Many of us have felt it this week — that subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) sense that things are shifting under our feet. The news is unsettling. Markets are volatile. Politics feel loud and uncertain. For people in recovery, this kind of instability can land differently. It can stir up fear, anger, resentment, or that old, familiar sense of helplessness.
Alcoholics and addicts often worked hard to build stability where there once was chaos. We rely on routine, connection, and the simple predictability of showing up — one day at a time. When the outside world starts to feel unpredictable, it can shake those foundations. The mind looks for relief. The old solution starts whispering again.
We have already seen the effects. This week has brought relapses, struggles, and people quietly hurting. None of this is surprising — but it is important. These are the moments when recovery matters most.
The Big Book reminds us that we are not promised stability in the world around us. Instead, we are offered something different: “We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85)
That daily reprieve becomes especially important when fear rises. The book also reminds us where to turn: “Nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics.” (p. 89) When the world feels uncertain, connection becomes protection.
It is also worth remembering that many of us came from isolation. Recovery replaced that isolation with something stronger: “We are people who normally would not mix.” (p. 17) Yet here we are — connected not by stability in the world, but by shared experience and mutual support.
When we feel powerless over the world, we can return to what is not powerless:
- calling another alcoholic
- going to a meeting
- reading a few lines
- helping someone else
- sitting still and breathing
- remembering we only have to stay sober today
We do not need to solve the economy.
We do not need to fix politics.
We do not need certainty about the future.
We just need to stay connected and stay sober — together.
If you’re feeling shaken right now, a few simple things can help:
- Shrink the time horizon. Just today — or just the next hour.
- Limit the news. Anxiety grows with constant exposure.
- Call someone in recovery. Not to sound good — just to not be alone.
- Go to more meetings than usual. This is not the week to coast.
- Say out loud what you’re feeling. Fear loses power when spoken.
- Stick to routine. Eat, sleep, walk, meeting — even if you don’t feel like it.
- Help someone else. “When all other measures failed, work with another alcoholic would save the day.” (p. 15)
- Avoid isolation. Even quiet presence with others helps.
Difficult times come and go. Recovery gives us a way to walk through them — one day at a time. And sometimes, in the middle of uncertainty, we discover something unexpected: “We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.” (p. 84)
I love you.
-Spencer