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AA Thoughts For Today - December
AA Thought for the Day
December 1 Building an Arch Returning home we find a place where we can be quiet for an hour, carefully reviewing what we have done. We thank God from the bottom of our heart that we know Him better. Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 75 Thought to Ponder . . . The Three "P's" -- Pause, Pray, Proceed. AA-related 'Alconym' G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Action "But the program of action, though entirely sensible, was pretty drastic. It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions out of the window. That was not easy. But the moment I made up my mind to go through with the process, I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be. Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems." c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 42 Thought to Consider . . . Never mistake motion for action. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A C T I O N = Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Friendship From "Learning To Love Ourselves": "When I did my personal inventory I found that I had unhealthy relationships with most people in my life my friends and family, for example. I always felt isolated and lonely. I drank to dull emotional pain. "It was through staying sober, having a good sponsor and working the Twelve Steps that I was able to build up my low self-esteem. First the Twelve Steps taught me to become my own best friend, and then, when I was able to love myself, I could reach out and love others." 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 123 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "The greatest promise in the program is the one in the Twelfth Step. It tells me I will have a spiritual awakening as the result of the Steps. I know I need that awakening to have a chance to stay sober" White Rock, British Columbia, May 2005 "Life -- It Happens" No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 24~ My friend had emphasized the absolute necessity of demonstrating these principles in all my affairs .particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. Faith without works was dead, he said. Alcoholics Anonymous page 14 I was to test my thinking by the new God-consciousness within. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.13 Both his pride and his fear beat him back every time he tries to look within himself. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.49 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Start by Forgiving The moment we ponder a twisted or broken relationship with another person, our emotions go on the defensive. To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong he has done us. Triumphantly we seize upon his slightest misbehavior as the perfect excuse for minimizing or forgetting our own. Right here we need to fetch ourselves up sharply. Let's remember that alcoholics are not the only ones bedeviled by sick emotions. In many instances we are really dealing with fellow sufferers, people whose woes we have increased. If we are about to ask forgiveness for ourselves, why shouldn't we start out by forgiving them, one and all? Prayer for the Day: Seventh Step Prayer - My Creator, I am now willing that You should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that You now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to You and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do Your bidding. Amen. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 2 Defects Self-righteous anger also can be very enjoyable. In a perverse way we can actually take satisfaction from the fact that many people annoy us, for it brings a comfortable feeling of superiority. Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too. Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Six) p. 67 Thought to Ponder . . . Who am I to judge another when I myself walk imperfectly. AA-related 'Alconym' A A = Altered Attitudes. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Grandiosity "In my teens, I had to be an athlete because I was not an athlete. I had to be a musician because I could not carry a tune. I had to be first in everything because in my perverse heart I felt myself the least of God's creatures. I could not accept my deep sense of inferiority, and so I strove to become captain of the baseball team, and I did learn to play the fiddle. Lead I must -- or else. This was the 'all or nothing' kind of demand that later did me in." - Bill W., AA Comes of Age, p. 53 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 214 Thought to Consider . . . We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* N U T S = Not Using The Steps. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* December 1944 AA History The New York World-Telegram reported on the dinner held in honor of the tenth anniversary of Bill W's sobriety (December 11, 1934). That newspaper erroneously called it the 10th anniversary of the founding of AA. There were 1500 members in attendance that night at the Commodore Hotel. The New York Herald Tribune recounted that Bill's report of AA's 10 year history was impressive. AA went from 15 alcoholics released from the "drinking habit" in the first year to 40 "conversions" after 3 years. At the end of 4 years there were 100 members, and the book Alcoholics Anonymous had been written. After nearly 10 years there were more than 12,000 members in 370 groups throughout the United States and Canada and a "new unit" functioning successfully in Hawaii (Hawaii would not become a state for another 15 years - in August of 1959). *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I sabotage myself if I attach my sobriety to people, places, or things." Carbondale, Ill., August 1988 "It's Always Dark at the Beginning," Spiritual Awakenings ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found we could not place money first. For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 127 "If there be divorce or separation, there should be no undue haste for the couple to get together. The man should be sure of his recovery. The wife should fully understand his new way of life. If their old relationship is to be resumed it must be on a better basis, since the former did not work. This means a new attitude and spirit all around. Sometimes it is to the best interests of all concerned that a couple remain apart. Obviously, no rule can be laid down. Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day. When the time for living together has come, it will be apparent to both parties." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, Page 99 I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.14 We all need the light of God's reality, the nourishment of His strength, and the atmosphere of His grace. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.97 Misc. AA Literature - Quote We admitted we couldn't lick alcohol with our own remaining resources, and so we accepted the further fact that dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our A.A. group) could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were able to accept these facts fully, our release from the alcohol compulsion had begun. For most of us, this pair of acceptances had required a lot of exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured a lot of exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with sheer will power; it came instead as the result of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living. We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we began to be free. Prayer for the Day: Eighth Step Prayer - Higher Power, I ask Your help in making my list of all those I have harmed. I will take responsibility for my mistakes and be forgiving to others as You are forgiving to me. Grant me the willingness to begin my restitution. This I pray. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 3 A Glimpse The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Eleven) p. 105 Thought to Ponder . . . "How can I best serve Thee—Thy will (not mine) be done." AA-related 'Alconym' A S A P = Always Say A Prayer. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Fear "We have had a much keener look at ourselves and those about us. We have seen that we were prodded by unreasonable fears and anxieties into making a life business of winning fame, money, and what we thought was leadership. So false pride became the reverse side of that ruinous coin marked 'Fear.' We simply had to be Number One people to cover up our deep-lying inferiorities." 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 123 Thought to Consider . . . Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* F E A R = Frantic Efforts to Appear Recovered *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* An Avocation From: "Foreword" It is important that we remain anonymous because we are too few, at present to handle the overwhelming number of personal appeals which may result from this publication. Being mostly business or professional folk, we could not well carry on our occupations in such an event. We would like it understood that our alcoholic work is an avocation. When writing or speaking publicly about alcoholism, we urge each of our Fellowship to omit his personal name, designating himself instead as "a member of Alcoholics Anonymous." Very earnestly we ask the press also, to observe this request, for otherwise we shall be greatly handicapped. 1989, Carry the Message, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, [First Edition facsimile], page vii *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Only the sharing of despair can bring us ... illumination." Pleasantville, N.Y., August 1959 "The Sense of Sobriety," Spiritual Awakenings ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "When you discover a prospect for Alcoholics Anonymous, find out all you can about him. If he does not want to stop drinking, don't waste time trying to persuade him. You may spoil a later opportunity." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 90 " When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, Page 52~ Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.76 Our inventory enables us to settle with the past. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.89 Misc. AA Literature - Quote In A.A., we found that it did not matter too much what our material condition was, but it mattered greatly what our spiritual condition was. As we improved our spiritual outlook, money gradually became our servant and not our master. It became a means of exchanging love and service with those about us. One of A.A.'s Loners is an Australian sheepman who lives two thousand miles from the nearest town, where yearly he sells his wool. In order to be paid the best prices he has to get to town during a certain month. But when he heard that a big regional A.A. meeting was to be held at a later date when wool prices would have fallen, he gladly took a heavy financial loss in order to make his journey then. That's how much an A.A. meeting means to him. Prayer for the Day: Ninth Step Prayer - Higher Power, I pray for the right attitude to make my amends, being ever mindful not to harm others in the process. I ask for Your guidance in making indirect amends. Most important, I will continue to make amends by staying abstinent, helping others and growing in spiritual progress. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 4 Inventory of My Blessings One exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings and then for a right acceptance of the many gifts that are mine -- both temporal and spiritual. Here I try to achieve a state of joyful gratitude. When such a brand of gratitude is repeatedly affirmed and pondered, it can finally displace the natural tendency to congratulate myself on whatever progress I may have been enabled to make in some areas of living. - As Bill Sees It, (Grapevine, March 1962) No. 37 Thought to Ponder . . . Gratitude is a tool, a form of perspective, reminding me to appreciate the simple things. AA-related 'Alconym' H U G S = Hope, Unity, Gratitude, Serenity. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Rewards "The rewards of sobriety are bountiful and as progressive as the disease they counteract. Certainly among these rewards for me are release from the prison of uniqueness, and the realization that participation in the AA way of life is a blessing and a privilege beyond estimate -- a blessing to live a life free from the pain and degradation of drinking and filled with the joy of useful, sober living, and a privilege to grow in sobriety one day at a time and bring the message of hope as it was brought to me." >From the new Fourth Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous AAGrapevine, December 2001, p. 47 Thought to Consider . . . Sobriety is a choice and a treasure. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Gift Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. "When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being. He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered." 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pgs. 106-07 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "No matter how truthful the words of my message, there could be no deep communication if what I said and did was colored by pride, arrogance, intolerance, resentment, imprudence, or desire for personal acclaim -- even though I was largely unconscious of these attitudes" AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1960 "The Language of the Heart" ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~ "...the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 23~ Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.68 And when humility and serenity are so combined, something else of great moment is apt to occur. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.62 Misc. AA Literature - Quote It was discovered that when one alcoholic had planted in the mind of another the true nature of his malady, that person could never be the same again. Following every spree, he would say to himself, 'Maybe those A.A.'s were right.' After a few such experiences, often before the onset of extreme difficulties, he would return to us convinced. In the first years, those of us who sobered up in A.A. had been grim and utterly hopeless cases. But then we began to have success with milder alcoholics and even some potential alcoholics. Younger folks appeared. Lots of people turned up who still had jobs, homes, health, and even good social standing. Of course, it was necessary for these newcomers to hit bottom emotionally. But they did not have to hit every possible bottom in order to admit that they were licked. Prayer for the Day: Tenth Step Prayer - I pray I may continue: To grow in understanding and effectiveness; To take daily spot-check inventories of myself; To correct mistakes when I make them; To take responsibility for my actions; To be ever aware of my negative and self-defeating attitudes and behaviors; To keep my willfulness in check; To always remember I need Your help; To keep love and tolerance of others as my code; And to continue in daily prayer how I can best serve You, my Higher Power. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 5 Indispensable Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided he does not close his mind to all spiritual concepts. He can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial. We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Appendix II, Spiritual Experience) p. 568 Thought to Ponder . . . The Twelve Steps -- a manuscript for rational living. AA-related 'Alconym' H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ A New Notion "The idea that religion and spirituality were not one and the same was a new notion. My sponsor asked that I merely remain open-minded to the possibility that there was a Power greater than myself, one of my own understanding. He assured me that no person was going to impose a belief system on me, that it was a personal matter. Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was something to this spiritual lifestyle. Slowly, but surely, I realized there was indeed a Power greater than myself, and I soon found myself with a full-time God in my life and following a spiritual path that didn't conflict with my personal religious convictions." c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 287 Thought to Consider . . . God enters us through our wounds. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Hope From "Window of Opportunity": "I once knew a woman who was crying before a meeting. She was approached by a five-year-old girl who told her, 'You don't have to cry here. This is a good place. They took my daddy and they made him better.' That is exactly what A.A. did for me; it took me and it made me better. For that I am eternally grateful." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 431 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Some of us take a long time to 'come to' before we can 'come to believe' that there is any hope for us." Nanaimo, British Columbia, February 2003 "My Name Is Gary and I'm a Human Being," Spiritual Awakenings ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He isn't." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53 To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action. ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 93 The power of God goes deep! -Alcoholics Anonymous p.114 Almost any experienced A.A. will tell how his affairs have taken remarkable and unexpected turns for the better as he tried to improve his conscious contact with God. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.105 Misc. AA Literature - Quote When I was a child, I acquired some of the traits that had a lot to do with my insatiable craving for alcohol. I was brought up in a little town in Vermont, under the shadow of Mount Aeolus. An early recollection is that of looking up at this vast and mysterious mountain, wondering what it meant and whether I could ever climb that high. But I was presently distracted by my aunt who, as a fourth-birthday present, made me a plate of fudge. For the next thirty-five years I pursued the fudge of life and quite forgot about the mountain. When self-indulgence is less than ruinous, we have a milder word for it. We call it 'taking our comfort. Prayer for the Day: Eleventh Step Prayer - Higher Power, as I understand You, I pray to keep my connection with You open and clear from the confusion of daily life. Through my prayers and meditation I ask especially for freedom from self-will, rationalization and wishful thinking. I pray for the guidance of correct thought and positive action. Your will, Higher Power, not mine, be done. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 6 Thoroughly Followed Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 58 Thought to Ponder . . . The Three A's .. Awareness, Acceptance, Action. AA-related 'Alconym' A C T = Action Changes Things. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ A New Life "Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? No, sobriety is only a bare beginning; If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. As it does go on, we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life -- the one that did not work -- for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever." Bill W., Grapevine, December 1957 c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 8 Thought to Consider . . . Action conquers fear. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Growth From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "At the end of 1941, when the group secretaries made their reports, we found that the membership had jumped to 8,000, an increase of 6,000 over 1940. We had begun to reach into Canada and into foreign lands. Everywhere we were growing rapidly. In many ways 1941 can be reckoned as the most exciting year in our history. "The pins on our office wall map showed scores of new groups springing up every week." 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 192 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want." Tukwila, Wash., July 2005 "Heard at Meetings," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~ "On the other hand, strange as this may seem to those who do not understand, once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that required to follow a few simple rules." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctors Opinion, pg. xxix~ Patience and good temper are most necessary. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.111 Could we then foresee that troublesome people were to become our principal teachers of patience and tolerance?\ -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.141 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Few indeed are those who, assailed by the tyrant alcohol, have ever won through in singlehanded combat. It is a statistical fact that alcoholics almost never recover on their personal resources alone. Way up toward Point Barrow in Alaska, a couple of prospectors got themselves a cabin and a case of Scotch. The weather turned bitter, fifty below, and they got so drunk they let the fire go out. Barely escaping death by freezing, one of them woke up in time to rekindle the fire. He was prowling around outside for fuel, and he looked into an empty oil drum filled with frozen water. Down in the ice cake he saw a reddish-yellow object. When thawed out, it was seen to be an A.A. book. One of the pair read the book and sobered up. Legend has it that he became the founder of one of our farthest north groups. Prayer for the Day: Twelfth Step Prayer - Dear God, My spiritual awakening continues to unfold. The help I have received I shall pass on and give to others, both in and out of the Fellowship. For this opportunity I am grateful. I pray most humbly to continue walking day by day on the road of spiritual progress. I pray for the inner strength and wisdom to practice the principles of this way of life in all I do and say. I need You, my friends and the program every hour of every day. This is a better way to live. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 7 Problems We have been talking about problems because we are problem people who have found a way up and out, and who wish to share our knowledge of that way with all who can use it. For it is only by accepting and solving our problems that we can begin to get right with ourselves and with the world about us, and with Him who presides over us all. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) p. 125 Thought to Ponder . . . We need to share our problems to find our solutions. AA-related 'Alconym' S T E P S = Solutions Through Each Powerful Step. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Serenity "So, here I am, sober. Successful. Serene. Just a few of the gifts of the program for surrendering, suiting up, and showing up for life every day. Good days and bad days, reality is a wild ride, and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I don't question how this program works. I trust in my God, stay involved in AA service, go to lots of meetings, work with others, and practice the principles of the Steps to the best of my willingness each day. I don't know which of these keeps me sober, and I'm not about to try to find out. It's worked for quite a few days now, so I think I'll try it again tomorrow." c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous (Fourth Edition), p. 337 Thought to Consider . . . Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* K I S S = Keep It Simple; Surrender *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Normal From "Ecstasy": "I think now that this thoroughly unsuccessful Twelfth Step effort (I pray H. may be in A.A. somewhere by now) helped me. I've never since stopped being aware of the fact that as an alcoholic I had better not set my sights on being just like everybody else, just as ordinary, just as unleavened. As a matter of fact, I don't really know anything about being ordinary that is, nonalcoholic so I ought not to set up some phony idea in my mind about normal living." 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 117 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Until I understood and accepted my status as a human being, my effort toward seeking God was in vain." Spiritual Awakenings Vol. 1 Nanaimo, British Columbia, February 2003 "My Name Is Gary and I'm a Human Being," ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders. When we see a man sinking into the mire that is alcoholism, we give him first aid and place what we have at his disposal." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132 "In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~ We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as Bill. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.17 Many less desperate alcoholics tried A.A., but did not succeed because they could not make the admission of hopelessness. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.23 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Too much of my life has been spent in dwelling upon the faults of others. This is a most subtle and perverse form of self-satisfaction, which permits us to remain comfortably unaware of our own defects. Too often we are heard to say, 'If it weren't for him (or her), how happy I'd be!' 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. Prayer for the Day: Meeting Prayer No. 1 - Our Father, We come to you as a friend. You have said where two or more are gathered, there You will be in the midst. We believe You are here with us .We believe this is something You would have us do, and that it has Your blessing. We believe that You want us to be real partners with You in the business of living, accepting our full responsibility, and certain that the rewards will be freedom, growth and happiness. For this we are grateful. We ask You at all times to guide us. Help us daily to come closer to You and grant us new ways of living our gratitude. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 8 Choice The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called willpower becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink. - ~Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) p. 24 Thought to Ponder . . . The first drink has the last say. AA-related 'Alconym' I S M = Incredibly Short Memory. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Solution "There is a solution. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings, which the process requires for its successful consummation. But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it. . . We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed." c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous (Fourth Edition), p. 25 Thought to Consider . . . The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O P E = Happy Our Program Exists *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Apology From "Our Side of the Street": I made amends to my dad soon after I quit drinking. My words fell on deaf ears since I had blamed him for my troubles. Several months later I made amends to my dad again. This time I wrote a letter in which I did not blame him or mention his faults. It worked, and at last I understood! My side of the street is all that I'm responsible for and thanks to God and A.A. it's clean for today." 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 259 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Anonymity is a spiritual foundation not only of Tradition Twelve, but of sobriety itself." Walnut Creek, Calif., March 2000 "The Quest for Spirituality," Voices of Long-Term Sobriety ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~ "Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path. We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; we have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory. Now these are about to be cast out. This requires action on our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects. This brings us to the Fifth Step in the program of recovery mentioned in the preceding chapter." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 72~ We found the Great Reality deep down within us. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.55 These were the new attitudes that finally brought many of us an inner strength and peace that could not be deeply shaken by the shortcomings of others or by any calamity not of our own making. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.116 Misc. AA Literature - Quote 'It seems proved that A.A. can stand on its own feet anywhere and under any conditions. It has outgrown any dependence it might once have had upon the personalities or efforts of a few of the older members like me. New, able, and vigorous people keep coming to the surface, turning up where they are needed. Besides, A.A. has reached enough spiritual maturity to know that its final dependence is upon God.' Clearly, our first duty to A.A.'s future is to maintain in full strength what we now have. Only the most vigilant caretaking can assure this. Never should we be lulled into complacent self-satisfaction by the wide acclaim and success that are everywhere ours. This is the subtle temptation which could render us stagnant today, perchance disintegrate us tomorrow. We have always rallied to meet and transcend failure and crisis. Problems have been our stimulants. How well, though, shall we be able to meet the problems of success? Prayer for the Day: Meeting Prayer No. 2 - Our Heavenly Father, we ask for Your blessings on this meeting. Please bless the spirit and the purpose of this group, Give us strength to follow this Program according to You will and in all humility. Forgive us for yesterday, and grant us courage for today and hope for tomorrow. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 9 It Engulfs All But not so with the alcoholic illness, for with it there goes annihilation of all the things worth while in life. It engulfs all whose lives touch the sufferer's. It brings misunderstanding, fierce resentment, financial insecurity, disgusted friends and employers, warped lives of blameless children, sad wives and parents—anyone can increase the list. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) p. 18 Thought to Ponder . . . Right actions for the future are the best apologies for wrong ones in the past. AA-related 'Alconym' S T E P S = Solutions Through Each Powerful Step. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Solution "There is a solution. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings, which the process requires for its successful consummation. But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it. . . We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed." c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous (Fourth Edition), p. 25 Thought to Consider . . . The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O P E = Happy Our Program Exists *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Apology From "Our Side of the Street": I made amends to my dad soon after I quit drinking. My words fell on deaf ears since I had blamed him for my troubles. Several months later I made amends to my dad again. This time I wrote a letter in which I did not blame him or mention his faults. It worked, and at last I understood! My side of the street is all that I'm responsible for and thanks to God and A.A. it's clean for today." 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 259 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Anonymity is a spiritual foundation not only of Tradition Twelve, but of sobriety itself." Walnut Creek, Calif., March 2000 "The Quest for Spirituality," Voices of Long-Term Sobriety ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~ "Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path. We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; we have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory. Now these are about to be cast out. This requires action on our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects. This brings us to the Fifth Step in the program of recovery mentioned in the preceding chapter." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 72~ We found the Great Reality deep down within us. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.55 These were the new attitudes that finally brought many of us an inner strength and peace that could not be deeply shaken by the shortcomings of others or by any calamity not of our own making. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.116 Misc. AA Literature - Quote 'It seems proved that A.A. can stand on its own feet anywhere and under any conditions. It has outgrown any dependence it might once have had upon the personalities or efforts of a few of the older members like me. New, able, and vigorous people keep coming to the surface, turning up where they are needed. Besides, A.A. has reached enough spiritual maturity to know that its final dependence is upon God.' Clearly, our first duty to A.A.'s future is to maintain in full strength what we now have. Only the most vigilant caretaking can assure this. Never should we be lulled into complacent self-satisfaction by the wide acclaim and success that are everywhere ours. This is the subtle temptation which could render us stagnant today, perchance disintegrate us tomorrow. We have always rallied to meet and transcend failure and crisis. Problems have been our stimulants. How well, though, shall we be able to meet the problems of success? Prayer for the Day: Meeting Prayer No. 2 - Our Heavenly Father, we ask for Your blessings on this meeting. Please bless the spirit and the purpose of this group, Give us strength to follow this Program according to You will and in all humility. Forgive us for yesterday, and grant us courage for today and hope for tomorrow. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 10 An Understanding Strangely enough, wives, parents and intimate friends usually find us even more unapproachable than do the psychiatrist and the doctor. But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solution, who is properly armed with facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours. Until such an understanding is reached, little or nothing can be accomplished. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) p. 18 Thought to Ponder . . . Together we can do what we could never do alone. AA-related 'Alconym' E S & H = Experience, Strength and Hope. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Selfishness "So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us!" c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62 Thought to Consider . . . The smallest package in the world is an alcoholic all wrapped up in himself. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Giving From "A Vision for You": "He [Bill W.] now returned home, leaving behind his first acquaintance [Dr. Bob], the lawyer and the devil-may-care chap. These men had found something brand new in life. Though they knew they must help other alcoholics if they would remain sober, that motive became secondary. It was transcended by the happiness they found in giving themselves for others." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 159 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "God grant that AA may ever stay simple." AA Co-Founder, Dr. Bob, September 1948 "The Fundamentals in Retrospect" The Best of the Grapevine, Volume 2 ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family back. This just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came back too soon." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 99~ Cessation of drinking is but the first step away from a highly strained, abnormal condition. A doctor said to us, "Years of living with an alcoholic is almost sure to make any wife or child neurotic. The entire family is, to some extent, ill." Let families realize, as they start their journey, that all will not be fair weather. Each in turn may be footsore and may straggle. There will be alluring shortcuts and by-paths down which they may wander and lose their way. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.122 If he wishes to talk, let him do so. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.91 We sit in A.A. meetings and listen, not only to receive something ourselves, but to give the reassurance and support which our presence can bring. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.110 Misc. AA Literature - Quote 'As sobriety means long life and happiness for the individual, so does unity mean exactly the same thing to our Society as a whole. Unified we live; disunited we shall perish.' 'We must think deeply of all those sick ones still to come to A.A. As they try to make their return to faith and to life, we want them to find everything in A.A. that we have found, and yet more, if that be possible. No care, no vigilance, no effort to preserve A.A.s constant effectiveness and spiritual strength will ever be too great to hold us in full readiness for the day of their homecoming.' Prayer for the Day: The Morning Light - Lord of the night, Be with me through the hours of darkness. Let all my questions, Problems, decisions, Be enveloped in sleep. That through the mystery Of the sleeping mind The difficulties of this day Will be seen easier In the morning light. Into Your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 11 First Accepted We know that little good can come to any alcoholic who joins A.A. unless he has first accepted his devastating weakness and all its consequences. Until he so humbles himself, his sobriety—if any—will be precarious. Of real happiness he will find none at all. Proved beyond doubt by an immense experience, this is one of the facts of A.A. life. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step One) p. 21 Thought to Ponder . . . The Three A's ... Awareness, Acceptance, Action. AA-related 'Alconym' A A = Acknowledge Acceptance. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Show Business "The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion. Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show; is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet, the scenery and the rest of the players in his own way. If his arrangements would only stay put, if only people would do as he wished, the show would be great. Everybody, including himself, would be pleased. Life would be wonderful." c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 60-1 Thought to Consider . . . I can't do His will my way. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* P R I D E = Pretty Ridiculous Individual Directing Everything *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Promoter among Promoters AA History In The Doctor's Opinion, Dr. Silkworth described a patient brought to him for treatment of chronic alcoholism who had only partially recovered from a gastric hemorrhage, and seemed to be in a pathological state of mental deterioration. This man was Hank P. His story in the first edition of the Big Book was titled "The Unbeliever" (Experience, Strength & Hope, page 5). Hank worked for Standard Oil of New Jersey. He was a high-pressure kind of guy. He was called a "promoter among promoters". He was a partner with Bill W in the Honor Dealers Car Polish Company, which they started to earn some money while AA was still being developed. Chapter 7 of the Big Book, "Working with Others. *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "After endless voting on a title for the new work we had decided to call it The Way Out. But inquiry by Fritz M., our Maryland alcoholic, at The Library of Congress disclosed the fact that 12 books already bore that title. Surely we couldn't make our book the 13th. So we named it Alcoholics Anonymous instead! Though we didn't know it, our movement then got its name -- a name which because of the implication of humility and modesty has given us our treasured spiritual principle of anonymity." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1947 "Book Publication Proved Discouraging Venture," The Language of the Heart ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn't we laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~ “Our hope is that many alcoholic men and women, desperately in need, will see these pages, and we believe that it is only by fully disclosing ourselves and our problems that they will be persuaded to say, ‘Yes, I am one of them too; I must have this thing.’” ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 29 So we think cheerfulness and laughter make for usefulness. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.132 Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everybody else how. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.156 Misc. AA Literature - Quote It is necessary that we extricate from an examination of our personal relations every bit of information about ourselves and our fundamental difficulties that we can. Since defective relations with other human beings have nearly always been the immediate cause of our woes, including our alcoholism, no field of investigation could yield more satisfying and valuable rewards than this one. Calm, thoughtful reflection upon personal relations can deepen our insight. We can go far beyond those things which were superficially wrong with us, to see those flaws which were basic, flaws which sometimes were responsible for the whole pattern of our lives. Thoroughness, we have found, will pay - and pay handsomely. Prayer for the Day: For Families Torn by Addiction - We pray, O God of hope, for all families whose lives are torn and disrupted by drugs and alcohol. Enable them to identify the illness. Strengthen them to seek help. Bless them with the power of your love, which imparts transformation and wholeness to those who trust in your name. Grant that as they walk this tortured road, they may journey together and bound close in the bond of love. Amen. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 12 Progress is Our Aim "Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection. So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon, light-years away, that draws us on." - As Bill Sees It, No. 15 Thought to Ponder . . . Sobriety is not a destination, but an everlasting journey. AA-related 'Alconym' A B C = Accept, Begin, Continue. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Carrying the Message "Alcoholics simply will not listen to a paid twelfth-stepper. Almost from the beginning, we have been positive that face-to-face work with the alcoholic who suffers could be based only on the desire to help and be helped. When an AA talks for money, whether at a meeting or to a single newcomer, it can have a very bad effect on him, too. The money motive compromises him and everything he says and does for his prospect. This has always been so obvious that only a very few AA's have ever worked the Twelfth Step for a fee." c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 166 Thought to Consider . . There is no materialism in AA -- just spirituality. . *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Decline From "To Handle Sobriety": "So when my liver had recovered after ten months, I resumed drinking. At first, just one drink, on occasion. Then drinks came more frequently but were carefully spaced out. Soon my drinking was as bad as ever all day long every day. But I was trying frantically to control it. And it had gone underground now, because everyone knew I shouldn't be drinking. Instead of drinking in fancy bars and clubs, I had to carry a bottle of vodka in my briefcase, duck into public toilets, and gulp from the bottle" 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 556 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Nothing improves if you drink."" El Granada, California, March 2003 "How an Atheist Works the Steps," Spiritual Awakenings ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself, Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~ "How dark it is before the dawn! In reality that was the beginning of my last debauch. I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence. I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way of life that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 8 The joy of living we really have, even under pressure and difficulty. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.15 Practically every A.A. member declares that no satisfaction has been deeper and no joy greater than in a Twelfth Step job well done. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.110 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Creation gave us instincts for a purpose. Without them we wouldn't be complete human beings. If men and women didn't exert themselves to be secure in their persons, made no effort to harvest food or construct shelter, there would be no survival. If they didn't reproduce, the earth wouldn't be populated. If there were no social instinct, there would be no society. Yet these instincts, so necessary for our existence, often far exceed their proper functions. Powerfully, blindly, many times subtly, they drive us, dominate us, and insist upon ruling our lives. We tried to shape a sane ideal for our future sex life. We subjected each relation to this test: Was it selfish or not? We asked God to mold our ideals and help us to live up to them. We remembered always that our sex powers were God-given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly nor to be despised and loathed. Prayer for the Day: Wesley P's prayer - Dear God, please fill me with Your loving spirit, and let it flow through me into the lives of others. Amen |
AA Thought for the Day
December 13 A Vision of Humility To get completely away from our aversion to the idea of being humble, to gain a vision of humility as the avenue to true freedom of the human spirit, to be willing to work for humility as something to be desired for itself, takes most of us a long, long time. A whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness cannot be set in reverse all at once. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Seven) p. 73 Thought to Ponder . . . Rebellion dogs our every step at first. AA-related 'Alconym' C H A N G E D = Choosing Humility Allows New Growth Each Day. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Anger It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, there is something wrong with us. If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also. But are there no exceptions to this rule? What about "justifiable" anger? If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad? Can't we be properly angry with self-righteous folk? For us of AA these are dangerous exceptions. We have found that justified anger ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it. c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 90 Thought to Consider . . . Anger is the hot wind that extinguishes the light of reason. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A N G E R = Any No-Good Energy Rising *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Traditions From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "Then in one of our larger centers the amazing story got around that the Foundation and the New York office and the book Alcoholics Anonymous were nothing but a huge racket. They had heard that the book Alcoholics Anonymous was making vast sums of money, that Dr. Bob and I [Bill W.] shared profits of $64,000 the year before. "The investigating committee's accountant read our modest financial statement aloud and testified to its correctness. The committee was crestfallen and we received an apology. "This was one of the test cases out of which A.A.'s Tradition respecting professionalism and paid workers was evolved. It was certain that I could not continue full time nor Bob devote more than half his working hours to A.A. unless we both had some definite source of steady income. That would be contrary to the then-forming Tradition of no contributions from the outside world." 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 193-94 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I can make any decision about my behavior and life, as long as I am prepared to deal with the consequences. I can decide to get drunk every night if I want to take the consequences ... Or I can decide to stay sober another day, and enjoy the consequences of that decision -- being able to deal realistically with another day in my life." January 1977 "Sidebar," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~ "It may seem incredible that these men are to become happy, respected, and useful once more. How can they rise out of such misery, bad repute and hopelessness? The practical answer is that since these things have happened among us, they can happen with you. Should you wish them above all else, and be willing to make use of our experience, we are sure they will come." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 153~ I pointed out that I had had nothing to drink whatever for three years, and this in the face of difficulties that would have made nine out of ten men drink their heads off. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.138 .. report that as a result of the practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, they have been able to meet other difficulties of ... -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.16 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with our attitude toward giving money presents an interesting contrast. We give a lot of our time to A.A. activities for our own protection and growth, but also for the sake of our groups, our areas, A.A. as a whole, and, above all, the newcomer. Translated into terms of money, these collective sacrifices would add up to a huge sum. But when it comes to the actual spending of cash, particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have laid by for emergencies or for education of the kids. In recent years, this attitude is everywhere on the decline; it quickly disappears when the real need for a given A.A. service becomes clear. Donors can seldom see what the exact result has been. They well know, however, that countless thousands of other alcoholics and their families are being helped. Prayer for the Day: The Set Aside Prayer - "Dear God please help me to set aside everything I think I know about [people. place or thing] so I may have an open mind and a new experience. Please help me to see the truth about [people. place or thing]?. AMEN." (This prayer comes from the Chapter to the Agnostic.) |
AA Thought for the Day
December 14 Painful Past This painful past may be of infinite value to other families still struggling with their problem. We think each family which has been relieved owes something to those who have not, and when the occasion requires, each member of it should be only too willing to bring former mistakes, no matter how grievous, out of their hiding places. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (The Family Afterward) p. 124 Thought to Ponder . . . Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. AA-related 'Alconym' H O P E = Hold On, Pain Ends. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Cordial Welcome But life among Alcoholics Anonymous is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals. Cleaning up old scrapes, helping to settle family differences, explaining the disinherited son to his irate parents, lending money and securing jobs for each other, when justified -- these are everyday occurrences. No one is too discredited or has sunk too low to be welcomed cordially -- if he means business. c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 161 Thought to Consider . . . If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Search From "Changing Beliefs": "Slowly and painfully, I became aware of myself. I began to see it wasn't true that I didn't believe in anything. Rather, I had believed in the wrong things 'There is good in all of us. Seek it out, nurture it, tend it, and it will flourish.' So I began searching for the positives within me." 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 103 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "My desire to drink became a desire not to." Nipawin, Saskatchewan, November 2003 "Nobody's Fault but Mine," Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, "a design for living" that really works." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 28~ "An alcoholic in his cups is an unlovely creature." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 16~ Counsel with persons is often desirable, but we let God be the final judge. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.70 One unkind tirade or one willful snap judgment can ruin our relation with another person for a whole day, or maybe a whole year. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.91 Misc. AA Literature - Quote 'Not all large decisions can be well made by simply listing the pros and cons of a given situation, helpful and necessary as this process is. We cannot always depend on what seems to us to be logical. When there is doubt about our logic, we wait upon God and listen for the voice of intuition. If, in meditation, that voice is persistent enough, we may well gain sufficient confidence to act upon that, rather than upon logic. 'If, after an exercise of these two disciplines, we are still uncertain, then we should ask for further guidance and, when possible, defer important decisions for a time. By then, with more knowledge of our situation, logic and intuition may well agree upon a right course. 'But if the decision must be now, let us not evade it through fear. Right or wrong, we can always profit from the experience.' Prayer for the Day: Usefulness Prayer - God, Help me today to find balance between my character defects and the principles of our program so as, to be useful to myself, all other, and You, the God of my understanding. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 15 Pause In all times of emotional disturbance or indecision, we can pause, ask for quiet, and in the stillness simply say: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done." - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Three) pp. 40 - 41 Thought to Ponder The stillness of God speaks louder than a choir of voices. AA-related 'Alconym' P A U S E = Pray Actively Until Serenity Emerges. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Pride We scarcely need to be reminded that excessive guilt or rebellion leads to spiritual poverty. But it was a very long time before we knew we could go even more broke on spiritual pride. When we early AAs got our first glimmer of how spiritually pride full we could be, we coined this expression: "Don't try to get too damned good by Thursday!" That old-time admonition may look like another of those handy alibis that can excuse us from trying our best. Yet a closer view reveals just the contrary. This is our AA way of warning against pride-blindness, and the imaginary perfection's that we do not possess. Bill W., June 1961 c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 255 Thought to Consider . . . Pride without gratitude is arrogance. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* S O B E R = Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Ideas From "'Suggested' Steps": "I remember my sponsor's answer when I told him that the Steps were 'suggested.' He replied that they are 'suggested' in the same way that, if you were to jump out of an airplane with a parachute, it is 'suggested' that you pull the ripcord to save your life. He pointed out that it was 'suggested' I practice the Twelve Steps, if I wanted to save my life." 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 344 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "My drinking career was all about running away. I could pack up and vanish in a flash. Now, I can make commitments and become part of something. I can let myself belong." Kingston, N.Y., May 1997 "At Home in a Home Group" Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "When ready, we say something like this: 'My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.' We have then completed Step Seven." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 76~ "God has abundantly supplied this world with fine doctors, psychologists, and practitioners of various kinds. Do not hesitate to take your health problems to such persons. Most of them give freely of themselves, that their fellows may enjoy sound minds and bodies." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~ Will he take every necessary step, submit to anything to get well, to stop drinking forever? -Alcoholics Anonymous p.142 So it is that we first see humility as a necessity -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.73 Misc. AA Literature - Quote As a society we must never become so vain as to suppose that we are authors and inventors of a new religion. We will humbly reflect that every one of A.A.'s principles has been borrowed from ancient sources. A minister in Thailand wrote, 'We took A.A.'s Twelve Steps to the largest Buddhist monastery in this province, and the head priest said, 'Why, these Steps are fine! For us as Buddhists, it might be slightly more acceptable if you had inserted the word 'good' in your Steps instead of 'God.' Nevertheless, you say that it is God as you understand Him, and that must certainly include the good. Yes, A.A.s Twelve Steps will surely be accepted by the Buddhists around here.' St. Louis oldtimers recall how Father Edward Dowling helped start their group; it turned out to be largely Protestant, but this fazed him not a bit.' Prayer for the Day: Prayer During Turmoil - Dear Higher Power, During times when my world becomes unhinged, and the foundations of what I believe crack and dissolve, give me the grace to believe that Your power is at work in the turmoil of my life. Lead me to remember that Your power is greater than all evil, and though the world may rock and sometimes break, it will in time, be transformed by Your love. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 16 Amends We should be sensible, tactful, considerate and humble without being servile or scraping. As God’s people we stand on our feet; we don’t crawl before anyone. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 83 Thought to Ponder . . . It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them. AA-related 'Alconym' A A = Accountable Actions. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Belonging There is no more aloneness, with that awful ache, so deep in the heart of every alcoholic that nothing, before, could ever reach it. That ache is gone and never need return again. Now there is a sense of belonging, of being wanted and needed and loved. In return for a bottle and a hangover, we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom. c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 276 c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 312 Thought to Consider . . . Turn your wounds into wisdom. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Hope From "Finding your own way:" "Most of us have seen death close up...but we also have known the sort of hope that makes the heart sing....If you are a problem drinker, you already know enough about pain and loneliness. We'd like you to find some of the peace and joy we have found in meeting the reality of life's ups and downs with a clear head and a steady heart." c. 1975, Living Sober, page 86 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "The smile from my face traveled to my heart." Olympia, Wash., September 2006 "The Portals of Service," Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66 "Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 20 Modem-to-modem or face-to-face, A.A.'s speak the language of the heart in all its power and simplicity. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.xxiv Could we then foresee that troublesome people were to become our principal teachers of patience and tolerance? -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.141 Misc. AA Literature - Quote As the book Alcoholics Anonymous puts it, Resentment is the Number One offender, It is a primary cause of relapses into drinking. How well we of A.A. know that for us 'To drink is eventually to go mad or die.' 'Much the same penalty overhangs every A.A. group. Given enough anger, both unity and purpose are lost. Given still more 'righteous' indignation, the group can disintegrate; it can actually die. This is why we avoid controversy. This is why we prescribe no punishments for any misbehavior, no matter how grievous. Indeed, no alcoholic can be deprived of his membership for any reason whatever. Punishment never heals. Only love can heal.' Prayer for the Day: Next Right Step - God, please show me all through this day, what is the next right step. Give me the strength, faith, and courage I need to take care of the problems in my life. Show me the solution, for I will take the next right actions. And, I ask to be free from self-will and fear. Your will, not mine, be done. Amen |
AA Thought for the Day
December 17 Any Conception Tell him exactly what happened to you. Stress the spiritual feature freely. If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that he does not have to agree with your conception of God. He can choose any conception he likes, provided it makes sense to him. The main thing is that he be willing to believe in a Power greater than himself and that he live by spiritual principles. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Working With Others) p. 93 Thought to Ponder . . . I came; I came to; I came to believe. AA-related 'Alconym' W I L L I N G = When I Live Life, I Need God. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Meetings Through going to meetings and listening, and occasionally speaking, through doing Twelfth Step work, whereby in helping others you are both the teacher and the student, by making many wonderful AA friends, I have been taught all the things in life that are worth having. c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, (3rd Edition), p. 416 Thought to Consider . . . Meetings: A checkup from the neck up *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Expansion From "A Vision for You": "Every few days this doctor suggests our approach to one of his patients. Understanding our work, he can do this with an eye to selecting those who are willing and able to recover on a spiritual basis. Many of us, former patients, go there to help. Then, in this eastern city, there are informal meetings such as we have described to you, where you may now see scores of members. There are the same fast friendships, there is the same helpfulness to one another" 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 163 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "More than a million of us who suffer from the disease of alcoholism have found not just the ability to live with or survive this insidious disease, but a joyful way of life as new as this morning and as old as mankind. We can gain sobriety, aspire to serenity, at no greater price than caring for our fellow sufferers and sharing with them what has been freely given to us. We can experience the true joy of love that we once tried to destroy by not giving it away, and we can learn the truth that the more we give away, the more we will have." Brick Town, N.J., January 1977 Because One Man Was Lonely," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "If there be divorce or separation, there should be no undue haste for the couple to get together. The man should be sure of his recovery. The wife should fully understand his new way of life. If their old relationship is to be resumed it must be on a better basis, since the former did not work. This means a new attitude and spirit all around. Sometimes it is to the best interests of all concerned that a couple remain apart. Obviously, no rule can be laid down. Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day. When the time for living together has come, it will be apparent to both parties." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, Page 99 " I had always believed in a Power greater that myself. I had often pondered these things. I was not an atheist. Few people really are, for that means blind faith in the strange proposition that this universe originated in a cipher and aimlessly rushes no where." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 10~ Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.86 All we need is a key, and the decision to swing the door open. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.34 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Many newcomers, having experienced little but constant deflation, feel a growing conviction that human will is of no value whatever. They have become persuaded, sometimes rightly so, that many problems besides alcohol will not yield to a headlong assault powered only by the individual's will. However, there are certain things which the individual alone can do. All by himself, and in the light of his own circumstances, he needs to develop the quality of willingness. When he acquires willingness, he is the only one who can then make the decision to exert himself along spiritual lines. Trying to do this is actually an act of his own will. It is a right use of this faculty. Indeed, all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps require our sustained and personal exertion to conform to their principles and so, we trust, to God's will. Prayer for the Day: Mychal's Prayer - Lord, take me where You want me to go; Let me meet who You want me to meet; Tell me what You want me to say; And keep me out of Your way. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 18 Solid Spiritual Ground So our rule is not to avoid a place where there is drinking, if we have a legitimate reason for being there. . . Go or stay away, whichever seems best. But be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it. But if you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead! - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Working With Others) pp. 101 - 102 Thought to Ponder . . . Life didn't end when I got sober, it started. AA-related 'Alconym' S O B E R = Spiritually On Beam; Everything's Right. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Miracle And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone -- even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 84-5 Thought to Consider . . . Don't give up before the miracle happens. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O W = Honest, Open, Willing. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Bill Undercover AA History Among the odd jobs that Bill cited in Bill's Story was his mention of working on a farm for a month. During 1925, Bill and Lois took off on a trip down the east coast inspecting companies to see if their stock might be good Wall Street investments. They camped up and down the coast and carried all of their belongings in the Harley-Davidson motorcycle and sidecar that Bill had purchased. At the end of April 1925, they stopped at the Goldfoot family dairy farm in Scotia, New York near Schenectady. Mr. Goldfoot had two sons, both of whom worked for General Electric, a company that Bill was able to penetrate for investment investigation by befriending some of their employees during that month. They also worked for the Goldfoots to earn some money to continue on this most successful trip. Lois later acknowledged that she hadn't cared if they earned a cent on the trip. She had been hoping the fresh air and the hobo lifestyle would help Bill slow up on his drinking. *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "You've got one life to live. Don't screw it up with a lot of maybes, what-ifs, and could-have-beens. Focus on what you have." Carmel Valley, Calif., August 2000 "Old Advice" Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "But there was always the curious mental phenomenon that parallel with our sound reasoning there inevitably ran some insanely trivial excuse for taking the first drink. Our sound reasoning failed to hold us in check. The insane idea won out. Next day we would ask ourselves, in all earnestness and sincerity, how it could have happened." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 37~ "At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 77~ Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.56 Our basic troubles are the same as everyone else’s, but when an honest effort is made ‘to practice these principles in all our affairs,’ well-grounded A.A.’s seem to have the ability, by God’s grace, to take these troubles in stride and turn them into demonstrations of faith. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.114 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Selfishness - self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt. So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us! Prayer for the Day: Free Of Resentment Prayer - God, free me from my resentment toward _____ . Please bless _____ in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day. Please give _____ everything I want for myself and may _____'s life be full of health, peace, prosperity, and happiness as they seek to have a closer relationship with You. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 19 Admission and Correction But there is another kind of hangover which we all experience whether we are drinking or not. That is the emotional hangover, the direct result of yesterday's and sometimes today's excesses of negative emotion—anger, fear, jealousy, and the like. If we would live serenely today and tomorrow, we certainly need to eliminate these hangovers. This doesn't mean we need to wander morbidly around in the past. It requires an admission and correction of errors now. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) pp. 88 - 89 Thought to Ponder . . . Bless them, change me. AA-related 'Alconym' A A = Always Aware. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Alternatives If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives. One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could, and the other, to accept spiritual help. This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort. c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 25-6 Thought to Consider . . . If you always do what you've always done, you will always be where you've always been. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Simple From "Freedom from Bondage": "The A.A. members who sponsored me told me in the beginning that I would not only find a way to live without having a drink, but that I would find a way to live without wanting to drink, if I would do these simple things. They said if you want to know how this program works, take the first word of your question the 'H' is for honesty, the 'O' is for open-mindedness, and the 'W' is for willingness; these our Big Book calls the essentials of recovery." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 549-50 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "When I call my sponsor, my friends, someone on my home group's phone list, or someone who scribbled their number on a napkin after a meeting, I make progress ... If we just call, we help one another stay sober, one call at a time, one connection at a time." Morristown, N.J., May 2003 "Just Call Me" Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "...I humbly offered myself to God, as I then I understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 13~ "We know what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself, "Im jittery and alone. I couldnt do that." But you can. You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than yourself. To duplicate, with such backing, what we have accomplished is only a matter of willingness, patience and labor." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 163~ No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.56-Alcoholics Anonymous p.60 Having been granted a perfect release from alcoholism, why then shouldn't we be able to achieve by the same means a perfect release from every other difficulty or defect? -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.64 Misc. AA Literature - Quote We see that the sun never sets upon A.A.'s Fellowship; that more than three hundred and fifty thousand of us have now recovered from our malady; that we have everywhere begun to transcend the formidable barriers of race, creed, and nationality. This assurance that so many of us have been able to meet our responsibilities for sobriety and for growth and effectiveness in the troubled world where we live, will surely fill us with the deepest joy and satisfaction. But, as a people who have nearly always learned the hard way, we shall certainly not congratulate ourselves. We shall perceive these assets to be God's gifts, which have been in part matched by an increasing willingness on our part to find and do His will for us. Prayer for the Day: The Fear Prayer - God, thank you for helping me be honest enough to see this truth about myself and now that you have shown me the truth about my fears, please remove these fears from me. Lord, please help me outgrow my fears and direct my attention to what you would have me be. Father, demonstrate through me and help me become that which you would have me be. Help me do thy will always, Amen. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 20 My Disturbance Did these perplexities beset me because of selfishness or unreasonable demands? Or, if my disturbance was seemingly caused by the behavior of others, why do I lack the ability to accept conditions I cannot change? These are the sort of fundamental inquiries that can disclose the source of my discomfort and indicate whether I may be able to alter my own conduct and so adjust myself serenely to self-discipline. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) p. 52 Thought to Ponder . . . My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance. AA-related 'Alconym' A A = Answer Available. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Freedom "Through AA, we can experience freedom from self. After all, it was self ( you, me ) that stood in our own way, that ran the show and ran ourselves into bankruptcy, that hurt the ones we loved. All Twelve Steps of AA are designed to kill the old self ( deflate the old ego ) and build a new, free self." 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 459 Thought to Consider . . . Within our wonderful new world, we have found freedom from our fatal obsession. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Honesty From "Inner Voice": "Long before nagging and pressures from others concerning my excessive use of alcohol made any impression on me, the nagging voice of conscience my own inner voice of truth and right apprised me of the irrevocable fact that I had lost control of alcohol, that I was powerless. I know now that the inner voice was God, as I understand Him, speaking. For, as I had been taught from earliest memory and as A.A. has emphasized, God or good emanates from within each of us. "Lakewood, Ohio, USA" 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 83 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Not picking up a drink creates infinite possibilities for me ... When I wake up in the morning I pray for what I need to get through the day sober. I also smile and say to myself, Who knows? This could be the greatest day of my life!" New York, N.Y., January 2006 "Attitude Adjustment" Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "...we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132 "Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. A new world came into view." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 12~ We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.85 The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.98 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their sobriety are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do provide a new prospect with these very things - when it becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first. It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when and how to give. Whenever we put our work on a material plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather than upon a Higher Power and the A.A. group. He continues to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for. Nonsense! Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: that, job or no job, wife or no wife, we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place material dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God. Prayer for the Day: In Fellowship - Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is unselfish—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—I will think about such things. The things I have learned and received and heard and seen in our Fellowship and Program, I will practice, and the God of my understanding will be with me. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 21 Over and Over After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (The Doctors Opinion,) p. xxix Thought to Ponder . . . Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. AA-related 'Alconym' H O P E = Happy Our Program Exists. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Freedom "Through AA, we can experience freedom from self. After all, it was self ( you, me ) that stood in our own way, that ran the show and ran ourselves into bankruptcy, that hurt the ones we loved. All Twelve Steps of AA are designed to kill the old self ( deflate the old ego ) and build a new, free self." 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 459 Thought to Consider . . . Within our wonderful new world, we have found freedom from our fatal obsession. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Honesty From "Inner Voice": "Long before nagging and pressures from others concerning my excessive use of alcohol made any impression on me, the nagging voice of conscience my own inner voice of truth and right apprised me of the irrevocable fact that I had lost control of alcohol, that I was powerless. I know now that the inner voice was God, as I understand Him, speaking. For, as I had been taught from earliest memory and as A.A. has emphasized, God or good emanates from within each of us. "Lakewood, Ohio, USA" 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 83 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Not picking up a drink creates infinite possibilities for me ... When I wake up in the morning I pray for what I need to get through the day sober. I also smile and say to myself, Who knows? This could be the greatest day of my life!" New York, N.Y., January 2006 "Attitude Adjustment" Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "...we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132 "Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. A new world came into view." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 12~ We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.85 The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.98 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their sobriety are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do provide a new prospect with these very things - when it becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first. It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when and how to give. Whenever we put our work on a material plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather than upon a Higher Power and the A.A. group. He continues to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for. Nonsense! Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: that, job or no job, wife or no wife, we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place material dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God. Prayer for the Day: In Fellowship - Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is unselfish—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—I will think about such things. The things I have learned and received and heard and seen in our Fellowship and Program, I will practice, and the God of my understanding will be with me. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 22 All Power Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power—that One is God. May you find Him now! Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 59 Thought to Ponder We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. AA-related 'Alconym' F A I T H = Forget Answers, Instead Trust Him. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Let Go If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. Remember we deal with alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power -- that One is God. May you find Him now! c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58 Thought to Consider . . . When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Safe >From "Good Housekeeping" article, 1954: "When you stand outside a room where a group of Alcoholics Anonymous is meeting, the most frequent sound you hear is laughter. Mellow laughter, which can come only from people who have looked destruction and catastrophe in the face, not once but continuously over long years, and now are free and unafraid. The laughter, in short, of people who hold God's hand and feel safe." c. Letter to a Woman Alcoholic (A.A. Pamphlet P-14) *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "My group included almost every type of alcoholic that old-timers feared most ... The amazing thing is most of us stayed sober, despite all the dire predictions. Why? Because the two things we had in common were more important than all our differences. We were alcoholics and we believed in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous." Springville, UT, March 2000 "Courage to Change" Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~ "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." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 19 Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.77 When the Twelfth Step is seen in its full implication, it is really talking about the kind of love that has no price tag on it. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.106 Misc. AA Literature - Quote For a new prospect, outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain that he is under no obligation to you. In the first six months of my own sobriety, I worked hard with many alcoholics. Not a one responded. Yet this work kept me sober. It wasn't a question of those alcoholics giving me anything. My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. Prayer for the Day: I surrender my life to Thee, O God. Living in self has separated me from your Divine guidance and grace. Take my life and run it for me, according to Your will and Your plan. Thy will, not mine be done. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 23 Reliance "Belief meant reliance, not defiance. In A.A. we saw the fruits of this belief: men and women spared from alcohol's final catastrophe. We saw them meet and transcend their other pains and trials. We saw them calmly accept impossible situations, seeking neither to run nor to recriminate. This was not only faith; it was faith that worked under all conditions." - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Two) p. 31 Thought to Ponder . . . Reliance on God enables me to match calamity with serenity. AA-related 'Alconym' F R O G = Fully Rely On God. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Letting Go Letting go of everything at once was both painful and terrifying. I could never have accomplished this alone. It took the help, understanding and wonderful companionship that was given so freely to me by my ex-alkie friends. This and the program of recovery embodied in the Twelve Steps. In learning to practice these steps in my daily living, I began to acquire faith and a philosophy to live by. Whole new vistas were opened up for me, new avenues of experience to be explored, and life began to take on color and interest. c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 311 c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 275 Thought to Consider . . . The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Sharing From "Aspects of Spirituality:" "Among A.A.'s there is still a vast amount of mix-up respecting what is material and what is spiritual. I prefer to believe that it is all a matter of motive. If we use our worldly possessions too selfishly, then we are materialists. But if we share these possessions in helpfulness to others, then the material aids the spiritual." c. 1967, As Bill Sees It, page 287 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "If faith without works is dead, willingness without action is fantasy." Cheverly, Md., February 1985 "Short Takes" AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "...we were at Step Three, which is that we decided to turn our will and our life over to God as we understood Him. Just what do we mean by that, and just what do we do? The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 60~ "Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!" Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 100 At once, we commence to outgrow fear. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.68 Then fear, in turn, generates more character defects. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.49 Misc. AA Literature - Quote We can be grateful for every agency or method that tries to solve the problem of alcoholism--whether of medicine, religion, education, or research. We can be open-minded toward all such efforts and we can be sympathetic when the ill-advised ones fail. We can remember that A.A. itself ran for years on 'trial and error.' As individuals, we can and should work with those that promise success - even a little success. Every one of the pioneers in the total field of alcoholism will generously say that had it not been for the living proof of recovery in A.A., they could not have gone on. A.A. was the lodestar of hope and help that kept them at it. Prayer for the Day: Right Living - From the cowardice that dare not face new truth, From the laziness that is contented with half truth, From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth, Good Lord, deliver me. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 24 Act of Will "Personally, I take the attitude that I intend never to drink again. This is somewhat different from saying, 'I will never drink again.' The latter attitude sometimes gets people in trouble because it is undertaking on a personal basis to do what we alcoholics never could do. It is too much an act of will and leaves us too little room for the idea that God will release us from the drink obsession provided we follow the A.A. program." - As Bill Sees It, (Never Again!) No. 16 Thought to Ponder . . . Willpower ... our will-ingness to use our Higher Power. AA-related 'Alconym' A C T = Action Changes Things. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Certainty The great fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows, and toward God's universe. 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. c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25 Thought to Consider . . . I stood in the sunlight at last. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* Y A N A = You Are Not Alone. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Aid From "A Vision for You": "God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 164 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "It doesn't do too much good to carry the Big Book on your arm all day if you don't open it up and read it." Oceanside, Calif., June 2000 "As Unique as Ham and Eggs," Emotional Sobriety ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haven't the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg.76~ "Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body. If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking What do I have to do?" It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions specifically. We shall tell you what we have done. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 20~ In meditation, we ask God what we should do about each specific matter. -Alcoholics Anonymous p.69 Prayer is the raising of the heart and mind to God -- and in this sense it includes meditation. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.102 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Watch any A.A. of six months working with a Twelfth Step prospect. If the newcomer says, 'To the devil with you,' the twelfth-stepper only smiles and finds another alcoholic to help. He doesn't feel frustrated or rejected. If his next drunk responds, and in turn starts to give love and attention to other sufferers, yet gives none back to him, the sponsor is happy about it anyway. He still doesn't feel rejected; instead he rejoices that his former prospect is sober and happy. And he well knows that his own life has been made richer, as an extra dividend of giving to another without any demand for a return. Prayer for the Day: Dear God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself. .. and the fact that I think I am following Your Will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe this: I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You, I hope I have that desire in everything I do. I hope I never persist in anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may do nothing about it at the time, Therefore I will trust You always, for though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death - I will not be afraid, because I know you will never leave me to face my troubles all alone, Handed to a Newcomer by an Oldtimer in 1988 with the notation "This helps me on the days when none of it makes sense!" |
AA Thought for the Day
December 25 Radiance of This Prayer We treasure our "Serenity Prayer" because it brings a new light to us that can dissipate our oldtime and nearly fatal habit of fooling ourselves. In the radiance of this prayer we see that defeat, rightly accepted, need be no disaster. We now know that we do not have to run away, nor ought we again try to overcome adversity by still another bulldozing power drive that can only push up obstacles before us faster than they can be taken down. - As Bill Sees It, (Light from a Prayer) No. 20 Thought to Ponder . . . When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.. AA-related 'Alconym' B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today? ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Right Living Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or solved with God's help. the knowledge that at home or in the world outside we are partners in a common effort, the well-understood fact that in God's sight all human beings are important, the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return, the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons, the surety that we need no longer be square pegs in round holes but can fit and belong in God's scheme of things -- these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions of right living for which no amount of pomp and circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be substitutes. c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124 Thought to Consider . . . The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today? *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Initiation Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." "There are as many definitions of spiritual awakening as there are people who have had them. But certainly each genuine one has something in common with all the others. And these things which they have in common are not too hard to understand. When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone." 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 107 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "By whatever name we may call it, the spirit of Christmas is in us all. How best to give and how to receive with ever more gratitude is our common aim. We'd like to practice the spirit of Christmas the year around. Therefore, we shall especially ask ourselves at this season: 'What more can we find in order that we shall have more to give?" AA Co-Founder, Bill W., December 1952 "Every Day Is Christmas" AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider another's conception of God. Our own conception, however inadequate, was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with Him. As soon as we admitted the possible existence of a Creative Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of things, we began to be possessed of a new sense of power and direction, provided we took other simple steps." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~ "If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your problems too." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Wives, Page 116~ Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? -Alcoholics Anonymous p.66 When these things happen we should not think too ill of ourselves. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.105 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety, never yet has this Fellowship had to struggle for lost unity. Consequently, we sometimes take this one great gift for granted. We forget that, should we lose our unity, the millions of alcoholics who still 'do not know' might never get their chance. We used to be skeptical about large A.A. gatherings like conventions, thinking they might prove too exhibitionistic. But, on balance, their benefit is huge. While each A.A.'s interest should center principally in those about him and upon his own group, it is both necessary and desirable that we all get a larger vision of the whole. The General Service Conference in New York also produces this effect upon those who attend. It is a vision-stretching process. Prayer for the Day: Our Meeting Room Door - Dear God Make the door of this meeting wide enough To Receive all who need love and fellowship And narrow enough yo shut out All envy, Pride, and Hate. Make it s threshold smooth enough To be no stumbling block to anyone Not to those who have strayed But rugged enough to turn back The Tempter`s power: Make it a gateway To thine eternal kingdom. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 26 Investigation While the purpose of making restitution to others is paramount, it is equally necessary that we extricate from an examination of our personal relations every bit of information about ourselves and our fundamental difficulties that we can. Since defective relations with other human beings have nearly always been the immediate cause of our woes, including our alcoholism, no field of investigation could yield more satisfying and valuable rewards than this one. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Eight) p. 80 Thought to Ponder . . . "Thoroughness, we have found, will pay—and pay handsomely." AA-related 'Alconym' A R T = Always Remain Teachable. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Broad Highway We can only clear the ground a bit. If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice, enables you to think honestly, encourages you to search diligently within yourself, then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway. With this attitude you cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you. c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55 Thought to Consider . . . The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* F A I T H = Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Alike From "The Missing Link": "They opened a book and read a chapter titled 'Step Seven.' After the reading, they went around the table for comments, and for the first time in my life, I found myself surrounded by people I could really relate with. I no longer felt as if I was a major misfit, because here was a roomful of people who felt precisely as I did, and a major weight had been lifted. I happened to be in the last chair around the table to speak and, confused by the reading, all I could say was, 'What the heck are shortcomings?'" 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 286 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I heard my future told around the tables at my home group." Houston, TX, October 1994 "Around the Tables," Thank You for Sharing ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "...the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it has been revealed to us out of bitter experience." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 39~ "Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas: (a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives. (b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism. (c) That God could and would if He were sought." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 60~ Many less desperate alcoholics tried A.A., but did not succeed because they could not make the admission of hopelessness. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.23 Misc. AA Literature - Quote I have had many experiences with atheists, mostly good. Everybody in A.A. has the right to his own opinion. It is much better to maintain an open and tolerant society than it is to suppress any small disturbances their opinions might occasion. Actually, I don't know of anybody who went off and died of alcoholism because of some atheist's opinions on the cosmos. 'But I do always entreat these folks to look to a Higher Power - namely, their own group. When they come in, most of their A.A. group is sober, and they are drunk. Therefore, the group is a Higher Power. That's a good enough start, and most of them do progress from there. I know how they feel, because I was once that way myself.' Prayer for the Day: Dear God, Take my life and let me live serenely for today. Open my mind to happy thoughts. Take away my self-pity, I don’t want it. Take away my ill will towards others. Make it possible for me to feel joy, love, and compassion. Help me to accept what is, to hold my tongue, to do my daily task, and to let go with love. Take away my worry about the future. Make me realize that in your hands everything will be provided. Help me to understand that I have no control over anything but my own actions. Make me know that today is precious and will soon be gone. Help me to remember that all hatred and pain directed toward me are the hatred and pain the other person is feeling toward him self. Thank you for your willingness to accept my burden and lighten my load. Amen |
AA Thought for the Day
December 27 No Fight Shortly afterward I came home drunk. There had been no fight. Where had been my high resolve? I simply didn’t know. It hadn't even come to mind. Someone had pushed a drink my way, and I had taken it. Was I crazy? I began to wonder, for such an appalling lack of perspective seemed near being just that. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Bill's Story) p. 5 Thought to Ponder . . . We are without defense against the first drink. AA-related 'Alconym' A A = Answer Available. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Surrender Such is the paradox of AA regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one's old life as a condition for finding a new one. But we of AA do not have to understand that paradox; we have only to be grateful for it. Bill W. c. 1957, 1985AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 46 Thought to Consider . . . . We surrender to win *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* K I S S = Keep It Simple, Surrender *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Autonomy From "When A.A. Came of Age": "Some may think that we have carried the principle of group autonomy to extremes. . . . "But this ultra-liberty is not so risky as it looks. In the end the innovators would have to adopt A.A. principles "at least some of them" in order to remain sober at all. If, on the other hand, they found something better than A.A., or if they were able to improve on our methods, then in all probability we would adopt what they discovered for general use everywhere. This sort of liberty also prevents A.A. from becoming a frozen set of dogmatic principles that could not be changed even when obviously wrong." Bill W., 1959 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 104-05 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "My miracle occurred when I became willing to go to any lengths to take action. Like the trapeze artist, it wasn't the knowledge of it being there -- it was the action of letting go." Lexington, Ky., April 2002 "God, the Verb," Spiritual Awakenings ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself, Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~ "I was to test my thinking by the new God-consciousness within. Common sense would thus become uncommon sense. I was to sit quietly when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my problems as He would have me. Never was I to pray for myself, except as my requests bore on my usefulness to others. Then only might I expect to receive. But that would be in great measure." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, Page 13~ The second difficulty is this: what comes to us alone may be garbled by our own rationalization and wishful thinking. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.60 Misc. AA Literature - Quote When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being. He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a very real sense he has been transformed, because he has laid hold of a source of strength which he had hitherto denied himself. Prayer for the Day: I am a child of God. In God I live and move and have my being; so I do not fear. I am surrounded by the Presence of God and all is well. I am not afraid of the past; I am not afraid of the present; I am not afraid of the future; for God is with me. The Eternal God is my dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms. Nothing can touch me but the direct action of God Himself, and God is Love.." By: Dr. Emmet Fox. Written in 1931 |
AA Thought for the Day
December 28 Resentments Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. It mattered little whether our resentments were justified or not. A burst of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 90 Thought to Ponder . . . Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die. AA-related 'Alconym' A N G E R = Any New Grudge Endangers Recovery. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Keynotes We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love. We can show kindness where we had shown none. With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them. Whenever we fail any of these people, we can promptly admit it -- to ourselves always, and to them also, when the admission would be helpful. Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody. c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 93 Thought to Consider . . . Let us always love the best in others -- and never fear their worst. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Apology From "Our Side of the Street": I made amends to my dad soon after I quit drinking. My words fell on deaf ears since I had blamed him for my troubles. Several months later I made amends to my dad again. This time I wrote a letter in which I did not blame him or mention his faults. It worked, and at last I understood! My side of the street is all that I'm responsible for and thanks to God and A.A. it's clean for today." 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 259 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "It feels good to be trusted." Nipawin, Saskatchewan, November 2003 "Nobody's Fault but Mine" Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to do is to keep sober. Certainly he must keep sober, for there will be no home if he doesn't. But he is yet a long way from making good to the wife or parents whom for years he has so shockingly treated." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 82~ "Our hope is that when this chip of a book is launched on the world tide of alcoholism, defeated drinkers will seize upon it, to follow its suggestions. Many, we are sure, will rise to their feet and march on. They will approach still other sick ones and fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous may spring up in each city and hamlet, havens for those who must find a way out." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, Page 153~ These fears are the termites that ceaselessly devour the foundations of whatever sort of life we try to build. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.49 Misc. AA Literature - Quote It is possible for us to use the alleged dishonesty of other people as a plausible excuse for not meeting our own obligations. Once, some prejudiced friends exhorted me never to go back to Wall Street. They were sure that the rampant materialism and double-dealing down there would stunt my spiritual growth. Because this sounded so high-minded, I continued to stay away from the only business that I knew. When, finally, my household went broke, I realized I hadn't been able to face the prospect of going back to work. So I returned to Wall Street, and I have ever since been glad that I did. I needed to rediscover that there are many fine people in New York's financial district. Then, too, I needed the experience of staying sober in the very surroundings where alcohol had cut me down. A Wall Street business trip to Akron, Ohio, first brought me face to face with Dr. Bob. So the birth of A.A. hinged on my effort to meet my bread-and-butter responsibilities. Prayer for the Day: God I feel your peace as it moves gently through my soul. I feel a sense of serenity now as I let go of all cares and challenges. All tension is released. I am filled with inner peace that overflows into everything I do. Throughout this day I will be unfolding in your loving care. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 29 Old, Insidious Insanity Unless he took some drinks, he might not have the courage to scrape an acquaintance and would have a lonely week-end. Of course he couldn't drink, but why not sit hopefully at a table, a bottle of ginger ale before him? After all, had he not been sober six months now? Perhaps he could handle, say, three drinks—no more! Fear gripped him. He was on thin ice. Again it was the old, insidious insanity—that first drink. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (A Vision For You) p. 154 Thought to Ponder We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. AA-related 'Alconym' A A W O L = A A Way Of Life. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Slip "I had commenced to drink as though the cocktails were ginger ale. I now remembered what my alcoholic friends had told me, how they prophesied that if I had an alcoholic mind, the time and place would come -- I would drink again. . . I knew from that moment that I had an alcoholic mind. I saw that will power and self-knowledge would not help in those strange mental blank spots. . . I had never been able to understand people who said that a problem had them hopelessly defeated. I knew then. It was a crushing blow." c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 41-2 Thought to Consider . . . I have learned it's the first drink that gets me drunk. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* S L I P = Sobriety Loses Its Priority *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Action From "Daily Resolutions:" "A New Year: 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes -- a time to consider directions, goals, and actions. I must make some plans to live a normal life, but also I must live emotionally within a twenty-four-hour frame, for if I do, I don't have to make New Year's resolutions! I can make every day a New Year's day! I can decide, 'Today I will do this....Today I will do that.' Each day I can measure my life by trying to do a little better, by deciding to follow God's will and by making an effort to put the principles of our A.A. program into action." c. 1990, Daily Reflections, page 374 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I never thought that a day like today would be a high point of my life. All that excitement that I used to crave and strive for was not there. I don't have to live on the edge anymore. And tonight as I lay my head on my pillow I can't think of one single thing that I did today that I have to go back and redo and make amends for." Oceanside, Calif., June 2000 "As Unique as Ham and Eggs," Emotional Sobriety ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We alcoholics are sensitive people. It takes some of us a long time to outgrow that serious handicap." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 125~ "Those having religious affiliations will find here nothing disturbing to their beliefs or ceremonies. There is no friction among us over such matters." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 28~ We'll listen politely to those who would advise us, but all the decisions are to be ours alone. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.37 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless. The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter. Prayer for the Day: Father, as I think of you, I feel your love. I become still and feel your everlasting arms of love around me. God I know without a doubt that you love me, so I trust you completely. I feel safe and secure. God you soothe my thoughts and enrich my soul. I am ready to face my day feeling your loving presence. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 30 Problems Pile Up These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self-confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (The Doctor's Opinion) p. xxviii Thought to Ponder . . . The gritty pain of alcoholism is the traction of recovery. AA-related 'Alconym' F I N E = Frustrated, Insecure, Neurotic, Emotional. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Motives We were depressed and complained we felt bad, when in fact we were mainly asking for sympathy and attention. This odd trait of mind and emotion, this perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one, permeates human affairs from top to bottom. This subtle and elusive kind of self-righteousness can underlie the smallest act or thought. Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws is the essence of character building and good living. An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow will be the permanent assets we shall seek. c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 94-5 Thought to Consider . . . The best things in life aren't things. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Pleasure From "The Joy of Living": "A.A. *is* a joyful program! Even so, I occasionally balk at taking the necessary steps to move ahead, and find myself resisting the very actions that could bring about the joy I want. I would not resist if those actions did not touch some vulnerable area of my life, an area that needs hope and fulfillment. Repeated exposure to joyfulness has a way of softening the hard, outer edges of my ego. Therein lies the power of joyfulness to help all members of A.A." 1990 AAWS, Inc. Daily Reflections, pg. 372 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Serenity is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it." Tacoma, Wash., April 1984 "Short Takes" AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk. Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 70~ Lack of power, that was our dilemma. we had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power? page 45 Alcoholics Anonymous A continuous look at our assets and liabilities, and a real desire to learn and grow by this means, are necessities for us. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.88 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Change is the characteristic of all growth. From drinking to sobriety, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to serenity, from hate to love, from childish dependence to adult responsibility - all this and infinitely more represent change for the better. Such changes are accomplished by a belief in and a practice of sound principles. Here we must needs discard bad or ineffective principles in favor of good ones that work. Even good principles can sometimes be displaced by the discovery of still better ones. Only God is unchanging; only He has all the truth there is. Prayer for the Day: God created me to express a full and happy life. Every second of every day spiritual energy flows through every cell, organ, muscle, tissue and fiber of my being, revitalizing and renewing me. I do not allow symptoms or medical terms to alarm me. I am filled with the spirit of health. I make positive statements about my health. I am complete and whole because the spirit of God fills me with ever-renewing life. |
AA Thought for the Day
December 31 Tradition One - Unity The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality our Society has. Our lives, the lives of all to come, depend squarely upon it. We stay whole, or A.A. dies. Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; our world arteries would no longer carry the life-giving grace of God; His gift to us would be spent aimlessly. Back again in their caves, alcoholics would reproach us and say, “What a great thing A.A. might have been!” - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Tradition One) p. 129 Thought to Ponder . . . There is no strength without unity. AA-related 'Alconym' A A's - R - U S = Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Unity Service. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Guidance Walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen. When we look back, we realize the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands, were better than anything we could have planned. Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances! 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 100 Thought to Consider . . . Look for the Good. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* A A = Adventurers Anonymous *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Diagnosis From "More About Alcoholism": "We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself. Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 31-32 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "It's only when I stop thinking about it, stop trying to run the show, that my life may become as God intends." Tucson, Ariz., March 1988 "The Work at Hand," Emotional Sobriety ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn't we laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~ "We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, Page 85~ It mattered little whether our resentments were justified or not. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.90 Misc. AA Literature - Quote When we reached A.A., and for the first time in our lives stood among people who seemed to understand, the sense of belonging was tremendously exciting. We thought the isolation problem had been solved. But we soon discovered that, while we weren't alone any more in a social sense, we still suffered many of the old pangs of anxious apartness. Until we had talked with complete candor of our conflicts, and had listened to someone else do the same thing, we still didn't belong. Step Five was the answer. It was the beginning of true kinship with man and God. Prayer for the Day: Kindness Prayer - Keep us, O God, from closed mindedness, let us Be large in thought, in work, in deed. Let us be done with faultfinding, and Leave off self-seeking. May we put away all pretense and meet each other face-to-face, without Self pity and without prejudice. May we never be hasty in our judgement And be always generous and helpful. Teach us to put into action our better Impulses, straightforward and unafraid. Let us take time for the right things. Make us Grow calm, serene, and gentle. Grant that we may realize it is the Little things that create difference, That in the big things in life we are one. And may we strive to touch and know The great common heart of us all, and O God, let us not forget to be kind. |
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