BellaOnline Forums Family 12 Step Recovery Daily Pledge

I was reminded that I had intiated a forum that was actually a daily pledge to remind us of the freedom from addiction. I am going to reinstate that daily pledge even if I am the only person who writes. The idea of this is for anyone to add their own pledge that day and it gets passed on from one person to another. If, however, my own pledge is a reminder to any one out there to live their program one day at a time, I will continue as ad infinitum!

So, here is the first pledge of this forum.

I pledge that for today, June 18, I do not allow any of my addictions be a part of my day. I am in gratitude for the hope that my Higher Power will walk with me today. I extend my hand to anyone out there to grab on and pledge the same.

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

Kathy L.

Thank you for that pledge. As a grateful member of Alanon, that helps to hear that from you and anyone else.

Can you read my previous posting and tell me what you think about my recent dilemma? Thank you.

There IS a solution... Today, June 19, I pledge that I will live in that solution through prayer and meditation. I pledge that for today I will not allow alcohol, drugs or addictive behavior be a part of my day. Please join me in this pledge by responding to this forum so that we can continue to share the message.

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

June 20

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight" (Japanese Proverb). Today I will be standing tall and affirming that I will not live in my addictions today. I will remember to be in gratitude today for the life I have. I extend my hand to anyone out there to hold on and to join me in gratitude today.

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

June 21

Have decided to give all of you a "thought" for the day as long as I have something worthwhile to share. Here is today's. "Yesterday's history. Tomorrow's a mystery. All we have is today and it's called the present because it's a precious gift." (Anonymous) So for today, I pledge that I will do my best to live in the solution and be free from all of my addictions. Join me in this pledge either through this forum or my sharing with another in recovery.

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

June 22

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are but small matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I pledge that today I will be free of all of my addictions and be in gratitude for the many gifts given to me by my Higher Power. My prayer is that all of you will do the same..just for today!

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

Thank you for reposting this form of daily pledges! It is a new thing for me to learn to do, but by reading yours and relating to what you are pledging, is teaching me to think this way! So here goes for me too! Today I will pledge to not use alcohol or drugs to take my mind off of worrying about things I am losing control of.....like starting to lose my 12 year old son to World of Warcraft and how to stop him. I am praying to God about it and must use my straight senses to help distract him and make him learn real life skills. Sorry, Probably to much information here , for this just being a daily affirmation, but this is what i am fixated on at 3 am in the morning and cannot sleep

Wow! It's already Monday and I seemed to have missed the weekend. Sounds like I put my sobriety away on those days but certainly not true! So, let me start the week of by thanking JennaRae for her pledge. If this daily reminder is good for even one person (2, including myself), is is sooooo worth it!

So, today, June 25, "Of all of the people you will know in a lifetime, you are the only one who will never leave nor lose. To the question of your life, you are the only answer. To the problems in your life, you are the only solution." (anonymous)

I pledge today to be free of my addictions, to be in gratitude and to practice lovingkindness as best I can. Join me by responding to this forum in writing or at least pledging in your heart.

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

June 26, "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." Margaret Thatcher

If our addictions are the battles we fight, we know that it is something we do every day. Pledging today to keep me free of my addiction(s) is one more day that I win the battle! Join me and share this pledge.

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

I pledge to myself today to be aware of how I talk to myself and to be aware of how other people treat me IS NOT a reflection of my self worth. I pledge today to love myself and to love others without having to give my power over to them. I pledge today to stay free of alcohol and drugs . The desire to use has not hit me for almost 2 months now. Thank you God, Thank You Jesus for delivering me from the grips of mental illness that seeked relief and escape thru gulping down poison, that allowed the devil to take over me .

June 27 "Life is what happens when we're making other plans." (John Lennon) How true is that. I was told make a plan, God laughs because we think it is so about us! Today I pledge to be free of my addictions including any addictive behavior and I am in gratitude to be able to make this choice.

Thanks, JennaRae for pledging with me today. I hope others will either pledge in this forum but more important, in their hearts.

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

June 28

"Find courage in dis-courage-ment" (Catherine DeVrye)

A new day to pledge to be addiction free, as defect free as possible and to live in gratitude. Today is my oldest daughter's birthday and we have a wonderful relationship. Life is good.

Pledge with me today as I have pledged and a prayer for all of those who still suffer.

Kathy L.
12 Step Recovery Editor

June 29

"There are no hopeless situations. There are only men who have grown hopeless around them." (Clair Booth Luce)

Pledging today to free of my addictions and addictive behavior and to do my best to let go and live in the now.

June 29

Pledging today and tomorrow to be free of my addictive behaviors and understanding the principal that "it is not all about me" - which since I always thought pretty much in a negative way, would cause me to seek addictive behavior relief in alcohol escape. SO thankful to be free today of the feelings that made me want to use!!!!! Yea! , I am really changing in my behaviors and way of thinking.

July 2

"Be where you are--otherwise you will miss your life". (Buddha)

I am happy to begin the week by pledging to be free of all my addictions and to let go of all of the things that keep me from being the best I can be..just for today.

Pledge with me and pray for those out there who are still suffering.

July 3

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't--you're right either way." (Henry Ford)

Today I know I can. I choose today to be free of my addictions and to listen to the will of my Higher Power. Please pledge with me today and pray for those in need.

July 5 (Yep! Missed the 4th)

"It's not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." (Sir Edmund Hillary)

Life is good. I didn't give in to my addictions on the 4th and I pledge that I will not give in to them today. Today I will try to focus in on being grateful for being able to make this choice. Pledge with me today.

July 6

"'I tried and it didn't work' is a lot better than 'I wish I'd tried'". (Anonymous)

Today I celebrate my freedom from my addiction(s) and I will not allow them into my life. Join with me in this pledge and to pray for all of those who still suffer.

July 9

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." (Eleanor Roosevelt)
The beginning of a brand new week. Pledge with me today to be free of all addictions and free of the obsessions. Pray also for the person who still suffers AND for all of those who have done us harm.

July 10

"Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced." (James Baldwin)

That quote sounds a little bit like a newer version of the Serenity Prayer. For today I pledge to be free from my addictions and try to let go of anything I might fear today. Renew your commitment today to do the same.

July 11

"Hope Happens" (Catherine DeVyre)

Today is an important day for me. I have been smoke free for 6 months (harder than alcohol). So today I am pledging to remain free of all of my addictions and focus on gratitude because today I have a choice. Pledge today with me.

July 12

"There are no failures. Only learners." (Buckminster Fuller)

I pledge today to be free of my addictions and to remain teachable. Being teachable is practicing humility. Join with me in a pledge today to do the same and to reach out to someone else.

July 13

"Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, it is the ONLY time you've got." (Art Buchwald)

And so the end of another week and the beginning of another weekend but only today matters. Today I pledge to be addiction free and remember that it is still always one day at a time. Pledge with me and extend your hand to another in need.

July 16

"Fear is never a reason for quitting. It is only an excuse." (Norman Vincent Peale)

Today I pledge to be free of my addictions and to remember the part fear had played in my life. I pledge that if I feel fear today, I will face it squarely. I ask you to pledge the same only for today.

July 17

Today I celebrate my continued sobriety and recovery. I pledge to work hard on my addictive ways of thinking, realizing this "victim" attititude I seem to walk in and learning to turn it around. I printed out Kathy's writing on Forgiveness and plan to meditate on it today . (thank you Kathy for such insight) ..as I have become aware of how much negative power i am giving to having resentments against others when I think people have snapped at me "for no reason" and instead must practice forgiving them for my own peace and serenity. Also printed out Kathy's "Step" article and plan to share it with my some of my new girl friends in my AA group. We had just discussed step 4 last night and there were quite a few that are preparing to tackle step 4. Thanks again Kathy. Also thanks for your reference to dealing with fear. It is a hugh factor in my past for having me made decisions that got me where I am in my life. Wow!! so much to learn, so happy to start learning and being aware....FINALLY!!! oh and P.S. CONGRATULATIONS KATHY! on kicking your smoking habit....TRUE , MUCH HARDER THAN ALCOHOL -- and such damage to your body -- SUCH A GOOD THING TO DO FOR YOUR HEALTH!! Yea to YOU!!

July 17

"I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy." (Madama Curie)

First of all, thank you JennaRae. It is good to know that you have been able to find something meaningful for you in my articles. I ask also that you pass on the bella site to your AA friends and have them sign up for the newsletter. But, more than that I appreciate you writing your pledge. I'm not sure a lot of people realize that this isn't about me and what I am pledging for today but an invitation for anyone to write it out.

So for today I continue my daily pledge to be free of my addictions and today I must also pray for those who still suffer. Within the past few days, two women in my fellowship ended their lives because of alcohol. Extend a hand to someone in need today.

July 18

"Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference." (Virginia Satir)

I pledge today that I will remain free of my addiction(s) and to do whatever I must do to live life on life's terms. Pledge with me or add your own pledge to this forum.

July 19

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows." (Helen Keller)

I spoke at a rehab last evening which convinces me even more that pledging today to be addiction free is God's plan for me today. Pledge with me and pray for all of those who just can't get it.

July 19

I am so thankful for being free from my addictions today. When some of my addictive ways of thinking start to encroach my mind I have really experienced release from them and a peaceful mind state by praying the following full prayer:
Dear God, Please grant me your serenity to accept the things I cannot change , new courage to change the things that I can and Your Wisdom to know the difference, living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking, as Jesus did, this world as it is, not as I would have it, knowing that you will make all things right, if I only surrender to your will, so that, I may be somewhat happy in this life, and supremely happy with you in the next. Amen

July 20

"Cross your bridges when you come to them--or you pay the toll twice." (Margaret Miller Gallacher Smart)

Thanks JennaRae for your beautiful prayer. It is like all 12 steps rolled into one. Today I pledge to be free of my additions and the obsessions. My day will be successful if I can practice Step 3. For all of those still out there, our prayers are with you.

July 23

Hope all of you had a clean, sober weekend. "Don't ask for an easier life. Ask to be a stronger person." (Anonymous) That will be my pledge for today. To be a stronger person which means I will do whatever I can today to live outside of my addictions and defects. Pledge with me.

July 24

"Fear is the thief of dreams." (Anonymous)

I found through Step 4 that my life had been totally driven by fear...all kinds. Anyone else have that experience? So today I pledge to be aware of any fear today and remember that I am never alone when I ask my Higher Power for help. Pledge with me today.

July 25

"The most difficult matter is not so much to change the world as yourself." (Nelson Mandela)

This quote reminds me of trying to control everyone and everything. So today I pledge to be free of my addictions and to remember that I cannot control anyone but myself. If control is/was one of your issues, free yourself today.

July 26

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." (Dolly Parton)

This is a good quote for today because I can pledge to be free of my addictions and to remember that I must live life on life's terms; that means accepting everything my Higher Power throws my way. Pledge acceptance today.

July 27

No quote today because I used my diminishing weekly brain power on my article. But, it is still a good day to pledge to be free from all of my addictions and to pray for those who still suffer. Joine me!

July 30

"Be realistic. Plan for a miracle." (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)

The miracle does happen when we live the 12 Steps and only Step 1 has to be perfect. So I pledge today to remember that I am powerless over my addictions and with the help of my Higher Power will be free of them just for today.

July 31

"A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open." (Frank Zappa)

Isn't this what the program teaches us? To be teachable is to practice humility. I pledge today to be free of my addictions and to open my mind to to whatever and whomever I encounter today. Pledge with me and share it with someone else.

August 1

"There are always more choices than you think." (Catherine DeVrye)

Today I do have a choice. I can give in to my addiction or I can stay away. I pledge that for today I'm going to stay away from my addiction and any behavior that reminds me of it. Will you do the same?

August 2

"Everyone who is successful must have dreamed of something." (Maricopa N.A. Proverb)

In recovery we can have real dreams of success and can make them a reality. Today I will be free of my addictions and take positive action to make my dreams my successes. I hope you can take this pledge with me just for today.

August 3

"Housework can't kill you but why take the chance?" (Phyllis Diller)

I just read that quote on my bella editors page and thought I'd send something humorous for a change. Ironically, I couldn't do housework without a drink in my hand so maybe it is not all that humorous. But today life is different and I pledge today to remember Step 1 and that is that I am powerless. Renew Step 1 with me today.

August 5th,

Wow, I really like (and relate) to your quotes Kathy and thank you for them. The one about life being what it is but the way we cope with it making all the difference is SO KEY!! Also, boy have I avoided or sooooo rationalized about not crossing certain bridges in my life and have paid the toll over and over and over again...... I am going to write these down and stick them on my wall. ..... Today I had a ghostly (or ghastly) thought that I am probably ok now to be able to enjoy a nice cold Jack Daniels and pepsi, ooooh, how so quickly my taste buds romanced the idea of the cold tingling feeling tasting so sweet in my mouth, on this hot sweaty summer day. Just one , I thought, it wont freak me out.... what scares me is that I knew I should call my sponser, but I didnt want to admit it to her, plus I wasnt sure I wanted her to talk me out of it!!! Yikes! I am still so vulnerable . thank God, i imagined having to tell my group of my fall to temptation, I imagined feeling the huge dissappointment in myself, I imaginge having to take a wet chip and start all over again, and I imagined quitting / running away from the group and losing alot on neat friedships that I have just begun to enjoy. Lastly or maybe secondly, I imagined the sadness and fear my daughter and son would feel , smelling the alcohol on my breath and sensing that I am acting differently, while I foolishly try to hide it from them. Oh how I hate the hiding , how I hate the feeling of failure and of feeling on the defensive about something not worth defending. THANK YOU GOD , JESUS for bringing me all of these thoughts that I have learned from AA . This is a sign that the alcoholic "dog" is trying to come sniffing around in my life again and that I need to get my but to more meetings to feed my recovery "dog" . Today is my 90th day and tomorrow at group I will still be able to pick up by 90 day chip Yea Yea Yea . I will also share this story with them, but it felt relieving to first put it all down here. thank you for letting me share

August 8

I missed two days! Thanks JennaRae for sharing. I want everyone who reads this to know that this forum is for all of you, not just me & JennaRae. Maybe just one of you has something that will help another woman in recovery. No one knows who you are and I don't even see the email addresses. Talk about anonymity! So today I am not offering a quotation but an overall suggestion that some of you share whatever your feelings, good and not so good where others can read it.

And, pledge with me. Today I will be free of my addictions and will be in gratitude to my Higher Power for giving me this choice.

August 9

"No one ever damaged their eyesight looking on the brighter side of life." (Anonymous)

Is your glass half empty today or half full? I am going to pledge today to focus on having a glass that is half full because a positive attitude will keep me from my enemies (addictions).

August 10

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." (Dolly Parton)

So really if we want the gifts life gives, we have to put up with life! I pledge today to be free of my addictiions and look at every part of life, good and bad, as gifts from my Higher Power.

August 13

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude." (William James)

My pledge to be free of my addictions is implied in whatever I write so I don't repeat that daily. But this quote reminds me of the saying of having an attitude of gratitude so that is my pledge for today.

August 15

Yes. Skipped a day because I think I have had a little computer problem. "Find purpose. The means will follow." (A billboard somewhere in India)

I can totally relate to this. My interpretation is that no matter what, I have to turn it over to my HP and so today, I pledge to focus on Step 3.

August 16

"There are no failures--only learners." (Buckminster Fuller)

This simple quote reminds me and suggests the pledge for today and that is to be teachable. Being teachable is practicing humility.How can we practice this today?

August 17

No quote today. I wanted to let all of you who read this daily that I will be away until August 27. If these quotes and pledges help you out, reread them because they never really go out of date! Until next week, may God bless and keep you. Namaste'.

August 28

I'm back but not without having an emergency root canal yesterday. I have no quote but want to share and hope you will pledge with me to remember what gets us in trouble. HALT

August 28 continued (hit the Submit by accident)

HALT, if you are unfamiliar with this acronym it means hungry, angry, lonely and tired. When I am in physical pain, I have to remember this because pain doesn't make a day look all that promising. But I pledge to take care of myself today and to remember that I am stronger than HALT!