Gibson Serenity Home

Gibson Serenity Home Individual Counselling
Family Therapy
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Spiritual Development & Growth

We are a safe, supportive and compassionate Rehabilitation Centre for yourself or a loved one battling with Addiction and Mental Health Issues due to addiction.

28/05/2026

GBR (Gray Book Reflection)
5/28

"We have all spent much of our lives being anything but humble. We have been humiliated by many of the things that happened to us while using..."

Gray Book, p. 48
Lines 15-17
Step Seven

"...most of us avoided true humility until we worked the First Step." Our unconditional surrender made it possible to seek help from a power greater than ourselves, in the Second Step. In the Third Step, through our decision, we humbly asked God to guide our will and our lives. In Steps Four through Six, we accept being human by acknowledging and loudly admitting our faults; first to God, ourselves and to another human being. Steps Seven through Nine we start to display our new-found humility, by practicing forgiveness in all aspects. Our literature states that, "Humility is a part of staying clean, as food and water are to staying alive." Our literature says, we devoted our energy towards satisfying our material needs. We never thought of spiritual growth or asking a Higher Power for direction. Drugs were our Higher Power. We will volunteer for humility or suffer humiliation.

In this moment: By admitting our powerlessness and unmanageability we achieve our first glimpse of humility.

28/05/2026

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May 28

*🤔As We Understand🤔*

*"We examined our lives and discovered who we really are. To be truly humble is to accept and honestly try to be ourselves."*
*Basic Text, p. 36*

*_As using addicts, the demands of our disease determined our personality. We could be whoever or whatever we needed to be in order to get our "fix."_* We were survival machines, adapting easily to every circumstance of the using life.

*_Once we began our recovery, we entered a new and different life. Many of us had no idea what behavior was appropriate for us in any given situation._* Some of us didn't know how to talk to people, how to dress, or how to behave in public. We couldn't be ourselves because we didn't know who we were anymore.

*_The Twelve Steps give us a simple method for finding out who we really are. We uncover our assets and our defects, the things we like about ourselves and the things we're not so thrilled about._* Through the healing power of the Twelve Steps, we begin to understand that we are individuals, created to be who we are by the Higher Power of our understanding. *_The real healing begins when we understand that if our Higher Power created us this way, it must be okay to be who we really are._*

*Just for Today:*

*By working the steps I can experience the freedom to be myself, the person my Higher Power intended me to be.*

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Eid Mubarak all our Brothers in recovery , friend and family from all of us at GSH. Stay blessed
28/05/2026

Eid Mubarak all our Brothers in recovery , friend and family from all of us at GSH. Stay blessed

25/05/2026

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May 25

*🤗"Good" And🤗*
*😠"Bad" Feelings😡*

*"A lot happens in one day, both negative and positive. If we do not take time to appreciate both, perhaps we will miss something that will help us grow."*
*IP No. 8, "Just for Today"*

*_Most of us seem to unconsciously judge what happens in our lives each day as good or bad, success or failure. We tend to feel happy about the "good" and angry, frustrated, or guilty about the "bad."_* Good and bad feelings, though, often have little to do with what's truly good or bad for us. We may learn more from our failures than our successes, especially if failure has come from taking a risk.

*_Attaching value judgments to our emotional reactions ties us to our old ways of thinking. We can change the way we think about the incidents of everyday life, viewing them as opportunities for growth, not as good or bad._* We can search for lessons rather than assigning value. When we do this, we learn something from each day. *_Our daily Tenth Step is an excellent tool for evaluating the day's events and learning from both success and failure._*

*Just for Today:*

*I am offered an opportunity to apply the principles of recovery so that I will learn and grow. When I learn from life's events, I succeed.*

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22/05/2026

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May 22

*😇Symptoms of a🤗*
*🙌🏾Spiritual Awakening🙌🏾*

*"The steps lead to an awakening of a spiritual nature. This awakening is evidenced by changes in our lives."*
*Basic Text, p.48*

*_We know how to recognize the disease of addiction. Its symptoms are indisputable. Besides an uncontrollable appetite for drugs, those suffering exhibit self-centered, self-seeking behavior._* When our addiction was at its peak of activity, we were obviously in a great deal of pain. We relentlessly judged ourselves and others, and spent most of our time worrying or trying to control outcomes.
*_Just as the disease of addiction is evidenced by definite symptoms, so is a spiritual awakening made manifest by certain obvious signs in a recovering addict._* We may observe a tendency to think and act spontaneously; a loss of interest in judging or
interpreting the actions of anyone else, an unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment, and frequent attacks of smiling. *_If we see someone exhibiting symptoms of a spiritual awakening, we should be aware that such awakenings are contagious. Our best course of action is to get close to these people._* As we begin having frequent, overwhelming episodes of gratitude, an increased receptiveness to the love extended by our fellow members, and an uncontrollable urge to return this love, we'll realize that we, too, have had a spiritual awakening.

*Just for today:*

*My strongest desire is to have a spiritual awakening. I will watch forits symptoms and rejoice when I discover them*

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21/05/2026

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May 21

*🔥Keep coming back!🔥*

*"Meetings keep us in touch with where we've been, but more importantly with where we could go in our recovery."*
*Basic Text, p.54*

*_In many ways, addicts are different. When we came to Narcotics Anonymous we found others like ourselves, people who understood us and whom we could understand._* No longer did we feel like aliens, strangers wherever we went. We were at home in NA meetings, among friends. We don't stop being addicts after we've been clean awhile. *_We still need to identify with other addicts. We continue coming to NA meetings to keep in touch with who we are, where we've come from, and where we're going._* Every meeting reminds us that we can never use drugs successfully. Every meeting reminds us that we'll never be cured, but that by practicing the principles of the program we can recover. *_And every meeting offers us the experience and example of other addicts in ongoing recovery._* At meetings, we see how different people work their program, and the results are apparent in their lives. *_If we want the lives we see others living, we can find out what they've done to get where they are. Narcotics Anonymous meetings offer us identification with where we've been and where we can go-identification we can't do without and can't get anywhere else. That keeps us coming back._*

*Just for today:*

*I will attend an NA meeting to remind myself of who I am, where I've come from, and where I can go in my recovery.*

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18/05/2026

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May 18

*🤗Friends and Amend🤗*
*🤝🏽Keep it Simple🤝🏽*

*"We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others."*
*Step Nine*

*_In every relationship, we don't always handle things the way we would have hoped. But friendships don't have to end when we make mistakes; instead, we can make amends._* If we are sincerely willing to accept the responsibilities involved in friendship and make the amends we owe, those friendships can become stronger and richer than ever.

*_Making amends is simple. We approach the person we have harmed and say, "I was wrong."_* Sometimes we avoid getting to the point, evading an admission of our own part in the affair. But that frustrates the intent of the Ninth Step. *_To make effective amends, we have to keep it simple: we admit our part, and leave it at that._*

*_There will be times when our friends won't accept our amends._* Perhaps they need time to process what has happened. *_If that is the case, we must give them that time. After all, we were the ones in the wrong, not them. We have done our part; the rest is out of our hands._*

*Just for Today:*

*I want to be a responsible friend. I will strive to keep it simple when making amends.*

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16/05/2026

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May 16

*🙏🏽Our Higher🙏🏽*
*🙌🏾Power's Will🙌🏾*

*"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.*

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15/05/2026

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May 15

*🤬Fear of the😱*
*🙌🏾Fourth Step🙌🏾*

*"As we approach this step, most of us are afraid that there is a monster inside of us that, if released, will destroy us."*

*Basic Text, p. 27*

*_Most of us are terrified to look at ourselves, to probe our insides. We're afraid that if we examine our actions and motives, we'll find a bottomless black pit of selfishness and hatred. But as we take the Fourth Step, we'll find that those fears were unwarranted._* We're human, just like everyone else-no more, no less.

*_We all have personality traits that we're not especially proud of. On a bad day, we may think that our faults are worse than anyone else's. We'll have moments of self-doubt. We'll question our motives. We may even question our very existence._* But if we could read the minds of our fellow members, we'd find the same struggles. We're no better or worse than anyone else.

*_We can only change what we acknowledge and understand. Rather than continuing to fear what's buried inside us, we can bring it out into the open. We'll no longer be frightened, and our recovery will flourish in the full light of self-awareness._*

*Just for Today:*

*I fear what I don't know. I will expose my fears and allow them to vanish.*

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15/05/2026

GBR (Gray Book Reflection)
5/15

"We have been afraid to open that closet for fear of what that ghost may do to us."

Gray Book, p. 41
Lines 7-8
Step Four

Our Fourth Step asks us to do a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. The Faith and Strength we need to accomplish our Self-Appraisal is supplied by the God Of Our Understanding. Looking at our past and the things we did in and after active addiction, causes us shame and guilt. Although we are different people now and don't practice those behaviors anymore, some of us still feel haunted. There still could be some fear of reliving some of our experiences. Our Higher Power can help Guide our feelings, during this Process, if we let it. The Courage we will receive will be after walking through the fear. Before beginning Step Four, we should review the first three Steps with our Sponsors. We can choose whatever setting we need to sit down and pick up the pen and write. We Pray to our Higher Power for the Strength and Honesty we need to start our inventory of ourselves. We write about our fears, resentments and conduct. We also write about our Assets, many of them newly acquired since we've been clean. We go as far back as we can remember with our writing. Everything that has affected our lives and the lives of others, is material for our inventory. We can Pray throughout the Process, we can call our Sponsors if we get stuck. As we write, some of us felt the weight come off our shoulders. The shame and guilt seem to subside, and we began to feel better about what we're doing. The Fourth Step is one of the most Loving things we can do for ourselves. It Frees us from the burdens of the past, and gives us Hope for the future. Our Fourth Step should be followed by a Fifth Step as soon as possible, in order to reap the maximum Benefits.

In This Moment; We will Pray for Faith, we will Trust that what's on the other side will be better than what we have now.

14/05/2026

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May 14

*🤦🏽‍♂️🙈Oops!🙈🤦🏽‍♂️*

*"Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."*

*Basic Text, p. 23*

*_Mistakes! We all know how it feels to make them. Many of us feel that our entire lives have been a mistake. We often regard our mistakes with shame or guilt-at the very least, with frustration and impatience. We tend to see mistakes as evidence that we are still sick, crazy, stupid, or too damaged to recover._*

*_In truth, mistakes are a very vital and important part of being human. For particularly stubborn people (such as addicts), mistakes are often our best teachers._* There is no shame in making mistakes. In fact, making new mistakes often shows our willingness to take risks and grow.

*_It's helpful, though, if we learn from our mistakes; repeating the same ones may be a sign that we're stuck._* And expecting different results from the same old mistakes-well, that's what we call "insanity!" It just doesn't work.

*Just for Today:*

*Mistakes aren't tragedies. But please, Higher Power, help me learn from them!*

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83 Anemone Avenue
Lenasia
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