A Daily Reprieve

 I stuck a 24-Hour chip on a cabinet door in my kitchen. It stands out there, a daily reminder to me to not take my sobriety for granted. I could easily go there, with an “I got this” attitude. Fortunately for me, as well as for so many others before, with, and after me, I’ve read the accounts and heard the first-person stories of those who believed that lie, and found themselves slaves to their addiction/s once again. 

Bill wrote on page 85 of the Big Book that “We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” There are very few ‘musts’ in our program, but this is the big one. We must “carry the vision of God’s will into all of our activities.” Every day, into every activity, every thought, every action. These things don’t just happen. They are the fruits of working the steps, culminating in living by the instructions of Steps 10, 11, and 12. 

Taking a daily inventory and being personally accountable for my actions, communing with my Creator through prayer and meditation, and seeking ways to be helpful to others by showing kindness in action— these are how I maintain my spiritual condition. When I go off the rails, it is I, not God, who has moved off track. It is my responsibility to get quiet, go within, and acknowledge the Great Reality which exists as All Love, then to let that inform my actions—daily.


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