Shiller Ranch Recovery Residence

05/25/2026

From all of us at Shiller Ranch Recovery Residence - Happy Memorial Day

05/23/2026

05/16/2026

Just for today

May 16, 2026

Our Higher Power's wil

“God's will for us becomes our own true will for ourselves."

Basic Text, p. 48

The Twelve Steps are a path to spiritual awakening. This awakening takes the form of a developing relationship with a loving Higher Power. Each succeeding step strengthens that relationship. As we continue to work the steps, the relationship grows, becoming ever more important in our lives.

In the course of working the steps, we make a personal decision to allow a loving Higher Power to direct us. That guidance is always available; we need only the patience to seek it. Often, that guidance manifests itself in the inner wisdom we call our conscience.

When we open our hearts wide enough to sense our Higher Power's guidance, we feel a calm serenity. This peace is the beacon that guides us through our troubled feelings, providing clear direction when our minds are busy and confused. When we seek and follow God's will in our lives, we find the contentment and joy that often elude us when we strike out on our own. Fear or doubt may plague us when we attempt to carry out our Higher Power's will, but we've learned to trust the moment of clarity. Our greatest happiness lies in following the will of our loving God.

Just for Today: I will seek to strengthen my relationship with my Higher Power. I know from experience that knowledge of my Higher Power's will provides a sense of clarity, direction, and peace.

05/11/2026

NA Just For Today Daily Meditation

May 11, 2026

Balancing the scale

A lot of our chief concerns and major difficulties come from our inexperience with living without drugs. Often when we ask an old timer what to do, we are amazed at the simplicity of the answer."

Basic Text, p. 43

Finding balance in recovery is quite a bit like sitting down with a set of scales and a pile of sand. The goal is to have an equal amount of sand on each side of the scales, achieving a balance of weight.

We do the same thing in recovery. We sit down with the foundation of our clean time and the Twelve Steps, then attempt to add employment, household responsibilities, friends, sponsees, relationships, meetings, and service in equal weights so that the scales balance. Our first try may throw our personal scales out of kilter. We may find that, because of our over-involvement in service, we have upset our employer or our family. But when we try to correct this problem by resigning from NA service altogether, the other side of the scales go out of balance.

We can ask for help from members who have stabilized their scales. These people are easy to recognize. They appear serene, composed, and self-assured. They'll smile in recognition at our dilemma and share how they slowed down, added only a few grains of sand at a time to either side of the scales, and were rewarded with balance in recovery.

Just for Today: I seek balance in my life. Today, I will ask others to share their experience in finding that balance.

05/09/2026

NA just for today

May 09, 2026

Write about it!

"We sit down with a notebook, ask for guidance, pick up our pen, and start writing."

Basic Text, p. 30

When we're confused or in pain, our sponsor sometimes tells us to "write about it." Though we may groan as we drag out the notebook, we know that it will help. By laying it all out on paper, we give ourselves the chance to sort through what's bothering us. We know we can get to the bottom of our confusion and find out what's really causing our pain when we put the pen to the paper.

Writing can be rewarding, especially when working through the steps. Many members maintain a daily journal. Simply thinking about the steps, pondering their meaning, and analyzing their effect is not sufficient for most of us. There's something about the physical action of writing that helps to fix the principles of recovery in our minds and hearts.

The rewards we find through the simple action of writing are many. Clarity of thought, keys to locked places inside of us, and the voice of conscience are but a few. Writing helps us be more honest with ourselves. We sit down, quiet our thoughts, and listen to our hearts. What we hear in the stillness are the truths that we put down on paper.

Just for Today: One of the ways I can search for truth in recovery is to write. I will write about my recovery today.

05/06/2026

Dr. Nicole Labor, Addiction Assassin

05/05/2026

This

May 05, 2026

Any lengths

"...I was ready to go to any lengths to stay clean."

Basic Text, p. 132

"Any lengths?" newcomers ask. "What do you mean, any lengths?" Looking back at our active addiction and the lengths we were willing to go to in order to stay high can help to explain. Were we willing to drive many miles to get drugs? Yes, we usually were. Then it makes sense that, if we are as concerned about staying clean as we were about using, we will try anything to find a ride to a meeting.

In our addiction, didn't we often do crazy, insane things or use unknown substances at the direction of others? Then why do we often find it so hard to take direction in recovery, especially when the direction is designed to help us grow? And when we used, didn't we often, in desperation, turn to our Higher Power, saying, "Please, just get me out of this one!" Then why do we find it so hard to ask for God's help in our recovery?

When we used, we usually had an open mind when it came to finding ways and means to get more drugs. If we can apply this same principle of open-mindedness to our recovery, we may surprise ourselves by how easily we begin to grasp the NA program. Our best thinking, it is often said, got us into the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous. If we are willing to go to any lengths, follow directions, and stay open-minded, we can stay clean.

Just for Today: I am willing to go to any lengths to stay clean. I will become as open-minded and ready to take direction as I need to be.

05/04/2026

Looking to make an impact supporting service members and strengthening communities across Maine? The Maine National Guard is hiring a Primary Prevention Team Member based in Augusta.

This role focuses on prevention, education, and data-driven strategies to address risk factors and support the well-being of Guard members and their families.

Apply now:
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/867428100

04/28/2026

This

Here is what most people get wrong about sobriety.
They treat it like a willpower problem. But neuroscience tells us something different. Every time you drink to decompress, reward yourself, or escape, your brain is reinforcing a dopamine loop. You are not weak. You are wired.

After coaching hundreds of high performers through lasting sobriety, I can tell you the ones who never look back are not the ones who gritted their teeth the hardest. They are the ones who rebuilt their relationship with themselves first.

Here is why that matters scientifically. Alcohol hijacks your brain’s reward system. The only way to break that loop permanently is to replace it with something your nervous system values more. That something is self-worth. Identity. Purpose.

When you genuinely love who you are and who you are becoming, your brain stops looking for the escape route. The craving is not for alcohol. It was never for alcohol. It was for relief. For peace. For a version of yourself you actually respect.

That is the real work I do with my clients. Not counting days. Not white-knuckling through happy hour. Building the internal foundation that makes alcohol irrelevant.
The goal was never sobriety. Sobriety is just what happens when you finally choose yourself.

If this hits different today, save this post. Someone in your feed needs to see it too.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

01/09/2026

Pure Outdoors