A Better Way Recovery, LLC

05/09/2026

She Recovers Every Day

Saturday
May 09

The Possibility of a Higher Power

I was introduced to the concept and value of having a higher power early in my recovery when I embarked on my Twelve Step journey. I didn't believe in a higher power at the time and thought I could recover without one. But the people around me were annoyingly persistent and goaded me into trying to believe in something—anything—outside of myself. In my desperation to stop hurting and to get them to leave me alone, I started to experiment. I was informed that my higher power could be anything, so my first one was a small, shiny black rock. Although it felt like complete hogwash, I prayed over the rock for a period of several days. Then I lost the rock. My second higher power was the "universe," which felt more than a little helpful when I practiced "giving things over." Although my higher power remains ever-evolving, I have figured out that the people in my circle were right: believing that there is a force outside of me that I can turn to is an enormous help in my recovery.

Believing in something outside of myself can bring me back to myself.

04/19/2026

No one really likes change. It's scary. We're not in control of what happens, so we don't know the outcome. Change isn't always bad. Think about the times you wish something had gone your way, but the universe had other plans. Did it end up terribly? Were you able to make it through? Faith over Fear

The Language of Letting Go
Apr 19

Accepting Change

The winds of change blow through our life, sometimes gently, sometimes like a tropical storm. Yes, we have resting places - time to adjust to another level of living, time to get our balance, time to enjoy the rewards. We have time to catch our breath.

But change is inevitable and desirable.

Sometimes, when the winds of change begin to rustle, we're not certain the change is for the better. We may call it stress or a temporary condition, certain we'll be restored to normal. Sometimes, we resist. We tuck our head down and buck the wind, hoping that things will quickly calm down, get back to the way things were. Is it possible we're being prepared for a new normal?

Change will sweep through our life, as needed, to take us where we're going. We can trust that our Higher Power has a plan in mind, even when we don't know where the changes are leading.

We can trust that the change-taking place is good. The wind will take us where we need to go.

Today, help me, God, to let go of my resistance to change. Help me be open to the process. Help me believe that the place I'll be dropped off will be better than the place where I was picked up. Help me surrender, trust, and accept, even if I don't understand.

03/27/2026

Congratulations to Rae and Kaitlin on graduating the Respect Institute! We are so proud of you continuing to grow in your recovery!

03/15/2026

Sponsorship is a cornerstone of recovery. This is the type of service work that helps you and others. Working the 12 steps with a sponsor fosters self-awareness and emotional resilience.

She Recovers Every Day

Sunday
Mar 15

Find a Buddy (Anybuddy)

I strongly believe that having even just one friend in recovery is incredibly helpful to our recovery. Depending on what sort of recovery journey you are on, you may be familiar with the concept of having a "sponsor" or a "mentor" or maybe even just an "accountability buddy." All such relationships can be helpful. If you are in Twelve Step recovery, the pressure to "get a sponsor" can invite a lot of anxiety. You should take your time picking out someone to work the Steps with (which is the purpose of a having a sponsor). If you are in a different recovery community, you might think about asking someone with more experience to mentor you, or somebody with the same amount of experience as you to be your accountability buddy. I've seen miraculous things happen when women join forces to help each other stay the course. You should also know that you don't need to establish formal relationships if you aren't ready for a sponsor, mentor, or accountability buddy. Maybe just ask someone if you can text them once in a while or have coffee or go for a walk. The main point here is that everybody deserves a buddy in recovery. And I'm sure there is someone out there who would love to be yours.

There are other women out there looking for the same level of connection as you are. May you find each other.

03/06/2026

She Recovers Everyday
March 6

Self-Sabotage

Self-sabotage is a form of self-harm. We self-sabotage because we are afraid of failure; we feel undeserving of success or unworthy of going after or having good or even wonderful things. As author Alyce Cornyn-Selby wrote, "Self-sabotage is when we want something and then go about making sure it doesn't happen." Self-sabotage can show up in our work or our art, in our relationships or in those promises to ourselves that we just can't seem to keep. Some of the self-defeating behaviors that we employ as self-sabotage include procrastination, perfectionism, avoidance, self-medicating, disorganization, starting fights, micromanaging, negative self-talk, mindlessly scrolling through the internet, and even paralysis. The best cure for self-sabotage is to recognize our negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones, and then take small but consistent positive actions in the direction of our goals or dreams. Stopping any self-harming behavior that we've been engaging in for a long time is hard. But, as our friend and fellow recovering woman Glennon Doyle regularly reminds us (and it's also the name of her podcast), we can do hard things.

Believing that we are worthy and deserving of what we desire is half the battle.

03/04/2026

After years of addiction, recovery can feel scary. It's daunting to think you're losing the one coping skill that worked for awhile. Making the decision to get clean/sober is huge. Getting into recovery is a lifelong decision. It requires support, love, tenacity, and the belief that you can do it.

02/20/2026

Please help us congratulate our four upcoming graduates. We are so proud of the work they have put in to get here. We pray they continue on this journey when they leave.

02/17/2026

01/26/2026

She Recovers Every Day

Monday
Jan 26

H.A.L.T.

If you have spent much time around people in recovery, then you will know that slogans and acronyms are a thing. Some are mildly annoying, but some are quite powerful. For example, the acronym H.A.L.T. is one of the most useful recovery tools I picked up in early recovery, and I still use it frequently. H.A.L.T. works like a built-in self-care warning system. The idea behind it is that when you are feeling vulnerable in your recovery or even just out of sorts in general, you can stop and ask yourself if you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then that thing needs to be addressed. Taking a catnap, if possible, will do wonders if you are tired, and a snack or meal will fix your hunger. The best antidote for loneliness is a visit or call with a close friend, and anger might require that you deal with whatever is making you mad, or at least take a brisk walk to displace the negative energy. H.A.L.T. is a brilliant tool, in my view. Were you familiar with it before now?

Stopping to check in with ourselves is always a good practice.

01/17/2026

January 17
AA Thought for the Day

It doesn’t do much good to come to meetings only once in a while and sit around, hoping to get something out of the program. That’s all right at first, but it won’t help us very long. Sooner or later we have to get into action by coming to meetings regularly, by giving a personal witness of our experience with alcohol, and by trying to help other alcoholics. Building a new life takes all the energy that we used to spend on drinking. Am I spending at least as much time and effort on the new life that I’m trying to build in AA?

Meditation for the Day

With God’s help, I will build a protective screen around myself which will keep out all evil thoughts. I will fashion it out of my attitude toward God and my attitude toward other people. When one worrying or impatient thought enters my mind, I will put it out at once. I know that love and trust are the solvents for the worry and frets of life. I will use them to form a protective screen around me.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that frets and impatience and worry may not corrode my protective screen against all evil thoughts. I pray that I may banish all these from my life.

Quoted from the app 24 Hours a Day.
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Hazelden Betty Ford treatment centers provide addiction treatment, mental health care, research, and care to individuals, communities, and families in crisis.

12/29/2025

Living Sober
pg 37-38

Anger in all its aspects is a universal human problem. But it poses
a special threat to alcoholics: Our own anger can kill us. Recovered
alcoholics almost unanimously agree that hostility, grudges, or resentments often make us want to drink, so we need to be vigilant against such feelings. We have found much more satisfying ways than drinking for dealing with them.

But we’ll get to those later. First, here is a look at some of the shapes
and colors anger seems at times to arrive in:
intolerance, snobbishness, tension, distrust, contempt, rigidity, sarcasm, anxiety, envy, cynicism, self-pity, suspicion, hatred, discontent, malice, jealousy

Various A.A. members have, when sober, been able to trace all
those feelings to some underlying anger. During our drinking days,
many of us spent little time thinking such things out. We were more
likely to brood about them, or to overreact, especially after we heightened such feelings by taking another drink.

Perhaps fear should be on that list, too, because many of us believe
anger is frequently an outgrowth of fear. We’re not always sure what
we’re afraid of; sometimes, it is just a vague, generalized, nameless
fear. And it can give rise to an equally generalized anger, which may
suddenly focus on something or someone.