The time to be healed is now. There is no need to postpone
the peace, prosperity and abundant life in addiction
recovery that we all deserve. Enlightened people throughout
the ages have understood this principle.
The Lord’s Prayer says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Not
yesterday’s and tomorrow’s bread…but today’s. “Today is the
day of Salvation.” Bill W. suggested that we live “one day at a
time,” and that day is today! All life takes place in the present,
this very moment. This moment is a gift, that’s why it is called
the present.
But how can we understand this spiritual principle and put it
into action? Action that creates real change requires devotion,
attention, and focus…in the right direction. Here, we’ll review
some common mistakes people make in early recovery. Then,
we’ll talk about how you can apply a few simple suggestions
into your “One Day At A Time” routine in order to change your
life! Questions are welcomed at the end.
Understanding The Present Moment
When I was getting sober, I struggled with the one-day-at-a-
time logic. It didn’t strike me as very profound, because, after
all, I had been literally existing one day at a time in active
addiction. My life revolved around getting high, right now,
today.
In early recovery I spent a lot of my day living in the past,
worrying about past misdeeds and mentally revisiting the poor
choices that I had made. What a waste of time. I realize now
that I had developed and nurtured this fear based habit as a
distraction. Even though the past was unpleasant and filled
with error, at least I knew what happened. This was less
stressful than living in the present or with the uncertainty of the
future.
I also spent countless hours daydreaming about what I wanted
to do, own, or accomplish “someday” rather than taking daily
action to turn my dreams into reality. Granted ,this was more
productive than rehearsing the doubt and defeat of my past…
but it also was a waste of time. I did not yet understand the line
in the serenity prayer, “the courage to change the things I
can.” It meant the courage to take action right now. If I want a
better future, I need to start building it today.