Making a difference and Being the Change

July 5 - I am free to be, to do, to accept, to reject.  I am free to be the wise, loving, kind, and patient person I want to be.  I'm free to do that which I consider wise - that which in no way harm or hinder another person.  I'm free to do that which will lead me into paths of peace and satisfaction.  I'm free to do decide for or against, to say no and to say yes.  I'm free to live life in a productive way and to contribute what I have to give to life.

Am I coming to believe that I am free to be the best self I am able to be?

Today I Pray - Let the freedom I am now experiencing continue to flow through my life into productiveness, into the conviction of life's goodness I have always wanted to share.  May I accept this freedom with God's blessing - and use it wisely.

Today I Will Remember - Let freedom ring true.

Independence from Gambling

What a feeling you must have celebrating your independence from gambling!  Enjoy your holiday!

 

Independence from Gambling - Happy 4th of July!

July 4 Independence Day - It's time for me to become willing to do what it takes to recover my personal responsibility, even if that means giving over the financial reins to another.  Just as there are paradoxes in the Steps - admitting my life's unmanageablility in order that it become manageable again, surrendering to a Higher Power in order to become liberated - there will be other paradoxes in my recovery.  Allowing a trusted family member or professional to take over management of my finances in order for me to become fiscally responsible may be one of those paradoxes.  I have proved that I am powerless over gambling - and over the emotional highs and lows that went with it.  Now is the time to give up my lonely disaster course and begin to interact with others, accepting any help my Higher Power provides.

Have I accepted that, although my recovery is my own, I sometimes need to count on others for their help and encouragement?

Today I Pray - May the Gamblers Anonymous Program, with God's help, give me a chance to live a steady, creative, outreaching life.  May I accept the strength others offer me, as I willingly share my strength with others.  May I realize on this Declaration of Independence Day that I, too, have a celebration of freedom - from my gambling addiction.

Today I Will Remember - To celebrate my personal freedom.

From the Happiness-Project

"Begin by instructing yourself, then you will receive instruction from others."
- Goethe

  

 

http://www.happiness-project.com/

Adjusting to Change from a Gambling Life

July 3 - Change is a part of the flow of life.  Sometimes we're frustrated because change seems slow in coming.  Sometimes, too, we're resistant to a change that seems to have been thrust upon us.  We must remember that change, in and of itself, neither binds us nor frees us. Only our attitude toward change binds or frees.  As we learn to flow with the stream of life, praying for guidance about any change that presents itself - praying, also, for guidance if we want to make a change and none seems in view - we become willing.

Am I willing to let God take charge, directing me in the changes I should make and the course I should take?

Today I Pray - When change comes too fast - or not fast enough - for me, I pray I can adjust accordingly to make use of the freedom the Gamblers Anonymous Program offers to me.  I pray for the guidance of my Higher Power when change presents itself - or when it doesn't and I wish it would.  May I listen for direction from that Power.

Today I Will Remember - God is in charge.

Gambler and Idle Time

July 2 - During our days of active addiction, many of us displayed almost dazzlingly fertile powers of imagination.  In no time at all, we could dream up more reasons - or excuses - for pursuing our addiction than most people use for all other purposes in their entire lives.  When we first come to Gamblers Anonymous, our once-imaginative minds seem to become lethargic and even numb.  "Now what do I do?" many of us wonder.  Gradually, however, the lethargy disappears.  We begin to apply our practiced imaginations to new, healthy challenges.  We become turned on to life in ways that we never dreamed possible.

Am I finding that I can now enjoy activities that I wouldn't even consider in the old days?

Today I Pray - May God give me a new surge of energy directed toward "turning on to life" rather than making excuses for not handling my responsibilities.  May my Higher Power allow my out-of-order imagination to be restored - not to the buzzing overactivity and excuse-making of my gambling days, but to a healthy openness to life's boundless possibilities.

Today I Will Remember - Turn on to life. 

When the fear of gambling is gone

July 1 - Fear may have originally brought some of us to Gamblers Anonymous.  In the beginning, fear alone may help some of us stay away from the game and that insidious about-to-be-lucky feeling (even when we knew that gambling always turned against us in the end).  But a fearful state is hardly conducive to comfort and happiness - not for long.  We have to find alternatives to fear to get us through those first empty hours, days, and even weeks.  For most of us, the answer has been to become active in and around the GA Program.  In no time, we feel that we truly belong; for the first time, we be begin to feel a "part of" rather than "apart from."

Am I willing to take the initiative?

Today I Pray - May God please help me find alternatives to fear - that watchdog of my earliest abstinence.  I thank my Higher Power for directing me to a place where I can meet others who have experienced the same compulsions and fears.  I am grateful for my feeling of belonging.

Today I Will Remember - I am "a part of, "not "apart from."