Thought for today:

The most important truth for us compulsive debtors to accept about ourselves is that we have a disease.  Compulsive debting is as real as any other disease – progressive and debilitating.  Left untreated it can lead to physical and mental deprivation, depression and death.  

Step One:

We admitted we were powerless over debt, that our lives had become unmanageable.

How low is bottom?

In the news we’ve all heard of some in politics who suffer grave humiliation, and financiers who have taken down entire communities with their compulsion to spend other people’s money, and the inevitable deceptions that followed.  In some cases their destruction and dishonesty caused whole industries and economies to collapse.  

We’ve also heard of tragic cases where someone takes their own life over a family debt, or the life of another.  How many have thrown life away this way?  How many heart attacks  and other ailments can we trace back to panic over debt?

We begin to recognize the slippery slope of unsecured debt and the lie of “free money”.  It is like violence on our souls.

True, we may not be as bad as these extreme cases – yet!  But if we are honest with ourselves, we, through endless forms of self-deception, had often thought that we could be like others and debt with impunity – to our own disastrous result!

Self-honesty changes everything:

Yes, we need to admit that in this one area, we are not like normal people.  If we don’t, we too, could become news stories.

Therefore, accepting this truth is the single most impactful thing we can do for our recovery.  We simply can’t afford to toy with unsecured debt.

This vantage point of surrender helps a transformation take place. Honest self-appraisal becomes possible.  The reality becomes clear: we cannot even entertain the thought of using unsecured credit without slipping back into an addiction that wrecks our future and the future of those we love.  

Keeping track of our spending and income, and sharing in Pressure Relief Meetings and with our sponsors becomes supremely important when you think about it this way. Without all the Tools and Steps of the program and the clarity they bring, we can easily shift back to vagueness and denial, and that, for us, leads back to debting.

The journey toward solvency begins with this simple idea: We are different.  But we are not alone!  With DA, a life of solvency and happiness is attainable!

Ask:

Am I convinced of my greatest personal truth – that I am a compulsive debtor who needs the fellowship of DA, and that everything else I have stems from that simple admission?

Meditation for today:

The virtue of honest-self-appraisal improves life.  It frees us from egotism so we can admit that we are not the center of the universe.  We appreciate others more.  We come across as more caring and trustworthy than we were before.  New opportunities present themselves.  A natural rhythm to recovery takes place.  Acceptance is truly the key to all our happiness.

Affirmation for today:

“I am honest and trustworthy, and I like that about myself.”

Prayer for today:

“I pray for self-honesty stronger than my pride.  I pray for the humility to follow the truth wherever it leads me.”

Follow Through:

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