AA Thoughts For Today - March

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AA Thought for the Day

March 1

Self-will

The first requirement is that we be convinced that any
life run on self-will can hardly be a success. On that
basis we are almost always in collision with something
or somebody, even though our motives are good.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 60

Thought to Ponder . . .
If I don't change, my sobriety date will.

AA-related 'Alconym'
C H A N G E = Choosing Humility Allows New Gifts and Energy.

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

Selfishness
Selfishness, self-centeredness!
That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
Driven by a hundred forms of fear,
self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity,
we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.
Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation,
but we invariably find that at some time in the past
we have made decisions based on self
which later placed us in a position to be hurt.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62

Thought to Consider . . .
Swallowing your pride will not get you drunk.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Altered Attitudes

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

Opinion
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"As by some deep instinct, we have known from the very beginning that, no matter what the provocation, we must never
publicly take sides, as A.A.s, in any fight, even a worthy one. All history affords us the spectacle of striving nations and
groups finally torn asunder because they were designed for, or tempted into, controversy. Others fell apart because of
sheer self-righteousness while trying to force upon the rest of mankind some millennium of their own specification. In
our own times we have seen millions die in political and economic wars often spurred by religious and racial differences."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 123

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

"If I want to be of some use to someone (my family, my employer, my community) then I can be a leader by becoming a
servant. This is one of those crazy paradoxes we find all over the AA program: being a servant to be a leader."
Humbolt, Saskatchewan, February 1996
"I Wish You Well"
AA Grapevine

~*~*~*~*^ 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

"Many of us keep liquor in our homes. We often need it to carry
green recruits through a severe hangover. Some of us still serve it
to our friends provided they are not alcoholic. But some of us think
we should not serve liquor to anyone. We never argue this question.
We feel that each family, in the light of their own circumstances,
ought to decide for themselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 102~

His sponsor probably says, “Take it easy.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 26

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Brain Power Alone?
To the intellectually self-sufficient man or woman, many A.A.'s can say, 'Yes, we were like you - far too smart for our
own good. We loved to have people call us precocious. We used our education to blow ourselves up into prideful
balloons, though we were careful to hide this from others. Secretly, we felt we could float above the rest of the folks on
our brain power alone.
'Scientific progress told Us there was nothing man couldn't do. Knowledge was all powerful. Intellect could conquer
nature. Since we were brighter than most folks (so we thought), the spoils of victory would be ours for the thinking. The
god of intellect displaced the God of our fathers.
'But John Barleycorn had other ideas. We who had won so handsomely in a walk turned into alltime losers. We saw that
we had to reconsider or die.' TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 29-30

Prayer for the Day: Father, As we quietly wait in your presence this early morning, we give you praise for a new day. The storms of life may rage around us, but if we are grounded in you, we will not lose our footing. As we listen to the storm with the wind and rain, we know that we dwell in your peace, for we are surrounded with shelter. So it is in the midst of the many issues that so many are facing, your are their stillness, comfort, hope, and peace. May we draw from your strength today and know that you alone see our heart, and know us. How we praise you for your forgiving love and grace.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 2

Progress
Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can’t go through with it."
Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain
anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints.
The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines.
The principles we have set down are guides to progress.
We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 60

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

AA-related 'Alconym'
S O B E R = Spiritually On Beam; Everything's Right.

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

Why Worry?
"There are many short phrases and expressions in AA
which make sound sense.
'First Things First': solving our immediate problems
before we try to solve all the others . . .
'Easy Does it.' Relax a little.
Try for inner contentment. No one individual
can carry all the burdens of the world.
Everyone has problems. Getting drunk won't solve them.
'Twenty-four hours a day.'
Today is the day. Doing our best,
living each day to the fullest is the art of living.
Yesterday is gone, and we don't know whether
we will be here tomorrow.
If we do a good job of living today,
and if tomorrow comes for us,
then the chances are we will do a good job when it arrives -
so why worry about it?"
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 382

Thought to Consider . . .
Every day is a gift.
That is why we call it the present.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S I T = Stay In Today

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

Within
>From "Inner Voice":
"Long before nagging and pressures from others concerning my excessive use of alcohol made any impression on me,
the nagging voice of conscience my own inner voice of truth and right apprised me of the irrevocable fact that I had lost
control of alcohol, that I was powerless. I know now that the inner voice was God, as I understand Him, speaking. For,
as I had been taught from earliest memory and as A.A. has emphasized, God or good emanates from within each of
us. Lakewood, Ohio, USA
1973 AAWS, Inc.; 30th Printing 2004, Came to Believe, pg. 83

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

"I started to understand that while I didn't believe in churches, I had to see that something or someone was working in
my life that hadn't been there before."
Naples, Italy, January 1994
"Get With the Program"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"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 places?' If you
answer these questions satisfactorily, you need have no
apprehension. Go or stay away, whichever seems best. But be sure
you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your
motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will
get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it. But if
you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead"
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 101

These fears are the termites that ceaselessly devour the foundations of whatever sort of life we try to build.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 49

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Resolving Fear
Fear somehow touched 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 often set the ball rolling ourselves?
The problem of resolving fear has two aspects. We shall have to try for all the freedom from fear that is possible for us
to attain. Then we shall need to find both the courage and the grace to deal constructively with whatever fears remain.
1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 67-68 - 2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962

Prayer for the Day: Dear Father in heaven, we ask you from our hearts to give us your peace. Grant that nothing may take your peace from us, and protect us from all that is evil. May we always be mindful that we should serve you in self-denial. May we be faithful on all our ways, looking to the great promise you have given each one of us. Keep us under your protection, as you have always done. We praise and thank you for all that comes to our hearts from you, making us full of trust and certain of your further help. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 3

Blessings Received

Having so considered our day, not omitting to take due
note of things well done, and having searched our hearts
with neither fear nor favor, we can truly thank God for the
blessings we have received and sleep in good conscience.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 95

Thought to Ponder . . .
Gratitude is a most effective painkiller for the alcoholic.

AA-related 'Alconym'
B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?

Thank you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.

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

Meetings
"We have also found that going to meetings is not something to
be done only when we feel the temptation to drink. We often
get more good from the meetings by attending them when we
feel fine and haven't so much as thought of drinking. And
even a meeting which is not totally, instantly satisfying, is
better than no meeting at all.
"Living Sober, p. 81

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ALCOHOLICS = A Life Centered On Helping Others Live In Complete Sobriety

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

Bottom
>From "Bill's Story":
"No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity. Quicksand stretched around me
in all directions. I had met my match. I had been overwhelmed. Alcohol was my master."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 8

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

"Ever deepening humility, accompanied by an ever greater willingness to accept and to act upon clear obligations --
these are truly our touchstones for all growth in the life of the spirit."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., January 1966
"The Guidance of AA's World Affairs"
The Language of the Heart

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

"We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again: 'Once an
alcoholic, always an alcoholic.' Commencing to drink after a period
of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever."
"We have learned that whatever the human frailties of various faiths
may be, those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions.
People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 49

"Many of us keep liquor in our homes. We often need it to carry
green recruits through a severe hangover. Some of us still serve it
to our friends provided they are not alcoholic. But some of us think
we should not serve liquor to anyone. We never argue this question.
We feel that each family, in the light of their own circumstances,
ought to decide for themselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 102~

The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many, and can continue to fear or hate anybody,
has to be abandoned, if only a little at a time.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 93

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

A Different Swinging Door
When a drunk shows up among us and says that he doesn't like the A.A. principles, people, or service management, when he declares that he can do better elsewhere - we are not worried. We simply say, 'Maybe your case really is different. Why don't you try something else?'
If an A.A. member says he doesn't like his own group, we are not disturbed. We simply say, 'Why don't you try another one? Or start one of your own.' To those who wish to secede from A.A. altogether, we extend a cheerful invitation to do just that. If they can do better by other means, we are glad. If after a trial they cannot do better, we know they face a choice: They can go mad or die or they can return to A.A. The decision is wholly theirs. ( As a matter of fact, most of them do come back. ) TWELVE CONCEPTS, pp. 72 - 73

Prayer For The Day: Lord, protect me as I strive everyday to draw closer to You! Remind me that I am not alone for You are my help. You are my strong shelter that I know I can trust and rely on. Thank you for never leaving me.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 4

Greatest Possession

Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very
thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. Cling to
the thought that, in God's hands, the dark past is the greatest
possession you have—the key to life and happiness for others.
With it you can avert death and misery for them.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (The Family Afterward) p. 124

Thought to Ponder . . .
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.

AA-related 'Alconym'
E S H = Experience Strength Hope.

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

Motives
"Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk? Some people tell
us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and our motives. If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the
honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we
are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink.
"Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 70

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
TRUST Try Relying Upon The Steps

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

Fear
From "Fear of Fear":
"Many women who have reached the stage that I had reached in my drinking have lost husbands, children, homes,
everything they hold dear. I have been very fortunate in many ways. The important thing I lost was my own self-respect. I
could feel fear coming into my life. I couldn't face people. I couldn't look them straight in the eyes, although I had always
been a self-possessed, brazen person. I'd brazen anything out. I lied like a trooper to get out of many scrapes.
"But I felt a fear coming into my life, and I couldn't cope with it. I got so that I hid quite a bit of the time, wouldn't answer
the phone, and stayed by myself as much as I could. I noticed that I was avoiding all my social friends, except for my
bridge club. I couldn't keep up with many of my other friends, and I wouldn't go to anyone's house unless I knew they
drank as heavily as I did. I never knew it was the first drink that did it. I thought I was losing my mind when I realized that I
couldn't stop drinking. That frightened me terribly."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 291-92

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

"Alcoholics have short memories."
Paradise, Calif., October 2003
"'How It Works Works for Me"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"When we decide who is to hear our story, we waste no time. We have
a written inventory and we are prepared for a long talk. We explain
to our partner what we are about to do and why we have to do it. He
should realize that we are engaged upon a life-and-death errand.
Most people approached in this way will be glad to help; they will be
honored by our confidence."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 75

"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~

For alcoholism had been a lonely business, even though we had been surrounded by people who loved us.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 116

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Free of Dependence
I asked myself, 'Why can't the Twelve Steps work to release me from this unbearable depression?' By the hour, I stared
at the St. Francis Prayer: 'It is better to comfort than to be comforted .'
Suddenly I realized what the answer might be. My basic flaw had always been dependence on people or circumstances
to supply me with prestige, security, and confidence. Failing to get these things according to my perfectionist dreams
and specifications, I fought for them. And when defeat came, so did my depression.
Reinforced by what grace 1 could find in prayer, I had to exert every ounce of will and action to cut off these faulty
emotional dependencies upon people and upon circumstances. Then only could I be free to love as Francis had loved.
GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, please help me to do what I can, and understand that I cannot do everything. Help me make what I can do count.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 5

Humility and Faith

Indeed, the attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of
each of A.A.'s Twelve Steps. For without some degree of humility, no
alcoholic can stay sober at all. Nearly all A.A.'s have found, too, that
unless they develop much more of this precious quality than may be
required just for sobriety, they still haven't much chance of becoming
truly happy. Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose, or, in
adversity, be able to summon the faith that can meet any emergency.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) p. 28

Thought to Ponder
Learning is the very essence of humility. The two walk hand in hand.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Action Always.

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

Self-will
"No matter how one wishes to try, exactly how can he turn his own will and his own life over to the care of whatever God
he thinks there is? A beginning, even the smallest, is all that is needed. Once we have placed the key of willingness in
the lock and have the door ever so slightly open, we find that we can always open it some more. Though self-will may
slam it shut again, as it frequently does, it will always respond the moment we again pick up the key of willingness.
"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 35As Bill Sees It, p. 35

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
EDI not DIE Easy Does It not Does It Easy

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

Explanation
From "More about Alcoholism":
"We learned we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery.
The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.
"We alcoholics are men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking. We know that no real alcoholic ever
recovers control. All of us felt at times that we were regaining control, but such intervals usually brief were inevitably
followed by still less control, which led in time to pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 30

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


"Today I can look upon myself and others with understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, and love ... Recovery is a wonderland."
Manhattan, N.Y., January 1970
"Tradition Three,"
The Best of the Grapevine, Volume 1

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

"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~

"Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things
alcoholics are not supposed to do. People have said we must not go
where liquor is served; we must not have it in our homes; we must
shun friends who drink; we must avoid moving pictures which show
drinking scenes; we must not go into bars; our friends must hide
their bottles if we go to their houses; we mustn't think or be
reminded about alcohol at all. Our experience shows that this is not
necessarily so.
We meet these conditions every day. An alcoholic who cannot meet
them, still has an alcoholic mind; there is something the matter with
his spiritual status."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 100~

Next came the expression of an aspiration and a hope for himself.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 101

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Search for Motives
Some of us clung to the claim that when drinking we never hurt anybody but ourselves. Our families didn't suffer, because we always paid the bills and seldom drank at home. Our business associates didn't suffer, because we were usually on the job. Our reputations didn't suffer, because we were certain few knew of our drinking. Those who did would sometimes assure us that, after all, a lively bender was only a good man's fault. What real harm, therefore, had we done? No more, surely, than we could easily mend with a few casual apologies.
This attitude, of course, is the end result of purposeful forgetting. It is an attitude which can be changed only by a deep and honest search of our motives and actions. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 79

Prayer For The Day: Father as we come to you in prayer today, we give you praise once again for your word of comfort. So often we go through the day filled with anxiety and pain. We carry our burdens around with us, and they consume us. We are filled with fear and uncertainty, and are searching for answers that never come. Will you lead us today to a place of rest and comfort? Will you forgive us and teach us how to listen with our heart to your word of truth?

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AA Thought for the Day

March 6

Temptation

In our belief any scheme of combating alcoholism which proposes to
shield the sick man from temptation is doomed to failure. If the alcoholic
tries to shield himself he may succeed for a time, but he usually winds
up with a bigger explosion than ever. We have tried these methods.
These attempts to do the impossible have always failed.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Working With Others) p. 101

Thought to Ponder . . .
Sobriety without action is fantasy.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F E A R = Frantic Efforts at Avoiding Responsibilities.

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

Lessons
"I find the willingness to give thanks by contemplatingthe lessons learned from past suffering--lessons which have led to
blessings I now enjoy. I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism,the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride,have often
led me to God's grace,and so to a new freedom.
"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, March 1962As Bill Sees It, p. 266

Thought to Consider . . .
Remember that we deal with alcohol --
cunning, baffling, powerful!

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
TRUST
Try Relying Upon The Steps

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

Self-sufficient
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"At the Foundation, meanwhile, we had taken a significant action that was incorporated in these Traditions. In 1945 we
wrote [our early supporters] Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and the 1940 dinner guests that we would no longer need their
financial help. The book royalties could now look after Dr. Bob and me; group contributions could pay the general office
expenses. If these were insufficient, the reserve accumulated out of literature sales could meet the deficit. This meant
that we had finally declared for full self-support. Since that time A.A.'s Board of Trustees has steadfastly refused outside
contributions."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 203-04

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

"Today, my short version of the Third Step is this: Keep taking care of me, Lord, because I appreciate it now."
Berrien Springs, Mich., April 1991
"Dear God: Keep Coming Back"
AA Grapevine

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

We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show,
humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done." We
are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-
pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do
not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we
did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~

"Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We
must, or it kill us! God makes that possible. And there often seems
no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. Many of us
had moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live
up to them even though we would have liked to."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

It is when we try to make our will conform with God’s that we begin to use it rightly. To all of us, this was a most wonderful revelation. Our whole trouble had been the misuse of willpower. We had tried to bombard our problems with it instead of attempting to bring it into agreement with God’s intention for us. To make this increasingly possible is the purpose of A.A.’s Twelve Steps, and Step Three opens the door.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 40

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Growth by the Tenth Step
In the years ahead A.A. will, of course, make mistakes. Experience has taught us that we need have no fear of doing this, providing that we always remain willing to admit our faults and to correct them promptly. Our growth as individuals has depended upon this healthy process of trial and error. So will our growth as a fellowship.
Let us always remember that any society of men and women that cannot freely correct its own faults must surely fall into decay if not into collapse. Such is the universal penalty for the failure to go on growing. Just as each A.A. must continue to take his moral inventory and act upon it, so must our whole Society if we are to survive and if we are to serve usefully and well. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 231

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Please give me the strength to move in the direction I need to go. Help me realize that if I just stay were I am I will get no where.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 7

The Emotional Hangover

But there is another kind of hangover which we all experience whether we are
drinking or not. That is the emotional hangover, the direct result of yesterday's
and sometimes today's excesses of negative emotion—anger, fear, jealousy,
and the like. If we would live serenely today and tomorrow, we certainly need to
eliminate these hangovers. This doesn't mean we need to wander morbidly
around in the past. It requires an admission and correction of errors now.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) pp. 88 - 89

Thought to Ponder . . .
In order to recover we have to uncover.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Always Aware.

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

Obsession
"Under the lash of alcoholism, we are driven to AA, and there we discover the fatal nature of our situation. Then, and only
then, do we become as open-minded and as willing to listen as the dying can be. We stand ready to do anything which
will lift the merciless obsession from us.

Thought to Consider . . .
The best things in life aren't things.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
NUTS Not Using The Steps

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

Illogical
From "I Must Learn":
"'Man is ready to die for an idea, provided that idea is not quite clear to him,' Paul Eldridge wrote. That is the way the
spiritual side of the A.A. program appears to me. I'm in trouble if I attempt to parse it: I don't attempt to understand it."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 101

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

"AA gives us a Ph.D. in life and a black belt in common sense."
Keego Harbor, Mich., June 1998
"Paradoxes of Sobriety"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"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~

"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~

Then, in Step Seven, we humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings such as He could or would under the
conditions of the day we asked. In step Eight, we continued our house-cleaning, for we saw that we were not only in
conflict with ourselves, but also with people and situations in the world in which we lived. We had to begin to make our peace.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 108

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

For Emergencies Only?
Whether we had been believers or unbelievers, we began to get over the idea that the Higher Power was a sort of bush-
league pinch hitter, to be called upon only in an emergency.
The notion that we would still live our own lives, God helping a little now and then, began to evaporate. Many of us who
had thought ourselves religious awoke to the limitations of this attitude. Refusing to place God first, we had deprived
ourselves of His help.
But now the words 'Of myself I am nothing, the Father doeth the works' began to carry bright promise and meaning.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 75

Prayer For The Day: Holy God, as I face another day, I know I am going to face many challenges: to my faith, to my
patience, to my love for others. I am going to have constant temptations to lapse into sin. Come to me now, Lord, and
stay with me all day. Let your Spirit encompass my mind. Let me know your presence. Steer my hand, direct my words,
guide my thoughts in everything I think and say and do. I resolve to live this day as a beacon of your glory, the best I can,
with your help. I commit myself to give this day to you. In the name of Christ, be with me and help me. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

March 8

Maximum Helpfulness

Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum
helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere if you can
be helpful. You should not hesitate to visit the most sordid spot on
earth on such an errand. Keep on the firing line of life with these
motives and God will keep you unharmed.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Working With Others) p.102

Thought to Ponder . . .
We're not living just to be sober;
we are living to learn, to serve, and to love.

AA-related 'Alconym'
H E L P = His Ever-Loving Presence.

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

Inventory
"We continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously
commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to
grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to
look for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 84

Thought to Consider . . .
When I am too busy to pray - I am just too busy.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
CHANGE Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday

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

Focus
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"The Washingtonian Society, a movement among alcoholics which started in Baltimore a century ago [the 1850s],
almost discovered the answer to alcoholism. At first the society was composed entirely of alcoholics trying to help one
another. The early members foresaw that they should dedicate themselves to this one aim. In many respects the
Washingtonians were akin to A.A. Their membership passed the five hundred thousand mark. Had they stuck to their
one goal, they might have found the full answer. Instead, the Washingtonians permitted politicians and reformers, both
alcoholic and nonalcoholic, to use the society for their own purposes. Abolition of slavery, for example, was a stormy
political issue then. Soon Washingtonian speakers violently and publicly took sides on this question. Maybe the society
could have survived the abolition controversy, but it did not have a chance from the moment it decided to reform all
America's drinking habits. Some of the Washingtonians became temperance crusaders. Within a very few years they
had completely lost their effectiveness in helping alcoholics, and the society collapsed."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 124-25

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

"Great love is the sunlight of AA's tree of life."
Jackson, Miss., November 1964
"Let Go and Let God"
AA Grapevine

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

"Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the
past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show
ourselves. If we haven't the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was
agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg.76~

"We meet frequently so that newcomers may find the fellowship they seek."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 15~

Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food,
or sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air, light, or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away
from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support.
As the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 97

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Thousands of 'Founders'
'While I thank God that I was privileged to be an early member of A.A., I honestly wish that the word 'founder' could be
eliminated from the A.A. vocabulary.
'When you get right down to it, everyone who has done any amount of successful Twelfth Step work is bound to be the
founder of a new life for other alcoholics.'
'A.A. was not invented! Its basics were brought to us through the experience and wisdom of many great friends. We
simply borrowed and adapted their ideas.'
'Thankfully, we have accepted the devoted services of many nonalcoholics. We owe our very lives to the men and
women of medicine and religion. And, speaking for Dr. Bob and myself,I gratefully declare that had it not been for our
wives, Anne and Lois, neither of us could have lived to see A.A.'s beginning.' 1. LETTER, 1945 - 2. LETTER, 1966 - 3.

LETTER, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, I ask for strength, and You give me difficulties that require strength. I pray for courage, and You give me dangers to overcome. I ask for favors, and You give me opportunities. I pray for patience, and You lead me into a traffic tie-up, but You never forsake me. Your love surrounds me, and You give me both encouragement and hope. ... Help me to remember times in the past when You have stood by me, comforted me, strengthened me, healed me, and blessed me. Thank You, Lord, and help me to be a blessing to others, that they may want to know You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 9, 2023

Ego

All of A.A.'s Twelve Steps ask us to go contrary to our natural desires . . .
they all deflate our egos. When it comes to ego deflation, few Steps are
harder to take than Five. But scarcely any Step is more necessary to
longtime sobriety and peace of mind than this one.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Five) p. 55

Thought to Ponder . . .
The difference between pride and humility:
Pride is who is right. Humility is what is right.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Attitude Adjustment.

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

The Light
"To what extent I was personally responsible for my drinking, I don't know. Yet I'm not one to take complete refuge in the
idea that I was a sick man only. In earlier years, I certainly had some degree of free will. That free will I used badly, to the
great misery of my mother and countless others. I am deeply ashamed. As one who knows me a little, you may have
heard how, ten years ago, a friend, himself a liberated alcoholic, came to me bearing the light which finally led me out of
the toils. There will come a day like that for you and yours--I'm so confident!"
Bill W., Letter to the Mother of an Alcoholic, Dec. Language of the Heart, p. 102

Thought to Consider . . .
It's impossible for me to love God and hate myself.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ISM = I, Self, Me

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

Substitute
From "Stay Sober on Love":
"The things I thought I needed for so many years no longer seem important, now that I have become aware of the
spiritual resources God has given me. With these, I don't need alcohol to function. What a joy to stay sober on love on
love instead of fear!" Toronto, Ontario/Canada
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 35

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

"If there are challenges to be met today, I remember other days when what seemed impossible was made possible."
Huntington, W.V., August 2006
"Never Sober Today Before"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A much
more important demonstration of our principles lies before us in our
respective homes, occupations and affairs."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 19

"When people presented us with spiritual approaches, how frequently
did we all say, "I wish I had what that man has. I'm sure it
would work if I could only believe as he believes. But I cannot
accept as surely true the many articles of faith which are so plain
to him." So it was comforting to learn that we could commence at a
simpler level."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 47~

True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the deep desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grave of God.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 124

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Renew Your Effort
'Though I know how hurt and sorry you must be after this slip, please do not worry about a temporary loss of your inner
peace. As calmly as you can, just renew your effort on the A.A. program, especially those parts of it which have to do
with meditation and self-analysis.
'Could I also suggest that you look at excessive guilt for what it is? Nothing but a sort of reverse pride. A decent regret
for what has happened is fine. But guilt - no.
'Indeed, the slip could well have been brought about by unreasonable feelings of guilt because of other moral failures, so
called. Surely, you ought to look into this possibility. Even here you should not blame yourself for failure; you can be
penalized only for refusing to try for better things.' LETTER, 1958

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, please grant me the wisdom to understand that I do make a difference in the world.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 10

We Pause and Ask

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and
ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves
we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many
times each day "Thy will be done." We are then in much less danger
of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) pp. 87 - 88

Thought to Ponder . . .
I can't do His will my way.

AA-related 'Alconym'
P A U S E = Perhaps An Unexplored Solution Exists.

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

Life on Life's Terms
"For years, I was sure the worst thing that could happen to a nice guy like me would be that I would turn out to be an
alcoholic. Today, I find it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. This proves I don't know what's good for me.
And if I don't know what's good for me, then I don't know what's good or bad for you or for anyone. So I'm better off if I
don't give advice, don't figure I know what's best, and just accept life on life's terms, as it is today--especially my own
life, as it actually is. Before AA, I judged myself by my intentions, while the world was judging me by my actions.
"Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 449-50

Thought to Consider . . .
I am liberated from dreaming the impossible dream
and free, finally, to start living the possible dream.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
TRUST Try Relying Upon the Steps and Traditions

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

Agnostics
From "We Agnostics":
"Some of us have been violently anti-religious. To others, the word 'God' brought up a particular idea of Him with which
someone had tried to impress them during childhood. With that rejection we imagined we had abandoned the God idea
entirely. We were bothered with the thought that faith and dependence upon a Power beyond ourselves was somewhat
weak, even cowardly. We look upon this world of warring individuals, warring theological systems, and inexplicable
calamity, with deep skepticism. How could a Supreme Being have anything to do with it all? And who could
comprehend a Supreme Being anyhow? Yet, in other moments, we found ourselves thinking, when enchanted by a
starlit night, 'Who, then, made all this?' There was a feeling of awe and wonder, but it was fleeting and soon lost.
"Yes, we of agnostic temperament have had these thoughts and experiences. We 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."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 45-46.

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

"I'm free to be the person I've always wanted to be, but never before had the courage to become."
Temple, TX, October 1990
"The Man I've Always Wanted to Be,"
AA Grapevine

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

"Try to remember that though God has wrought miracles among us, we
should never belittle a good doctor or psychiatrist. Their services
are often indispensable in treating a newcomer and in following his
case afterward."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~

"Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going
to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is
the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and
this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through
which we passed to freedom."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

"And they have increasingly found a peace of mind which can stand firm in the face of difficult circumstances."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 104 (Step Eleven)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Giving Without Demand
Watch any A.A. of six months working with a Twelfth Step prospect. If the newcomer says, 'To the devil with you,' the
twelfth-stepper only smiles and finds another alcoholic to help. He doesn't feel frustrated or rejected. If his next drunk
responds, and in turn starts to give love and attention to other sufferers, yet gives none back to him, the sponsor is
happy about it anyway. He still doesn't feel rejected; instead he rejoices that his former prospect is sober and happy.
And he well knows that his own life has been made richer, as an extra dividend of giving to another without any demand
for a return. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me through the difficulties, so that my victory over them may bear witness to those I will help.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 11

Humility

It was only by repeated humiliations that we were forced to learn
something about humility. It was only at the end of a long road,
marked by successive defeats and humiliations, and the final
crushing of our self-sufficiency, that we began to feel humility as
something more than a condition of groveling despair.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Seven) p. 72

Thought to Ponder . . .
Humility is telling the truth about yourself.
Humiliation is when someone else does it for you.

AA-related 'Alconym'
H U M B L E = Honest, Unassuming, Mindful, Believable, Loving, Encouraging.

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

Willpower
"We AA's know the futility of trying to break the drinking obsession by will power alone. However, we do know that it
takes great willingness to adopt AA's Twelve Steps as a way of life that can restore us to sanity.
"Bill W., Letter, 1966 As Bill Sees It, p. 88

Thought to Consider . . .
Willingness is doing what I have to,
whether I want to or not.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
LET GO
Leave Everything To God, Okay?

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

Powerlessness
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
"Isn''t it true that in all matters touching upon alcohol, each of them has decided to turn his or her life over to the care,
protection, and guidance of Alcoholics Anonymous? Already a willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will
and one's own ideas about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested by A.A. A willing newcomer feels sure A.A. is
the only safe harbor for the foundering vessel he has become. Now if this is not turning one's will and life over to a
newfound Providence, then what is it?"
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 35

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

"I have come to believe that my drinking insanity is only one form of the craziness to which we AAs are prone. I call it
Insanity A. Insanity B is finding out what works for you -- and then not doing it."
Prague, Czechoslovakia, February 2005
"Insanity B"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more
alcoholics than anything else."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

"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~

All these failings generate fear, a soul-sickness in its own right. Then fear, in turn, generates more character defects.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 49

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Truth, the Liberator
How truth makes us free is something that we A.A.'s can well understand. It cut the shackles that once bound us to alcohol. It continues to release us from conflicts and miseries beyond reckoning; it banishes fear and isolation. The unity of our Fellowship, the love we cherish for each other, the esteem in which the world holds us - all of these are products of the truth which, under God, we have been privileged to perceive.
Just how and when we tell the truth - or keep silent - can often reveal the difference between genuine integrity and none at all.
Step Nine emphatically cautions us against misusing the truth when it states: 'We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.' Because it points up the fact that the truth can be used to injure as well as to heal, this valuable principle certainly has a wide-ranging application to the problem of developing integrity. GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1961

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, I thank you for all you have done. I feel sometimes as if I ask to much. Today I just want to say thank you.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 12

Precisely How We Have Recovered

We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and
women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind
and body. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered
is the main purpose of this book. For them, we hope these pages will
prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Foreword To First Edition) p. xiii

Thought to Ponder
Further on, clear-cut directions are given showing how we recovered.

AA-related 'Alconym'
G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps.

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

Fear
"Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied drives us to covet the possessions of others, to lust for sex and
power, to become angry when our instinctive demands are threatened, to be envious when the ambitions of others
seem to be realized while ours are not. These fears are the termites that cease lessly devour the foundations of
whatever sort of life we try to build.
"Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 49

Thought to Consider . . .
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the action in spite of the fear.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ANONYMOUS
Actions Not Our Names Yield Maintenance Of Unity & Service

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

Awakening
From Fear of Fear":
"As we walked back through the hall, I, for the first time in my life, said to another human being, 'I'm having trouble with
my drinking too.' She took me by the hand and introduced me to the woman that I'm very proud to call my sponsor. This
woman and her husband are both in A.A., and she said to me, 'Oh, but you're not the alcoholic; it's your husband.' I said,
'Yes.' She said, 'How long have you been married?' I said, 'Twenty-seven years.' She said "Twenty-seven years to an
alcoholic! How did you ever stand it?' I thought, now here's a nice sympathetic soul! This is for me. I said, "Well, I stood
it to keep the home together, and for the children's sake.' She said, 'Yes, I know. You're just a martyr, aren't you?' I
walked away from that woman grinding my teeth and cursing under my breath. But that night I tried to go to sleep. And I
thought, 'You're some martyr, Jane! Let's look at the record.' And when I looked at it, I knew I was just as much a drunk
as George was, if not worse. I nudged George next morning, and I said I'm in,' and he said, 'Oh, I knew you'd make it.'
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 289-90

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

"Some days are harder than others, but I have been told a person is not measured by what she has achieved but by what she has overcome."
Toledo, Ohio, September 2008
"The Measure of Success"
AA Grapevine

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

"The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered
a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree,
and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This
is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 17

"When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

The philosophy of self-sufficiency is not paying off. Plainly enough, it is a bone-crushing juggernaut whose final achievement is ruin.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 37

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'How Can You Roll With A Punch?'
On the day that the calamity of Pearl Harbor fell upon our country, a great friend of A.A. was walking along a St. Louis
street. Father Edward Dowling was not an alcoholic, but he had been one of the founders of the struggling A.A. group in
his city. Because many of his usually sober friends had already taken to their bottles that they might blot out the
implications of the Pearl Harbor disaster, Father Ed was anguished by the thought that his cherished A.A. group would
probably do the same.
Then a member, sober less than a year, stepped alongside and engaged Father Ed in a spirited conversation - mostly
about A.A. Father Ed saw, with relief, that his companion was perfectly sober.
'How is it that you have nothing to say about Pearl Harbor? How can you roll with a punch like that?'
''Well,' replied the yearling, 'each of us in A.A. has already had his own private Pearl Harbor. So why should we drunks
crack up over this one?' GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962

Prayer For The Day: God our Father, you call each of us by name and you know the innermost thoughts that we keep to
ourselves. Stay with us, day by day, in good times and in bad. Empower us with your Spirit that we may grow in
character and develop a true sense of values and ideals through following Jesus. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 13

Tradition Three - The Long Form

Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence
we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership
ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics
gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group,
provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Appendix One, The A.A. Tradition) p. 563

Thought to Ponder . . .
"You're an A.A. member the minute you declare yourself."

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = All Accepted.

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

Spiritual Growth
"When we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God. Do not let any prejudice you may have against
spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the start, this was all we needed to
commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him. If we wished to grow
we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conception, however limited it was."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 47

Thought to Consider . . .
Spirituality is the ability to get our minds off ourselves.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
WISDOM
When Into Self, Discover Our Motives

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

Traditions
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"'Please don't talk any more about those damned Traditions.' [in the late 1940s]
"Time has changed all that. Several years later it was recognized that the Twelve Traditions were going to be just as
necessary to the life of our society as the Twelve Steps were to the life of each member. We saw that the A.A.
Traditions were the key to the unity, the functioning, and even the survival of Alcoholics Anonymous."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 204

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

"Because of this program I am starting to love myself again. I still get urges to 'drink and drug' but I don't let them run my
life. I value good friends today. I value my serenity, and I value life today."
Thornton, Penn., April 1993
"A Valuable Commodity"
AA Grapevine

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

"...the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception,
will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self
knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to
smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it has been revealed to us
out of bitter experience."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 39~

"To be gravely affected, one does not necessarily have to drink a
long time nor take the quantities some of us have. This is
particularly true of women. Potential female alcoholics often turn
into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33~

Could we then foresee that troublesome people were to become our principal teachers of patience and tolerance?
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 141

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Dependence - Unhealthy or Healthy
We discovered the best possible source of emotional stability to be God Himself. We found that dependence upon His
perfect justice, forgiveness, and love was healthy, and that it would work where nothing else would.
If we really depended upon God, we couldn't very well play God to our fellows, nor would we feel the urge to rely wholly
on human protection and care. 1. LETTER, 1966 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 116

Prayer For The Day: Lord, inspire us to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with you, our God. Breathe upon us
your Spirit of peace that we may be bearers of reconciliation wherever you place us. May there be peace in our hearts, in
our homes, in our land, and between all people. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

March 14

Powerlessness

Who cares to admit complete defeat? Practically no one, of
course. Every natural instinct cries out against the idea of
personal powerlessness. It is truly awful to admit that, glass in
hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for
destructive drinking that only an act of Providence can remove it from us.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step One) p. 21

Thought to Ponder . . .
When I share my story and remember the last days of my drinking,
I remember the desperation of selling the last pieces of my soul.

AA-related 'Alconym'
K I S S = Keep It Simple; Surrender.

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

Humility
"The attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of AA's Twelve Steps. For without some degree of
humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all.
"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 70

Thought to Consider . . .
As I thus get down to my right size and stature,
my self-concern and importance become amusing.
Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, June 1961
As Bill Sees It, p. 106

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
FEAR
False Expectations Appearing Real

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

Spirituality
From "In His Own Individual Right":
"When people look at you and wonder what's with you, the look in your eyes will answer them: 'Because I can cut it!'
"The singular thing that is spirituality cannot be given to a fellowman by word of mouth. If every man is to have it, then
every man must earn it, in his own way, by his own hand, stamped by the seal of himself, in his own individual right.--
New York, New York, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 6

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

"My heart sings with each new day."
Cleveland, Ohio, February 1993
"Facing the Truth"
AA Grapevine

~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"Many of us keep liquor in our homes. We often need it to carry
green recruits through a severe hangover. Some of us still serve it
to our friends provided they are not alcoholic. But some of us think
we should not serve liquor to anyone. We never argue this question.
We feel that each family, in the light of their own circumstances,
ought to decide for themselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 102~

These were some of the ways in which fear conspired with pride to hinder our making a list of all the people we had harmed.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 79

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Two-Way Tolerance
'Your point of view was once mine. Fortunately, A.A. is constructed so that we need not debate the existence of God; but
for best results, most of us must depend upon a Higher Power. You say the group is your Higher Power, and no right-
minded A.A. would challenge your privilege to believe precisely that way. We should all be glad that good recoveries can
be made even on this limited basis.
'But turnabout is fair play. If you would expect tolerance for your point of view, I am sure you would be willing to
reciprocate. I try to remember that, down through the centuries, lots of brighter people than 1 have been found on both
sides of this debate about belief. For myself, of late years, I am finding it much easier to believe that God made man,
than that man made God.' LETTER, 1950

Prayer For The Day: Father, preserve in us a sense of wonder at the marvels of life. May all that we see around us lead us to you. Amen

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AA Thought for the Day

March 15

Baffling Feature

Many of us felt that we had plenty of character. There was a tremendous
urge to cease forever. Yet we found it impossible. This is the baffling
feature of alcoholism as we know it—this utter inability to leave it alone,
no matter how great the necessity or the wish.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholism) p. 34

Thought to Ponder . . .
Alcohol—cunning, baffling, powerful!

AA-related 'Alconym'
H O P E = Hearing Other People's Experience.

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

Procrastination
"After a preliminary trial at making amends, we may enjoy such a sense of relief that we conclude our task is finished.
We will want to rest on our laurels. The temptation to skip the more humiliating and dreaded meetings that still remain
may be great. We may just procrastinate, telling ourselves the time is not yet, when in reality we have already passed up
many a fine chance to right a serious wrong. Let's not talk prudence while practicing evasion.
"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 85

Thought to Consider . . .
Procrastination is really sloth in five syllables.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 67

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ISM
I Sponsor Myself

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

Generosity
From "Thousands of 'Founders:'""A.A. was not invented! Its basics were brought to us through the experience and
wisdom of many great friends. We simply borrowed and adapted their ideas."Thankfully, we have accepted the devoted services
of many nonalcoholics. We owe our very lives to the men and women of medicine and religion. And, speaking
for Dr. Bob and myself, I gratefully declare that had it not been for our wives, Anne and Lois, neither of us
could have lived to see A.A.'s beginning."
c. 1967, As Bill Sees It, page 67

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

"Each AA has been an individual who, because of his alcoholism, could seldom govern himself. Nor could any other human being govern the alcoholic's obsession to drink, his drive to have things his own way ... Yet we alcoholics can be led, we can be inspired."
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 ^*~*~*~*~*

"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~

"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~

Since recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, it is imperative that we preserve in full strength our means of survival.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 177

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Breach the Walls of Ego
People who are driven by pride of self unconsciously blind themselves to their liabilities. Newcomers of this sort scarcely need comforting. The problem is to help them discover a chink in the walls their ego has built, through which the light of reason can shine.
The attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of A.A.'s Twelve Steps. For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all.
Nearly all A.A.'s have found, too, that unless they develop much more of this precious quality than may be required just for sobriety, they still haven't much chance of becoming truly happy. Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose, or, in adversity, be able to summon the faith that can meet any emergency. TWELVE AND TWELVE - 1. p. 46 - 2. p. 70

Prayer For The Day: Today’s Prayer: Lord, I ask that You help me to be aware of those people that You have put in my life today. Help me minister to them today. I ask that You give me the words to say to them. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!

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AA Thought for the Day

March 16

Acquire Faith

We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way
by which faith can be acquired. If what we have learned and felt
and seen means anything at all, it means that all of us, whatever
our race, creed, or color are the children of a living Creator with
whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable
terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) p. 28

Thought to Ponder . . .
No God, no peace --- know God, know peace.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F A I T H = Facing All, Intuitively Trusting Him.

~*~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 completely 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 . . .
Half measures availed us nothing.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
HOW
Honest, Open-minded and Willing

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

Greater Strength
From "Letting go of old ideas:"
"It is now well established that willpower all by
itself is about as effective a cure for alcohol
addiction as it is for cancer....Most of us tried
going it alone, hoping either to control our drinking
or to stop, and we had no lasting success in either
endeavor.
"But we finally asked ourselves: Wouldn't it be
more intelligent to seek out and tap a strength
greater than our own than to persist in our futile
solo efforts...?"
c. 1998, Living Sober, page 73

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

"Life in contented sobriety seems to be a matter of looking at the reality of myself in my attitudes, actions, and character
rather than trying to run away from it."
Tasmania, Australia, September 2008
"The Reality of Myself"
AA Grapevine

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

"At a certain point in the drinking of every alcoholic, he passes
into a state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is of
absolutely no avail. This tragic situation has already arrived in
practically every case long before it is suspected."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 24~

"Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an
altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is
very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that
a man's brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then
a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~

With a proper display of honesty and morality, we’d stand a better chance of getting what we really wanted.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 72

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Losing Financial Fears
When a job still looked like a mere means of getting money rather than an opportunity for service, when the acquisition of money for financial independence looked more important than a right dependence upon God, we were the victims of unreasonable fears. And these were fears which would make a serene and useful existence, at any financial level, quite impossible.
But as time passed we found that with the help of A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no matter what our material prospects were. We could cheerfully perform humble labor without worrying about tomorrow. If our circumstances happened to be good, we no longer dreaded a change for the worse, for we had learned that these troubles could be turned into great values, for ourselves and for others. TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 121-122

Prayer For The Day: Father, your Spirit lives in me, and I am swift to hear. I have learned it’s more important to listen than to be heard. I purpose to be slow to speak, and choose the words I speak with grace. I am slow to become angry. May my recreated human spirit, under the control of the Holy Spirit bear fruit — joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 17

Value of Experience

Henry Ford once made a wise remark to the effect that experience
is the thing of supreme value in life. That is true only if one is willing
to turn the past to good account. We grow by our willingness to face
and rectify errors and convert them into assets.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (The Family Afterward) p. 124

Thought to Ponder . . .
If you want to change who you are, change what you do.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A C T = Action Changes Things.

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

Prayer
"As the doubter tries the process of prayer,he should begin to add up the results.If he persists, he will surely find more
serenity,more tolerance, less fear, and less anger.He will acquire a quiet courage,the kind that isn't tension-ridden.He
can look at 'failure' and 'success'for what these really are.Problems and calamity will begin to mean his
instruction,instead of his destruction.Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to happen.
"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, June 1958As Bill Sees It, p. 321

Thought to Consider . . .
Trying to pray is praying.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
BS
Before Sobriety

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

Self-Care
From "To Wives":
"Be determined that your husband's [or other loved one's] drinking is not going to spoil your relations with your children
or your friends. They need your companionship and your help. It is possible to have a full and useful life, though your
husband continues to drink. We know women who are unafraid, even happy under these conditions. Do not set your
heart on reforming your husband. You may be unable to do so, no matter how hard you try."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 111

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

"Surrender has nothing to do with giving up. It means to stop fighting."
Carrollton, Texas, February 1993
"The Gift of Sobriety"
AA Grapevine

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

"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. Under these conditions we
can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God
gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much
higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~

"Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an
altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is
very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that
a man's brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then
a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~

Therefore, thoroughness ought to be the watchword when taking inventory.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 54

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Only God Is Unchanging
'Change is the characteristic of all growth. From drinking to sobriety, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to
serenity, from hate to love, from childish dependence to adult responsibility - all this and infinitely more represent change for the better.
'Such changes are accomplished by a belief in and a practice of sound principles. Here we must needs discard bad or
ineffective principles in favor of good ones that work. Even good principles can sometimes be displaced by the discovery of still better ones.
'Only God is unchanging; only He has all the truth there is. LETTER, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Loving Father, search me, and if there be any evil ways in me, correct them, and lead me into the ways everlasting. I pray that I may not be deformed from selfishness, but with a lowly and expectant heart run with patience and triumph the race that is set before me. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 18

Lack of Power

Our human resources, as marshaled by the will, were not sufficient;
they failed utterly. Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find
a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than
ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?
Well, that’s exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable
you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 45

Thought to Ponder . . .
Take a walk with God. He will meet you at the Steps.

AA-related 'Alconym'
G O D = Good Orderly Direction.

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

Change
"Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate between changes for worse and changes for
better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent in an individual, in a group, or in AA as a whole, it has long since been
found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way.
"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, July 1965 As Bill Sees It, p. 115

Thought to Consider . . .
There is no progress without change.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
CHANGE
Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday

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

Independence
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
"'If I keep on turning my life and my will over to the care of Something or Somebody else, what will become of me? I'll
look like the hole in the doughnut.' This, of course, is the process by which instinct and logic always seek to bolster
egotism, and so frustrate spiritual development. The trouble is that this kind of thinking takes no real account of the facts.
And the facts seem to be these: The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we
actually are. Therefore dependence, as A.A. practices it, is really a means to gaining true independence of the spirit."
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 36

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

"Pain is one of our greatest teachers. Though I still find it difficult to accept today's pain and anxiety with any degree of
serenity -- as those more advanced in the spiritual life seem able to do -- I can, if I try hard, give thanks for present pain nevertheless."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., March 1962
"What Is Acceptance?"
The Language of the Heart

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

"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~

"...we have ceased fighting anything or anyone—even alcohol."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

These emotional ”dry benders” often led straight to the bottle.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 90

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

R.S.V.P. - Yes or No?
Usually, we do not avoid a place where there is drinking - if we have a legitimate reason for being there. That includes
bars, night clubs, dances, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary parties.
You will note that we made an important qualification. Therefore, ask yourself, '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?' Then
go or stay away, whichever seems better. But be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your
motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it.
If you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead! ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 101-102

Prayer For The Day: Dear Father, please help me understand that a little kindness costs nothing to give and it's far more valuable.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 19

Dependence

And the facts seem to be these: The more we become willing
to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we
actually are. Therefore dependence, as A.A. practices it, is
really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Three) p. 36

Thought to Ponder
Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F A I T H = For All I Trust Him.

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

Release
"Who can render an account of all the miseries that have once been ours, and who can estimate the release and joy
that the later years have brought to us? Who could possibly tell the vast consequences of what God's work through AA
had already set in motion?
"Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pp. 44-5
As Bill Sees It, p. 163

Thought to Consider . . .
"I have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine.
"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, Jan. 1958.
The Language of the Heart, p. 238

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
PUSH
Pray Until Something Happens

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

Power
From "Listening to the Wind":
"Alcohol was only a symptom of much deeper problems of dishonesty and denial. Now it was a matter of coming to
grips with a Power greater than myself. That was very hard for me. How could all these white people even begin to think
they could understand me? So they brought a sober Indian woman up to work with me for a day. That was a very
powerful day. That Indian woman cut me no slack at all. I will never forget her. She convinced me I was not unique. She
said these white folks were the best thing that ever happened to me.
"Where would you be without them?" she asked. "What are the alternatives? You got any better ideas for yourself? How
many Indians do you know who are going to help you sober up?" At the time, I couldn't think of any. I surrendered behind
the tears of no answers and decided to do it their way. I found the Power greater than myself to be the magic above the
heads of the people in the meetings. I chose to call that magic Great Spirit."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 467

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

"New people are the lifeblood of AA. I am eternally grateful to them. By extension I am, therefore, grateful to Tradition
Three for making it possible for all who want what we have to come to AA."
Los Gatos, Calif., February 1993
"A Part of the Whole"
AA Grapevine

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

Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful!
Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all
power that One is God. May you find Him now!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 58~

"Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an
altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is
very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that
a man's brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then
a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~

Then it is explained that the other Steps of the A.A. program can be practiced with Success only when Step Three is
given a determined and persistent trial.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 40

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Clearing a Channel
During the day, we can pause where situations must be met and decisions made, and renew the simple request 'Thy will, not mine, be done.'
If at these points our emotional disturbances happens to be great, we will more surely keep our balance provided we remember, and repeat to ourselves, a particular prayer or phrase that has appealed to us in our reading or meditations. Just saying it over and over will often enable us to clear a channel choked up with anger, fear, frustration, or misunderstanding, and permit us to return to the surest help of all -- our search for God's will, not our own, in the moment of stress. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 102-103

Prayer For The Day: Father, help us to see and love in others what you see and love in them. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 20

Resentments

We saw that these resentments must be mastered, but how? We
could not wish them away any more than alcohol. This was our
course: We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps
spiritually sick. Though we did not like their symptoms and the way
these disturbed us, they, like ourselves, were sick too.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) pp. 66 - 67

Thought to Ponder . . .
What if I were caring rather than judgmental?

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Attitude Adjustment.

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

Illusion
"Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30

Thought to Consider . . .
"Many alcoholics are enthusiasts. They run to extremes.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
DENIAL
Don't Even Notice I Am Lying

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

Cooperation
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In 1949 the American Psychiatric Association did exactly the same thing [recognizing A.A. as a valid aid for alcoholics]. I read a paper at its annual meeting in Montreal. I wound up by describing the spiritual experience as we understand it in A.A. As I read, I doubted if even a handful of the audience could possibly agree with the views expressed in my paper. To my astonishment there was a sustained round of applause. But this was not at all a tribute to me or to the contents of my paper; it was instead a tribute to Alcoholics Anonymous, a tribute to a way of life which had worked for alcoholics when other approaches had failed. This generous response was evidence that our friends the psychiatrists were being much more tolerant of us than we had been of them. If we ourselves became more open-minded, then far greater co-operation with this profession would be assured.
"The Association promptly confirmed the view of its members in Montreal. My paper was carried in the American Journal of Psychiatry and we were permitted to reprint it in a pamphlet, now entitled Alcoholism the Illness.* Our standing with the psychiatric profession has increased greatly since that time.
"*Later retitled Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W., this pamphlet also includes Bill's paper before the Medical Society of the State of New York"
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 205

[B]*~*~*~*~*^Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"If you haven't been to a meeting for a while, come, and add to the mix ... we need you. Come for yourself, come for the Fellowship, come to celebrate sobriety, and come for the alcoholic who still suffers."
San Francisco, Calif., February 1993
"Torn Asunder"
AA Grapevine

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

"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~

"To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main
purpose of this book."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Foreword To First Edition, pg. xiii~

But its object is always the same: to improve our conscious contact with God, with His grace, wisdom, and love.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 101

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Whose Responsibility?
'An A.A. group, as such, cannot take on all the personal problems of its members, let alone those of nonalcoholics in the world around us. The A.A. group is not, for example, a mediator of domestic problems, nor does it furnish personal financial aid to anyone.
'Though a member may sometimes be helped in such matters by his friends in A.A., the primary responsibility for the solutions of all his problems of living and growing rests squarely upon the individual himself. Should an A.A. group attempt this sort of help, its effectiveness and energies would be hopelessly dissipated.
'This is why sobriety -- freedom from alcohol -- through the teaching and practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, is the sole purpose of the group. If we don't stick to this cardinal principle, we shall almost certainly collapse. And if we collapse we cannot help anyone.' Letter, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Please give me the wisdom to understand that the only way to have a friend is by being a friend.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 21

The Faulty Foundation

By now the newcomer has probably arrived at the following conclusions:
that his character defects, representing instincts gone astray, have been
the primary cause of his drinking and his failure at life; that unless he is
now willing to work hard at the elimination of the worst of these defects,
both sobriety and peace of mind will still elude him; that all the faulty
foundation of his life will have to be torn out and built anew on bedrock.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) p. 50

Thought to Ponder . . .
Without change I am just a non-drinking drunk.

AA-related 'Alconym'
W O R K = What Our Recovery Knows.

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

Rationalization
"There are cases where our ancient enemy, rationalization, has stepped in and has justified conduct which was really
wrong. The temptation here is to imagine that we had good motives and reasons when we really didn't. We
'constructively criticized' someone who needed it, when our real motive was to win a useless argument. We sometimes
hurt those we love because they' need to be taught a lesson, 'when we really want to punish. This perverse wish to hide
a bad motive underneath a good one, permeates human affairs from top to bottom.
"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 94

Thought to Consider . . .
Recognizing someone else's human dignity cannot cost you your own.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
PUSH
Pray Until Something Happens

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

Rapture
From "Total Surrender":
"What has always impressed me most about the program and myself is the constant, continuing challenge to try
recapturing some of the true and honest rapture I felt upon total surrender, when I first came into A.A. For me, that
special peace of mind has never been duplicated. Now, after all the accumulated twenty-four-hour periods, I realize that
it probably never will be. I have come close to it a few times, but it's never the same."Des Plaines, Illinois, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 29

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

"We are losing all fear of those violent emotional storms which sometimes cross our alcoholic world; perhaps it
bespeaks our confidence that every storm will be followed by a calm; a calm which is more understanding, more
compassionate, more tolerant than any we ever knew before."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., August 1946
"Who Is a Member of Alcoholics Anonymous?"
The Language of the Heart

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

"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~

"A body badly burned by alcohol does not often recover overnight nor do
twisted thinking and depression vanish in a twinkling. We are convinced
that a spiritual mode of living is a most powerful health restorative."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, Page 133~

Just as firmly bound by obligation are the members of Alcoholics Anonymous, who have demonstrated that they can
help problem drinkers as others seldom can.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 150

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Debits and Credits
Following a gossip binge, we can well ask ourselves these questions: 'Why did we say what we did? Were we only
trying to be helpful and informative? Or were we not trying to feel superior by confessing the other fellow's sins? Or,
because of fear and dislike, were we not really aiming to damage him?'
This would be an honest attempt to examine ourselves, rather than the other fellow.
Inventory-taking is not always done in red ink. It's a poor day indeed when we haven't done something right. As a matter
of fact, the waking hours are usually filled with things that are constructive. Good intentions, good thoughts, and good
acts are there for us to see.
Even when we have tried hard and failed, we may chalk that up as one of the greatest credits of all.
1. GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1961
2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p.93

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, please help me find confidence in myself. Help me understand that when I have confidence in myself others will have confidence in me.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 22

Faith

There is, however, a vast amount of fun about it all.
I suppose some would be shocked at our seeming
worldliness and levity. But just underneath there is
deadly earnestness. Faith has to work twenty-four
hours a day in and through us, or we perish. Most
of us feel we need look no further for Utopia.
We have it with us right here and now.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Bill's Story) p. 16

Thought to Ponder . . .
It is when you act on faith that you actually have it.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F A I T H = For All I Trust Him.

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

Tolerance
"Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober,
but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.
In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes
that he can't get well alone,
he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well
in the company of others.
It has been that way from the beginning of AA
and probably always will be so."
Bill W., Letter, 1943
As Bill Sees It, p. 312

Thought to Consider . . .
Together we can do what we could never do alone.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
TIME
Things I Must Earn

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

Nameless
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"[Tradition Eleven] represents more than a sound public relations policy. It is more than a denial of self-seeking. Tradition Eleven is certainly a constant reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A., but it also implies that each member ought to become an active guardian of our fellowship in its relation with the general public.
"As we have seen, anonymity is the protective mantle that covers our whole society. But it is more than protection; it has another dimension, a spiritual significance. And this leads to Tradition Twelve, which reads: 'Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.'
"In my belief, the entire future of our fellowship hangs upon this vital principle. If we continue to be filled with the spirit and practice of anonymity, no shoal or reef can wreck us. If we forget this principle, the lid to Pandora's box will be off and the spirits of Money, Power, and Prestige will be loosed among us."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 131

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

"In AA, we discover that it is impossible to give without receiving, or receive without giving."
North Hollywood, Calif., February 1993
"The Gift of Sobriety"
AA Grapevine

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

"If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the
brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal
men, but for alcoholics these things are poison."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~

"If a repetition is to be prevented, place the problem, along with
everything else, in God's hands."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Wives, Page 120~

Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 90

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Selfish'?
'I can see why you are disturbed to hear some A.A. speakers say, 'A.A. is a selfish program.' The word 'selfish' ordinarily implies that one is acquisitive, demanding, and thoughtless of the welfare of others. Of course, the A.A. way of life does not at all imply such undesirable traits.
'What do these speakers mean? Well, any theologian will tell you that the salvation of his own soul is the highest vocation that a man can have. Without salvation--however we may define this--he will have little or nothing. For us of A.A., there is even more urgency.
'If we cannot or will not achieve sobriety, then we become truly lost, right in the here and now. We are of no value to anyone, including ourselves, until we find salvation from alcohol. Therefore, our own recovery and spiritual growth have to come first--a right and necessary kind of self-concern.

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for being the hope I need, the peace I look for, and the answer I seek.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 23

A Gift

He finds himself in possession of a degree of honesty, tolerance,
unselfishness, peace of mind, and love of which he had thought
himself quite incapable. What he has received is a free gift, and
yet usually, at least in some small part, he has made himself ready
to receive it. A.A.’s manner of making ready to receive this gift lies
in the practice of the Twelve Steps in our program.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) p. 107

Thought to Ponder . . .
Faith makes the impossible possible.

AA-related 'Alconym'
G I F T = God Is Forever There.

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

Isolating
"The less people tolerated us,
the more we withdrew from society,
from life itself.
As we became subjects of King Alcohol,
shivering denizens of his mad realm,
the chilling vapor that is loneliness settled down.
It thickened, ever becoming blacker.
Unhappy drinkers who read this page will understand."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 151

Thought to Consider . . .
Losers make promises;
winners make commitments.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

KISS
Keep It Simple, Surrender

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

Whose
From "'How Do You Pray?'":
"One of the men stopped me and said, 'How do you pray?' I said that I asked God not to take her, but to take me. He
then said, 'Why don't you ask that God give you the strength and courage to accept His will? Say, "Thy will, not mine, be done."'
"Yes, that was the first time in my life that I prayed for His will be done. As I look back, I see that I had always asked God
to do things my way."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 23

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

"I can't imagine anything that would make me so mad, glad, or sad that I would want to go back to what I was before AA."
Napa, Calif., February 1993
"The Meaning of Success"
AA Grapevine

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

"...we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness as
being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all
the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take
them all-every one? If we still cling to something we will not let
go, we ask God to help us be willing."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 76~

"When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the
Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our
ideas did not work. But the God idea did."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, Page 52~

These distinguished men had the nerve to say that most of the alcoholics under investigation were still childish,
emotionally sensitive, and grandiose.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 123

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Trouble Becomes an Asset
'I think that this particular General Service Conference holds promise and has been filled with progress--because it has had trouble. And it has converted that trouble into an asset, into some growth, and into a great promise.
'A.A. was born out of trouble, one of the most serious kinds of trouble that can befall an individual, the trouble attendant upon this dark and fatal malady of alcoholism. Every single one of us approached A.A. in trouble, in impossible trouble, in hopeless trouble. And that is why we came.
'If this Conference was ruffled, if individuals were deeply disturbed--I say, 'This is fine.' What parliament , what republic, what democracy has not been disturbed? Friction of opposing viewpoints is the very modus operandi on which they proceed. Then what should we be afraid of?' TALK, 1958

Prayer For The Day: Lord, it is in this place and in this time that you want me to grow. You give me the time I need to live as you want me to live. Help me to use my time and opportunities wisely. Help me to value and treasure all the people you put into my life, and lead me to live in thankfulness. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 24

We Can Pause

In all times of emotional disturbance or indecision, we can pause,
ask for quiet, and in the stillness simply say: "God grant me the
serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change
the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Thy will, not mine, be done."
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Three) pp. 40 - 41

Thought to Ponder . . .
Reliance on God enables me to match calamity with serenity.

AA-related 'Alconym'
P A U S E = Pray Actively Until Serenity Emerges.

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

Traditions
"The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
are a distillate of our experience of living and working together.
They apply the spirit of the Twelve recovery Steps
to our group life and security.
They deal with the world outside and with each other;
they state our attitudes toward power and prestige,
toward property and money.
They would save us from tempting alliances
and major controversies;
they would elevate principles far above personal ambitions.
And as a token of this last, they request that we
maintain personal anonymity before the open public
as a protection to AA and as proof of the fact that
our society intends to practice true humility."
Bill W., The Language of the Heart, p. 96

Thought to Consider . . .
The reason they are called Principles is
because they always work.
If they didn't always work we'd just call them "good ideas."

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
WILLING
When I Live Life, I Need God

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

Growth
From "A Vision for You":
"So our fellow worker will soon have friends galore. Some of them may sink and perhaps never get up, but if our experience is a criterion, more than half of those approached will become fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous. When a few men in this city have found themselves, and have discovered the joy of helping others to face life again, there will be no stopping until everyone in that town has had his opportunity to recover if he can and will."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 163-64

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

"My emotional bottom came in sobriety ... I actually had to sit and feel all those feelings I had worked so hard to drown out with alcohol."
New York, N.Y., January 2006
"Attitude Adjustment"
Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA

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

"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~

"we have ceased fighting anything or anyone— even alcohol."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 93

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

WE Cannot Live Alone
All of A.A.'s Twelve Steps ask us to go contrary to our natural desires; they all deflate our egos. When it come to ego deflation, few Steps are harder to take than the Fifth. Scarcely and Step is more necessary to long-time sobriety and peace of mind.
A.A. experience has taught us we cannot live alone with our pressing problems and the character defects which cause or aggravate them. If Step Four has revealed in stark relief those experiences we'd rather not remember, than the need to quit living by ourselves with those tormenting ghosts of yesterday gets more urgent than ever. We have to talk to somebody about them.
We cannot wholly rely on friends to solve all our difficulties. A good adviser will never do all our thinking for us. He knows that each final choice must be ours. He will therefore help to eliminate fear, expediency, and self-deception, so enabling us to make choices which are loving, wise, and honest.
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 55
GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1961

Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, I am grateful for Your constant provision. You have never failed me, Lord and I know that You never will. You are a faithful God, and I ask You to help me to trust You before my answer arrives. Lord, You are my source, and I know as I continue to look to You, I need never to worry about how You will provide. I just know that You will. Guard my mouth and remind me to speak what Your Word says about my situation. Deliver me from every vestige of fear, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I will always walk in faith. Lord, I pray that all my brothers and sisters in the family of God will also be granted this favor. May we each fulfill Your will in our lives. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 25

Real Purpose

At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is
not an end in itself. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of
maximum service to God and the people about us.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 77

Thought to Ponder . . .
Trust God. Clean house. Help others.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Alcoholic's Answer.

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

"There are those in AA whom we call 'destructive' critics.
They power-drive, they are 'politickers,'
they make accusations to gain their ends--
all for the good of AA, of course!
We ought to listen carefully to what they say.
Sometimes they are telling the whole truth;
at other times, a little truth.
If they are talking nonsense, we can ignore it,
or else try to persuade them.
There are few better means of self-survey
and of developing patience than the workouts
these usually well-meaning but erratic members
so often afford us."
Bill W., Twelve Concepts for World Service, p. 40
As Bill Sees It, p. 215

Thought to Consider . . .
Every problem arrives bearing a gift in its hands.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
GIFTS
Getting It From The Steps

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

Decision
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
"Therefore, we who are alcoholics can consider ourselves fortunate indeed. Each of us has had his own near-fatal
encounter with the juggernaut of self-will, and has suffered enough under its weight to be willing to look for something
better. So it is by circumstance rather than by any virtue that we have been driven to A.A., have admitted defeat, have
acquired the rudiments of faith, and now want to make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to a Higher Power."
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pgs. 37-38

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

"I'm better able to love people when the storm of my judgmental mind settles, when I understand and empathize rather
than criticize and condemn."
September 2008
"The Fine Art of Listening"
AA Grapevine

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

"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

"...the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 23~

"On the other hand -- and strange as this may seem to those who do not
understand -- once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person
who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever
solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire
for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that required to follow a
few simple rules."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctors Opinion, pg. xxix~

Many people, nonalcoholics, report that as a result of the practice of A.A.’s Twelve Steps, they have been able to meet other difficulties of life.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 15

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Benefits of Responsibility
'Happily, A.A.'s per capita expenses are very low. For us to fail to meet them would be to evade a responsibility beneficial for us.
'Most alcoholics have said they had no troubles that money would not cure. We are a group that, when drinking, always held out a hand for funds. So when we commence to pay our own service bills, this is a healthy change.'
'Because of drinking, my friend Henry had lost a high-salaried job. There remained a fine house--with a budget three times his reduced earnings.
'He could have rented the house for enough to carry it. But no! Henry said he knew that God wanted him to live there, and He would see that the costs were paid. So Henry went on running up bills and glowing with faith. Not surprisingly, his creditors finally took over the place.
'Henry can laugh about it now, having learned that God more often helps those who are willing to help themselves.'
1. LETTER,1960
2. LETTER, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Almighty God, grant that I may never succumb to the controlling influences of the body, and lose the power of my mind. May I guard the dictates of my heart and keep my mind in command to obey thy will. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 26

Surrender

But upon entering AA we soon take quite another view of this
absolute humiliation. We perceive that only through utter defeat
are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength.
Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be
firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step One) p. 21

Thought to Ponder
We surrender to win.

AA-related 'Alconym'
S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Action, Trust.

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

Possibilities
"How shall we come to terms with seeming failure or success? Can we now adjust to either without despair or pride?
Can we accept poverty, sickness, loneliness, and bereavement with courage and serenity? The AA answer to these
questions about living is 'Yes, all of these things are possible.'"
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 112

Thought to Consider . . .
It works - it really does.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 88

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
EGO
Easing God Out

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

Medicine
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"The medical aspect of alcoholism includes the problem of hospitalization, and here also great progress has been
made. Many hospitals have been reluctant to take alcoholics at all. State and Provincial institutions usually have required
alcoholics to stay for long periods of commitment. Therefore it has been difficult and it still is to persuade the average
general hospital to take in A.A. prospects for short periods of treatment and to grant sponsors the necessary visiting
privileges in co-operation with our local Intergroup Associations.
"It is good to report that this condition is rapidly changing for the better. Our pioneering activity in this field, together with
the use which A.A. Headquarters has been able to make of that experience, has a special interest for us all. Two
American hospitals have afforded fine examples of how medicine and A.A. can best co-operate. At St. Thomas Hospital
in Akron Dr. Bob, the wonderful Sister Ignatia, and the hospital staff presided over an alcoholic ward which had treated
several thousand alcoholics by the time of Dr. Bob's death in 1950. And beginning in 1945, Knickerbocker Hospital in
New York provided an A.A. ward under the care of our first friend in medicine, Dr. William D. Silkworth, who was
assisted with rare devotion and skill by nurse Teddy. By 1954, 10,000 alcoholics had been referred to Knickerbocker by
the New York Intergroup Association and had passed through this ward, the majority on their way to freedom. [c. 1959]"
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg.206

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

"When we early AAs got our first glimmer of how spiritually prideful we could be, we coined this expression: 'Don't try to
get too damned good by Thursday!'"
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., June 1961
"Humility for Today"
The Best of Bill

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

"We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. 'Do I now
believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power
greater than myself?' As soon as a man can say that he does believe,
or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on
his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this
simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 47

"If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no
middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was
becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which
there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives:
One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of
our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept
spiritual help. This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were
willing to make the effort."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 25~

The answer, now seen in Tradition Three, was simplicity itself.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 141

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Room for Improvement'
WE have come to believe that A.A.'s recovery Steps and Traditions represent the approximate truths which we need for our particular purpose. The more we practice them, the more we like them. So there is little doubt that A.A. principles will continue to be advocated in the form they stand now.
If our basics are so firmly fixed as all this, then what is there left to change or to improve?
The answer will immediately occur to us. While we need not alter our truths, we can surely improve their application to ourselves, to A.A. as a whole, and to our relation with the world around us. We can constantly step up the practice of 'these principles in all our affairs.' GRAPEVINE, FEBRUARY 1961

Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, I come to You with a thankful heart for all the things You have done for me. I really cannot thank You enough. I do want to continue to be one of Your faithful servants. I must rely on You to fill me with Your love and strength every day in order to be obedient and serve You. Help me to be able to share Your love with all those who You allow me to be a witness to. Lord, help me to overcome the sin and weaknesses that hinder Your work in my life. I do ask for the grace to die to my ways and live unto Yours. Help me to be diligent in all the things that You have commissioned me to do. May I reflect Your glory and love to all who know me. I ask this in Your name, Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 27

One More Failure

The old pleasures were gone. They were but memories. Never could
we recapture the great moments of the past. There was an insistent
yearning to enjoy life as we once did and a heartbreaking obsession
that some new miracle of control would enable us to do it. There was
always one more attempt—and one more failure.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (A Vision For You) p. 151

Thought to Ponder . . .
When we try to control our drinking, we have already lost control.

AA-related 'Alconym'
H O P E = Hold On, Possibilities Exist.

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

"The philosophy of self-sufficiency doesn't pay off.
Plainly enough, it is a bone-crushing juggernaut
whose final achievement is ruin.
Therefore, we can consider ourselves
fortunate indeed.
Each of us has had his own near-fatal encounter
with the juggernaut of self-will,
and has suffered enough under its weight to
look for something better."
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 37-8

Thought to Consider . . .
Attitudes are contagious--is yours worth catching?

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
AA
Attitude Adjustment

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

Blessings
From "My Chance to Live":
"Growing up in A.A., I have been blessed with children who have never seen their mother drunk. I have a husband who
loves me simply because I am, and I have gained the respect of my family. What more could a broken-down drunk ask
for? Lord knows it is more than I ever thought possible, and ever so much more than I deserved. All because I was
willing to believe A.A. just might work for me too."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 318

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

"As AA grows, it is impossible to know everyone, but if I try to relate myself with just one other person, something will
happen, something remarkable."
Marietta, Ohio, April 1993
"The Guy at the End of the Bar"
AA Grapevine

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

"Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity
from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 89~

"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~

Could we then foresee that troublesome people were to become our principal teachers of patienceand tolerance?
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 141

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Life Is Not a Dead End
When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being.
He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a very real sense he has been transformed, because he has laid hold of a source of strength which he had hitherto denied himself. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 106-107

Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for Your love and goodness to me. You have been very patient and merciful to me. Lord, I need that same love and mercy towards others. Father, I ask You to remove all deceit from my heart and cleanse me so that I might have a pure heart before You. Lord, I also ask that You give me faith and an overcoming spirit so that I will not walk in fear. Help me to trust You, even when my circumstances cause me doubt at times. Deliver me from doubt and unbelief in every area of my life. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 28

Without Defense

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, (There Is A Solution) p. 24

Thought to Ponder . . .
The first drink has the last say.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Absolute Abstinence.

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

Unity
"The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is
the most cherished quality our Society has.
Our lives, the lives of all to come,
depend squarely upon it.
We stay whole, or AA dies.
Without unity, the heart of AA would cease to beat;
our world arteries would no longer carry
the life-giving grace of God;
His gift to us would be spent aimlessly.
Back again in their caves,
alcoholics would reproach us and say,
'What a great thing AA might have been!'"
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 130

Thought to Consider . . .
I am responsible.
when anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help,
I want the hand of AA always to be there.
And for that:
I am responsible

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ABC
Acceptance, Belief, Change

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

Faith
From "Fresh Snow":
"While some days may offer only a modicum of frantic serenity, twenty-six years later I still know the same inner
tranquility that comes with forgiveness of self and the acceptance of God's will. Each new morning, there is faith in
sobriety, sobriety not as mere abstinence from alcohol, but as progressive recovery in every facet of my life.
"Edmonton, Alberta, Canada"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 13

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

"One of the first insights Dr. Bob and I shared was that all true communication must be founded on mutual need. Never
could we talk down to anyone, certainly not to a fellow alcoholic. We saw that each sponsor would have to humbly admit
his own needs as clearly as those of his prospect."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1960
"The Language of the Heart"

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

"We know that while the alcoholic keeps away from drink, as he may do
for months or years, he reacts much like other men. We are equally
positive that once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system,
something happens, both in the bodily and mental sense, which makes
it virtually impossible for him to stop. The experience of any
alcoholic will abundantly confirm this."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 22~

"Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have
been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator,
and to discover the obstacles in our path. We have admitted certain
defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; we
have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory. Now
these are about to be cast out. This requires action on our part,
which, when completed, will mean that we have admitted to God, to
ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects.
This brings us to the Fifth Step in the program of recovery mentioned
in the preceding chapter."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 72~

Meditation is something which can always be further developed.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 101

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Keystone of the Arch
Faced with alcoholic destruction, we became open-minded on spiritual matters. In this respect alcohol was great
persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness.
We had to quit playing God. It didn't work. We decided that hereafter, in this drama of life, God was going to be our
Director. He would be the Principal; we, His agents.
Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new triumphal arch through which we passed to freedom.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
1.P. 48
2. P. 62

Prayer For The Day: Lord Jesus, I give you my hands - to do your work. I give you my feet - to go your way. I give you my eyes - to see as you do. I give you my tongue - to speak your words. I give you my mind - that you may think in me. I give you my spirit - that you may pray in me. Above all, I give you my heart that you may love, in me, your Father and all mankind. I give you my whole self that you may grow in me, so that it is you, Lord Jesus, who lives and works and prays in me. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

March 29

Thoroughness

Whatever the defects, they have finally ambushed us into alcoholism and
misery. Therefore, thoroughness ought to be the watchword when taking
inventory. In this connection, it is wise to write out our questions and
answers. It will be an aid to clear thinking and honest appraisal. It will be
the first tangible evidence of our complete willingness to move forward.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) p. 54

Thought to Ponder . . .
In order to recover we have to uncover.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A C T = Action Changes Things

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

Housecleaning
"Somehow, being alone with God
doesn't seem as embarrassing
as facing up to another person.
Until we actually sit down and talk aloud
about what we have so long hidden,
our willingness to clean house
is still largely theoretical.
When we are honest with another person,
it confirms that we have been honest
with ourselves and with God."
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 60

Thought to Consider . . .
If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 72

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
STEPS
Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

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

Selfless
From "When A.A. Came of Age":
"As this tidal offering of top public approval swept in, we realized that it could do us incalculable good or great harm.
Everything would depend upon how it was channeled. We simply could not afford to take the chance of letting self-
appointed members present themselves as messiahs representing A.A. before the whole public. The promoter instinct
in us might be our undoing. If even one such person publicly got drunk or was lured into using A.A.'s name for his own
purposes, the damage might be irreparable. At this altitude (press, radio, films, and television [and the internet] ),
anonymity 100 per cent anonymity was the only possible answer. Here principles would have to come before
personalities, without exception.
"These experiences taught us that anonymity is real humility at work. It is an all-pervading spiritual quality which today
keynotes A.A. life everywhere."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 134

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

"Until I was at my complete bottom, alcohol wasn't even my problem. But thankfully, when I did hit bottom, AA was not
hard to find."
November 2013
"Why Not Tell the World?"
AA Grapevine

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

"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 into 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, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 25~

"The age of miracles is still with us. Our own recovery proves that!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 153~

But in A.A. we slowly learned that something had to be done about our vengeful resentments, self-pity, and unwarranted pride.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 47

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Will Power and Choice'
'We A.A.'s know the futility of trying to break the drinking obsession by will power alone. However, we do know that it
takes great willingness to adopt A.A.'s Twelve Steps as a way of life that can restore us to sanity.
'No matter how grievous the alcohol obsession, we happily find that other vital choices can still be made. For example,
we can choose to admit that we are personally powerless over alcohol; that dependence upon a 'higher Power' is a
necessity, even if this be simply dependence upon an A.A. group. Then we can choose to try for a life of honesty and
humility, of selfless services to out fellows and to 'God as we understand Him.'
'As we continue to make these choices and so move toward these high aspirations, our sanity returns and the
compulsion to drink vanishes.' LETTER, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Lord God, help me to remember that I may not only be forgiven for my transgression, but with thy help I may be led away from the wrong. May I be content to follow where thou dost lead. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 30

Number One Offender

Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than
anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been
not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the
spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 64

Thought to Ponder . . .
Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F E A R = Frustration, Ego, Anger, Resentment.

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

The Past
"Showing others who suffer how we were given help
is the very thing which makes
life seem so worthwhile to us now.
Cling to the thought that, in God's hands,
the dark past is the greatest possession you have--
the key to life and happiness for others.
With it you can avert death and misery for them."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 124

Thought to Consider . . .
Get it - Give it - Grow in it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
PACE
Positive Attitudes Change Everything

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

Privacy
From "From Loneliness to Solitude":
"As the sober weeks go by, we can enjoy and treasure the few moments of solitude we are able to find in the rush and
hurry of life today. When we cease to fear loneliness and begin to cherish and use our solitude to advantage, we have
come a long way. We realize a little solitude is necessary to think and to try to work some of the Steps. In solitude, we
take our inventories. In solitude, we admit to ourselves the exact nature of our wrongs. In solitude, our spirits seek that
Power greater than we are; in solitude, we seek through prayer and meditation to be aware of God's will for us."
Houston, Texas, USA
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 109

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

"It was at my home group that I learned to trust the experiences of the early groups with meetings. We have a Traditions
meeting once a month and when I was new and heard the Traditions read out loud, the experiences of the early AA
meetings gave me the first notion that real people -- drunks like me -- started this program."
New York, N.Y., February 1990
"Out of the Hat"
AA Grapevine

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

"Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental
defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither
he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

"For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing get well, little
charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men
who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the
wrong track."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97

Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word ”blame” from our speech and thought.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 47

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Review the Day
When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid? Do we owe
an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we
kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were
we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life?
We must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to
ourselves and to others. After making our review, we ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective measure
should be taken. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 86

Prayer For The Day: May I go forth filled with the joy and confidence of your Spirit; and may everything I do this day, in word or deed, be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

March 31

Vital Sixth Sense

Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration,
and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have
carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His
Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We
have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further
and that means more action.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 85

Thought to Ponder . . .
Faith is mighty. Action with faith is mightier.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A C T I O N = Any Change To Improve Our Nature.

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

Give Thanks
"Though I still find it difficult
to accept today's pain and anxiety
with any degree of serenity-
as those more advanced in the spiritual life
seem able to do-
I can give thanks for present pain nevertheless.
I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism,
the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride,
have often led me to God's grace,
and so to a new freedom."
Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, March 1962
As Bill Sees It, p. 266

Thought to Consider . . .
Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
HOPE
Hearing Other Peoples' Experience

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

Enlightenment
From "Bill's Story":
"These were revolutionary and drastic proposals, but the moment I fully accepted them, the effect was electric. There
was a sense of victory, followed by such a peace and serenity as I had never known.
"For a moment I was alarmed, and called my friend, the doctor, to ask if I were still sane. He listened in wonder as I talked.
"Finally he shook his head saying, "Something has happened to you I don't understand. But you had better hang on to it.
Anything is better than the way you were." The good doctor now sees many men who have such experiences. He
knows that they are real."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 14

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

"If I am in pain, it may be beneficial to me if I am aware of those in even more pain ... The answer for my pain is in the Twelfth Step."
New York, N.Y., October 2006
"Gruff Love"
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~

"For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing get well, little
charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men
who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the wrong track."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97

We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 21

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

To Watch Loneliness Vanish
Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people began to
cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling that we didn't quite belong. ? Either we were shy, and dared not draw near
others, or we were noisy good fellows constantly craving attention and companionship, but rarely getting it. There was
always that mysterious barrier we could neither surmount nor understand.
That's one reason we loved alcohol too well. But even Bacchus betrayed us; we were finally struck down and left in
terrified isolation.
Life takes on new meaning in A.A. 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 not to be missed.
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 57
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 89

Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, I praise You for Your abundant love and mercy toward us. Thank you for being patient with me as I am learning not to say things that would hurt You or others. I do ask that You help me to guard my lips from saying unkind things. Lord, even as David prayed these words, I ask that they be my prayer also. "Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Help us all, as Your children, to say edifying things about one another. Thank you for the abundant life that is ours as we hear, speak, and obey the Words of God. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.