[bluidkiti]

September 9


Prayer for Guidance

Lord, I am feeling uncertain about what I’m facing.
Please guide me and help me to cope with what is unfolding.
Please also grant me the peace that only you can give.
Amid my worries, please come alongside me and sustain me.
I know that I can put my trust in you.
Please grant me reminders along the way, so that I do not become overtaken by the unknown.
Amen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a Thought

We got a kick out of the first few drinks, before we got stupefied by alcohol.

For a while, the world seemed to look brighter. But how about the letdown, the terrible depression that comes the morning after? In A.A., we get a real kick, not a false feeling of exhilaration, but a real feeling of satisfaction with ourselves and self-respect. And a feeling of friendliness toward the world. We got a sort of pleasure from drinking. For a while we thought we were happy. But it's only an illusion. The hangover the next day is the opposite of pleasure.

So ............

Am I getting real pleasure and serenity and peace in A.A.?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a Contemplation

Staying Active

Friends and relatives are often grateful when they witness an alcoholic's dramatic recovery after years of horror and pain. However, they sometimes fail to understand the importance of meetings after the alcoholic has been sober for months or years. "Do you have to go to another meeting this week?" a spouse might say, "You're sober now. Why do you need THOSE people?"

Some AA members probably do use the meetings simply as a social outlet and attend more than they need. But no other person can really determine what you or I need to maintain sobriety. Moreover, even in sobriety, we are always dealing with alcohol, which can come back into our lives with stunning force if we ever become careless or foolish. It is much better to go to more meetings than we need than to attend too few or none at all.

There is another side as well. The meetings need us. By attending meetings, we are carrying the AA message and providing a haven for desperate newcomers who need our help.

However, we should be tolerant and understanding when others are critical of our zealous attendance of meetings. It is not necessary that they understand our need. It is only necessary that we understand!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legitimate Reason

So, our rule is not to avoid a place where there is drinking, if we have a legitimate reason for being there. That includes bars, nightclubs, dances, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary whoopee parties. To a person who has had experience with an alcoholic, this may seem like tempting Providence, but it isn't.

You will note that we made an important qualification. Therefore, ask yourself on each occasion, "Have I any good social, business, or personal reason for going to this place? Or am I expecting to steal a little vicarious pleasure from the atmosphere of such

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 101

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a Thought

“When we finally give up the struggle to find fulfillment "out there," we have nowhere to go but within. It is at this moment of total surrender that a new light begins to dawn.” ~ Shakti Gawain