AA Thoughts For Today - December

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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