HALTS

For those who have been in 12 step circles for some time, the acronym “HALT” is very familiar. It is important for me to have the presence of mind to recognize that Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired can be windows to threats to my sobriety. I am more vulnerable to temptation when HALT is in play.

But I have come to realize that there are two additional sets of circumstances, which can also find me more vulnerable. Sickness can wear down my defenses. When I am not feeling my best, my radar does not seem to pick up the presence of triggers as easily. And Stress is also a set-up. When I allow stress to crowd out my Higher Power, the promises of steps 2, 3, and 11 are just not a reality for me.

It is not just HALT. It is HALTS! I am grateful for the awareness of these additional areas of vulnerability in my life. I want to always be vigilant against any threats to my sobriety, recovery, and serenity. HALTS helps me to have this awareness.

ODAAT

I have often heard old timers say, “one day at a time”. At first I didn’t understand. I was struggling so hard to string together even a few days of sobriety. I thought that when I reached 30 days, I had arrived. I just didn’t understand what it meant to have sobriety, just for today.

Twice, I reached 1-year anniversaries. I was so excited to get my 1-year chip. Then 3 days after my first “birthday”, I lost my sobriety. I had been so focused on what I had achieved that I forgot that it is my God who keeps me sober and that sobriety is only for today. The second time that it happened was 3 days before my anniversary. All of my attention was on what I was going to be able to share with my group about having reached one year. I forgot that I am only promised what I need for today, not for tomorrow and certainly not for the next 3 days.

Now I understand what it means to only have today. I choose to not live in the past or in the future. I live in the present. And the little acronym ODAAT (One Day At A Time) helps me to remember that.

Greenware

I’ve read that the testing of my faith produces endurance. That the result is that I will be complete, lacking in nothing. Sometimes I don’t understand that. Sometimes I think that it only makes me weary.

In the past, I’ve worked with ceramics. The “greenware”, or formed but unbaked clay pieces, are coated with very dull looking glazes before they are put in the kiln. Then the kiln is fired up. The heat becomes quite intense and lasts for quite a while. Once the kiln is turned off, it must remain completely sealed until it has cooled down to room temperature. If the cover is opened too soon, the ceramic pieces will explode. With patience though, the glazes on the finished pieces become brilliant.

Sometimes I seem to be like a piece of greenware. I have been formed by the hands of my Higher Power while seeming to whirl around on the potter’s wheel of life. I am coated in the dullness of everyday living. I am tried and tested by the fires of difficult circumstances. I need to be patient. Sometimes I almost feel like I will explode if I have to wait any longer to see the results in my life. But I need to persist in the face of time. What once seemed dull and even difficult can turn brightly colored. The testing of my faith does produce endurance. I am complete – complete in God.