jdardis07

6:03 am Mornings are my favorite part of the day. All of the disappointments, inadvertent behavior and missteps of yesterday dissipated as I slept and I wake yet again to another opportunity to experience and thoroughly enjoy my life. I begin with a clean slate every day, a daily commemoration and celebration of Grace. The […]

National Recovery Month Every September, we observe National Recovery Month. The problems of alcoholism and drug dependence are a continuing and proliferating national issue. We are all affected by addiction, either by experiencing it ourselves or having a loved one in our lives who suffers. It touches everyone, directly or indirectly. As such, it seems

The Guinea Pig I don’t know if they still do or not, but there was a time when there was laboratory testing done on guinea pigs. That’s where we got the term being a guinea pig, one who goes first to test things out for everybody else. We have always had guinea pigs. How is

Serenity Now! I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news. You are in charge of how much serenity you have at any given time. That’s it; both the good news and the bad news. Serenity and peace sometimes seem like unicorns and dragons, mythical and imaginary, but they are not. They are

The Wreckage of the Past “The wreckage of the past becomes the wreckage of the future if we do nothing with it today.” -Anonymous I have yet to meet an alcoholic or addict that didn’t have to face up to some fairly unpalatable realities upon sobering up. Let us never forget what we did when

A Self-fulfilling Prophecy “Man becomes what he thinks about all day long.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Today, I wish to share with you a gentle reminder of caution: be careful of your thoughts. The mind of man is one of the greatest mechanisms ever created. It is a tool that is sharpened with every generation. Each

Do you Hear what I Hear? One of my undergraduate degrees is in History. It was always my favorite subject. It was the font of my understanding of all things. Early on, I was very interested in figuring out how we got where we as a people are today. He who does not learn from

Keeping Score Are you a point counter? Are you the kind of person that keeps the score on everybody and when they have met an acceptable level that you have established, only then give a little bit back? Do people have to earn your love and kindness like a monarch with his people, only dispensing

Atta-boy! Most alcoholics and addicts have no idea who they really are. They have spent a lifetime trying to be what they thought everyone wanted them to be. They commonly seek affirmation from others. They have no real self-identity. They live for the next atta-boy. I know I did. I was a codependent before I

Aftercare-ful Anyone that has a heart attack and almost dies requires significant medical attention right away. But they don’t simply get that medical attention, and then just move on. They may have to change their diet; they may have to take medications. Almost certainly, they do follow-up medical appointments to make sure that they are