Alcoholism Support Group
Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.
Good morning to all I would like to share some of the prayers
that have helped in my recovery. I believe prayer is a personal thing for some and some may not want to post I understand that.
But I would also like to hear some of the prayers that may have helped in your life or recovery. One of the only prayers I knew before recovery was . "O God never again." usually said in the morning after a session on alcohol and said with the hangover from hell. I said this many times.
Another I said on the footsteps of the courthouse I was about to attend . "God if you get me out of this one I will never do it again." On a few occasions it work but I still did it again.
Then when I came into recovery this was the first prayer I saw The Prayer For Serenity and though I didn't know what many of the words meant especially Serenity I felt a peace when I said it.
It help me except that I could not change 99.9percent of the people, places things and situations outside of me. Though I tried hard to. And all it brought me was more unease
.It also helped me accept that I could change 99.9 percent of the things inside of me the way a saw those people , places things and situations and to accept them has they are. And wisdom to know the difference between the to.
I have said this prayer many times over the years and it has been a great help in my life.
The Prayer For Serenity
God, Grant me the Serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference. .
Just one more prayer for know that has also helped in my life and recovery and something I try live by ST. FRANCIS' Prayer .
ST. FRANCIS' Prayer
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace,
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.
Also a good but very short prayer.
God Help me.
God Bless...
LIonel
that have helped in my recovery. I believe prayer is a personal thing for some and some may not want to post I understand that.
But I would also like to hear some of the prayers that may have helped in your life or recovery. One of the only prayers I knew before recovery was . "O God never again." usually said in the morning after a session on alcohol and said with the hangover from hell. I said this many times.
Another I said on the footsteps of the courthouse I was about to attend . "God if you get me out of this one I will never do it again." On a few occasions it work but I still did it again.
Then when I came into recovery this was the first prayer I saw The Prayer For Serenity and though I didn't know what many of the words meant especially Serenity I felt a peace when I said it.
It help me except that I could not change 99.9percent of the people, places things and situations outside of me. Though I tried hard to. And all it brought me was more unease
.It also helped me accept that I could change 99.9 percent of the things inside of me the way a saw those people , places things and situations and to accept them has they are. And wisdom to know the difference between the to.
I have said this prayer many times over the years and it has been a great help in my life.
The Prayer For Serenity
God, Grant me the Serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference. .
Just one more prayer for know that has also helped in my life and recovery and something I try live by ST. FRANCIS' Prayer .
ST. FRANCIS' Prayer
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace,
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.
Also a good but very short prayer.
God Help me.
God Bless...
LIonel
Again thanks.
(paraphrased)
"Life is measured not by how many years you have lived on this earth but in as many as you have enjoyed."
I
I have used the 7th step prayer as a mantra especially when i am out walking sometimes my mind shuts out the beauty that surrounds me and I get trapped thinking about the past the future and I miss the now.
But when i say this prayer it brings me back into the moment and i can enjoy all my senses listening to the wildlife seeing the gardens and trees smelling the flowers.
There is so much more to these two little prayers but I will leave it there.
God Bless...
Lionel
The Third Step Prayer
from page 63 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
God, I offer myself to Thee-
To build with me
and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self,
that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties,
that victory over them may bear witness
to those I would help of Thy Power,
Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!
The Seventh Step Prayer
from page 76 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
My Creator,
I am now willing that you should have all of me,
good and bad.
I pray that you now remove from me
every single defect of character which stands in the way
of my usefulness to you and my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here,
to do your bidding.
Amen
"Faith without works is dead."
God Bless...
Lionel
23rd Psalm of Recovery
The Lord is my sponsor, I shall not want.
He makes me to go to many meetings.
He leads me to sit back, relax & listen with an open mind.
He restores my soul, my sanity & my health.
He leads me in the path of sobriety, serenity & fellowship for my own sake.
He teaches me to think, to take it easy, to live & let live & do first things first.
He makes me more humble & grateful.He teaches me to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can & gives me the wisdom to know the difference.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of despair, frustration, guilt & remorse, I will fear no evil.
For Thou are with me, your program, your way of life, your twelve steps, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: rationalization, fear, anxiety, self-pity, resentment.
You anoint my confused mind & jangled nerves with knowledge, understanding & hope.
No longer am I alone, neither am I afraid, nor sicken, nor helpless, nor hopeless.
My cups runs over.
Surely sobriety & serenity shall follow me every day of my life, one day at a time, twenty-four hours at a time.
As I surrender my will to You & carry Your message to others, I will dwell in the house of Higher Power, as I understand him, one day at a time, forever & ever.
Amen
It's Friday morning here 7.47am 19/6/09 and I am thankful for another day.
When I first saw the 12 steps hanging on a wall in an AA meeting I had no idea how they were going to change my life from a life of despair and a feeling of drowning in a sea of quicksand to a life that has been and still is one that is Happy Joyous and free. i am still not immune from what life throws at me from time to time but thanks to the steps I am able to handle them a lot better and when it's time to front up and be responsible I don't need to drink and shut everything out.
It's mainly because of the members of AA who gave me a lot of there time a whole lot of there time. And when I look a the We in the first step it reminds me I am not alone and not the only one going through life thinking and feeling the way I did so this little prayer is a good reminder for me..
God Bless...
Lionel
Unity Prayer
I put my hand in yours and together we can do what we could never do alone.
No longer is there a sense of hopelessness.
No longer must we depend upon our own unsteady willpower.
We are all together now, reaching out for power and strength greater than ours.
And as we join together, We find love and understanding beyond our wildest dreams.
-- Anonymous
Healing Prayer
We, who need help, pray for the healing of our
physical, emotional and spiritual pains and difficulties.
Source of all blessings and powers,
heal us - empower us, and bless us.
We realize that we cant do it alone, and we ask for blessings
from all those who have the power to help, elevate and heal.
We ask for the help from the sacred that is above us.
We ask for the support of those around us,
our friends, families, and communities.
We pray for the wisdom to find ways to help ourselves.
We ask for guidance to help us ease our way
and heal our hearts.
May we open ourselves to do the mystery that is beyond us,
the source from which we are never apart.
May we be happy and whole.
May energy pour through us for the benefit of one and all.
May we dance and lift up our hands and our hearts
in praise and rejoicing.
Live in Joy
Live in Joy, In love,
Even among those who hate.
Live in joy, In health,
Even among the afflicted.
Live in joy, In peace,
Even among the troubled.
Look within. Be still.
Free from fear and attachment,
Know the sweet joy of living in the way.
There is no fire like greed,
No crime like hatred,
No sorrow like separation,
No sickness like hunger of heart,
And no joy like the joy of freedom.
Health, contentment and trust
Are your greatest possessions,
And freedom your greatest joy.
Look within. Be still.
Free from fear and attachment,
Know the sweet joy of living in the way.-- from the Dhammapada, Words of the Buddha
_______________________________________________________________________
And thanks for sharing . I have seen you're second prayer but not the first they are both great. I don't think you have to be be christian to reap the benefits of a good prayer. When I first came into recovery i didn't believe in to much and I certainly didn't feel to close to God. And when my sponsor ask me to say the serenity morning and night I said I am not sure if I believe in God or not . He said I don't care if you believe in God or not I just want you to say the Serenity prayer morning and night and through the day when things are getting you down. So I prayed with disbelief but I prayed with sincerity because I wanted things to change.And after time the belief came My sponsor was right about the prayer and it saved my life and let me have piece of mind on many occasions.
So Again Thanks and God Bless...
Lionel
What a great day to be sober. A little verse I read on a card below which I liked. There have been many turning points in my life a lot I didnt see but theres I lot I can see today if I sit and reflect on what it was like ,what happened and what it is like today.
Someone once said. One usually finds there destination on the road they take to avoid it. And it just seems to me my whole life I spent dogging a weaving There have been a lot of crossroads in my life and though it seems I may have chosen the wrong turn at times I am certainly thankful for what I have today.
Today I believe there is a Power greater than myself who wants me here. And just for today I can see how blessed I am.
Enjoy your weekend ..
God Bless...
Lionel
Bend In The Road
by Helen Steiner Rice
Sometimes we come to life's crossroads
And view what we think is the end.
But God has a much wider vision
And He knows that it's only a bend--
The road will go on and get smoother
And after we've stopped for a rest,
The path that lies hidden beyond us
Is often the path that is best.
So rest and relax and grow stronger,
Let go and let God share your load,
And have faith in a brighter tomorrow--
You've just come to a bend in the road.
Almighty God, I humbly pray,
Lead me, guide me through this day.
Cast out my selfishness and sin,
Open my heart to let You in.
Help me now as I blindly stray
Over the pitfalls along the way.
Let me have courage to face each task,
Invest me with loving patience, I ask.
Care for me through each hour today,
Strengthen and guard me now, I pray.
As I forgive, forgive me too,
Needing Your mercy as I do.
Oh, give to me Your loving care,
Never abandon me to despair.
Yesterday's wrongs I would seek to right,
Make me more perfect in Your sight.
Oh, teach me to live the best I can,
Use me to help my fellow man.
Save me from acts of bitter shame,
I humbly ask it in Your name.
- An Alcoholic Anonymous -
I also love the the prayer of St Francis.
Wishing you all a peaceful Sunday
God Help me.
Hi hevg and thanks I to have used the Serenity prayer in queues! something I didn't handle to well in early recovery I would also pick up a magazine normally near checkout counter and try and read, my sponsor told me if I became restless irritable or discontented and queues would bring out all three in me to change the channel in my head and the Serenity Prayer and reading would do that.
This is a prayer most of us can carry with us wherever we go.
I hope you like it...
God Bless...
Lionel
Five finger Prayer
1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the priminister, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.
5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.