AA Thoughts For Today - May

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AA Thought for the Day

May 14

Step Five
“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”

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.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 57

Thought to Ponder . . .
I am as sick as my secrets.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.

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

Awakening
"Alcoholism is a grievous and often fatal malady
of the mind and body.
We have found that these awful conditions invariably
bring on the third phase of our malady.
This is the sickness of the spirit;
a sickness for which there must necessarily
be a spiritual remedy.
We AA's recognize this in the first five words
of Step Twelve.
Those words are:
'Having had a spiritual awakening...'
Here we name the remedy for our threefold sickness
of body, mind, and soul."
Bill W., The Language of the Heart, p. 297

Thought to Consider . .
"When the spiritual malady is overcome,
we straighten out mentally and physically."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 64
.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M
People Relying On God Relaying A Message.

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

Sabotage
"From "Tightrope":
"After a few years, I was a nightly blackout drinker. My lover drank heavily as well, and I began to compare my drinking
with his. I argued to myself that I could not have a problem because his drinking was worse than mine at times. In fact, I
suggested that he might try A.A. When he did try this Fellowship, I did all I could to undermine his efforts to get sober
his recovery would present an obvious, if unacknowledged, threat to my drinking. Eventually, the stress became too
much and we broke up, but not before I had succeeded in undermining his recovery."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 361

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

"Sometimes I wonder if this illness isn't a gift rather than a problem."
Kingston, Ontario, July 1980
"A Reason for Living,"
AA Grapevine

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Everybody knows that those in bad health, and those who seldom play, do not laugh much. So let each family play
together or separately as much as their circumstances warrant. We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~

Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make-
believe have eventually seen the childishness of it. This dream
world has been replaced by a great sense of purpose, accompanied by a
growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives. We have come
to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him,
but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth. That is where
our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work must be done.
These are the realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible
between a powerful spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 130~

All of A.A.’s Twelve Steps ask us to go contrary to our natural desires . . . they all deflate our egos.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 55

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The Individual's Rights
We believe there isn't a fellowship on earth which devotes more care to its individual members; surely there is none
which more jealously guards the individual's right to think, talk, and act as he wishes. No A.A. can compel another to do
anything; nobody can be punished or expelled.
Our Twelve Steps to recovery are suggestions; the Twelve Traditions which guarantee A.A.'s unity contain not a single
'Don't.' They repeatedly say, 'We ought . . .' but never 'You must!
Though it is traditional that our Fellowship may not coerce anyone, let us not suppose even for an instant that we are
not under constraint. Indeed, we are under enormous coercion--the kind that comes in bottles. Our former tyrant, King
Alcohol, always stands ready again to clutch us to him.
'Therefore, freedom from alcohol is the great 'must' that has to be achieved, else we go mad or die.'
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 129
2. LETTER, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Simple Thanks -
For our restful sleep at night,
for the rain and sunshine bright,
For the love that Thou dost send,
For our homes and for each friend,
For the day and all its pleasures,
Grateful thanks I render now.
May our lives pass on the blessings,
None can give to us, but Thou.
Amen.