August 23: When I Fall, I Will Rise

You drank. After all the progress, after the list, after the prayers. You drank. Now what?

Micah says it with grit. Don’t rejoice over me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.

Notice the word “when.” Not “if.” Micah expected to fall sometimes. What mattered was getting up. And he didn’t get up by his own strength. The Lord was his light in the dark.

A slip doesn’t erase what you’ve learned. It doesn’t erase the work you’ve done on your list. It doesn’t erase God’s love for you. Grace comes first, and it’s still here this morning.

Now the honest part. A slip is serious. It’s information. Something led to it. Maybe the list work stirred up too much. Maybe you got isolated. Maybe you stopped going to meetings or stopped calling. Look at it with someone. Not to beat yourself up, but to learn.

Here’s what to do today. Call your sponsor. Tell the truth. Get to a meeting. Be gentle with your body: eat, drink water, sleep.

If you drank heavily, especially for several days, be careful.

Don’t let shame keep you from coming back. Shame will say you’re a fraud, that everyone will judge you, that you might as well keep going. Those are lies. People in recovery have seen slips before. Most of them have had their own. They’ll be glad you came back.

It may help to remember that a slip is not the same as going back to the old life. One bad day is one bad day. What you do in the next few hours decides whether it stays that way. Reach out now, while the slip is still small.

You can pick up where you left off. The list is still there. The steps are still there. God is still there. Get up.

One thing today

Call one person in recovery today and tell them you slipped. Use plain words. Then go to the next meeting you can get to.

A prayer

Lord, I fell. I’m sitting in the dark. Be my light. Give me the courage to tell the truth and get back up. Thank You that Your grace is still here. Amen.

The relapse page walks through the next steps after a slip.

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