A Better Boat

01/02/2026

Excited to announce our new office in San Marcos. We will be providing case management/sober coaching here along with hosting 3-4 weekly DAA meetings at our new location.

12/29/2025

STEP 12: Practice > Knowledge

Working the Steps teaches us the principles.
But knowing the principles isn’t the same as living them.

Bruce Lee said it best: “Knowing is not enough, we must apply.”

Just because I’ve learned the 12 Steps doesn’t make me a black belt in Alcoholics Anonymous.
It means I’ve been given tools—and Step 12 is my commitment to practice these principles in all of my affairs.

Some days I’ll fall short.
But if I never test it, how will I grow?

That’s why Step 10 matters:
Step 12 is where I practice. Step 10 is where I review.
I try, I notice, I correct—one day at a time.

For me, the litmus test is simple:
When I come home, does my stepdaughter Mollie light up when she sees me?

Because kids don’t respond to speeches. They respond to spirit.
She sees how I treat her mom.
She sees how I handle stress.
She sees who I am when nobody’s watching.

So my daily question becomes:
“Am I behaving like the kind of person Mollie is excited to be around?”

That’s what attraction, not promotion looks like.
Not words—actions.
Not perfection—practice.
Not a finish line—a way of life.

12/23/2025

Mystery is the price of spiritual growth.

Trust is a verb. It requires action. It takes GUTS to become willing to let go of the illusion of control.

I’ve been taught that contempt prior to investigation leads to everlasting ignorance. If that’s true, contempt doesn’t just keep me from learning—it keeps me from trusting. It shuts the door before I even look through it.

When it comes to faith and trusting something greater than myself, there will always be questions. There will always be mystery. And that’s the point: trust is how we move forward when certainty isn’t available.

It takes guts to trust only the next right step—to move without knowing exactly where I’m going, believing my Creator is leading me where I need to be.

It’s no different than the Israelites after leaving Egypt. They didn’t have the whole map. They had a direction, a promise, and the courage to take the next step anyway. What looked like anger was often fear… and they kept moving.

That’s what trust looks like: letting go of old ways of thinking, staying open-minded, and moving forward in faith—not because I have all the answers, but because I’m willing to follow what’s right in front of me.

Today: I don’t need the whole map. I just need the next right step.

12/18/2025

“Any lengths” isn’t one heroic moment—it’s a moment-by-moment posture. It’s alignment: living in purpose, walking with the principles laid at our feet, and choosing to live under the guidance of our Creator. It’s a spiritual practice of accountability—pause, check, course-correct—and it shows up most in the normal, everyday places: how I treat my spouse, my time, my coworkers, my friends, and how honest I’m willing to be when honesty costs comfort. Sobriety isn’t just abstinence. It’s alignment.

Today my practice is simple: pause, check, course-correct.
One moment at a time, I choose the next right thing—
because that’s what “any lengths” looks like.

12/15/2025

Let’s do hard scary things today. We can usually find a few right where we are

12/13/2025

12/06/2025

Effective recovery requires a strong foundation of continued guidance and resources. We offer essential support services for drug and alcohol use, providing coaching and a comprehensive resource network to sustain long-term sobriety and build a fulfilling life post-treatment.
Start building your foundation for lasting recovery right now.

https://abetterboat.net

12/05/2025

3 Ways to NOT Say “My Will Be Done”

Sometimes we don’t say it out loud, but we live like “my will, my way, my timing” is the only truth.
Here are 3 different ways to let go of that… without even using those words:

1️⃣ “I’ll line up with reality, not my fantasy.”
That’s the Stoic move.
Instead of forcing life to fit my script, I accept what is and take responsibility for how I respond.
(That’s surrender to Logos.)

2️⃣ “I’ll trust a wisdom and love greater than mine.”
That’s the Christian move.
Instead of clinging to my plan, I lean into a God who sees more than I do.
(That’s surrender to God’s will.)

3️⃣ “I’ll walk this path with WE, not die on the hill of ME.”
That’s the recovery move.
Instead of isolating, I plug into people, principles, and practices that are healthier than my impulses.
(That’s surrender to WE.)

You don’t have to say “my will be done” to be living it.
Check your life: Where is ME still running the show… and where can you invite WE in?

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A Better Boat Recovery Services
GUTS – God’s Unseen Training System