Critics of a new law that makes it more difficult for the government to take action against drug companies say the measure could worsen the opioid crisis, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Partnership News Service Archive - Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

Partnership News Service Archive - Partnership for Drug-Free Kids