Addiction is never cured. Overcoming the disease requires consistent mental and spiritual maintenance. Our nights are yet another time to exercise the recovery practices we have learned as a means of ensuring our sobriety in the day to come. We take the opportunity before we go to bed to bolster our spiritual connection and commitment to sobriety through a few basic mental and spiritual exercises. Before we go to sleep, we take time to review our actions throughout the day. We look for instances where we may not have been as strong in our recovery as we would like to be. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous suggests we ask ourselves a series of question: “Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life?” These questions, when answered honestly, can be catalysts for spiritual growth. It can be frightening to be so deeply honest with and aware of ourselves, our thoughts, and our behaviors. Most people, when faced with a regrettable situation, will push it into the background of their thoughts and trudge on. By facing any issues surrounding our actions, however, we are given the opportunity to correct our mode of thinking and reactions to life in the following day. Perhaps we acted selfishly and hurt someone’s feeling. We can take our newfound awareness and understanding of the situation to apologize to the person, then continue to watch our interactions in other similar situations. It is easy to get depressed or anxious as we review our day, particularly if we have caused someone an undue harm. The Big Book explains, “But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others.” Rather than allowing our reflection to hurt our own feelings, we take an objective of our actions so that we can see the bigger picture of our behavior. We use our introspection as a way to make the necessary changes that will be most conducive to living by a code of love and tolerance of others, consequently ensuring our sobriety in the days to come.
Your story doesn’t have to be one of suffering as a result of addiction and alcoholism. You can make the decision to seek help now and begin building a brighter future in sobriety. Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment facility in beautiful Laguna Beach, is staffed with caring and compassionate professionals dedicated to providing you with all the tools needed to achieve and maintain a fulfilling life, free of substances. For information about individualized treatment options, please call today: (877) 279-1777
