AA Thoughts For Today - September

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AA Thought for the Day

September 30

Faith Without Works

Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for the alcoholic!
For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and
self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots
ahead. If he did not work, he would surely drink again, and if he drank, he would
surely die. Then faith would be dead indeed. With us it is just like that.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Bill's Story) pp. 14 - 15

Thought to Ponder
Spiritual progress isn't what gets us sober, it's what keeps us sober.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F A I T H = Found Always In Trusting Him.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Consequences
"In some circumstances we have gone out deliberately
to get drunk, feeling ourselves justified
by nervousness, anger, worry, depression,
jealousy or the like.
But even in this type of beginning we are obliged to admit
that our justification for a spree
was insanely insufficient in the light of what always happened.
We now see that when we began to drink deliberately,
instead of casually,
there was little serious or effective thought
during the period of premeditation
of what the terrific consequences might be."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 37

Thought to Consider . . .
Think it over, not drink over it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D E A D = Drinking Ends All Dreams

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Traits in Common
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.
But not so with alcoholics. When AA was quite young, a number of eminent psychologists and doctors made an exhaustive study of a good-sized group of so-called problem drinkers. The doctors weren't trying to find how different we were from one another; they sought to find whatever personality traits, if any, this group of alcoholics had in common. They finally came up with a conclusion that shocked the AA members of that time. These distinguished men had the nerve to say that most of the alcoholics under investigation were still childish, emotionally sensitive, and grandiose.
How we alcoholics did resent that verdict! We would not believe that our adult dreams were often truly childish. And considering the rough deal life had given us, we felt it perfectly natural that we were sensitive. As to our grandiose behavior, we insisted that we had been possessed of nothing but a high and legitimate ambition to win the battle of life.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 122-123

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Since today marks not only the last day of my life to this date, but also the first day of the rest of my life, and since I have come to believe that the best is yet to come, I think today has been my best day sober."
Lubbock, Texas, December 2000
"My Best Day Sober"
No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"Most of us sense that real tolerance of other people's shortcomings and viewpoints and a respect for their opinions are attitudes which make us more useful to others."
Alcoholics Anonymous p.19-20

We can be alone at perfect peace and ease.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.75

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

The life of each A.A. and of each group is built around our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. We know that the penalty for extensive disobedience to these principles is death for the individual and dissolution for the group. But an even greater force for A.A.'s unity is our compelling love for our fellow members and for our principles.
You might think the people at A.A.'s headquarters in New York would surely have to have some personal authority. But, long ago, trustees and secretaries alike found they could do no more than make very mild suggestions to the A.A. groups.
They even had to coin a couple of sentences which still go into half the letters they write: 'Of course you are at perfect liberty to handle this matter any way you please. But the majority experience in A.A. does seem to suggest...'
A.A. world headquarters is not a giver of orders. It is, instead, our largest transmitter of the lessons of experience.

Prayer for the Day: Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me. I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength, not to be superior to my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy - myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes, so when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit will come to you without shame. american indian - lakota - chief yellow lark - 1887