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05-16-2023, 07:24 AM | #16 |
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May 16 Choice "As active alcoholics, we lost our ability to choose whether we would drink. We were the victims of a compulsion which seemed to decree that we must go on with our own destruction. Yet we finally did make choices that brought about recovery. We came to believe that alone we were powerless over alcohol. This was surely a choice, and a most difficult one. We came to believe that a Higher Power could restore us to sanity when we became willing to practice A.A.'s Twelve Steps. In short, we chose to 'become willing', and no better choice did we ever make." - As Bill Sees It, No. 4 Thought to Ponder . . . The 3 A’s -- Awareness, Acceptance, Action. AA-related 'Alconym' S O B R I E T Y = Staying Off Booze Recovery Is Everything To You. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Martyrdom "Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford." Bill W., Letter, 1966 As Bill Sees It, p. 238 Thought to Consider . . . I can't have a better tomorrow if I am thinking about yesterday all the time. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* PEACE Praying Energetically Always Creates Ease *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Real From "Because I'm an Alcoholic": "A.A. is my home now, and it is everywhere. I go to meetings when I travel here or in foreign countries, and the people are family I can know because of what we share. As I write this, in my twenty-eighth year of sobriety, I am amazed to look back and remember the woman or child. I was then, to see how far I've come out of that abyss. Alcoholics Anonymous has enabled me to move from fantasies about what I might do with my life into living it, one day at a time." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 346 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I believe most of us would agree that the general idea of anonymity is sound, because it encourages alcoholics and the families of alcoholics to approach us for help. Still fearful of being stigmatized, they regard our anonymity as an assurance their problems will be kept confidential; that the alcoholic skeleton in the family closet will not wander in the streets." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., March 1946 "Our Anonymity Is Both Inspiration and Safety" The Language of the Heart ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "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, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 14~ "Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~ When our inventory is carefully taken, and we have made peace with ourselves, the conviction follows that tomorrow’s challenges can be met as they come. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 89 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Giving Up Defects Looking at those defects we are unwilling to give up, we ought to erase the hard and fast lines that we have drawn. Perhaps in some cases we shall say, 'This I cannot give up yet. . .' But we should not say to ourselves, 'This I will never give up!' The moment we say, 'No, never!' our minds close against the grace of God. Such rebellion may be fatal. Instead, we should abandon limited objectives and begin to move toward God's will for us. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 68-69 Prayer For The Day: Oh God, hold me in the palm of your hand. I pray that you will mold me into what you want me to be. May I joyfully fill the role you have given to me and feel your peace deep in my soul, today and always, Amen.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
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05-17-2023, 07:21 AM | #17 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 17 Interwoven There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit. But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Eleven) p. 98 Thought to Ponder . . . We can't grow without giving ourselves space for silence and the voice within. AA-related 'Alconym' F R E E = Fortunately, Recovery Enhances Everything. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Fear "This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we didn't deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling? Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble." Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 67-8. Thought to Consider . . . Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* F E A R = Forever Escaping And Retreating *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Literature From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "My elation was disturbed by disquieting thoughts. Suppose our embryo book were someday to become the chief text for our fellowship. Our principal written asset would then be owned by an outside publisher, a fine and conservative one surely, but nevertheless an outsider. "Soon afterward, one of the most terrific power-drivers I have ever met got into the act. This was my friend Henry P., one-time Standard Oil executive and the very first alcoholic ever to stay sober even a little while in the New York group. ¦'Why don't we put this proposed book on a business basis and form a stock company? Let's sell shares to our own folks right here in New York.' . . . "I went back to [Harper's Editor and A.A. friend] Gene Exman and frankly explained to him what was about to happen. To my utter amazement, he agreed, quite contrary to his own interest, that a society like ours ought to control and publish its own literature." 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 154-55 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "AA's greatest power is not in the program itself, but in the examples of the men [and women] who have followed it." Walla Walla,Wash., February 1955 "Prisoner AA," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions. Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory. This was Step Four." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 63~ "The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 83~ Most of us would declare that without a fearless admission of our defects to another human being we could not stay sober. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 57 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Beyond Agnosticism We of agnostic temperament found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God. 'Many people soberly assure me that man has no better place in the universe than that of another completing organism, fighting its way through life only to perish in the end. Hearing this, I feel that I still prefer to cling to the so-called illusion of religion, which in my own experience has meaningfully told me something very different.' 1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 46 2. LETTER, 1946 Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, there are times in my life when I seem to be getting no where, when I am forced to mark time. Help me to learn the hard lesson of patience, and to put my trust in You. ... Help me to use these times wisely, to sort out my relationship with You, and to gain a new perspective, that I may set more realistic goals, which will be pleasing to You. Give me patience to await Your timing. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-18-2023, 07:01 AM | #18 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 18 Self-centered Fear The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear—primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a basis of unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual disturbance and frustration. Therefore, no peace was to be had unless we could find a means of reducing these demands. The difference between a demand and a simple request is plain to anyone. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Seven) p. 76 Thought to Ponder . . . A fear faced is a fear erased. AA-related 'Alconym' F E A R = False Evidence Appearing Real. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Sponsor "If we are fooling ourselves, a competent adviser can see this quickly. And, as he skillfully guides us away from our fantasies, we are surprised to find that we have few of the usual urges to defend ourselves against unpleasant truths. In no other way can fear, pride, and ignorance be so readily melted. After a time, we realize that we are standing firm on a brand-new foundation for integrity, and we gratefully credit our sponsors, whose advice pointed the way." Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, August 1961. As Bill Sees It, p. 248 Thought to Consider . . . A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor is much like leaving Dracula in charge of the blood bank. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* C A R D S = Call your sponsor, Ask for help from your Higher Power, Read the Big Book, Do the Twelve Steps, Stay active in your group. *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Roles From "Action and Patience": "I heard that we can't keep what we have unless we give it away. And so I found a woman someone a little newer than I was and I shared with her what you had shared with me. Looking back on it, I doubt that I helped this woman very much, but I helped myself beyond measure. I stayed sober, day by day, through sharing my experience, strength, and hope with her, through putting action into the A.A. program while, at the same time, waiting for her, not forcing my action on her. This was patience supporting the action, though I didn't call it patience at the time; the word was not a part of my emotional vocabulary." 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 42 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevinek Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "My home group's primary purpose is to carry the AA message to the alcoholic who still suffers. Some of those have much sobriety, because the alcoholic who still suffers is not necessarily a newcomer. However, when newcomers do show up at our home group we try to focus our discussion on what's in the Big Book and how it can help them if they are willing to follow some simple suggestions." Paso Robles, Calif., May 1998 "The Cement That Binds Us," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God. He clamors for this or that, claiming he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for. Nonsense. Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job, wife or no wife, we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 98~ "We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 25~ Every newcomer in Alcoholics Anonymous is told, and soon realizes for himself, that his humble admission of powerlessness over alcohol is his first step toward liberation from its paralyzing grip. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 72 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Two Roads for the Old-timer The founders of many groups ultimately divide into two classes known in A.A. slang as 'elder statesmen' and 'bleeding deacons.' The elder statesman sees the wisdom of the group's decision to run itself and holds no resentment over his reduced status. His judgment, fortified by considerable experience, is sound; he is willing to sit quietly on the side lines patiently awaiting developments. The bleeding deacon is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him. He constantly connives for re-election to office and continues to be consumed with self-pity. Nearly every old-timer in our Society has gone through this process in some degree. Happily, most of them survive and live to become elder statemen. They become the real and permanent leadership of A.A. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 135 Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, thank you that I am well, and strong and able to work. I do appreciate the work You have called me to do. Lord, sometimes I do get weary, but help me not to complain. I am most blessed to be Your child and I thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life. Lord, use each of us to reach out to those that do not have the blessings that we have. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-19-2023, 07:16 AM | #19 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 19 Remarkable and Unexpected 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. He will also report that out of every season of grief or suffering, when the hand of God seemed heavy or even unjust, new lessons for living were learned, new resources of courage were uncovered, and that finally, inescapably, the conviction came that God does "move in a mysterious way His wonders to perform." - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Eleven) pp. 104 - 105 Thought to Ponder . . . Reliance on God enables me to match calamity with serenity. AA-related 'Alconym' P R A Y E R = Praying Regularly Aids Your Ever-growing Recovery. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Attitudes "We find that our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions. Our desires for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power, for romance, and for family satisfactions - all these have to be tempered and redirected. If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first - then and only then do we have a real chance." Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 114 Thought to Consider . . . I have learned that my actions are far more important than my thoughts. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* EGO Easing God Out *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Open From "A Vision for You": "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. Social distinctions, petty rivalries and jealousies these are laughed out of countenance. Being wrecked in the same vessel, being restored and united under one God, with hearts and minds attuned to the welfare of others, the things which matter so much to some people no longer signify much to them. How could they?" 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 161 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Each day I feel myself growing in recovery. I can honestly say I'm happier now than ever before in my adult life." Palmdale, Calif., July 1992 "An Unexpected Shot at Life," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "But my friend sat before me, and he made the pointblank declaration that God had done for him what he could not do for himself. His human will had failed. Doctors had pronounced him incurable. Society was about to lock him up. Like myself, he had admitted complete defeat. Then he had, in effect, been raised from the dead, suddenly taken from the scrap heap to a level of life better than the best he had ever known!" ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 11~ 3rd Step Prayer: "God, I offer myself to Thee—to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 63~ So, practicing these Steps, we had a spiritual awakening about which finally there was no question. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 109 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Basis of All Humility For just so long as we were convinced that we could live exclusively by our own individual strength and intelligence, for just that long was a working faith in a Higher Power impossible. This was true even when we believed that God existed. We could actually have earnest religious beliefs which remained barren because we were still trying to play God ourselves. As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question. That basic ingredient of all humility, a desire to seek and do God's will, was missing. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 72 Prayer For The Day: Lord our God, we thank you that we have often felt you close to us. We thank you that you are near us and that you strengthen the weak. Remember us and give each one the help he needs to be true to his calling. Remember all mankind and grant that we may go forward in spirit and in truth. Give new light to the peoples who are still in great darkness. Let your kingdom and your reign be revealed and your name at last be honored by all. Amen.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-20-2023, 07:53 AM | #20 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 20 Discipline It works—it really does. We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined. But this is not all. There is action and more action. "Faith without works is dead." - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 88 Thought to Ponder . . . Motivation may get you going, but discipline keeps you growing. AA-related 'Alconym' T R U S T = Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Communicate "From the beginning, communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. It has been unusual and sometimes unique. Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart." Bill W., July 1960 1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 243 Thought to Consider . . . To help each other, is to help ourselves. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* Y A N A = You Are Not Alone *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Honesty STEP FIVE: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. "More realism and therefore more honesty about ourselves are the great gains we make under the influence of Step Five. As we took inventory, we began to suspect how much trouble self-delusion had been causing us. This had brought a disturbing reflection. If all our lives we had more or less fooled ourselves, how could we now be so sure that we weren't still self-deceived? How could we be certain that we had made a true catalog of our defects and had really admitted them, even to ourselves? Because we were still bothered by fear, self-pity, and hurt feelings, it was probable we couldn't appraise ourselves fairly at all. Too much guilt and remorse might cause us to dramatize and exaggerate our shortcomings. Or anger and hurt pride might be the smoke screen under which we were hiding some of our defects while we blamed others for them. Possibly, too, we were still handicapped by many liabilities, great and small, we never knew we had. "Hence it was most evident that a solitary self-appraisal, and the admission of our defects based upon that alone, wouldn't be nearly enough. We'd have to have outside help if we were surely to know and admit the truth about ourselves the help of God and another human being." 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pgs. 58-59 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Through Step Five, God has removed my shame about being an alcoholic." Syracuse, N.Y., May 2001 "Lifting the Burden," Step By Step ~*~*~*~*^ 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~ "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~ “Beginning with Step Four, we commenced to search out the things in ourselves which had brought us to physical, moral, and spiritual bankruptcy.” -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 107 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Defects and Repairs More than most people, the alcoholics leads a double life. He is very much the actor. To the outer world he presents his stage character. This is the one he likes his fellows to see. He wants to enjoy a certain reputation, but knows in his heart he doesn't deserve it. Guilt is really the reverse side of the coin of pride. Guilt aims at self-destruction, and pride aims at the destruction of others. The moral inventory is a cool examination of the damages that occurred to us during life and a sincere effort to look at them in a true perspective. This has the effect of taking the ground glass out of us, the emotional substance that still cuts and inhibits. Prayer For The Day: Lord God, I do earnestly pray that thou wilt give me strength to break away, if I may be trying to free myself from habits that mar my character. May I not lose courage and fall back in the old ways, but by faith be led where I should go. Amen.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-21-2023, 08:06 AM | #21 |
Administrator
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AA Thought for the Day
May 21 Prayer On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 86 Thought to Ponder Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer. AA-related 'Alconym' F A I T H = For All I Trust Him. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Defiance "'As psychiatrists have often observed, defiance is the outstanding characteristic of many an alcoholic. When we encountered AA, the fallacy of our defiance was revealed. At no time had we asked what God's will was for us; instead we had been telling Him what it ought to be. No man, we saw, could believe in God and defy Him, too. Belief meant reliance, not defiance. In AA we saw the fruits of this belief: men and women spared from alcohol's final catastrophe.'" Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 31 Thought to Consider . . . While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* SIT Stay In Today *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Beginning From "Tightrope": "My sponsor was a living damper on my intolerance. But even more, he told me that it would be all right for me to doubt God, that A.A. was not a religious program and, to belong, I did not have to adhere to any set of beliefs. "He suggested that for me a good starting point would simply be recognition of the fact that I had failed in running the world in short, acceptance of the fact that I was not God. He also suggested that I might try occasionally to act as if I believed. Somewhere I had heard that it is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking than to think yourself into a new way of acting, and this made sense in the context of 'acting as if.'" 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 366 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I can recognize that I'm caught up in my will when I desperately struggle to slam a square peg into a round hole. That's the time for me to back off and trust that God's will is far better than mine." Elloree, S.C., November 2013 "Square Peg, Round Hole," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ 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~ "More than most people, the alcoholic leads a double life. He is very much the actor. To the outer world he presents his stage character. This is the one he likes his fellows to see. He wants to enjoy a certain reputation, but knows in his heart he doesn't deserve it." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 73~ So, practicing these Steps, we had a spiritual awakening about which finally there was no question. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 109 Misc. AA Literature - Quote 'Restore Us to Sanity' Few indeed are the practicing alcoholics who have any idea how irrational they are, or, seeing their irrationality, can bear to face it. For example, some will be willing to term themselves 'problem drinkers,' but cannot endure the suggestion that they are in fact mentally ill. They are abetted in this blindness by a world which does not understand the difference between sane drinking and alcoholism. 'Sanity' is defined as 'soundness of mind.' Yet no alcoholic, soberly analyzing his destructive behavior, whether the destruction fell on the dining-room furniture or his own moral fiber, can claim 'soundness of mind' for himself. Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, grant me the strength to get through today. Grant me your wisdom to handle situations I cannot control.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-22-2023, 06:57 AM | #22 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 22 Experience a Change ...But A.A. has taught me I am the result of the way I reacted to what happened to me as a child. What is much more important to me, A.A. has taught me that through this simple program I may experience a change in this reaction pattern that will indeed allow me to "match calamity with serenity." - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Freedom From Bondage) p. 554 Thought to Ponder . . . My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance. AA-related 'Alconym' E S H = Experience, Strength and Hope. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Daily Reprieve "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, p. 85 Thought to Consider . . . The road to recovery is always under construction. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* ACTION Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Inspiration From "This Spirit Touch": "At some time, perhaps in a more moderate way, nearly everyone has experienced this spirit touch of God the fleeting feeling of insight, love, joy, and 'The world is right.' Once, I thought that only unusual circumstances made these moments possible. Actually, I now think, they are forecasts of what one can have if one is willing to take the time and make the effort. Peace, love, and joy can be sought through quiet thinking and honest prayer. The wholeness, the new awareness, that is produced affects one's relationship with God and man to a degree greater than would seem possible in ordinary life." 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 65 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Over the years I've gone to different types of groups to meet different needs in my life or to share experience, strength, and hope about a particular problem I was struggling with. Some days I've been part of the solution for another suffering alcoholic; other days I've been the one who was suffering. "Thanks to our Fifth Tradition, no matter what my needs or my location I can find an AA group where I can talk about -- and listen to -- not drinking one day at a time, practicing the principles in all of my affairs, and being happily and usefully whole." Kensington, Md., May 1996 "A Consistent Message," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "It did not satisfy us to be told that we could not control our drinking just because we were maladjusted to life, that we were in full flight from reality, or were outright mental defectives. These things were true to some extent, in fact, to a considerable extent with some of us. But we are sure that our bodies were sickened as well. In our belief, any picture of the alcoholic which leaves out this physical factor is incomplete." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~ "We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. We have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Pg. 70~ And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97 Misc. AA Literature - Quote God-Given Instincts 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: Dear Lord, thank you for all that you do. I ask you to forgive me when I judge others. Help me be more understanding and forgiving as no one is perfect, least of all me.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-23-2023, 07:29 AM | #23 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 23 Quick Inventory In all these situations we need self-restraint, honest analysis of what is involved, a willingness to admit when the fault is ours, and an equal willingness to forgive when the fault is elsewhere. We need not be discouraged when we fall into the error of our old ways, for these disciplines are not easy. We shall look for progress, not for perfection. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 91 Thought to Ponder . . . Forgiveness is another word for letting go. AA-related 'Alconym' A A = Accountable Actions. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Acceptance "And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation - some fact of my life - unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417 4th Edition Note: Dr. Paul O., author of these words, passed away 5.12.00. Thought to Consider . . . "My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance." Dr. Paul O., Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417 *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* ABC Acceptance, Belief, Change *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Inspiration From "This Spirit Touch": "At some time, perhaps in a more moderate way, nearly everyone has experienced this spirit touch of God, the fleeting feeling of insight, love, joy, and 'The world is right.' Once, I thought that only unusual circumstances made these moments possible. Actually, I now think, they are forecasts of what one can have if one is willing to take the time and make the effort. Peace, love, and joy can be sought through quiet thinking and honest prayer. The wholeness, the new awareness, that is produced affects one's relationship with God and man to a degree greater than would seem possible in ordinary life." 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 65 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "The word 'alcoholic' does not turn me off anymore; in fact, it is music to my ears when it applies to me." July 1975 "One of Those Bad Cons Nobody Can Reach," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33~ "First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~ Only by discussing ourselves, holding back nothing, only by being willing to take advice and accept direction could we set foot on the road to straight thinking, solid honesty, and genuine humility. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 59 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Within A.A., I suppose, we shall always quarrel a good bit. Mostly, I think, about how to do the greatest good for the greatest number of drunks. We shall have our childish spats and snits over small questions of money management and who is going to run our groups for the next six months. Any bunch of growing children (and that is what we are) would hardly be in character if they did less. These are the growing pains of infancy, and we actually thrive on them. Surmounting such problems, in A.A.'s rather rugged school of life, is a healthy exercise. Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, thank you that You called me to be Your servant. Lord, give me the grace to serve You well. I do thank You for Your wisdom also. Guide me daily in the things that I must do and show me my priorities. Help me to be sensitive to the needs of those around me. Lord, I am looking to You to meet all of my needs. Give me peace and confidence when I must deal with situations that are difficult for me. May I speak the truth in love and be open myself for correction when You see something in my life that needs changing. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-24-2023, 07:13 AM | #24 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 24 What Is This Power? What is this power that A.A. possesses? This curative power? I don’t know what it is. I suppose the doctor might say, "This is psychosomatic medicine." I suppose the psychiatrist might say, "This is benevolent interpersonal relations." I suppose others would say, "This is group psychotherapy." To me it is God. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Physician, Heal Thyself!) p. 308 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 = Amazing Awakening. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Compulsion "It helped me a great deal to become convinced that alcoholism was a disease, not a moral issue; that I had been drinking as a result of a compulsion, even though I had not been aware of the compulsion at the time; and that sobriety was not a matter of willpower. I was afraid to let go of what I had in order to try something new; there was a certain sense of security in the familiar. At last, acceptance proved to be the key to my drinking problem. When I stopped living in the problem and began living in the answer, the problem went away." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417 4th Edition Thought to Consider . . . I have learned what a heart full of gratitude feels like. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* PACE Positive Attitudes Change Everything *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "To mollify the Trustees it was decided that the author's royalty [for the 'Big Book'] which would ordinarily be mine [Bill W.'s] could go to the Alcoholic Foundation. I have now forgotten just what his hopes were, but they were fantastic. I was not quite so optimistic, but I did feel sure that the proceeds of the book would enable several of us to become full- time workers and to set up a general headquarters for our society. Whether this worked out or not, I was nevertheless convinced that our fellowship ought to own and control its own literature." 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 157 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "While wealth and authority lie at the foundation of many a noble institution, we of AA now apprehend, and thoroughly well, that these things are not for us. Have we not found that one man's meat is often another man's poison?" AA Co-Founder, Bill W., January 1947 "Will AA Ever Have a Personal Government?" The Language of the Heart ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~ "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~ Surrounded by so many A.A. friends, these so-called loners tell us they no longer feel alone. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 120 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Most surely, there can be no trust where there is no love, nor can there be real love where distrust holds its malign sway. 'But does trust require that we be blind to other people's motives or, indeed, to our own? Not at all; this would be folly. Most certainly, we should assess the capacity for harm as well as the capability for good in every person that we would trust. Such a private inventory can reveal the degree of confidence we should extend in any given situation. 'However, this inventory needs to be taken in a spirit of understanding and love. Nothing can so much bias our judgment as the negative emotions of suspicion, jealousy, or anger. 'Having vested our confidence in another person, we ought to let him know of our full support. Because of this, more often than not he will respond magnificently, and far beyond our first expectations.' Prayer For The Day: Lord Jesus, you promised to be with your people always, and so we know that you are with us in good times and bad. Nothing that ever happens to us can separate us from your love. Help us always to be positive in our attitude that we may seek and find the best in people and in situations, and so draw good out of all that happens to us. Amen.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-25-2023, 07:31 AM | #25 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 25 Recovery Begins In spite of the great increase in the size and the span of this Fellowship, at its core it remains simple and personal. Each day, somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing experience, strength, and hope. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Foreword to Third Edition,) p.xxii Thought to Ponder . . . Every recovery from alcoholism began with one sober hour. AA-related 'Alconym' H O P E = Hold On, Pain Ends. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Choices "Our necessities are certainly immense and compelling. Each of us must conform reasonably well to AA's Steps and Traditions, or else we shall go mad or die of alcoholism. Therefore the compulsion among most of us to survive and grow soon becomes far stronger than the temptation to drink or misbehave. Literally, we must 'do or die.' So we make the choice to live. This, in turn, means the choice of AA principles, practices, and attitudes. This is our first great and critical choice. Admittedly, this is made under the fearful and immediate lash of John Barleycorn, the killer. Plainly enough, this first choice is far more a necessity than it is an act of virtue." Bill W., May 1960 1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, pp. 301-2 Thought to Consider . . . It was either AA or amen. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* AA Attitude Adjustment *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Healing From "We Walk This Way": "Our A.A. friends also had this positive belief in the child's recovery. They did their best to revive my fast-dying energies, and these positive forces of loving faith caused me to reassess my progress in the A.A. program. I was sober, but had I turned my will over to the care of God as I understood Him? What was I doing about 'conscious contact' with my Higher Power? Was the Tenth Step part of my daily life or only a once-tried effort? "Most of the answers were negative. This meant that, while my daughter might be in a hopeless situation physically, I was functioning in a way destined to retard any progress she might make spiritually and mentally. There was no other solution than to get out of the child's way and work on myself." 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pgs. 107-08 *~*~*~*~*^Grapevine Quote^*~*~*~*~* "We are not a sociological entity, although sociologists find us fascinating. We are not a therapy group, although remarkable healing takes place among us. And we are not a religion, even though some people want to see us as such ... We are a spiritual entity." May 2006 "Tradition Five: What a Group 'Ought' to Be," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Some day we hope that Alcoholics Anonymous will help the public to a better realization of the gravity of the alcoholic problem, but we shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or hostility. Drinkers will not stand for it. After all, our problems were of our own making. Bottles were only a symbol. Besides, we have stopped fighting anybody or anything. We have to!" ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 103~ "Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 79~ 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. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 166 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Learning how to live in the greatest peace, partnership, and brotherhood with all men and women, of whatever description, is a moving and fascinating adventure. But every A.A. has found that he can make little headway in this new adventure of living until he first backtracks and really makes an accurate and unsparing survey of the human wreckage he has left in his wake. The readiness to take the full consequences of our past acts, and to take responsibility for the well-being of others at the same time, is the very spirit of Step nine. TWELVE AND TWELVE 1. P. 77 2. P. 87 Prayer For The Day: Dear Father, thank you for today and all that you do. I love you Lord with all my heart. Please help me show this love to others as I go about the day.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-26-2023, 07:30 AM | #26 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 26 Moments of Triumph To conclude that others were wrong was as far as most of us ever got. The usual outcome was that people continued to wrong us and we stayed sore. Sometimes it was remorse and then we were sore at ourselves. But the more we fought and tried to have our own way, the worse matters got. As in war, the victor only seemed to win. Our moments of triumph were short-lived. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 66 Thought to Ponder . . . Without change I am just a non-drinking drunk. AA-related 'Alconym' A R T = Always Remain Teachable. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Honesty "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 give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58 Thought to Consider . . . Every recovery from alcoholism began with one sober hour. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* GOD Give Others Dignity *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Completeness From "Into Action": "This is perhaps difficult especially discussing our defects with another person. We think we have done well enough in admitting these things to ourselves. In actual practice, we usually find a solitary self-appraisal insufficient. Many of us thought it necessary to go much further. We will be more reconciled to discussing ourselves with another person when we see good reasons why we should do so. The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking. Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives. Almost invariably they got drunk. Having persevered with the rest of the program, they wondered why they fell. We think the reason is that they never completed their housecleaning. They took inventory all right, but hung on to some of the worst items in stock. They only thought they had lost their egoism and fear; they only thought they had humbled themselves. But they had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in the sense we find it necessary, until they told someone else all their life story." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 72-73 *~*~*~*~*^Grapevine Quote^*~*~*~*~* AA is not a separate country, cut off from the mainland of the real world; it is the schoolroom I missed somewhere along the line ... a treasure house of other people's experience, strength and hope." Norman, Okla., July 1992 "Out of This World," AA Grapevine *~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quotes ^*~*~*~*~* "To get over drinking will require a transformation of thought and attitude. We all had to place recovery above everything, for without recovery we would have lost both home and business." Alcoholics Anonymous, To Employers, pg. 143 "Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 164 “The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear – primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 76 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Perhaps more often than we think, we make no contact at depth with alcoholics who are suffering the dilemma of no faith. Certainly none are more sensitive to spiritual cocksureness, pride, and aggression than they are. I'm sure this is something we too often forget. In A.A.'s first years, I all but ruined the whole undertaking with this sort of unconscious arrogance. God as I understood Him had to be for everybody. Sometimes my aggression was subtle and sometimes it was crude. But either way it was damaging--perhaps fatally so--to numbers of nonbelievers. Of course this sort of thing isn't confined to Twelfth Step work. It is very apt to leak out into our relations with everybody. Even now, I catch myself chanting that same old barrier-building refrain: 'Do as I do, believe as I do--or else!' Prayer For The Day: Day by Day Day by day, dear Lord of you Three things I pray: To see you more clearly, To love you more dearly, To follow you more nearly, Day by day. - St. Richard of Chichester
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-27-2023, 08:43 AM | #27 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 27 A Sick Man Though we did not like their symptoms and the way these disturbed us, they, like ourselves, were sick too. We asked God to help us show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend. When a person offended we said to ourselves, "This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done." - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 67 Thought to Ponder . . . The Three "C's"... Concern, Compassion, Consideration. AA-related 'Alconym' H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Fact "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 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." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25 Thought to Consider . . . Patience with others is Love, Patience with self is Hope, Patience with God is Faith. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* FEAR Failure Expected And Received *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Priorities From "He Lived Only to Drink": "I was also able to realize that this bonfire of resentment and rage was beckoning me to pick up a drink and plunge in to my death. Then I realized that I had to separate my sobriety from everything else that was going on in my life. No matter what happened or didn't happen, I couldn't drink. In fact, none of these things that I was going through had anything to do with my sobriety; the tides of life flow endlessly for better or worse, both good and bad, and I cannot allow my sobriety to become dependent on these ups and downs of living. Sobriety must live a life of its own." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 450-51 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I have learned in the program not to listen to the voice of my ego when it starts whispering things." Clayton, Calif., May 2012 "Uprooted," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every form of self-deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability to control his drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people!" ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~ "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~ Alcoholics especially should be able to see that instinct run wild in themselves is the underlying cause of their destructive drinking. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 44 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: Prayers for Those Torn by Alcohol and Drugs - I pray, O God of hope, for all persons and 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, bound close together in the bond of love. Shine your light upon them, Lord Christ, that they may see the path out of their misery, and give them the strength to follow it. Amen.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-28-2023, 07:50 AM | #28 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 28 Time After Time We will be more reconciled to discussing ourselves with another person when we see good reasons why we should do so. The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking. Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives. Trying to avoid this humbling experience, they have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably they got drunk. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) pp. 72 - 73 Thought to Ponder We need to share our problems to find our solutions. AA-related 'Alconym' H O W = Honest, Open-minded, Willing. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Prayer "On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 86 Thought to Consider . . . Faith dares the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see. *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* CRAP Carry Resentments Against People *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Humility STEP FIVE: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. "Another great dividend we may expect from confiding our defects to another human being is humility a word often misunderstood. To those who have made progress in A.A., it amounts to a clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be. Therefore, our first practical move toward humility must consist of recognizing our deficiencies." 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 58 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "The most beautiful gifts of my life come to me in packages I do not recognize at first glance. In fact, I often don't see them until I've stumbled over them. Yet I know that when I go about my business in service to AA and to others these gifts will appear, usually in the most unexpected places." Costa Mesa, Calif., February 1993 "The Gift of Sobriety," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "'There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance, that principle is contempt prior to investigation.'" Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual Experience, pg. 568 "Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84 To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong he has done us. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 78 Misc. AA Literature - Quote When I am felling depressed, I repeat to myself statements such as these: 'Pain is the touchstone of progress.'...'Fear no evil....'This, too, will pass.'...'This experience can be turned to benefit.' These fragments of prayer bring far more than mere comfort. They keep me on the track of right acceptance; they break up my compulsive themes of guilt, depression, rebellion, and pride; and sometimes they endow me with the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962 Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, our time on earth is short. Please help me realize that it is not the amount of time, but the quality of the time I spend that counts.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-29-2023, 08:07 AM | #29 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 29 Fear and Courage The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 68 Thought to Ponder . . . Fear is not an admission of weakness; fear is an opportunity for courage. AA-related 'Alconym' F A I T H = Found Always In Trusting Him. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Freedom "So far, upon the total problem of several million actual and potential alcoholics in the world, we have made only a scratch. In all probability, we shall never be able to touch more than a fair fraction of the alcohol problem in all its ramifications. Upon therapy for the alcoholic himself, we surely have no monopoly. Yet it is our great hope that all those who have as yet found no answer may begin to find one in the pages of this book and will presently join us on the highroad to a new freedom." Foreword to Second Edition Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. xx-xxi Thought to Consider.... "Within our wonderful new world, we have found freedom from our fatal obsession." Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 139 *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* SOBRIETY Stay Off Booze Recovery Is Everything To You *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Surrender From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "In medicine, we have learned a great deal about the physical treatment of the alcoholic. We have learned about nutrition and the importance of a fully rounded diet, and vitamins and minerals. But we do know that these things are necessary in the physical treatment and rehabilitation of the alcoholic. We know also that various kinds of drying out and other forms of therapy have failed. They are not enough by themselves. We need something more. "We know also that religious exhortation has failed, as has exhortation from people who have no grasp of the problem, who oversimplify, people in whose view an alcoholic is a person who is perpetually thirsty with a fierce craving for alcohol, people who do not know that a great many alcoholics hate alcohol worse than poison when they are sober, because they know that it is poison. "[A]s time went on I became less and less astonished as I saw the effectiveness of your work, as I saw a man of great talent, a close friend of mine, a man who was almost on the verge of genius. I saw alcohol make its insidious inroads upon his career, upon his relationships with his family and children, upon his standing in the community. "I saw him on the verge of losing his job, and I saw him lose his job; and then I saw him surrender. I saw him throw up his hands and quit, saying, 'I can't do it by myself. I've got to have help.' And with the spiritual help of his clergyman and A.A., I have seen that man come back to a commanding position in his field, a man who is as sober today, as clear- eyed and bright, as any person in this audience." Dr. W. W. Bauer, 1955 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 241-43 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "Whatever strengthens the spirituality of the group strengthens my spirituality, and vice versa." May 2006 "Tradition Five: What a Group 'Ought' to Be" AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "We are like men who have lost their legs; they never grow new ones. Neither does there appear to be any kind of treatment which will make alcoholics of our kind like other men. We have tried every imaginable remedy. In some instances there has been brief recovery, followed always by a still worse relapse. Physicians who are familiar with alcoholism agree there is no such thing as making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic. Science may one day accomplish this, but it hasn't done so yet." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 30~ "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 Meditation is something which can always be further developed. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 101 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confusion of shortcomings which the Steps require. But we saw that the program really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness of life as we had been living it. When, therefore, we were approached by those in whom the problem had been solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. Implicit throughout A.A.s Traditions is the confession that our Fellowship has its sins. We admit that we have character defects as a society and that these defects threaten us continually. our Traditions are a guide to better ways of working and living, and they are to group survival and harmony what A.A.s Twelve Steps are to each member's sobriety and peace of mind. Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, I am thankful for the wonderful ways in which You take care of me. I do appreciate Your watchcare over my family and friends. Lord, I do desire to remain humble in my dealings with others who oppose me. Give me Your grace and wisdom when I must handle controversy. May I be humble when I am tested in this way and trust You to defend me instead of getting into contention with others. Lord, bless those who are reading this today and strengthen them to do Your will. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
05-30-2023, 07:30 AM | #30 |
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AA Thought for the Day
May 30 Forgiveness We've repeatedly strained the patience of our best friends to a snapping point, and have brought out the very worst in those who didn't think much of us to begin with. In many instances we are really dealing with fellow sufferers, people whose woes we have increased. If we are now about to ask forgiveness for ourselves, why shouldn't we start out by forgiving them, one and all? - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Eight) p. 78 Thought to Ponder . . . Forgiveness is the key to moving forward. AA-related 'Alconym' T G I F = Thank God I'm Forgiven. ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~ Unity " 'Practically never have I heard a heated religious, political, or reform argument among AA members. So long as we don't argue these matters privately, it's a cinch we never shall publicly.' As by some deep instinct, we AA's have known from the very beginning that we must never, no matter what the provocation, publicly take sides in any fight, even a worthy one. . . . . . We do not enter into public controversy, because we know that our Society will perish if it does. We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause." 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 176-77 Thought to Consider . . . Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching? *~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* BUT Being Unconvinced Totally *~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~* Messages From "Mathematical Miracle": "Finally, he found a basement bar on a quiet side street, practically deserted. He sat down on a bar stool and ordered a double bourbon on the rocks. "Then the bartender stopped in his tracks, took a long, hard look at the customer, leaned over the bar, and said in a low tone, 'I was in Milwaukee about four months ago, and one night I attended an open meeting. You were on the speaking platform, and you gave one of the finest A.A. talks I ever heard. "For a few minutes, the customer sat there probably in a state of shock. Then he picked his money off the bar with trembling hands and walked out, all desire for a drink drained out of him. Chicago, Illinois, USA" 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 74 *~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~* "I have learned to keep quiet when I disagree and to give others freedom to express opinions widely different from my own -- without giving in to the urge to enlighten them. I am grateful for all the voices of AA." Alexandria, Va., March 2007 "Humble Proportion," AA Grapevine ~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~* "Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends, this is an experience you must not miss." Alcoholics Anonymous, Working With Others, pg. 89 "Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 152 Once we have a complete willingness to take inventory, and exert ourselves to do the job thoroughly, a wonderful light falls upon this foggy scene. -Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 49 Misc. AA Literature - Quote Meditation is something which can always be further developed. It has no boundaries, of width or height or depth. Aided by such instruction and example as we can find, it is essentially an individual adventure, something which each one of us works out in his own way. But its object is always the same: to improve our conscious contact with God, with His grace, wisdom, and love. And let's always remember that meditation is in reality intensely practical. One of its first fruits is emotional balance. With it we can broaden and deepen the channel between ourselves and God as we understand Him. Prayer For The Day: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for all you have done for me. You do so much and yet I still ask for more. Please forgive me and guide me to be appreciative for what I have and what is truly important.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
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