AA Thoughts For Today - September

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 1

Self-searching
The wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit,
until he is able to admit and accept what he finds,
and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 216

Thought to Ponder . . .
There is only one corner of the universe I can be certain of improving, and that's my own self.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
N O W = No Other Way.

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

Growing Up
"As we grow spiritually,
we find that our old attitudes toward our instincts
need to undergo drastic revisions.
Our desires for emotional security and wealth,
for personal prestige and power,
for romance, and for family satisfactions -
all these have to be tempered and redirected.
We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts
cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives.
If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse;
we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment.
But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first -
then and only then do we have a real chance."
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 114,
Copyright 1952 A.A.W.S. Inc.

Thought to Consider . . .
The program has helped me grow up enough
to be a kid again.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E =
Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day.

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

Not Theorizing
From: "How It Works"
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 on 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. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 70

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

"Spirituality makes it possible for me to work for others and to try and help them. It can give me the courage to take good care of myself -- to go to meetings even when I don't think I need a meeting, to speak up when my alcoholism wants to keep my pain to myself, to talk at a gut-honest level to my sponsor and to the people in my group about painful matters I would rather keep hidden."
West Henrietta, New York, September 1990
"The Power to Carry That Out,"
Spiritual Awakenings

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

"...with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a
spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely
grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings
we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity
of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~

"Putting out of our minds the wrongs others had done, we resolutely
looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest,
self-seeking and frightened? Though a situation had not been entirely
our fault, we tried to disregard the other person involved entirely.
Where were we to blame? The inventory was ours, not the other man's.
When we saw our faults we listed them. We placed them before us in
black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and were willing to
set these matters straight."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 67~

"We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 75

"We A.A.'s cannot pretend to offer full answers to age-old perplexities, but our own experience does provide certain answers that work for us."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 117

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Toward Maturity
Many oldsters who have put our A.A. 'booze cure' to severe but successful tests still find they often lack emotional sobriety. To attain this, we must develop real maturity and balance (which is to say, humility) in our relations with ourselves, with our fellows, and with God.
Let A.A. never be a closed corporation; let us never deny our experience, for whatever it may be worth, to the world around us. Let our individual members heed the call to every field of human endeavor. Let them carry the experience and spirit of A.A. into all these affairs, for whatever good they may accomplish. For not only has God saved us from alcoholism; the world has received us back into its citizenship.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, I turn my life and will over to You today. I will walk humbly with You and my fellow travelers. You are giving me a grateful heart for my many blessings. You are directing my thinking and separating me from self-pity, dishonesty, and self-seeking motives. You are removing my resentments, fears, and other character defects that stand in my way. You are giving me freedom from self-will. Your will, Lord, not mine. You will show me today what I can do to help someone who is still hurting. As I go out today to do Your bidding, You are helping me to become a better person.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 2

Spirituality
We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator.
We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness.
Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. . .
We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 68

Thought to Ponder . . .
Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.

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

Grudges
"We had to see that every time we played the big shot,
we turned people against us.
We had to see that when we harbored grudges
and planned revenge for such defeats,
we were really hitting ourselves with the club of anger
we had intended to use on others.
We learned that if we were seriously disturbed,
our first need was to quiet that disturbance,
regardless of who or what we thought caused it.."

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 47
Copyright 1952 A.A.W.S. Inc.

Thought to Consider . . .
Anger is the hot wind that extinguishes the light of reason.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A N G E R = Any No Good Energy Rising.

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

The Right to be Wrong Tradition Four:
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
This meant, of course, that we had been given the courage to declare each A.A. group an individual entity, strictly reliant on its own conscience as a guide to action. In charting this enormous expanse of freedom, we found it necessary to post only two storm signals: A group ought not do anything which would greatly injure A.A. as a whole, nor ought it affiliate itself with anything or anybody else. There would be real danger should we commence to call some groups "wet," others "dry," still others "Republican" or "Communist," and yet others "Catholic" or "Protestant." The A.A. group would have to stick to its course or be hopelessly lost. Sobriety had to be its sole objective. In all other respects there was perfect freedom of will and action. Every group had the right to be wrong.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 147

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

"In the first six months of my own sobriety, I worked hard with many alcoholics. Not a one responded. Yet this work kept me sober."
AA Cofounder Bill W., January 1958
"The Next Frontier: Emotional Sobriety"
Emotional Sobriety: The Next Frontier

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"In meditation, we ask God what we should do about each specific matter. The right answer will come, if we want it." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 69~

"I was to sit quietly when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my problems as He would have me."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 13

"And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 97

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Few indeed are those who, assailed by the tyrant alcohol, have ever won through in singlehanded combat. It is a statistical fact that alcoholics almost never recover on their personal resources alone.
'Way up toward Point Barrow in Alaska, a couple of prospectors got themselves a cabin and a case of Scotch. The weather turned bitter, fifty below, and they got so drunk they let the fire go out. Barely escaping death by freezing, one of them woke up in time to rekindle the fire. He was prowling around outside for fuel, and he looked into an empty oil drum filled with frozen water. Down in the ice cake he saw a reddish-yellow object. When thawed out, it was seen to be an A.A. book. One of the pair read the book and sobered up. Legend has it that he became the founder of one of our farthest north groups.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, give me tolerance toward those whose thoughts and ways, in the Program and life, conflict with mine. For though I would, I cannot always know what constitutes the Absolute Truth. The other person may be right, while I may be all wrong, yet unaware. Lord, make my motives right, for only this can ease my conscience when I sometimes err. Lord, give me tolerance, for who am I to stand in judgment on another person's mistakes? No one knows better than my inward self how many little blunders I have and can make. Life is full of stones that somehow trip us, and meaning not, we stumble now and then. Lord, give me tolerance, for only You are rightly fit to judge my fellow travelers.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 3

Control
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.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30

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

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

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

Dry
"Sometimes, we become depressed.
I ought to know;
I have been a champion dry-bender case myself.
While the surface causes were a part of the picture -
trigger-events that precipitated depression -
the underlying causes, I am satisfied, ran much deeper.
Intellectually, I could accept my situation.
Emotionally, I could not.
To those problems, there are certainly no pat answers.
But part of the answer lies in the constant effort
to practice all of AA's Twelve Steps."
Bill W., Letter, 1954
1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 30

Thought to Consider . . .
The Twelve Steps are but suggestions,
as is pulling the rip cord on a parachute.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D R Y = Doing Recovery Yourself

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

At Peace
From: "On the Move"
Like everyone else I have good days and bad days. Unlike my attitude while I was still drinking, however, I rarely dread
what is going to happen to me today. I have even had the chance to see my father come into A.A. We have been to
numerous A.A. conventions together and have shared more with each other in the past few years than we ever had
before. I think we are both at peace with our pasts and comfortable with the present.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 493

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

"AA's message promises healing and wholeness for any alcoholic who will pay the price. The price is simply to accept
the help that will save our lives."
Riverside, Illinois, August 1977
"Turning On the Power,"
Spiritual Awakenings

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

"Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider
another's conception of God. Our own conception, however inadequate,
was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with
Him. As soon as we admitted the possible existence of a Creative
Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of
things, we began to be possessed of a new sense of power and
direction, provided we took other simple steps."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~

Unless one's family expresses a desire to live upon spiritual
principles we think we ought not to urge them. We should not talk
incessantly to them about spiritual matters. They will change in
time. Our behavior will convince them more than our words. We must
remember that ten or twenty years of drunkenness would make a
skeptic out of anyone.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 83~

"This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 26

"Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 43

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

When men and women pour so much alcohol into themselves that they destroy their lives, they commit a most
unnatural act. Defying their instinctive desire for self-preservation, they seem bent upon self-destruction. They work
against their own deepest instinct. As they are progressively humbled by the terrific beating administered by alcohol,
the grace of God can enter them and expel their obsession. Here their powerful instinct to live can cooperate fully with
their Creator's desire to give them new life.
'The central characteristic of the spiritual experience is that it gives the recipient a new and better motivation out of all
proportion to any process of discipline, belief, or faith.
'These experiences cannot make us whole at once; they are a rebirth to a fresh and certain opportunity.

Prayer for the Day: A Beginner's Prayer - Lord, I want to love You, yet I am not sure. I want to trust You, yet I am afraid of being taken in. I know I need You, but I am ashamed of the need. I want to pray, but I am afraid of being a hypocrite. I need my independence, yet I fear to be alone. I want to belong, yet I must be myself. Take me, Lord, yet leave me alone. Lord, I believe; help me with my unbelief. O Lord, if You are there, You do understand, don’t You? Give me what I need, but leave me free to choose. Help me work it out my own way, but don’t let me go. Let me understand myself, but don’t let me despair. Come unto me, O Lord, I want You there. Lighten my darkness, but don’t dazzle me. Help me to see what I need to do, and give me strength to do it. O lord, I believe; help me with my unbelief.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 4

Amends
In making amends, we should be sensible, tactful, considerate, and humble without being servile or scraping.
As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 277

Thought to Ponder . . .
It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them.

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

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

Unity
"Moved by the spirit of anonymity,
we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction
as AA members both among fellow alcoholics
and before the general public.
As we lay aside these very human aspirations,
we believe that each of us takes part
in the weaving of a protective mantle
which covers our whole Society and under which
we may grow and work in unity.
We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity,
is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous
can ever have."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 187

Thought to Consider . . .
To help each other, is to help ourselves.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A's - R - U S = Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Unity Service

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

Conditional Recovery
From: "Steering clear of emotional entanglements"
Another caution: Tying our sobriety to someone we are emotionally involved with proves flatly disastrous. "I'll stay sober if so-and-so does this or that" puts an unhealthy condition on our recovery. We have to stay sober for ourselves, no matter what other people do or fail to do.
We should remember, too, that intense dislike also is an emotional entanglement, often a reversal of past love. We need to cool any overboard feeling, lest it flip us back into the drink.
1998, AAWS, Inc., Living Sober, pages 61-62

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

"AA is spiritual, is the eye of the hurricane, is my refuge and my comfort."
Oklahoma City, Okla., December 1992
"Eye of the Hurricane"
Spiritual Awakenings

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

"I knew from that moment that I had an alcoholic mind. I saw that will power and self-knowledge would not help in those strange mental blank spots. I had never been able to understand people who said that a problem had them hopelessly defeated. I knew then. It was a crushing blow."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 42~

“If you have a resentment that you want to be free of, if you will pray for the person or thing that you resent, you will be free. Ask for their health, their prosperity, their happiness and you will be free. Even when you don’t really want it for them and your prayers are only words and you don’t mean it, go ahead and do it anyway. Do it every day for two weeks and you will find you have come to mean it, and to want it for them and you will realize where you used to feel bitterness and resentment and hatred, you now feel compassionate, understanding and love” ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 552

"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."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 87

“”Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” “Shoemaker, stick to thy last!” …better do one thing supremely well than many badly. That is the central theme of this Tradition. Around it our Society gathers in unity. The very life of our Fellowship requires the preservation of this principle.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 150

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Since open-mindedness and experimentation are supposed to be the indispensable attributes of our 'scientific' civilization, it seems strange that so many scientists are reluctant to try out personally the hypothesis that God came first and man afterward. They prefer to believe that man is the chance product of evolution; that God, the Creator, does not exist.
'I can only report that I have experimented with both concepts and that, in my case, the God concept has proved to be a better basis for living than the man-centered one.
'Nevertheless, I would be the first to defend your right to think as you will. I simply ask this question: 'in your own life, have you ever really tried to think and act as though there might be a God? Have you experimented?'

Prayer for the Day: God, thank you for helping me be honest enough to see this truth about myself and now that you have shown me the truth about my fears, please remove these fears from me. Lord, please help me outgrow my fears and direct my attention to what you would have me be. Father, demonstrate through me and help me become that which you would have me be. Help me do thy will always, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 5

Acceptance
And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find
some person, place, thing, or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity
until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake.
Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.
I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world
as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417

Thought to Ponder . . .
My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

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

Sobriety
"God willing, we members of AA may never again
have to deal with drinking,
but we have to deal with sobriety every day.
How do we do it?
By learning - through practicing the Twelve Steps
and through sharing at meetings -
how to cope with the problems
that we looked to booze to solve,
back in our drinking days."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 560

Thought to Consider . . .
Sobriety is a choice and a treasure.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?

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

Well Worth the Effort
From: "Having Fun Yet?"
we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life. We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders.
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 132

When my own house is in order, I find the different parts of my life are more manageable. Stripped from the guilt and remorse that cloaked my drinking years, I am free to assume my proper role in the universe, but this condition requires maintenance. I should stop and ask myself, Am I having fun yet? If I find answering that question difficult or painful, perhaps I'm taking myself too seriously - and finding it difficult to admit that I've strayed from my practice of working the program to keep my house in order. I think the pain I experience is one way my Higher Power has to get my attention, coaxing me to take stock of my performance. The slight time and effort it takes to work the program - a spot-check inventory, for example, or the making of amends, whatever is appropriate - are well worth the effort.
1990, AAWS, Inc., Daily Reflections, page 31

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

"My Higher Power works incognito, defying definition and requiring faith."
State College, Penn., April 1994
"Working Incognito"
Spiritual Awakenings

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

"The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of
others. Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead.
Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have
kept the home in turmoil. We feel a man is unthinking when he says
that sobriety is enough"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 82~

Both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of
spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 100~

"So we think cheerfulness and laughter make for usefulness."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 132

"The joy of living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step, and action is its key word."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 106

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

It was evident that a solitary self-appraisal, and the admission of our defects based upon that alone, wouldn't be nearly enough. We'd have to have outside help if we were surely to know and admit the truth about ourselves - the help of God and of another human being.
Only by discussing ourselves, holding back nothing, only by being willing to take advice and accept direction could we set foot on the road to straight thinking, solid honesty, and genuine humility.
If we are fooling ourselves, a competent adviser can see this quickly. And, as he skillfully guides us away from our fantasies, we are surprised to find that we have few of the usual urges to defend ourselves against unpleasant truths. In no other way can fear, pride, and ignorance be so readily melted. After a time, we realize that we are standing firm on a brand-new foundation for integrity, and we gratefully credit our sponsors, whose advice pointed the way.

Prayer for the Day: God, Thank You for giving me the strength, faith and courage I need. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me to know you better, by showing me what has been blocking me from you. Father, please show me if I have omitted anything. Thy will, not mine, be done. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 6

Carrying the Message
For us, if we neglect those who are still sick, there is an unremitting danger to our own lives and sanity.
Under these compulsions of self-preservation, duty, and love
it is not strange that our Society has concluded that it has but one high mission --
to carry the AA message to those who don't know there's a way out.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 151

Thought to Ponder . . .
Service is gratitude in action.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience.

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

Belonging
"Today, I'm counting my blessings instead of my troubles.
When I walked into the friendly atmosphere of my first
AA meeting, I knew I was where I belonged.
Here were people who had thought and felt as I had.
Here was the understanding I'd been searching for
all my life."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 355

Thought to Consider . . .
I stood in the sunlight at last.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T H I N K = The Happiness I Never Knew

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

Nickname
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"We directed Mr. Blackwell [the printer] to do the job on the thickest paper in his shop. The original volume proved to be
so bulky that it became known as the 'Big Book.' Of course the idea was to convince the alcoholic purchaser that he
was indeed getting his money's worth!"
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 170

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

"I felt myself move with a new power, courage, and faith that, by the grace of God, I have acquired as a result of
working the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous."
Conn., June 2005
"Life and Taxes"
Spiritual Awakenings II

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~

Psychologists are inclined to agree with us. We have spent
thousands of dollars for examinations. We know but few instances
where we have given these doctors a fair break. We have seldom
told them the whole truth nor have we followed their advice. Unwilling
to be honest with these sympathetic men, we were honest with no one
else. Small wonder many in the medical profession have a low
opinion of alcoholics and their chance for recovery.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 73~

"When resentful thoughts come, try to pause and count your blessings."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 119

"This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him

who presides over us all."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 192

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

We see that the sun never sets upon A.A.'s Fellowship; that more than three hundred and fifty thousand of us have
now recovered from our malady; that we have everywhere begun to transcend the formidable barriers of race, creed,
and nationality. This assurance that so many of us have been able to meet our responsibilities for sobriety and for
growth and effectiveness in the troubled world where we live, will surely fill us with the deepest joy and satisfaction.
But, as a people who have nearly always learned the hard way, we shall certainly not congratulate ourselves. We shall
perceive these assets to be God's gifts, which have been in part matched by an increasing willingness on our part to
find and do His will for us.

Prayer for the Day: God, please show me how to find the way of Patience, Tolerance, Kindness and Love in my heart, my Mind and my Soul. Lord, show me how to demonstrate these principles to my family and all those about me. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 7

Infallible Heartbeat
We need each other's experience, strength, and hope, regardless of age or length of sobriety.
The saving grace of God doesn't come like a bolt out of the blue.
It comes through, in, and from other suffering, as well as rescued, souls like you and me.
I am happy to be part of a living and growing fellowship with an infallible heartbeat.
Divine power is the pulse of AA, and it doesn't change, no matter how errant and foolish we mortals be.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 94

Thought to Ponder . . .
The stillness of God speaks louder than a choir of voices.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.

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

Honesty
"I know the biggest word for me in AA is 'honesty.'
I don't believe this program would work for me
if I didn't get honest with myself about everything.
Honesty is the easiest word for me to understand
because it is the exact opposite
of what I've been doing all my life.
Therefore, it would be the hardest to work on.
But I will never be totally honest -
that would make me perfect,
and none of us can claim to be perfect.
Only God is."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 482

Thought to Consider . . .
Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day

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

Endless
>From "The Central Experience":
"I have become more and more aware of the infinite expansion of happiness which is accessible within. The Upanishad, part of the Hindu scriptures, concludes: 'From Joy all things are born; by Joy all things are sustained; to Joy all things return.' The more thoroughly I can surrender to this proposition, the more thoroughly I enjoy my life. Ultimately, my God as I understand Him is joy and the expansion of joy. - Toronto, Ontario"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 100

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

"It was long indeed before we knew that AA could surely cross all boundaries of distance, race, creed, or language ... We know now it is only a question of time when every alcoholic in the world will have as good a chance to stay alive and happy as we have had here in America."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., June 1955
"How AA's World Services Grew, Part II"
The Language of the Heart

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~

It works - it really does.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 88~

"If he is to find God, the desire must come from within."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 95

“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

Whenever I find myself under acute tensions, I lengthen my daily walks and slowly repeat our Serenity Prayer in rhythm to my steps and breathing.
If I feel that my pain has in part been occasioned by others, I try to repeat, 'God grant me the serenity to love their best, and never fear their worst.' This benign healing process of repetition, sometimes necessary to persist with for days, has seldom failed to restore me to at least a workable emotional balance and perspective.

Prayer for the Day: God, please help me Watch for Selfishness, Dishonesty, Resentment and Fear. When these crop up in me, help me to immediately ask you to remove them from me and help me discuss these feelings with someone. Father, help me to quickly make amends if I have harmed anyone and help me to resolutely turn my thoughts to someone I can Help. Help me to be Loving and Tolerant of everyone today. Amen

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 8

Change
The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better
and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.
~ As Bill Sees It p. 115

Thought to Ponder . . .
In order to change the way I feel, I need to change the way I act.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
F E E L = Feel, Experience, Express, Let go.

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

Solution
"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."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17

Thought to Consider . . .
The solution is simple.
The solution is spiritual.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

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

A Long Way
From: "Into Action"
If we have no such complication, there is plenty we should do at home. Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to do is to keep sober. Certainly he must keep sober, for there will be no home if he doesn't. But he is yet a long way from making good to the wife and parents whom for years he has so shockingly treated. Passing all understanding is the patience mothers and wives have had with alcoholics. Had this not been so, many of us would have no homes today, would perhaps be dead.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 82

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

"I am feeling much better now, and I thank God for AA and my good friends. I have learned how to accept their help."
Queens, N.Y., February 1971
"Carrying the Message"
Emotional Sobriety II

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

And We have ceased fighting anything or anyone - even alcohol. For by this time sanity has returned. We can now react sanely & normally,
- Big Book, p. 84 1967 by A.A. World Services, Inc.

...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~

"This painful past may be of infinite value to other families still struggling with their problem."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 124

"This the sponsor promptly proves by talking freely and easily, and without exhibitionism, about his own defects, past and present."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 46

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Don't be too discouraged about that slip. Practically always, we drunks learn the hard way.
'Your idea of moving on to somewhere else may be good, or it may not. Perhaps you have got into an emotional or economic jam that can't be well handled where you are. But maybe you are doing just what all of us have done, at one time or another: Maybe you are running away. Why don't you try to think that through again carefully?
'Are you really placing recovery first, or are you making it contingent upon other people, places, or circumstances? You may find it ever so much better to face the music right where you are now, and, with the help of the A.A. program, win through. Before you make a decision, weigh it in these terms.

Prayer for the Day: My Higher Power, My daily prayer is to best serve you, I pray I may continue to grow in understanding effectiveness; Help me to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear; Help me to be willing to have You remove them at once; I must be willing to discuss them with someone immediately; I will make amends quickly if I have harmed anyone; And then I will turn my thoughts toward helping someone else; Please help me to remember to practice love and tolerance of others. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 9

Listening
In shame and despair, I went to my first AA meeting. By some minor miracle, I was able to suspend opinion, analysis,
judgment. and criticism, and instead to listen and hear.
I heard someone say that AA works for those who put action into the program. . .
I heard that I should forget about yesterday and instead concentrating on today and staying away from the first drink -- now.
I tried it, and it worked.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 42

Thought to Ponder . . .
Learn to listen; listen to learn.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A R T = Always Remain Teachable.

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

Delusion
"We learned that we had to fully concede
to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics.
This is the first step in recovery.
The delusion that we were like other people,
or presently may be, has to be smashed."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17

Thought to Consider . . .
There is no such thing as being 'a little bit alcoholic.'

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D E N I A L = Don't Even Notice I Am Lying

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

Condemn
Tradition Three: The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Why did A.A. finally drop all its membership regulations? Why did we leave it to each newcomer to decide himself
whether he was an alcoholic and whether he should join us? Why did we dare say, contrary to the experience of
society and government everywhere, that we would neither punish nor deprive any A.A. of membership, believe
anything, or conform to anything?
The answer, now seen in Tradition Three, was simplicity itself. At last experience taught us that to take away any
alcoholic's full chance was sometimes to pronounce his death sentence, and often to condemn him to endless
misery. Who dared to be judge, jury, and executioner of his own sick brother?
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 141

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

"When I'm willing to pay the price for top-shelf sobriety, 'action' is still the magic word."
Craig, Colo., January 1997
"Paying the Price for Improvement"
Emotional Sobriety II

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

"Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them
help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up
about you, to have a host of friends, this is an experience you
must not miss."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 89~

Whether the family has spiritual convictions or not, they may do
well to examine the principles by which the alcoholic member is
trying to live. They can hardly fail to approve these simple
principles, though the head of the house still fails somewhat in
practicing them. Nothing will help the man who is off on a
spiritual tangent so much as the wife who adopts a sane spiritual program,
making a better practical use of it.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 130~

"Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 58

"And as we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 114

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were surrounded by people who loved us. But when our self-will
had driven everybody away and our isolation became complete, we commenced to play the big shot in cheap
barrooms. Failing even in this, we had to fare forth alone on the street to depend upon the charity of passers-by.
We were trying to find emotional security either by dominating or by being dependent upon others. Even when our
fortunes had not totally ebbed, we nevertheless found ourselves alone in the world. We still vainly tried to be secure by
some unhealthy sort of domination or dependence.
For those of us who were like that, A.A. has a very special meaning. In this Fellowship we begin to learn right relations
with people who understand us; we don't have to be alone any more.

Prayer for the Day: God, please forgive me for my failings today. I know that because of my failings, I was not able to be as effective as I could have been for you. Please forgive me and help me live thy will better today. I ask you now to show me how to correct the errors I have just outlined. Guide me and direct me. Please remove my arrogance and my fear. Show me how to make my relationships right and grant me the humility and strength to do thy will.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 10

Gratitude
Sometimes, I've lacked the discernment to be grateful, and I see this now. . .
Often in the past, my prayers for help have been answered in ways that I have not recognized as answers.
Indeed, I have cursed my fate instead of thanking God.
I have prayed and prayed, sometimes in desperation, but I haven't thanked Him as much as I've implored Him.
~ The AA Grapevine, September 1979

Thought to Ponder . . .
Gratitude has to be practiced.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer.

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

Surrender
"There are two things I've learned from this program.
First, to surrender completely.
I was fighting a losing battle with the bottle.
I gave up, and through defeat, I won.
Second, to change myself, because the world isn't
going to change to suit 'poor little old me.'
It's just this simple -- whatever it is in me
that led me down the alcoholic road to misery,
I no longer want any part of it."
c.1976, AA for the Woman (AA Pamphlet P-5), p. 17

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer

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

What I've Learned
From: "Building a New Life"
There have been some hard times too during these years of sobriety. When I was five years sober, the daughter who drove me to the treatment program and helped me get admitted disappeared. My AA friends helped me search for her, but she has never been found. Her mother and I raised her three daughters. I did not have to take a drink. I went to lots of meetings to relieve the pain. When I lost a second daughter to cancer a few years ago, I did the same thing.
What I've learned is that it doesn't matter what hardships and losses I've endured in sobriety, I have not had to go back to drinking. As long as I work the program, keep being of service, go to meetings, and keep my spiritual life together, I can live a decent life.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 485

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

"We who live in the haven of AA cling together with an intensity of purpose which the outside world seldom comprehends. The anarchy of the individual melts away. Self-love subsides and democracy becomes a reality. We begin to know true freedom of the spirit."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1946
"The Individual in Relation to AA as a Group"
The Language of the Heart

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

"To sum up about sex: We earnestly pray for the right ideal, for
guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity, and for the
strength to do the right thing. If sex is very troublesome, we throw
ourselves the harder into helping others. We think of their needs
and work for them. This takes us out of ourselves. It quiets the
imperious urge, when to yield would mean heartache."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~

Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs
to do is to keep sober. Certainly he must keep sober, for there will
be no home if he doesnt. But he is yet a long way from making good
to the wife or parents whom for years he has so shockingly treated.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 82~

"You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than yourself. To duplicate, with such backing, what we have accomplished is only a matter of willingness, patience and labor."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 163

“But it is from our twisted relations with family, friends, and society at large that many of us have suffered the most. We have been especially stupid and stubborn about them. The primary fact that we fail to recognize is our total inability to form a true partnership with another human being.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 53

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Wise men and women rightly give a top rating to the virtue of prudence. They know that without this all important attribute little wisdom is to be had.
'Mere 'looking before we leap' is not enough. If our looking is charged with fear, suspicion, or anger, we had better not have looked or acted at all.'
'We lose the fear of making decisions, great and small, as we realize that should our choice prove wrong we can, if we will, learn from the experience. Should our decision be the right one, we can thank God for giving us the courage and the grace that caused us so to act.

Prayer for the Day: "God please direct my thinking and keep my thoughts divorced from self – pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Please keep my thought life clear from wrong motives and help me employ my mental faculties, that my thought-life might be placed on a higher plane, the plane of inspiration."

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 11

Forgiveness
I must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a matter of form, but in my heart.
I do this not for the other persons' sake, but for my own sake.
Resentment, anger, or a desire to see someone punished, are things that rot my soul.
Such things fasten my troubles to me with chains.
~ Daily Reflections, p. 88

Thought to Ponder . . .
Forgiveness is the final form of love.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
T G I F = Thank God I'm Forgiven.

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

Diagnosis
"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 a 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 case of the jitters if you get a
full knowledge of your condition."
c. 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 31-2

Thought to Consider . . .
I have learned that I did not get here a day early
or a drink short.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone

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

Keep Things Simple
From: "Concept XII"
But when it comes to the actual spending of cash, particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have laid by for emergencies or for education of the kids. We find, too, that when we drop money in the meeting hat there is no such bang as when we talk for hours to a newcomer. There is not much romance in paying the landlord. Sometimes we hold off when we are asked to meet area or Intergroup service expenses. As to world services, we may remark, Well, those activities are a long way off, and our group does not really need them. Maybe nobody needs them. These are very natural and understandable reactions, easy to justify. We can say, "Let's not spoil A.A. with money and service organization. Let's separate the material from the spiritual. That will really keep things simple.
Bill W.
1962, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Concepts for World Service, page 65

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

"Alcoholics Anonymous has given me something of real value that I can share with others."
Tucson, Ariz., May 2004
"The Fugitives"
Spiritual Awakenings II

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

"Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a
seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn't we
laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~

Imagine life without faith! Were nothing left but pure reason, it wouldnt be life.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 54~

"Wait until repeated stumbling convinces him he must act, for the more you hurry him the longer his recovery may be delayed."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 113

"When the distortion has been great, however, a long period of patient striving may be necessary."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 118

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

How wonderful is the feeling that we do not have to be specially distinguished among our fellows in order to be useful and profoundly happy. Not many of us can be leaders of prominence, nor do we wish to be.
Service gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or solved with God's help, the knowledge that at home or in the world outside we are partners in a common effort, the fact that in God's sight all human beings are important, the proof that love freely given brings a full return, the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons, the surety that we can fit and belong in God's scheme of things - these are the satisfactions of right living for which no pomp and circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be substitutes.

Prayer for the Day: God, should I find myself agitated, doubtful or indecisive today, please give me inspiration, help me to have an intuitive thought or a decision about this problem I face. Help me not to struggle, instead, help me to relax and take it easy. Help me know what I should do and keep me mindful, that you are running the show. Free me from my bondage of self. Thy will be done always.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 12

Surrender
When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands
were better than anything we could have planned.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 100

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

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

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

Destiny
"Yes, we are again citizens of the world.
It is a distraught world, very tired, very uncertain.
It has worshipped its own self-sufficiency --
and that has failed.
We AA's are a people who once did that very thing.
That philosophy failed us too.
So perhaps, here and there, our example of recovery can help.
As individuals, we have a responsibility,
maybe a *double responsibility*.
It may be that we have a date with destiny."
Bill W., October 1944
1988AA Grapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 100

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Altruistic Action

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

Decisions
From: "Look Before You Leap"
Wise men and women rightly give a top rating to the virtue of prudence. They know that without this all important attribute little wisdom is to be had.
Mere looking before we leap is not enough. If our looking is charged with fear, suspicion, or anger, we had better not have looked or acted at all.
Letter, 1966

We lose the fear of making decisions, great and small, as we realize that should our choice prove wrong we can, if we will, learn from the experience. Should our decision be the right one, we can thank God for giving us the courage and the grace that caused us so to act.
Letter, 1966

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

"Ever so slowly, I could feel myself changing. Things that had seemed important were no longer important. There was inside me a warming, a softening, a stirring, as the petals of a rosebud stir almost imperceptibly into a blossom."
Neoga, Ill., February 1974
"There Can Be Love and Laughter"
Spiritual Awakenings II

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

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

We are careful never to show intolerance or hatred of drinking as
an institution. Experience shows that such an attitude is not
helpful to anyone. Every new alcoholic looks for this spirit
among us and is immensely relieved when he finds we are not
witch-burners. A spirit of intolerance might repel alcoholics whose lives could
have been saved, had it not been for such stupidity.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 103~

Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 76

To define the word "harm" in a practical way, we might call it the result of instincts in collision, which cause physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual damage to people.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 80

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

To reach more alcoholics, understanding of A.A. and public good will towards A.A. must go on growing everywhere. We need to be on still better terms with medicine, religion, employers, governments, courts, prisons, mental hospitals, and all enterprises in the alcoholism field. We need the increasing good will of editors, writers, television and radio channels. These publicity outlets need to be opened ever wider.
Nothing matters more to A.A.'s future welfare than the manner in which we use the colossus of modern communication. Used unselfishly and well, it can produce results surpassing our present imagination.
Should we handle this great instrument badly, we shall be shattered by the ego manifestations of our own people. Against this peril, A.A. members' anonymity before the general public is our shield and our buckler.

Prayer for the Day: God, please show me all through this day, what my next step is to be and please grace me with whatever I need to take care of the problems in my life today. I ask especially that you free me from the bondage of self-will.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 13

A New Perspective
As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question. . .
For us, the process of gaining a new perspective was unbelievably painful.
It was only by repeated humiliations that we were forced to learn something about humility.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 72

Thought to Ponder . . .
My perspective will change my perception.

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

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

Trouble
"There was a time when we ignored trouble,
hoping it would go away.
Or, in fear and in depression, we ran from it,
but found it was still with us.
Often, full of unreason, bitterness, and blame,
we fought back.
These mistaken attitudes, powered by alcohol,
guaranteed our destruction, unless they were altered.
Then came AA.
Here we learned that trouble was really a fact of life
for everybody --
a fact that had to be understood and dealt with.
Surprisingly, we found that our troubles could,
under God's grace, be converted into
unimagined blessings."
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 110

Thought to Consider . . .
Though adversity, we find strength.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Facing All In Trusting Him

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

Popular
>From "When A.A. Came of Age":
"At this point the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a series of pieces that ushered in a new period for Alcoholics Anonymous, the era of mass production of sobriety.
"Elrick B. Davis, a feature writer of deep understanding, was the author of a series of articles that were printed in the middle of the Plain Dealer's editorial page, and these were accompanied every two or three days by red-hot blasts from the editors themselves. In effect, the Plain Dealer was saying, "Alcoholics Anonymous is good, and it works. Come and get it."
"The newspaper's switchboard was deluged. Day and night, the calls were relayed to [early members] Clarence and Dorothy and from them to members of their little group."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 20

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

"I am learning how to cope with life, people, and situations, not as I want them to be, but as they really are."
Millburn, N.J., July 1971
"Reality Can Be Uncomfortable"
Emotional Sobriety II

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

"If there be divorce or separation, there should be no undue haste
for the couple to get together. The man should be sure of his
recovery. The wife should fully understand his new way of life. If
their old relationship is to be resumed it must be on a better basis,
since the former did not work. This means a new attitude and spirit
all around. Sometimes it is to the best interests of all concerned
that a couple remain apart. Obviously, no rule can be laid down.
Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day. When the time for
living together has come, it will be apparent to both parties."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, Page 99~~

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? But we must be careful not to drift
into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish
our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask Gods
forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~

Love and tolerance of others is our code.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 84

Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 93

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

I was the recipient of a tremendous mystic experience or 'illumination,' and at first it was very natural for me to feel that this experience staked me out as somebody very special.
But as I now look back upon this tremendous event, I can only feel very grateful. It now seems clear that the only special features of my experience were its suddenness and the overwhelming and immediate conviction that it carried.
In all other respects, however, I am sure that my own experience was essentially like that received by any A.A. member who has strenuously practiced our recovery program. Surely, the grace he receives is also of God; the only difference is that he becomes aware of his gift more gradually.

Prayer for the Day: God, help me to constructively review my day. Where was I resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do I owe an apology? Have I kept something to myself which should be discussed with another person at once? Was I kind and loving toward all? What could I have done better? Was I thinking of myself most of the time? Or was I thinking of what I could do for others, of what I could pack into the stream of life? Please forgive me for my harms and wrongs today and let me know corrective measures I should be take.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 14

Willingness
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 define or comprehend that Power, which is God.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46

Thought to Ponder . . .
Minds are like parachutes ... they won't work unless they're open.

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

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

Comfort
"When I am feeling depressed,
I repeat to myself statements such as these:
'Pain is the touchstone of progress.' . . . 'Fear no evil.' . . .
'This, too, will pass.' . . .
'This experience can be turned to benefit.'
These fragments of prayer bring far more than comfort.
They keep me on the track of right acceptance;
they break up my compulsive themes of guilt,
depression, rebellion, and pride;
and sometimes they endow me with the courage
to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference."
Bill W., AAGrapevine, March 1962
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 110

Thought to Consider . . .
God enters us through our wounds.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience.

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

Upkeep
>From "Having Fun Yet":
"When my own house is in order, I find the different parts of my life are more manageable. Stripped from the guilt and remorse that cloaked my drinking years, I am free to assume my proper role in the universe, but this condition requires maintenance. I should stop and ask myself, Am I having fun yet? If I find answering that question difficult or painful, perhaps I'm taking myself too seriously and finding it difficult to admit that I've strayed from my practice of working the program to keep my house in order."
1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 31

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

"The way our 'worthy' alcoholics have sometimes tried to judge the 'less worthy' is, as we look back on it, rather comical. Imagine, if you can, one alcoholic judging another!"
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 ^*~*~*~*~*

"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~

If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were
sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have
recovered long ago. But we found that such codes and philosophies did not
save us, no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we
could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will
these things with all our might, but the needed power wasnt there. Our
human resources, as marshalled by the will, were not sufficient,
they failed utterly.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~

I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 76

Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws is the essence of character-building and good living.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 95

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The unique ability of each A.A. to identify himself with, and bring recovery to, the newcomer in no way depends upon his learning, his eloquence, or any special individual skills. The only thing that matters is that he is an alcoholic who has found a key to sobriety.
In my first conversation with Dr. Bob, I bore down heavily on the medical hopelessness of his case, freely using Dr. Silkworth's words describing the alcoholic's dilemma, the 'obsession plus allergy' theme. Though Bob was a doctor, this was news to him, bad news. And the fact that I was an alcoholic and knew what I was talking about from personal experience made the blow a shattering one.
You see, our talk was a completely mutual thing. I had quit preaching. I knew that I needed this alcoholic as much as he needed me.

Prayer for the Day: Dear God, Having had a spiritual experience, I must now remember that "faith without works is dead." And PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. So, God, please help me to carry this message to other alcoholics! Provide me with the guidance and wisdom to talk with another alcoholic because I can help when no one else can. Help me secure his confidence and remember he is ill.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 15

Fellowship
To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish,
to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends --
this is an experience you must not miss.
We know you will not want to miss it.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89

Thought to Ponder . . .
Life will take on new meaning.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.

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

Fear
"We of AA now find ourselves in a world characterized
by destructive fears as never before in history.
But in it we nevertheless see great areas of faith
and tremendous aspirations toward justice and brotherhood.
Yet no prophet can presume to say whether the world outcome
will be blazing destruction or the beginning,
under God's intention,
of the brightest era yet known to mankind. . .
We AA's can say that we do not fear the world outcome,
whichever course it may take.
This is because we have been enabled to deeply
feel and say,
'We shall fear no evil - Thy will, not ours, be done.' "
Bill W., January 1962
c. 1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 268

Thought to Consider . . .
Let us always love the best in others -
and never fear their worst

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Fear Ain't In This House

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

Bright Spot
From: "Working With Others"
Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. This is our twelfth suggestion: Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Remember they are very ill.
Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends - this is an experience you must not miss. We know you will not want to miss it. Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 89

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

"The next time you feel hurt, outraged, bitter or resentful - the beginning of many a slip as attested to by AA speakers - try to remember quickly that you haven't been mortally harmed. In nearly all cases, it's just a pain in your feelings!"
Elmhurst, N.Y., March 1950
"Got a Pain in Your Feelings?"
Emotional Sobriety II

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

"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~

Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery. A kindly
act once in a while isnt enough. You have to act the Good
Samaritan
every day, if need be.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97~

Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 65

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

Some will object to many of the questions that should be answered in a moral inventory, because they think their own character defects have not been so glaring. To these, it can be suggested that a conscientious examination is likely to reveal the very defects the objectionable questions are concerned with.
Because our surface record hasn't looked too bad, we have frequently been abashed to find that this is so simply because we have buried these selfsame defects deep down in us under thick layers of self-justification. Those were the defects that finally ambushed us into alcoholism and misery.

Prayer for the Day: God, Help Me Live Today - God, more than anything else in the world, I just don't want to be sick anymore. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (people, places, and things), The courage to change the things I can (my attitudes), And the common sense to know the difference. God, help me please, stay clean and sober this day, even if it's in spite of myself. Help me Lord, stay sensitive to my own needs, and the things that are good for me, the needs of others and the things that are good for them. And if You please, Lord, free me enough of the bondage of self that I may be of some useful value as a human being, whether I understand or not, That I may carry my own keys, maintain my own integrity, and live this day at peace with You, at peace with myself, and at peace with the world I live in, just for today. God help me in this day, demonstrate that: It is good for me to love and be loved. It is good for me to understand and to be understood. It is good for me to give and to receive. It is good for me to comfort and to allow myself to be comforted. And it obviously far better for me to be useful as a human being, than it is for me to be selfish. God, help me please put one foot in front of the other, keep moving forward and do the best I can with what I have to work with today, Accepting the results of whatever that may or may not be.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 16

Rationalization
Maybe I can postpone dealing with some of my problems indefinitely. Of course, this will not do.
Such a bluffing of oneself will have to go the way of many another pleasant rationalization.
At the very least, we shall have to come to grips with some of our worst character defects
and take action toward their removal as quickly as we can.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 69

Thought to Ponder . . .
Procrastination is really sloth in five syllables.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Action, Belief, Continue.

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

Miracles
"How can they rise out of such misery, bad repute
and hopelessness?
The practical answer is that since these things
have happened among us,
they can happen with you.
Should you wish them above all else,
and be willing to make use of our experience,
we are sure they will come.
The age of miracles is still with us.
Our own recovery proves that!"
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 153

Thought to Consider . . .
Don't give up before the miracle happens.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together

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

Sole Authority
Tradition Two: For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.
Where does AA get its direction? Who runs it? This, too, is a puzzler for every friend and newcomer. When told that our Society has no president having authority to govern it, no treasurer who can compel the payment of any dues, no board of directors who can cast an erring member into outer darkness, when indeed no AA can give another a directive and enforce obedience, our friends gasp and exclaim, "This simply can't be. There must be an angle somewhere." These practical folk then read Tradition Two, and learn that the sole authority in AA is a loving God as He may express Himself in the group conscience. They dubiously ask an experienced AA member if this really works. The member, sane to all appearances, immediately answers, "Yes! It definitely does." The friends mutter that his looks vague, nebulous, pretty naive to them. Then they commence to watch us with speculative eyes, pick up a fragment of AA history, and soon have the solid facts
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 132

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

"Am I strong enough? Am I willing to commit my life and my heart at an even deeper level to doing whatever it takes to keep moving forward?"
North Hollywood, Calif., September 2005
"Where's My Reward?"
Spiritual Awakenings II

*~*~*~*~*^ 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

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and
ask for the right thought or action.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~

We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 88

It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 192

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

In A.A., we found that it did not matter too much what our material condition was, but it mattered greatly what our spiritual condition was. As we improved our spiritual outlook, money gradually became our servant and not our master. It became a means of exchanging love and service with those about us.
One of A.A.'s Loners is an Australian sheepman who lives two thousand miles from the nearest town, where yearly he sells his wool. In order to be paid the best prices he has to get to town during a certain month. But when he heard that a big regional A.A. meeting was to be held at a later date when wool prices would have fallen, he gladly took a heavy financial loss in order to make his journey then. That's how much an A.A. meeting means to him.

Prayer for the Day: God of My Understanding - This is the dawn of a new day in the Program. I shall thank you, my Higher Power, for last night's rest, a blessed gift from you. Yesterday is gone, except for what I have learned from it, good or bad. Today, I have the same choice, a divine privilege which swells in my heart with hope and purpose. This is my day, the purity of a new beginning. I will receive from this day exactly what I give to it. As I do good things, good will be done to me. It is my gift to mold into something everlasting and do those things which will affect the people around me in an ever-widening circle. The worthiness of this effort rest entirely with me. This is my day for love, because I know that as I love, I will be loved. Hate and jealously cannot exist in the presence of love. I will be sustained by this miracle of your creation and this day will be lightened by my love for others and especially love for my fellow travelers in the journey of recovery. Today I will do my best without thought of failures of the past or anxieties for the future. When this day is ended, I will have no regrets nor remorse. Upon ending my day I shall thank you, my Higher Power, for this wonderful day.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 17

Awakening
Very few of us experience a sudden, startling spiritual experience of any kind. Usually, the change is gradual.
Yet it is no less a spiritual awakening.
Whether we awaken with a bound or after much stretching, we awaken.
When there is a spiritual awakening, self-centeredness, fear, and frustration
are supplanted by helpful friendliness, happiness (perhaps even a touch of serenity), and fulfillment.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 178

Thought to Ponder . . .
A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.

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

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

Restraint
"Our first objective will be the development of self-restraint.
This carries a top priority rating.
When we speak or act hastily or rashly,
the ability to be fair-minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot.
One unkind tirade or one willful snap judgment
can ruin or relation with another person for a whole day,
or maybe a whole year.
Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 91

Thought to Consider . . .
The tongue must be heavy indeed,
because so few people can hold it.

*~*~*AARONYMS*~*~*
H A L T = Honestly, Actively, Lovingly, Tolerant

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

Found the Door
From: "Twice-Gifted"
My physical being has certainly undergone a transformation, but the major transformation has been spiritual. The hopelessness has been replaced by abundant hope and sincere faith. The people of Alcoholics Anonymous have provided a haven where, if I remain aware and keep my mind quiet long enough, my Higher Power leads me to amazing realizations. I find joy in my daily life, in being of service, in simply being. I have found rooms full of wonderful people, and for me each and every one of the Big Book's promises have come true. The things that I have learned from my own experience, from the Big Book, and from my friends in AA - patience, acceptance, honesty, humility, and true faith in a Power greater than myself - are the tools I use today to live my life, this precious life.
Today my life is filled with miracles big and small, not one of which would ever have come to pass had I not found the door of Alcoholics Anonymous.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 475

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

"Though all alone out there, an AA from the Marshall Islands still claimed his group had three members, to wit: 'God, the book Alcoholics Anonymous, and me.'"
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., September 1950
"We Came of Age"
The Language of the Heart

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~

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, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 102~

Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the process requires for its successful consummation.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 25

Calm, thoughtful reflection upon personal relations can deepen our insight.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 80

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

It is being constantly revealed, as mankind studies the material world, that its outward appearance is not inward reality at all. The prosaic steel girder is a mass of electrons whirling around each other at incredible speed, and these tiny bodies are governed by precise laws. Science tells us so. We have no reason to doubt it.
When, however, the perfectly logical assumption is suggested that, infinitely beyond the material world as we see it, there is an all powerful, guiding, creative Intelligence, our perverse streak comes to the surface and we set out to convince ourselves that this isn't so. Were our contention true, it would follow that life originated out of nothing, means nothing, and proceeds nowhere.

Prayer for the Day: The Acceptance Prayer - God grant me the serenity to accept my addiction gracefully and humbly. Grant me also the ability to absorb the teachings of the Program which by it's past experience is trying to help me. Teach me to be grateful for the help I receive. Guide me, Higher Power, in the path of tolerance and understanding of my fellow members and fellow man, guide me away from the path of criticism, intolerance, jealousy and envy of my friends. Let me not prejudge, let me not become a moralist, keep my tongue and thoughts from malicious idle gossip. Help me to grow in stature spiritually, mentally, and morally. Grant me that greatest of all rewards, that of being able to help my fellow sufferers in their search out of the addiction that has encompassed them. Above all, help me to be less critical and impatient with myself.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 18

Right Action
One of the most important things AA has given me, in addition to freedom from booze, is the ability to take "right action."
It says the promises will always materialize if I work for them.
Fantasizing about them, debating them, preaching about them, and faking them just won't work.
I'll remain a miserable, rationalizing dry drunk.
By taking action and working the Twelve Steps in all my affairs, I'll have a life beyond my wildest dreams
- Daily Reflections, p. 54

Thought to Ponder . . .
Right action promotes right thinking quicker than right thinking promotes right action.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Action, Belief, Continue.

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

Fellowship
"Today, I'm counting my blessings instead of my troubles.
When I walked into the friendly atmosphere
of my first AA meeting, I knew I was where I belonged.
Here were people who had thought and felt as I had.
Here was the understanding I'd been searching for all my life.
These people were my friends,
and I felt their sincere interest in me.
With these new and enlightening doors opening up to me,
I was able to make the eventual decision to stop drinking,
a day at a time -- because I, too, was an alcoholic.
And with this came the only real freedom,
the freedom of truth."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 355

Thought to Consider . . .
If you love someone, tell them now.
Eternity is time enough for silence.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other

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

Camel Metaphor
From: "As Dr. Bob said"
According to Ed, Dr. Bob would explain prayer by telling how the camels in a caravan would kneel down in the evening, and the men would unload their burdens. In the morning, they would kneel down again, and the men would put the burdens back on. It's the same with prayer, Dr. Bob said. We get on our knees to unload at night. And in the morning when we get on our knees again, God gives us just the load we are able to carry for that day.
1980, AAWS, Inc., DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, page 229

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

"The inner energy that is love connects all the parts of us - our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual selves."
Calif., March 1984
"Powerful Simplicity"
Emotional Sobriety II

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

"Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them
help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up
about you, to have a host of friends‚ this is an experience you
must not miss."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 89~

...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~

We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 87

Having opened our channel as best we can, we try to ask for those right things of which we and others are in the greatest need.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 102

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

My self-analysis has frequently been faulty. Sometimes I've failed to share my defects with the right people; at other times, I've confessed their defects, rather than my own; and at still other times, my confession of defects has been more in the nature of loud complaints about my circumstances and my problems.
When A.A. suggests a fearless moral inventory, it must seem to every newcomer that more is being asked of him than he can do. Every time he tries to look within himself, Pride says, 'You need not pass this way,' and Fear says, 'You dare not look!'
But pride and fear of this sort turn out to be bogymen, nothing else. Once we have a complete willingness to take inventory, and exert ourselves to do the job thoroughly, a wonderful light falls upon this foggy scene. As we persist, a brand-new kind of confidence is born, and the sense of relief at finally facing ourselves is indescribable.

Prayer for the Day: The Twelve Steps Prayer - Power, greater than myself, as I understand You, I willingly admit that without Your help I am powerless over my addiction and my life has become unmanageable. I believe You can restore me to sanity. I turn my life and my will over to You. I have made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself and I admit to You, to myself, and to another the exact nature of my wrongs. I am entirely ready to have You remove these defects of character. I humbly ask You to remove my shortcomings. I have made direct amends to all persons I have harmed, except when to do so would injure them or others. I will continue to take personal inventory and when I am wrong I will promptly admit it. I seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with You and pray only for knowledge of Your will for me and the power to carry it out. Grant me the grace to carry the message of Your help unto others and to practice the principles of the Twelve Steps in all my affairs.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 19

Making Amends
Above all, we should try to be absolutely sure that we are not delaying because we are afraid.
For the readiness to take the full consequences of our past acts,
and to take responsibility for the well-being of others at the same time,
is the very spirit of Step Nine.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 87

Thought to Ponder . . .
Don't mess up an amend with an excuse.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honest, Open-minded, Willing.

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

Working With Others
"Life will take on new meaning.
To watch people recover, to see them help others,
to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship
grow up about you, to have a host of friends -
this is an experience you must not miss.
We know you will not want to miss it."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89

Thought to Consider . . .
Sobriety is a choice and a treasure.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together

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

Re-examination
From: "Educated Agnostic"
That was with me the beginning of a new life. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for me to put into words the change that has taken place in me. I have since learned that with many members the change has been almost instantaneous. This was not the case with me. I was tremendously inspired at first, but my basic thinking was not altered that evening nor did I expect any profound change. I felt that while the spiritual aspect of what these men had was not for me, I did believe strongly in the emphasis they put on the need to help others. I felt that if I could have the inspiration of these gatherings and if I could have an opportunity to try to help others that the two together would reinforce my own will power and thus be of tremendous assistance. But gradually, in a manner I cannot explain, I began to re-examine the beliefs I had thought beyond criticism. Almost imperceptibly my whole attitude toward life underwent a silent revolution. I lost many worries and gained confidence. I found myself saying and thinking things that a short time ago I would have condemned as platitudes! A belief in the basic spirituality of life has grown and with it belief in a supreme and guiding power for good.
2003, AAWS, Inc., Experience, Strength & Hope - Stories from the first three editions of Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 106-107

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

"One day, after sitting alone, soaked in tears and feeling empty, worthless, and crippled in the smallest task, I reached out and gave my phone number to someone else – they were hurting, too. In that simplest of acts, my world changed."
Salt Lake City, Utah, July 2007
"Life, Not Regrets"
Spiritual Awakenings II

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

"Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family
back. This just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come
back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his
recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his
relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have
not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came
back too soon."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 99~

When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us
when
we put ourselves in Gods hands were better than anything we could
have planned.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others pg. 100~

We grow by our willingness to face and rectify errors and convert them into assets.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 124

Everywhere we saw failure and misery transformed by humility into priceless assets.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 75

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Let us emphasize that our reluctance to fight one another, or anybody else, is not counted as some special virtue which entitles us A.A.'s to feel superior to other people. Nor does this reluctance mean that the members of A.A. are going to back away from their individual responsibilities as citizens. Here they should feel free to act as they see the right upon the public issues of our times.
But when it comes to A.A. as a whole, that's quite a different matter. As a group we do not enter into public controversy, because we are sure that our Society will perish if we do.

Prayer for the Day: The Victims of Addiction - O blessed Lord, you ministered to all who came to you: Look with compassion upon all who through addiction have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears that beset them; strengthen them in the work of their recovery; and to those who care for them, give patient understanding and persevering love.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 20

Dependence
Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job -- wife or no wife --
we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people
ahead of dependence on God.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 98

Thought to Ponder . . .
I cannot mend if I bend the truth.

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

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

Balance
"Most of us must admit that we have loved but a few;
that we have been indifferent to the many
so long as none of them gave us trouble;
and as for the remainder -- well, we have really
disliked or hated them.
Although these attitudes are common enough,
we AA's find we need something much better
in order to keep our balance.
We can't stand it if we hate deeply.
The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few,
and can continue to fear or hate anybody,
has to be abandoned, if only a little at a time."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 92-3

Thought to Consider . . .
Bigotry disfigures the heart.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Facing All In Trusting Him

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

Publicity
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In September, 1939, the Liberty [magazine] piece hit the newsstands. It was a bit lurid, and we thought the title, 'Alcoholics and God,' would scare off plenty of prospects. Maybe it did, but several hundred alcoholics and their families were not scared. Liberty magazine received 800 urgent pleas for help, which were promptly turned over to [office manager] Ruth and me . She wrote fine personal letters to every one of them, enclosing a leaflet which described the A.A. book. The response was wonderful [sic] Several hundred books sold at once at full retail price of $3.50. Even more importantly, we struck up a correspondence with alcoholics, their friends, and their families all over the country. Ruth could at last draw a few dollars a week for herself. And all those moving appeals for assistance had made us forget our own troubles. Looking after all those new people by mail and relating [sic] them in some cases to each other and in others to the groups in Akron, New York, and Cleveland became our chief occupation until early 1940. Shortly after the Liberty article came out, Cleveland's Plain Dealer ran its great series of pieces, as already described. This brought in new book orders and new problems by scores. Alcoholics Anonymous was on the march, out of its infancy into adolescence."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 178

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

"There has to be something to be grateful for if I am only willing to change my attitude and look for it."
Mesa, Ariz., March 2010
"Not On Fire"
Emotional Sobriety II

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~~

In some circumstances we have gone out deliberately to get drunk,
feeling ourselves justified by nervousness, anger, worry,
depression, jealousy or the like. But even in this type of
beginning we are obliged to admit that our justification for a spree was
insanely insufficient in the light of what always happened. We
now see that when we began to drink deliberately, instead or
casually, there was little serious or effective thought during the period
of premeditation of what the terrific consequences might be.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 37~

But he had found God -- and in finding God had found himself.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 158

They have found wisdom beyond their usual capability.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 104

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The achievement of freedom from fear is a lifetime undertaking, one that can never be wholly completed.
When under heavy attack, acute illness, or in other conditions of serious insecurity, we shall all react to this emotion - well or badly, as the case may be. Only the self-deceived will claim perfect freedom from fear.
We finally saw that faith in some kind of God was a part of our make-up. Sometimes we had to search persistently, but He was there. He was as much a fact as we were. We found the Great Reality deep down within us.

Prayer for the Day: God's Answer - I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for help that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. No, dear Lord, I've gotten nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Despite myself, my prayers were answered. And I am the most richly blessed.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 21

Warning Bells
We have learned now not to panic when the thought of a drink comes to mind. . .
But the thought of a drink is not necessarily the same thing as the desire for one,
and neither need plunge us into gloom or fear.
Both can be viewed simply as warning bells to remind us of the perils of alcoholism.
The perils are forever, even when we feel so fine that we wonder whether it's really all right
for anyone to feel as good as we do, now.
- Living Sober, pp. 43-44

Thought to Ponder . . .
Just for today, I choose not to drink.

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

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

Promises
"We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone,
we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things
and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle
situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us
what we could not do for ourselves."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp 83-84

Thought to Consider . . .
The Promises are a result; not a right.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message.

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

Basis
>From "A.A. Is a Philosophy":
"A religion, properly, is of divine origin; governs the person in his relationship with his Higher Power; and promises its rewards and punishments after death. A philosophy is of human origin; governs the person in his relationship with his fellowman; and promises its rewards and punishments during life. A.A., I submit, is a philosophy. If we alcoholics follow the philosophy of A.A., we can regain an understanding of our several religions. Maryland, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 5

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

"Most of us do follow, in our personal lives, the Twelve suggested Steps to recovery ... We do this from choice. We prefer recovery to death. Then, little by little, we ... conform because we want to."
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 ^*~*~*~*~*

"The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy,
envy, frustration, and fear."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Employers, pg. 145~

Do not be discouraged if your prospect does not respond at once.
Search out another alcoholic and try again. You are sure to find
someone desperate enough to accept with eagerness what you offer.
We find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will
not work with you. If you leave such a person alone, he may soon
become convinced that he cannot recover by himself. To spend too much
time on any one situation is to deny some other alcoholic an
opportunity to live and be happy.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 96~

Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn't fully solve the fear problem, or any other.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 68

Pride says, "You need not pass this way," and Fear says, "You dare not look!
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 49

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Sometimes, when friends tell us how well we are doing, we know better inside. We know we aren't doing well enough. We still can't handle life, as life is. There must be a serious flaw somewhere in our spiritual practice and development.
What, then, is it?
The chances are better than even that we shall locate our trouble in our misunderstanding or neglect of A.A.'s Step Eleven - prayer, meditation, and the guidance of God.
The other Steps can keep most of us sober and somehow functioning. But Step Eleven can keep us growing, if we try hard and work at it continually.

Prayer for the Day: Fellow Travelers - Higher Power, Who fills our whole life, and Whose presence we find wherever we go, preserve us who travel the road of recovery, surround us with Your loving care, protect us from every danger, and bring us safely to our journey's end.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 22

A New Family
In the first few months, I didn't say much, but I listened. I listened to my sponsors,
to some guests from abroad who were old-timers, and to newcomers.
I learned mostly from the newcomers, with whom I could easily identify. It wasn't easy. I was in my late forties.
I had to reconstruct a life out of the ruins. It took time and it was extremely difficult and complicated.
It is a road that nobody can travel alone.
Finally I built up a new family and made up with what was left of the old one.
- AA Around the World, pp. 32-33

Thought to Ponder . . .
Learn to listen; listen to learn.

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

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

Faith
"While drinking, we were certain that our intelligence,
backed by will power, could rightly control our inner lives
and guarantee us success in the world around us.
This brave philosophy, wherein each man played God,
sounded good in the speaking,
but it still had to meet the acid test:
How well did it actually work?
one good look in the mirror was answer enough."
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 225

Thought to Consider . . .
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
and the evidence of things not seen

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart

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

Another Difficulty
From: "To Wives"
Still another difficulty is that you may become jealous of the attention he bestows on other people, especially alcoholics. You have been starving for his companionship, yet he spends long hours helping other men and their families. You feel he should now be yours. The fact is that he should work with other people to maintain his own sobriety. Sometimes he will be so interested that he becomes really neglectful. Your house is filled with strangers. You may not like some of them. He gets stirred up about their troubles, but not at all about yours. It will do little good if you point that out and urge more attention for yourself. We find it a real mistake to dampen his enthusiasm for alcoholic work. You should join in his efforts as much as you possibly can. We suggest that you direct some of your thought to the wives of his new alcoholic friends. They need the counsel and love of a woman who has gone through what you have.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 119

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

"With the help of the Fellowship, the Twelve Steps, and a Higher Power ... I do not have to be a newcomer again."
Montpelier, Vt., March 2003
"Confessions of a Reluctant Newcomer"
Emotional Sobriety II

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

"Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family
back. This just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come
back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his
recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his
relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have
not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came
back too soon."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 99~

One of the many doctors who had the opportunity of reading this
book in manuscript form told us that the use of sweets was often
helpful, of course depending upon a doctors advice. He thought
all alcoholics should constantly have chocolate available for its
quick energy value at times of fatigue. He added that occasionally in
the night a vague craving arose which would be satisfied by candy.
Many of us have noticed a tendency to eat sweets and have found this
practice beneficial.
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 133~

Though they knew they must help other alcoholics if they would remain sober, that motive became secondary.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 159

Most of us would declare that without a fearless admission of our defects to another human being we could not stay sober.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 57

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

When we insisted, like infants, that people protect and take care of us or that the world owed us a living, then the result was unfortunate. The people we most loved often pushed us aside or perhaps deserted us entirely. Our disillusionment was hard to bear.
We failed to see that, though adult in years, we were still behaving childishly, trying to turn everybody - friends, wives, husbands, even the world itself - into protective parents. We refused to learn that overdependence upon people is unsuccessful because all people are fallible, and even the best of them will sometimes let us down, especially when our demands for attention become unreasonable.
We are now on a different basis: the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us do, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity.

Prayer for the Day: My First Prayer - I surrender to Thee my entire life, O God of my understanding. I have made a mess of it, trying to run it myself. You take it, the whole thing, and run it for me, according to Your will and plan.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 23

Cunning, Baffling, Powerful
Alcoholism is deadly, ugly, and rough. It is also cunning, baffling, and powerful.
It wants me to consider perfection attainable. . .
It wants me to believe that self-indulgence is fine, as long as I call it self-forgiveness. . .
It wants me to forget that it is a snake in the brain, hoping to catch my eye, watching, waiting.
The gritty pain of alcoholism is the traction of recovery.
I cannot afford to sell off the principles for an easier, softer way.
- The Best of the Grapevine pp. 32-33

Thought to Ponder . . .
Pain nourishes courage.

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

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

Awakening
"Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening?
Again, the voice of AA speaks up.
No, sobriety is only a bare beginning,
it is only the first gift of the first awakening.
If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on.
And if it does go on, we find that bit by bit
we can discard the old life
-- the one that did not work --
for a new life that can and does work
under any conditions whatever.
Regardless of worldly success or failure,
regardless of pain or joy,
regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself,
a new life of endless possibilities can be lived
if we are willing to continue our awakening."
Bill W., December 1957
c. 1988AAWS, The Language of the Heart, p. 234

Thought to Consider . . .
The task ahead of us is never as great
as the Power behind us.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T = God Is Forever There

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

Anvils of Experience
Tradition One: Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA Unity
So at the outset, how best to live and work together as groups became the prime question. In the world about us we saw personalities destroying whole peoples. The struggle for wealth, power, and prestige was tearing humanity apart as never before. If strong people were stalemated in the search for peace and harmony, what was to become of our erratic band of alcoholics? As we had once struggled and prayed for individual recovery, just so earnestly did we commence to quest for the principles through which AA itself might survive. On anvils of experience, the structure of our Society was hammered out.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 130-131

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

"I have made a determined effort to focus more on seeing myself as God sees me."
Reston, Va., December 2009
"I'm Not Broken"
Spiritual Awakenings II

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~

We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 87

And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 97

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Though I still find it difficult to accept today's pain and anxiety with any great degree of serenity - as those more advanced in the spiritual life seem able to do - I can give thanks for present pain nevertheless.
I find the willingness to do this by contemplating the lessons learned from past suffering - lessons which have led to the 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.

Prayer for the Day: Possibilities Prayer - I know, Dear God, that my part in this Program is going to be a thrilling and endless adventure. Despite all that has happened to me already, I know that I have just begun to grow. I have just begun to open to Your love. I have just begun to touch the varied lives You are using me to change. I have just begun to sense the possibilities ahead. And these possibilities, I am convinced, will continue to unfold into ever new and richer adventures, not only for the rest of my reborn days but also through eternity.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 24

The Opportunity
It finally became obvious to me that the God I thought had judged and damned me had done nothing of the sort.
He had been listening, and in His own good time His answer came. His answer was threefold:
the opportunity for a life of sobriety; Twelve Steps to practice, in order to attain and maintain that life of sobriety;
fellowship within the program, ever ready to sustain and help me each twenty-four-hour day. . .
In the use of this opportunity, the onus is on me.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 11

Thought to Ponder . . .
We will suffer a great poverty until we know that God lives in us and we can see Him there.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relaying A Message.

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

Willingness
"My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea.
He said, 'Why don't you choose your own
conception of God?'
That statement hit me hard.
It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow
I had lived and shivered many years.
I stood in the sunlight at last.
It was only a matter of being willing to believe
in a Power greater than myself.
Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12

Thought to Consider . . .
The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O = Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness

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

Like a Crowbar
From: "Listening to the Wind"
The Twelve Steps worked like a crowbar, prying into my dishonesty and fear. I didn't like the things I learned about myself, but I didn't want to go back where I had come from. I found out that there was no substance on the planet that could help me get honest. I would do just about anything to avoid working on myself.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 467-468

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

"While we readily share our views, perhaps one of the nicest things about the AA program is that we don't always have to agree with each other."
Brooklyn, N.Y., June 1975
"Self-Acceptance"
Emotional Sobriety II

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

"We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we
be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be
given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask
especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no
request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if
others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own
selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it
doesn't work."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~

"Now we need more action, without which we find
that “Faith without works is dead.’’ Let’s look at
Steps Eight and Nine. We have a list of all persons we have
harmed and to whom we are willing to make amends.
We made it when we took inventory. We subjected
ourselves to a drastic self-appraisal. Now we go out to
our fellows and repair the damage done in the past.
We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accu*
mulated 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, Page 76, Into Action, 4th Edition~

Modem-to-modem or face-to-face, A.A.'s speak the language of the heart in all its power and simplicity.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. xxiv (Foreword to the Fourth Edition)

The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality our Society has.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 129

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

As excuse-makers and rationalizers, we drunks are champions. It is the business of the psychiatrist to find the deeper causes for our conduct. Though uninstructed in psychiatry, we can, after a little time in A.A., see that our motives have not been what we thought they were, and that we have been motivated by forces previously unknown to us. Therefore we ought to look, with the deepest respect, interest, and profit, upon the example set us by psychiatry.
'Spiritual growth through the practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, plus the aid of a good sponsor, can usually reveal most of the deeper reasons for our character defects, at least to a degree that meets our practical needs. Nevertheless, we should be grateful that our friends in psychiatry have so strongly emphasized the necessity to search for false and often unconscious motivations.

Prayer for the Day: For Those Who Have Relapsed - O God of all mercies and comfort, Who helps us in time of need, we humbly ask You to behold, visit, and relieve those who have relapsed for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon them with the eyes of Your mercy; comfort them with a sense of Your goodness; preserve them from the temptations of their addiction; and give them patience under their affliction. In Your time, restore them to the Program and physical, mental, and spiritual health. And help them, we pray, to listen, believe and do Your will.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 25

A Thankful Heart
I am grateful not only for sobriety, but for the quality of life my sobriety has brought.
God has been gracious enough to give me sober days and a life blessed with peace and contentment,
as well as the ability to give and receive love . . . For all of this, I have "a full and thankful heart."
- Daily Reflections, p. 93

Thought to Ponder . . .
A full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

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

Defects
"What we must recognize now is that we exult
in some of our defects.
We really love them.
Who, for example, doesn't like to feel just a little superior
to the next fellow, or even quite a lot superior?
Isn't it true that we like to let greed
masquerade as ambition?
To think of liking lust seems impossible.
But how many men and women speak love with their lips,
and believe what they say,
so that they can hide lust in a dark corner of their minds?
And even while staying within conventional bounds,
many people admit that their imaginary sex excursions
are apt to be all dressed up as dreams of romance."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 66-7

Thought to Consider . . .
If I want God to remove my character defects,
I'll have to stop doing them.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T I M E = Things I Must Earn

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

Common Denominators
From: "On the bridge back to life"
As Bill read on [in: The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James], his own powers of reasoning helped him extract some important ideas from the weighty and intricate text. He saw that all the cases described by James had certain common denominators, despite the diverse ways in which they manifested themselves. These insights became important to Bill in his thinking about the plight of the alcoholic and his need for spiritual help. (He would later say that James, though long in his grave, had been a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.) Of the three common denominators in the case histories, the first was calamity; each person James described had met utter defeat in some vital area of his life. All human resources had failed to solve his problems. Each person had been utterly desperate.
The next common point was admission of defeat; each of the individuals acknowledged his own defeat as utter and absolute.
The third common denominator was an appeal to a Higher Power. This cry for help could take many forms, and it might or might not be in religious terms.
1984, AAWS, Inc., 'PASS IT ON' - The story of Bill Wilson and how the AA message reached the world, pages 124-125

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

"Those little maxims 'Easy Does It' and 'Live and Let Live' have come to be deeply meaningful and significant."
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 ^*~*~*~*~*

"...with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a
spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely
grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings
we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity
of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to
die."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~

“When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could have planned. Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!”
Alcoholics Anonymous, P.100

We had to have God's help.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 62

Refusing to place God first, we had deprived ourselves of His help.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 75

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Just like you, I have often thought myself the victim of what other people say and do. Yet every time I confessed the sins of such people, especially those whose sins did not correspond exactly with my own, I found that I only increased the total damage. My own resentment, my self-pity would often render me well-nigh useless to anybody.
'So, nowadays, if anyone talks of me so as to hurt, I first ask myself if there is any truth at all in what they say. If there is none, I try to remember that I too have had my periods of speaking bitterly of others; that hurtful gossip is but a symptom of our remaining emotional illness; and consequently that I must never be angry at the unreasonableness of sick people.
'Under very trying conditions I have had, again and again, to forgive others - also myself. Have you recently tried this?

Prayer for the Day: Thank You, God - Thank You, God, for all You have given me. Thank You for all You have taken from me. But, most of all, I thank You, God, for what You've left me: Recovery, along with peace of mind, faith, hope, and love.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 26

Anger
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, p. 66

Thought to Ponder . . .
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Avoid Anger.

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

Help
"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."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 25-6

Thought to Consider . . .
The spiritual life is not a theory.
We have to live it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience

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

Suspend Our Own Argument
From: "Being Grateful"
For some reason, we spent a lot of time thinking or noting or talking about how wrong or mistaken so many other people persistently were. (Whether they really were or not is irrelevant to the welcome change in our own feelings now.) For some, the change begins with a tentative willingness to wait and see, to accept for a moment the hypothesis that the other person just possibly might be right. Before rushing to judgment, we suspend our own argument, listen carefully, and watch for the outcome.

1998, AAWS, Inc., Living Sober, pages 48-49

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

"The beauty of sobriety is that sometimes I am the one supported, and other times the one supporting. One act helps destroy my ego, the other my self-centeredness. I need to practice both actions if I want to survive"
Los Angeles, Calif., July 2007
"Self-Support"
No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety

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

"Perhaps there is a better way--we think so. For we are now on a
different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We
trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the
world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as
we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us
to match calamity with serenity."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 68~

Our behavior is as absurd and incomprehensible with respect to the first drink as that of an individual with a passion , say , for jay-walking . He gets a thrill out of skipping in front of fast-moving vehicles . He enjoys himself for a few years in spite of friendly warnings . Up to this point you would label him as a foolish chap having queer ideals of fun . Luck then deserts him and he is slightly injured several times in succession . You would expect him , if he were normal , to cut it out . Presently he is hit again and this time has a fractured skull . Within a week after leaving the hospital a fast-moving trolley car breaks his arm . He tells you he has decided to stop jay-walking for good , but in a few weeks he breaks both legs .
Alcoholics Anonymous Pages 37-38

...this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do...
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 70

It is hoped that this volume will afford all who read it a close-up view of the principles and forces which have made Alcoholics Anonymous what it is.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 18

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'You must remember that every A.A. group starts, as it should, through the efforts of a single man and his friends - a founder and his hierarchy. There is no other way.
'But when infancy is over, the original leaders always have to make way for that democracy which springs up through the grass roots and will eventually sweep aside the self-chosen leadership of the past.'
Letter to Dr. Bob: 'Everywhere the A.A. groups have taken their service affairs into their own hands. Local founders and their friends are now on the side lines. Why so many people forget that, when thinking of the future of our world services, I shall never understand.
'The groups will eventually take over, and maybe they will squander their inheritance when they get it. It is probable, however, that they won't. Anyhow, they really have grown up; A.A. is theirs; let's give it to them.

Prayer for the Day: Humility Prayer - Lord, I am far too much influenced by what people think of me; Which means that I am always pretending to be either richer or smarter than I am. Please prevent me from trying to attract attention. Don't let me gloat over praise on the one hand and be discouraged by criticism on the other, nor let me waste time weaving the most imaginary situations in which the heroic, charming, witty person present is myself. Show me how to be humble of heart.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 27

Pride
If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your problems too.
We wives found that, like everybody else, we were afflicted with pride, self-pity, vanity
and all the things which go to make up the self-centered person;
and we were not above selfishness or dishonesty.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 116

Thought to Ponder . . .
False pride became the reverse side that ruinous coin marked "Fear."

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
P R I D E = Personal Recovery Involves Deflating Ego.

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

Right Living
"Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met,
troubles well accepted or solved with God's help,
the knowledge that at home or in the world outside
we are partners in a common effort,
the well-understood fact that in God's sight
all human beings are important,
the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return,
the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone
in self-constructed prisons,
the surety that we need no longer be
square pegs in round holes but can fit and belong
in God's scheme of things --
these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions
of right living for which no amount of pomp and circumstance,
no heap of material possessions,
could possibly be substitutes."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
L O V E = Living Our Valuable Experiences

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

Clubs
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"But like most A.A. clubs this first one did us far more good than harm, especially after we learned that the club had to be on the side lines and could not be managed by the A.A. groups as such. The Old Twenty-Fourth Street Club witnessed much of A.A.'s early history. Still in busy operation [as of 1957], it is now a landmark visited by members from all over the world. Similar and far larger clubs were started in Philadelphia and Minneapolis later in 1940. Scores and scores of clubrooms and clubhouses now dot our landscape. Some of the more elegant ones, especially those in Texas, have to be seen to be believed."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 181

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

"I can say no to a lot of things I'm not interested in. All the people-pleasing activities I used to engage in, I can cut out now. That gives me time to do the truly helpful, gut-warming little things, just because they need doing and I truly care. I have time to work my program."
Houston, Texas, June 1976
"Growth,"
Emotional Sobriety: The Next Frontier

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

"Some day we hope that Alcoholics Anonymous will help the public to
a better realization of the gravity of the alcoholic problem, but we
shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or
hostility. Drinkers will not stand for it.
After all, our problems were of our own making. Bottles were only a
symbol. Besides, we have stopped fighting anybody or anything. We
have to!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 103~

"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.
We learned that 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."
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 30

When many hundreds of people are able to say that the consciousness of the Presence of God is today the most important fact of their lives, they present a powerful reason why one should have faith.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 51

I must quickly assure you that A.A.'s tread innumerable paths in their quest for faith.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 27

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

In taking an inventory, a member might consider questions such as these:
How did my selfish pursuit of the sex relation damage other people and me? What people were hurt, and how badly? Just how did I react at the time? Did 1 burn with guilt? Or did I insist that I was the pursued and not the pursuer, and thus absolve myself?
How have I reacted to frustration in sexual matters? When denied, did I become vengeful or depressed? Did I take it out on other people? If there was rejection or coldness at home, did I use this as a reason for promiscuity?
Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family back. His recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God, however he may define Him.

Prayer for the Day: My Daily Prayer - God, I will turn my will and my life over to You this day for Your keeping. Your will, Lord, not mine. I ask for Your guidance and direction. I will walk humbly with You and Your fellowman. You are giving me a grateful heart for my many blessings. You are removing the defects of character that stand in my way. You are giving me freedom from self-will.
Let love, compassion, and understanding be in my every thought, word, and deed this day. I release those to You who have mistreated me. I truly desire Your abundance of truth, love, harmony, and peace. As I go out today to do Your bidding, let me help anyone I can who is less fortunate than I.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 28

Prayer
I have had to discard all the thoughts and beliefs that were once there. I gave them up reluctantly.
I didn't want to believe in God, but through AA I got to a point where I had to.
Now I believe it to be the strongest force on earth -- if the quietest. You don't have to be aware of power.
It doesn't have to be loud, like a hurricane. . .
Before AA, I wanted more than anything else to get sober.
That was a positive thought, and it was a prayer that was answered.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol.2], p. 175

Thought to Ponder . . .
Trying to pray is praying.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer.

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

Meetings
"Sobriety and a plan for living that produces
a personality change and a spiritual awakening
are imperative.
Through AA, many receive the needed change and awakening
just by trying to live by AA principles
and associating with AA people.
We do this by going to many AA meetings with an open mind
and a desire to live the good-feeling life without chemicals --
liquid or otherwise."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 459

Thought to Consider . . .
The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me
unless I go to meetings and share.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Hearing Other Peoples' Experience

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

All-Encompassing
>From "The Whole Company of ...."
"I was born an Anglican (Church of England), and the following crops up in one of our services (perhaps in the services of other denominations also): 'Therefore with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven, we laud and glorify Thy name.' Since I have no knowledge of heaven or the company kept there, whenever I repeat this passage of praise, I substitute the word 'and the whole company of Alcoholics Anonymous.'
"Being an A.A. Loner, I have felt very out of things and on my own. But I do believe in the power of collective thought, whether for good or evil. Thus, I believe that the collective thought of the body of Alcoholics Anonymous throughout the world must have some effect on alcoholics, whether they are aware of it or not. - Kenton-on-Sea, South Africa"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 87

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

"In early sobriety, I remember moaning to another member about how I didn't have a relationship, I didn't have a new car, and I didn't have a flashy job. He replied: 'It takes a steady hand to hold a full cup.'"
Canberra, Australia, February 2003
"The Cup of Life,"
In Our Own Words

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

"We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from
it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will
find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new
attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or
effort on our part. It just comes!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

"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."
Alcoholics Anonymous p.33

When resentful thoughts come, try to pause and count your blessings.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.119

An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow will be the permanent assets we shall seek.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 95

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'All A.A. progress can be reckoned in terms of just two words: humility and responsibility. Our whole spiritual development can be accurately measured by our degree of adherence to these magnificent standards.
'Ever deepening humility, accompanied by an ever greater willingness to accept and to act upon clear-cut obligations - these are truly our touchstones for all growth in the life of the spirit. They hold up to us the very essence of right being and right doing. It is by them that we are enabled to find and to do God's will.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, I'm Hurting
Yes, Lord I hurt. The pain is deep,
And I feel the mountains are so steep.
I cannot seem to stand.
Please, dear Lord, take my hand.
I cannot seem to find my way.
For me the sun is not shining today.
I know You're there; I've felt Your presence near,
But now, my Lord, my heart is gripped with fear.
Lord, help the sun to shine and to know that You are mine.
Heal this pain I feel; make Your presence very real.
Today, Lord, I give You all.
Help me, dear Lord, not to fall.
And if I fall, hold me tight,
So I can feel Your strength and might.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 29

A New Dimension
Now I was to plunge into the dark, joining that endless procession of sots who had gone before.
I thought of my poor wife. There had been much happiness after all.
What would I give to make amends. But that was over now.
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 been overwhelmed. Alcohol was my master. . .
How dark it is before the dawn! In reality, I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 8

Thought to Ponder . . .
Happiness and peace of mind are always here, open and free to anyone.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Achieve Anything.

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

Booby Traps
"We must avoid quick-tempered criticism
and furious, power-driven argument.
The same goes for sulking and silent scorn.
These are emotional booby traps baited with pride
and vengefulness.
Our first job is to sidestep the traps.
When we are tempted by the bait,
we should train ourselves to step back and think.
For we can neither think nor act to good purpose
until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 91

Thought to Consider . . .
Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B A T H = Behavior, Attitude, Thinking, Habits

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

Greatest Possession
From: "The Family Afterward"
This painful past may be of infinite value to other families still struggling with their problem. We think each family which has been relieved owes something to those who have not, and when the occasion requires, each member of it should be only too willing to bring former mistakes, no matter how grievous, out of their hiding places. 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.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 124

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

"I've never taken my sobriety for granted because I know I'm only one drink away from ruining my life."
Jamaica Plain, Mass., May 1997
"The Littlest Things"
No Matter What: Dealing with Adversity in Sobriety

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

"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. We are not
theorizing. These are facts out of our experience."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~

"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 p.58-59

We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.17

Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 105

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

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.
So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us!

Prayer for the Day: The Right Road - Dear God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself...and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe this: I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. I hope I have that desire in everything I do. I hope I never persist in anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it at the time. Therefore I will trust You always, for though I may be lost - and in the shadow of death - I will not be afraid, because I know You will never leave me to face my troubles all alone. --Thomas Merton

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

September 30

Attitudes
After we come into AA, if we go on growing, our attitudes toward security -- emotional security and financial security --
commence to change profoundly. Our demand for emotional security, for our own way,
had constantly thrown us into unworkable relations with other people.
Though were sometimes quite unconscious of this, the result always had been the same.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 115

Thought to Ponder . . .
Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?

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

September 30

Perfection
I have never been and never can be perfect. As that realization became a part of me -- and it took time --
it brought me one of the greatest of the many blessings that have come to me from AA.
I learned to accept myself as a fallible human being. I do not have to strive for perfection. Mistakes are permissible.
I have the right to be wrong. And what a comfort that thought is to me,
as I make my bemused way through life, one foot in a bucket, pushing on doors marked "Pull."
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], pp. 167-168

Thought to Ponder . . .
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we
could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have
already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps,
you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and
digested some big chunks of truth about yourself."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~

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

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

We'll listen politely to those who would advise us, but all the decisions are to be ours alone.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 37

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

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

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