Coach Aaron

Coach Aaron Life Coach, Spiritual Advisor, Sober Coach & Addiction Specialist. He has been around horses his entire life.

Coach Aaron Smith is a Life Coach, Addiction and Equine Specialist, Sober Coach and Spiritual Advisor. He has been working in the recovery field for several years. He has vast personal and professional experience and knowledge working with addicts and alcoholics and the utilization of equine therapeutic services. His proven specialties include working with men, women and adolescents who are trying to improve their lives. he works with individuals who have substance abuse and/or process addictions and grief and loss. He has a unique way of being able to connect from the recovery/12-Step perspective and an abundance of information about spirituality.

01/12/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 12th, 2026

ACCEPTING OUR PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES

Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they are. This is to adopt a realistic humility without which no genuine advance can even begin. Again and again, we shall need to return to that unflattering point of departure. This is an exercise in acceptance that we can profitably practice every day of our lives.

Provided we strenuously avoid turning these realistic surveys of the facts of life into unrealistic alibis for apathy or defeatism, they can be the sure foundation upon which increased emotional health and therefore spiritual progress can be built.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 44

When I am having a difficult time accepting people, places or events, I turn to this passage and it relieves me of many an underlying fear regarding others, or situations life presents me. The thought allows me to be human and not perfect, and to regain my peace of mind.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/11/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 11th, 2026

THE 100% STEP

Only Step One, where we made the 100 percent admission we were powerless over "A", can be practiced with absolute perfection.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 68

Long before I was able to obtain sobriety in A.A., I knew without a doubt that "A" was killing me, yet even with this knowledge, I was unable to stop drinking. So, when faced with Step One, I found it easy to admit that I lacked the power to not drink. But was my life unmanageable? Never! Five months after coming into A.A., I was drinking again and wondered why.

Later on, back in A.A. and smarting from my wounds, I learned that Step One is the only Step that can be taken 100%. And that the only way to take it 100% is to take 100% of the Step. That was many twenty-four hours ago and I haven't had to take Step One again.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/10/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 10th, 2026

UNITED WE STAND

We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.
AA, p. 30

I came to AA because I was no longer able to control my drinking. It was either my wife's complaining about my drinking, or maybe the sheriff forced me to go to A.A. meetings, or perhaps I knew, deep down inside, that I couldn't drink like others, but I was unwilling to admit it because the alternative terrified me. AA is a fellowship of men and women united against a common, fatal disease. Each one of our lives is linked to every other, much like the survivors on a life raft at sea. If we all work together, we can get safely to shore.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/09/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 9th, 2026

AN ACT OF PROVIDENCE

It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive drinking that only an act of Providence can remove it from us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21

My act of Providence, (a manifestation of divine care and direction), came as I experienced the total bankruptcy of active "A"ism—everything meaningful in my life was gone. I telephoned AA and, from that instant, my life has never been the same. When I reflect on that very special moment, I know that God was working in my life long before I was able to acknowledge and accept spiritual concepts. The glass was put down through this one act of Providence and my journey into sobriety began. My life continues to unfold with divine care and direction. Step One, in which I admitted I was powerless over alcohol, that my life had become unmanageable, takes on more meaning for me—one day at a time—in the life-saving, life-giving Fellowship of AA.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/08/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 8th, 2026

DO I HAVE A CHOICE?

The fact is that most "A"s, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent.

AA p. 24

My powerlessness over "A" does not cease when I quit drinking. In sobriety I still have no choice — I can't drink.

The choice I do have is to pick up and use the "kit of spiritual tools" (AA, p. 25). When I do that, my Higher Power relieves me of my lack of choice—and keeps me sober one more day. If I could choose not to pick up a drink today, where then would be my need for A.A. or a Higher Power?

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/07/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 7th, 2026

AT THE TURNING POINT

Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.
AA, p. 59

Every day I stand at turning points. My thoughts and actions can propel me toward growth or turn me down the road to old habits and to booze. Sometimes turning points are beginnings, as when I decide to start praising, instead of condemning someone. Or when I begin to ask for help instead of going it alone. At other times turning points are endings, such as when I see clearly the need to stop festering resentments or crippling self-seeking. Many shortcomings tempt me daily; therefore, I also have daily opportunities to become aware of them. In one form or another, many of my character defects appear daily: self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful, wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity.

Attempting half measures to eliminate these defects merely paralyzes my efforts to change. It is only when I ask God for help, with complete abandon, that I become willing—and able—to change.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/06/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 6th, 2026

THE VICTORY OF SURRENDER

We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21

When "A" influenced every facet of my life, when bottles became the symbol of all my self indulgence and permissiveness, when I came to realize that, by myself, I could do nothing to overcome the power of "A", I realized I had no recourse except surrender. In surrender I found victory—victory over my selfish self-indulgence, victory over my stubborn resistance to life as it was given to me. When I stopped fighting anybody or anything, I started on the path to sobriety, serenity and peace.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/05/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 5th, 2025

TOTAL ACCEPTANCE

He cannot picture life without "A". Some day he will be unable to imagine life either with "A" or without it. Then he will know loneliness such as few do. He will be at the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end.
AA, p. 152

Only an "A" can understand the exact meaning of a statement like this one. The double standard that held me captive as an active "A" also filled me with terror and confusion: "If I don't get a drink I'm going to die," competed with "If I continue drinking it's going to kill me." Both compulsive thoughts pushed me ever closer to the bottom. That bottom produced a total acceptance of my "A"ism—with no reservations whatsoever—and one that was absolutely essential for my recovery. It was a dilemma unlike anything I had ever faced, but as I found out later on, a necessary one if I was to succeed in this program.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/05/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 4th, 2026

BEGIN WHERE YOU ARE

We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A much more important demonstration of our principles lies before us in our respective homes, occupations and affairs.
AA, p. 19

It's usually pretty easy for me to be pleasant to the people in an A.A. setting. While I'm working to stay sober, I'm celebrating with my fellow A.A.s our common release from the hell of drinking. It's often not so hard to spread glad tidings to my old and new friends in the program.

At home or at work, though, it can be a different story. It is in situations arising in both of those areas that the little day-to-day frustrations are most evident, and where it can be tough to smile or reach out with a kind word or an attentive ear. It's outside of the A.A. rooms that I face the real test of the effectiveness of my walk through A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.




01/03/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 3rd, 2026

POWERLESS

We admitted we were powerless over "A"— that our lives had become unmanageable.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21

It is no coincidence that the very first Step mentions powerlessness: An admission of personal powerlessness over "A" is a cornerstone of the foundation of recovery. I've learned that I do not have the power and control I once thought I had. I am powerless over what people think about me. I am powerless over having just missed the bus. I am powerless over how other people work (or don't work) the Steps. But I've also learned I am not powerless over some things. I am not powerless over my attitudes. I am not powerless over negativity. I am not powerless over assuming responsibility for my own recovery. I have the power to exert a positive influence on myself, my loved ones, and the world in which I live.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/02/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 2nd, 2026

FIRST, THE FOUNDATION

Is sobriety all that we can expect of a spiritual awakening? No, sobriety is only a bare beginning.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 8

Practicing the A.A. program is like building a house. First I had to pour a big, thick concrete slab on which to erect the house; that, to me, was the equivalent of stopping drinking. But it's pretty uncomfortable living on a concrete slab, unprotected and exposed to the heat, cold, wind and rain. So I built a room on the slab by starting to practice the program. The first room was rickety because I wasn't used to the work. But as time passed, as I practiced the program, I learned to build better rooms. The more I practiced, and the more I built, the more comfortable, and happy, was the home I now have to live in.

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





01/01/2026

The Daily Reflection W/ Coach Aaron

January 1st, 2026

"I AM A MIRACLE"

The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.
AA, p. 25

This truly is a fact in my life today, and a real miracle. I always believed in God, but could never put that belief meaningfully into my life. Today, because of AA, I now trust and rely on God, as I understand Him; I am sober today because of that! Learning to trust and rely on God was something I could never have done alone. I now believe in miracles because I am one!

From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by AA World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.





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