Spirit of Recovery

Today's episode is titled, “What Defects of Character?” We are going to talk about the importance of being willing to acknowledge our shortcomings, thinking here of course of Step 6, and our question for you is, “What is one shortcoming or character flaw that you realized you had and what was it like to finally see it and own it?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many of us, when in early addiction recovery we are not inclined to trust others or other peoples' ideas of how things should be done. But once we make the commitment to clean and sober living, we have an opportunity to learn and trust a recovery process that has worked for many others. We get to decide if it will work for us. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on learning to trust the process of recovery on the way to a life that is happy, joyous and free. Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we get into addiction recovery, we learn to be mindful of our actions. We hear the phrase, “Do the next right thing,” which sounds like a great idea, but what does that actually mean? How are we supposed to know what the next right thing is anyway? Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on moving from aimlessness to freedom by doing the “next right thing.” Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many gifts of addiction recovery come to us when we are willing to work for them. Part of that work is facing the wreckage of our past. To do so we must combine right intention with the guidance of a trusted advisor in order to get real results. We must “do the work”—but how do we go about doing this work? Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on finding our way from complacency to freedom through the willingness to do the work. Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first get into recovery, we learn we need a Higher Power in order to grow and change. But once we have found something that works for us (even temporarily) we must learn how to rely on and be guided by this Power. And in doing so, we find we can live with a new confidence. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope in learning to trust our Higher Power in all things. Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we grow through our addiction recovery journey, we often come face to face with old habits that are hard to break! Fortunately, once we are a few steps down the recovery path we become willing to make new choices that support our new--and much better!--way of living. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on letting go of old habits and opening the door to a whole new way of being. Find Spirit of Recovery of Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One thing we need in order to grow in our recovery is to walk our path with principled honesty. This can be more challenging than it sounds at first! But if we are willing to show up and do the work, we can drop the heavy load we have been carrying and enjoy a lightness of being that will transform our lives. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on lightening the load through the power and practice of truth with integrity. Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It takes courage and integrity to walk an addiction recovery path. If we persist, we will come to know ourselves as the spiritual beings we truly are, but first we must trek through the wreckage of our past. In order to move into the Light, we must face our Shadow. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on finding a path through the Shadow to the Light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us in addiction recovery can affirm that we've never let go of anything that didn't have claw marks on it! Even when we were, in essence, clinging to a sinking ship! But we eventually find that when we become willing to try a new way, our lives begin to change. When we can truly “Let Go” and allow a higher power to provide guidance and direction, our lives begin to become amazing. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on learning how to let go, trust a Higher Power and build a wonderful new life. Find Rev Dan and Rev Michelle hosts of Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Need help with alcohol? Connect with Alcoholics Anonymous here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In early recovery, the prospect of living a life filled with peace and joy may appear distant and unattainable. However, there is a path to such a life. The journey begins with disentangling ourselves from the chaos of a life without direction by placing our trust in a Higher Power. And in doing so we begin to unlock the gateway to sanity and hope. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on creating a life of genuine peace and joy by coming to believe in a Higher Power. Connect with Rev. Dan Beckett and Rev. Michelle Vargas on Facebook be a part of the Spirit of Recovery community Need help with alcohol? Connect with Alcoholics Anonymous Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you ever feel like life would be so much better if you could just wipe the slate clean and start over? Well, you can do just that! In fact you can start over any time you decide. Our Higher Power gives us the ability to leave behind that which no longer serves us and move ahead in a new and better way. A new beginning! Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on energizing your life by starting over, anytime. Find Rev Dan Beckett and Rev Michelle Vargas on Facebook Do you need help with alcohol addiction? Alcoholics Anonymous is here SAMSA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the Daily Reflection for Dec 5, 2023: “He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being.” TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 107. Many of us in A.A. puzzle over what is a spiritual awakening. I tended to look for a miracle, something dramatic and earth-shattering. But what usually happens is that a sense of well-being, a feeling of peace. Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Need help? Alcoholic's Anonymous is there for you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season, we're here today to talk about the role gratitude has played in our addiction recoveries and in our lives. We want to share our experience, strength and hope on how a thankful mindset has been a game-changer on the road to recovery as well as in life. Please email us and let us know what gratitude has done for you. SpiritOfRecoveryUnity@gmail.com Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A SAFETY NET - From the Daily Reflections entry for November 18, 2023. “Occasionally. . . . We are seized with a rebellion so sickening that we simply won't pray. When these things happen we should not think too ill of ourselves. We should simply resume prayer as soon as we can, doing what we know to be good for us.” TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105 Sometimes I scream, stomp my feet, and turn my back on my Higher Power. Then my disease tells me that I am a failure, and that if I stay angry I'll surely get drunk. In those moments of self-will it's as if I've slipped over a cliff and am hanging by one hand. The above passage is my safety net, in that it urges me to try some new behavior, such as being kind and patient with myself. It assures me that my Higher Power will wait until I am willing once again to risk letting go, to land in the net, and to pray. Connect with Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I "Let Go and Let God," I think more clearly and wisely. Without having to think about it, I quickly let go of things that cause me immediate pain and discomfort. Because I find it hard to let go of the kind of worrisome thoughts and attitudes that cause me immense anguish, all I need do during those times is allow God, as I understand Him, to release them for me, and then and there, I let go of the thoughts, memories and attitudes that are troubling me. When I receive help from God, as I understand Him, I can live my life one day at a time and handle whatever challenges come my way. Only then can I live a life of victory over alcohol, in comfortable sobriety. Connect with Rev Dan and Rev Michelle on Facebook leave a question or comment Need help? Contact the SAMHSA National Help line Find an AA meeting near you. Get help from Alcoholics Anonymous Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the Daily Reflection on October 17: A Daily Tune Up - “Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.” ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85 How do I maintain my spiritual condition? For me it's quite simple: on a daily basis I ask my Higher Power to grant me the gift of sobriety for that day! I have talked to many alcoholics who have gone back to drinking and I always ask them: "Did you pray for sobriety the day you took your first drink?" Not one of them said yes. As I practice Step Ten and try to keep my house in order on a daily basis, I have the knowledge that if I ask for a daily reprieve, it will be granted. So let's talk about step 11, about maintaining our spiritual condition, and about staying in touch and in tune with our Higher Power each and every day. Connect with the Spirit of Recovery community on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Someone who knew what he was talking about once remarked that pain was the touchstone of all spiritual progress. How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him. . . .” Twelve steps and twelve traditions, pp. 93-94 When on the roller coaster of emotional turmoil, I remember that growth is often painful. My evolution in the A.A. program has taught me that I must experience the inner change, however painful, that eventually guides me from selfishness to selflessness. If I am to have serenity, I must STEP my way past emotional turmoil and its subsequent hangover, and be grateful for continuing spiritual progress. Connect with Rev. Dan Beckett and Rev. Michelle Vargas on Facebook leave a message or comment Have a problem with alcohol? Find an AA chapter near you - Alcoholics Anonymous Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the Daily Reflection - September 20 - “See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.” (ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164) Having a right relationship with God seemed to be an impossible order. My chaotic past had left me filled with guilt and remorse and I wondered how this "God business" could work. A.A. told me that I must turn my will and my life over to the care of God, as I understand Him. With nowhere else to turn, I went down on my knees and cried, "God, I can't do this. Please help me!" It was when I admitted my powerlessness that a glimmer of light began to touch my soul, and then a willingness emerged to let God control my life. With Him as my guide, great events began to happen, and I found the beginning of sobriety.” Connect with the Spirit of Recovery community on Facebook Links for help if you need it- Alcoholics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We were talking recently about the recovery concept of “keeping my side of the street clean” and wanted to explore it here on the podcast. We'll start by sharing this from the Big Book, p 77-78: “We are there to sweep off our side of the street, realizing that nothing worthwhile can be accomplished until we do so, never trying to tell him what he should do. His faults are not discussed. We stick to our own." And from the Daily Reflection for Sept 7, 2023: “I made amends to my dad soon after I quit drinking. My words fell on deaf ears since I had blamed him for my troubles. Several months later I made amends to my dad again. This time I wrote a letter in which I did not blame him nor mention his faults. It worked, and at last I understood! My side of the street is all that I'm responsible for and — thanks to God and A.A. — it's clean for today.” So let's talk about keeping our side of the street clean! Find the Spirit of Recovery crew on Facebook Connect with Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle and get support Support Spirit of Recovery here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drawing from the Daily Reflection on anonymity, “We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have.” And from the 12 and 12, p. 187, “Since there are no rules in A.A. I place myself where I want to be, and so I choose anonymity. I want my God to use me, humbly, as one of His tools in this program. Sacrifice is the art of giving of myself freely, allowing humility to replace my ego. With sobriety, I suppress that urge to cry out to the world, "I am a member of A.A." and I experience inner joy and peace. I let people see the changes in me and hope they will ask what happened to me. I place the principles of spirituality ahead of judging, fault-finding, and criticism. I want love and caring in my group, so I can grow. So let's talk about anonymity! Support Spirit of Recovery here Connect with Dan and Michelle and the Spirit of Recovery community on Facebook here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Living the Truth We Know - In a recent Daily Reflection we read, "The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it." And from the Big Book: “When new in the program, I couldn't comprehend living the spiritual aspect of the program, but now that I'm sober, I can't comprehend living without it. Spirituality was what I had been seeking. God, as I understand Him, has given me answers to the whys that kept me drinking for twenty years. By living a spiritual life, by asking God for help, I have learned to love, care for and feel compassion for all my fellow men, and to feel joy in a world where, before, I felt only fear.” ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 83. Support Spirit of Recovery here Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From a Daily Reflection reading: “I am learning to let go and let God, to have a mind that is open and a heart that is willing to receive God's grace in all my affairs; in this way I can experience the peace and freedom that come as a result of surrender. It has been proven that an act of surrender, originating in desperation and defeat, can grow into an ongoing act of faith, and that faith means freedom and victory.” Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope about the peace and freedom that results from surrender. Support Spirit of Recovery Connect with Dan and Michelle on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"One Day at a Time" is one of the phrases we hear a lot in recovery circles. It means first and foremost that we must focus on the present. We can't see or predict the future, and we can't control what happens in the world at large. But we can learn to choose our own actions, right here and now. In fact, our own actions are just about the only thing we can exert influence over! And even though it takes time and practice, we can learn to live in the present moment, to live one day or even one moment at a time. And when we do, life gets so much easier. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on living our lives one day at a time. Support Spirit of Recovery Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we get in recovery, we find a set of spiritual principles that help us get sober and stay sober. But we also hear that we should “practice these principles in all our affairs.” What does it mean--or what does it look like--to apply recovery principles to our lives outside of our particular addiction? We have heard it said, “I got into recovery to get sober, but what I learned is how to live.” Today we want to share our experience, strength, and hope on using spiritual principles to navigate tough times, regardless of what they may be. Find out more about Spirit of Recovery and how you can support them Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Find books from MindBodySpirit.fm podcast hosts in the online store Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addiction recovery, we learn that we need to make and maintain conscious contact with our Higher Power for guidance, but we don't stop there. We continue on to learn how to be of service to others by carrying the message of recovery to any who seeks it. Today we want to share our experience, strength, and hope on learning to be of service as a natural outcome of spiritual awakening. Find Rev Dan Beckett and Rev Michelle Vargas on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the old song tells us, sometimes we need to hold onto things and sometimes we need to let go. Many of us in addiction recovery have held onto some things way too long! Learning how to rely on a Higher Power for guidance helps us know what to let go of, and when. And what to hold on to and build upon. Today we want to share our experience, strength, and hope on “when to hold ‘em” and “when to fold ‘em” on the path to freedom. Find Dan and Michelle on Facebook and connect with the Spirit of Recovery community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many of us, when in early addiction recovery we are not inclined to trust others or other peoples' ideas of how things should be done. But once we make the commitment to clean and sober living, we have an opportunity to learn and trust a recovery process that has worked for many others. We get to decide if it will work for us. Today we want to share our experience, strength, and hope on learning to trust the process of recovery on the way to a life that is happy, joyous and free. Support Spirit of Recovery on Patreon Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many gifts of addiction recovery come to us when we are willing to work for them. Part of that work is facing the wreckage of our past. To do so we must combine right intention with the guidance of a trusted advisor in order to get real results. We must “do the work”—but how do we go about doing this work? Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on finding our way from complacency to freedom through the willingness to do the work. Support the Spirit of Recovery crew on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we get into addiction recovery, we learn to be mindful of our actions. We hear the phrase, “Do the next right thing,” which sounds like a great idea, but what does that actually mean? How are we supposed to know what the next right thing is anyway? Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on moving from aimlessness to freedom by doing the “next right thing.” Find the Spirit of Recovery team Dan Beckett and Michelle Vargas on Facebook Support Spirit of Recovery on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gratitude could well be the single most powerful spiritual practice for transforming our consciousness. We can literally take a bad day and "begin again" by bringing to mind that which we are grateful for. And although gratitude is not a magic bullet, it's an integral part of an addiction recovery journey. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on the spiritual practice of gratitude. Support the Spirit of Recovery Crew on Patreon http://Patreon.com/SpiritOfRecovery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first get into recovery, we learn we need a Higher Power in order to grow and change. But once we have found something that works for us (even temporarily) we must learn how to rely on and be guided by this Power. And in doing so, we find we can live with a new confidence. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope in learning to trust our Higher Power in all things. Support Spirit of Recovery on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we grow through our addiction recovery journey, we often come face to face with old habits that are hard to break! Fortunately, once we are a few steps down the recovery path we become willing to make new choices that support our new--and much better!--way of living. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on letting go of old habits and opening the door to a whole new way of being. Like this podcast? Support Spirit of Recovery here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One thing we need in order to grow in our recovery is to walk our path with principled honesty. This can be more challenging than it sounds at first! But if we are willing to show up and do the work, we can drop the heavy load we have been carrying and enjoy a lightness of being that will transform our lives. Today we want to share our experience, strength, and hope on lightening the load through the power and practice of truth with integrity. Connect with Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Support the Spirit of Recovery podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It takes courage and integrity to walk an addiction recovery path. If we persist, we will come to know ourselves as the spiritual beings we truly are, but first we must trek through the wreckage of our past. In order to move into the Light, we must face our Shadow. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on finding a path through the Shadow to the Light. Support Spirit of Recovery here Connect with Spirit of Recovery on Facebook for help and support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us in addiction recovery can affirm that we've never let go of anything that didn't have claw marks on it! Even when we were, in essence, clinging to a sinking ship! But we eventually find that when we become willing to try a new way, our lives begin to change. When we can truly “Let Go” and allow a higher power to provide guidance and direction, our lives begin to become amazing. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on learning how to let go, trust a Higher Power and build a wonderful new life. Support Spirit of Recovery here Join the Spirit of Recovery Facebook community here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we are in early recovery, the idea of a life of peace and joy seems very far away. The good news is that we can get there! But first we must extricate ourselves from the disarray of an undirected life. We can then learn to trust a Higher Power, thus opening the door to sanity and hope. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on moving from disarray to genuine peace and joy by coming to believe in a Higher Power. Support Spirit of Recovery here https://Patreon.com/SpiritOfRecovery Find Spirit of Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you ever feel like life would be so much better if you could just wipe the slate clean and start over? Well, you can do just that! In fact you can start over any time you decide. Our Higher Power gives us the ability to leave behind that which no longer serves us and move ahead in a new and better way. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on energizing your life by starting over, anytime. Need help? Get in touch with Rev. Dan Beckett and Rev Michelle Vargas on Facebook Addiction Resources https://addictionresource.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we answer the call to assist another alcoholic or addict on their recovery path, we do so with generosity and gratitude. We do not pay our sponsors or expect payment from our sponsees. Recovery must be free from commerce if we are to be successful. Yes, there may be medical professionals involved in our recovery at first, and we certainly "render unto Caesar" as appropriate at that time. But we do not buy or sell recovery. We give freely and receive freely in gratitude. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on giving and receiving freely, and the joys that accompany it. Where Spirit and Recovery meet! Connect with Rev Dan Beckett and Rev Michelle Vargas on Facebook for help and support on your recovery journey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobody else is responsible for our sobriety. We are the ones who direct, live and own our own sober experience. In this sense we are "fully self supporting" just as the 7th Tradition guides our recovery groups to be. But in active addiction we often tried to put our responsibilities onto others. "If work wasn't so stressful, I wouldn't drink so much." Well, excuses like this will never keep us sober, so we learn to be true to our own selves, and to be self supporting in our sobriety. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on owning our sobriety, one day at a time. Join Rev Dan Beckett and Rev Michelle Vargas on Facebook for support in your recovery journey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The lure of prestige has been the downfall of many on the recovery journey. We can get to feeling so good about ourselves that we fall into that old trap of wanting to be seen as the “number one man or woman” in the eyes of others. How can we remain true to our purpose and avoid the trap of pride? Can we practice humility without feeling humiliated? Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on staying in integrity on the recovery journey and avoiding the desire to look good doing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 The Fifth Tradition tells us that, “Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic/addict who still suffers.” When we first get into recovery, we learn we need to focus on ourselves in order to heal and grow. But, we quickly find that being of service to others is an essential part of our own healing. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on balancing self and other in a healthy way as an ongoing part of a successful recovery journey. Find Rev Dan Beckett and Rev Michelle Vargas on Facebook be a part of the Spirit of Recovery community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobody has ever stopped drinking or drugging if they didn't want to. The motivation and commitment to get clean and sober is essential for success. Even though those of us walking a recovery path know that this alone is not enough, we also know it is foundational for living a life of freedom. Today we want to share our experience, strength and hope on finding and sustaining the motivation and commitment to sober living Join the Spirit of Recovery community on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices