AA Thoughts For Today - January

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AA Thought for the Day

January 16

Step Three

Like all the remaining Steps, Step Three calls for affirmative action, for
it is only by action that we can cut away the self-will which has always
blocked the entry of God—or, if you like, a Higher Power—into our
lives. Faith, to be sure, is necessary, but faith alone can avail nothing.
We can have faith, yet keep God out of our lives.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Three) p. 34

Thought to Ponder . . .
Willpower ... our will-ingness to use a Higher Power.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A G O = Another Growth Opportunity.

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

Reminder
We constantly remind ourselves
we are no longer running the show,
humbly saying to ourselves many times each day
"Thy will be done."
We are then in much less danger of excitement,
fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions.
We become much more efficient.
We do not tire so easily,
for we are not burning up energy foolishly
as we did when we were trying to arrange life
to suit ourselves.
1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 87-8

Thought to Consider . . .
It works -- it really does

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F I T = Faith, Intuition, Trust.

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

How
From "Physician, Heal Thyself!":
"What is this power that A.A. possesses? This curative power? I don't know what it is. I suppose the doctor might say,
This is psychosomatic medicine. I suppose the psychiatrist might say, This is benevolent interpersonal relations. I
suppose others would say, "This is group psychotherapy."
"To me it is God."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 308

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

"Sponsorship is a bridge to trusting the human race, the very race we once resigned from. In learning to trust, we are
strengthening our sobriety."
Grand Island, Neb., February 1984
"A Means to a Beginning,"
One On One: AA Sponsorship in Action

~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or
trying on our own power. We had to have God's help."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62

"At these critical moments, if we remind ourselves that "it is better to comfort than to be comforted, to understand than
to be understood, to love than to be loved," we will be following the intent of Step Eleven."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 103 (Step Eleven)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Most people feel more secure on the twenty-four-hour basis than they do in the resolution that they will never drink again.
Most of them have broken too many resolutions. It's really a matter of personal choice; every A.A. has the privilege of
interpreting the program as he likes
'Personally, 1 take the attitude that I intend never to drink again. This is somewhat different from saying, 'I will never drink
again.' The latter attitude sometimes gets people in trouble because it is undertaking on a personal basis to do what we
alcoholics never could do. It is too much an act of will and leaves too little room for the idea that God will release us from
the drink obsession provided we follow the A.A. program.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, help me to value my thoughts, words, and deeds. If at the close of the day, there
may be one who has been wounded by my injustice, may I be willing to make quick atonement. May I avoid the ways
and words that hurt; and not only wish rightly and work rightly, but speak to enrich others with tenderness. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

January 17

Group of Principles

A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature,
which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink
and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Foreword) p. 15

Thought to Ponder . . .
A.A. is not something we join; it's a way of life.

AA-related 'Alconym'
S T E P S = Solutions Through Each Powerful Step.

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

Coping
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. . .
We learn how to level out the emotional swings
that got us into trouble
both when we were up and when we were down.
c. 1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 560
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 558

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

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

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

Others
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"We also had to determine how best to co-operate with the press, radio, motion pictures, and more recently television;
how to deal with employers who wanted special help; what would be the right attitude toward the field of alcohol
education, research, and rehabilitation, private and public.
"Finding answers to these public relations puzzlers has been a long process. After much trial and error, sometimes
punctuated by painful mistakes, the attitudes and practices that would work best for us emerged. The basic ones can be
seen today in the A.A. Traditions: 100 per cent [sic] anonymity at the public level; no use of the A.A. name for the benefit
of other causes, however worthy; no endorsements or alliances; the carrying of the message as the single purpose for
Alcoholics Anonymous; no professionalism; public relations by the principle of attraction rather than promotion these
were some of the hard-learned lessons."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 197-98

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

"When things go well, we must never fall into the error of believing that no great ill can befall us. Nor should we accuse
ourselves of 'negative thinking' when we insist on facing the destructive forces in and around us, both realistically and
effectively. Vigilance will always be the price of survival."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., November 1960
"Freedom Under God: The Choice Is Ours,"
The Language of the Heart

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

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

We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick.
- Pg 66, Alcoholics Anonymous

We shall look for progress, not for perfection.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 91

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one permeates human affairs from top to bottom. This subtle and elusive kind of self-righteousness can underlie the smallest act or thought. Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws is the essence of character-building and good living. The deception of others is nearly always rooted in the deception of ourselves. Somehow, being alone with God doesn't seem as embarrassing as facing up to another person. Until we actually sit
down and talk aloud about what we have so long hidden, our willingness to clean house is still largely theoretical. When we are honest with another person, it confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with God.

Prayer for the Day: I've Found A Reason - Dear God, as long as my life was preoccupied with my own problems, my own unwillingness and dark moods, I was critical, insensitive, rigid, and defiant. But when I honestly faced my defects and failures and the worst was known and surrendered to You, the whole nature of living changed. I am no longer the emotional center of all things and no longer take everything as personal to myself. Ive found a reason for all the suffering through which I have passed. It is to be used in understanding and helping others. Out of the darkness comes light.

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AA Thought for the Day

January 18

Unable to Stop

But 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, (More About Alcoholism) p. 39

Thought to Ponder . . .
Pride in my intelligence blinded me to how much I did not know.

AA-related 'Alconym'
N E W = Nothing Else Worked.

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

Housecleaning
If we skip this vital step [Step Five],
we may not overcome drinking.
Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves
certain facts about their lives.
Trying to avoid this humbling experience,
they have turned to easier methods.
Almost invariably they got drunk.
Having persevered with the rest of the program,
they wondered why they fell.
We think the reason is that they never completed
their housecleaning.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 72-3

Thought to Consider . . .
There's no elevator, you have to take the Steps.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
N U T S = Not Using The Steps.

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

Roles
From "Something Was Wrong":
"I had been so elated by that wonderful experience on the road at night that I wanted to stay up in a cloud with God. But this was not to be. It was my place to be down among the suffering alcoholics, not up in a cloud. As long as I keep my feet on the ground, among the suffering, God will come down and remain always with me. -- Glasgow, Scotland"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 75

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

"Life is travel -- enjoy the journey, bumpy roads and all."
New York, N.Y., May 1977
"You and I Need Each Other"
AA Grapevine

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

"'There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which
is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in
everlasting ignorance, that principle is contempt prior to
investigation.'"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual Experience, pg. 568~

"Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by
which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than
ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?
Well, that's exactly what this book is about."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 45

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

Dr. Bob was my constant companion and partner in the great A.A. adventure. As the physician and great human being that he was, he chose work with others as his prime A.A. vocation and achieved a record which, in quantity and in quality, none will ever surpass. Assisted by the incomparable Sister Ignatia at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, he - without charge - medically treated and spiritually infused five thousand sufferers.
'In all the stress and strain of A.A.'s pioneering time, no hard word ever passed between us. For this, I can thankfully say that the credit was all his.'
I took my leave of Dr. Bob, knowing that he was to undergo a serious operation. The old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, 'Remember, Bill, let's not louse this thing up. Let's keep it simple!' I turned away, unable to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.

Prayer for the Day: We Need Only Obey - Dear God, I realize the whole course of things goes to teach me faith. I need only obey. There is guidance for me, and by listening I shall hear the right word. I will place myself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom that flows from You; I will place myself in the center of that flood. And then I may know the truth, the right, and the contentment. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

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AA Thought for the Day

January 19

Change Profoundly

After we come into A.A., if we go on growing, our attitudes and actions
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 we were sometimes quite unconscious of this, the result always
had been the same. Either we had tried to play God and dominate those
about us, or we had insisted on being overdependent upon them.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) p. 115

Thought to Ponder . . .
New ideals and new attitudes bring a new life.

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

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

Choice

The fact is that most alcoholics,
for reasons yet obscure,
have lost the power of choice in drink.
Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent.
We are unable, at certain times,
to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force
the memory of the suffering and humiliation
of even a week or a month ago.
We are without defense against the first drink.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 24

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

A A = Absolute Abstinence

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

Diverse
From "What We Need Each Other":
For years, whenever I reflected on Tradition Three ('The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop
drinking'), I thought it valuable only to newcomers. It was their guarantee that no one could bar them from A.A. Today I
feel enduring gratitude for the spiritual development the Tradition has brought me. Charlotte, the atheist, showed me
higher standards of ethics and honor; Clay, of another race, taught me patience; Winslow, who is gay, led me by
example into true compassion; Young Megan says that seeing me at meetings, sober thirty years, keeps her coming
back. Tradition Three insured that we would get what we need each other."
1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 33

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

"I am responsible for reporting for duty and making the effort to overcome adversity, and in so doing to overcome
myself."
Van Nuys,Calif., November 1966
"Responsibility Is the Name of the Game,"
AA Grapevine

~*~*~*~*^ 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. What was our choice to
be? Pg. 53 - We Agnostics

"It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to
futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit
these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66

I explained what a wonderful Fellowship we had, how well we understood each other.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 152

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Disagreeable or unexpected problems are not the only ones that call for self-control. We must be quite as careful when
we begin to achieve some measure of importance and material success. For no people have ever loved personal
triumphs more than we have loved them; we drank of success as of a wine which could never fail to make us-feel
elated. Blinded by prideful self-confidence, we were apt to play the big shot.
Now that we're in A.A. and sober, winning back the esteem of our friends and business associates, we find that we still
need to exercise special vigilance. As an insurance against the dangers of big-shot-ism, we can often check ourselves
by remembering that we are today sober only by the grace of God and that any success we may be having is far more
His success than ours.

Prayer for the Day: Accepting Every Task - Dear God, Help me find the strength to be effective and accept
responsibility. I am asking YOU for the strength I need each day. You have proven in countless lives that for very day I
live, YOU will give me that necessary power. I must face every challenge that comes to me during the day sure that
YOU will give me the strength to face it. I pray that I may accept every task as a challenge. I know I can't wholly fail if you
are with me.

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AA Thought for the Day

January 20

A.A.'s Message

To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from
darkness into light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning,
to see whole families reassembled, to see the alcoholic outcast received back
into his community in full citizenship, and above all to watch these people awaken
to the presence of a loving God in their lives—these things are the substance of
what we receive as we carry A.A.'s message to the next alcoholic.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) p. 110

Thought to Ponder . . .
In AA we carry the message ... not the mess.

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

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

Communication
From the beginning,
communication in AA has been
no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes.
Because of our kinship in suffering,
and because our common means of deliverance
are effective for ourselves only when constantly
carried to others,
our channels of contact have always been charged
with the language of the heart.
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 195

Thought to Consider . . .
Listening feeds the spirit.

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

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

Obedience
Tradition One: Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
"Every newcomer, every friend who looks at A.A. for the first time is greatly puzzled. They see liberty verging on license,
yet they recognize at once that A.A. has an irresistible strength of purpose and action....The A.A. member has to
conform to the principles of recovery. His life depends upon obedience to spiritual principles."
1981, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 129-30

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

"The language of AA is the language of self-discovery, of speculation, of wonder. It has a dual reality: While it describes
experience, it also creates experience, and allows each member to grow in the search for personal meaning."
Thornbury, Ontario, August 1984
"The Language of AA"
AA Grapevine

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

"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely,
or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take,
you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be
suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will
conquer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~

"We think it no concern of ours what religious bodies our members
identify themselves with as individuals. This should be an entirely
personal affair which each one decides for himself in the light of
past associations, or his present choice."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 28

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.'
We treasure our 'Serenity Prayer' because it brings a new light to us that can dissipate our oldtime and nearly fatal habit of fooling ourselves.
In the radiance of this prayer we see that defeat, rightly accepted, need be no disaster. We now know that we do not have to run away, nor ought we again try to overcome adversity by still another bulldozing power drive that can only push up obstacles before us faster than they can be taken down.

Prayer for the Day: I've Found A Reason - Dear God, As long as my life was preoccupied with my own problems, my own unwillingness and dark moods, I was critical, insensitive, rigid, and defiant. But when I honestly faced my defects and failures and the worst was known and surrendered to You, the whole nature of living changed. I am no longer the emotional center of all things and no longer take everything as personal to myself. I've found a reason for all the suffering through which I have passed. It is to be used in understanding and helping others. Out of the darkness comes light.

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AA Thought for the Day

January 21

Fear, Faith, Courage

The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith
have courage. They trust their God. We never apologize for God.
Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We
ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He
would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 68

Thought to Ponder . . .
Courage is fear in action.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F A I T H = Fear And Insecurity? Trust Him!

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

Illusion
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.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30

Thought to Consider . . . .
The two most dangerous words
in a recovering alcoholic's vocabulary are,
"I'm different."

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Absolute Abstinence

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

Experience
From "More about Alcoholism":
"To us it is not far-fetched, for this kind of thinking has been characteristic of every single one of us. There was always
the curious mental phenomenon that parallel with our sound reasoning there inevitably ran some insanely trivial excuse
for taking the first drink. Our sound reasoning failed to hold us in check. The insane idea won out. Next day we would
ask ourselves, in all earnestness and sincerity, how it could have happened."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 37

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

"We shall always have to deal with the fearful forces which are released when the human ego runs amok -- the same forces that are shattering the world of our time. Deliver us from temptation must therefore continue to be a prime ingredient of our every attitude, practice, and prayer."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., November 1960
"Freedom Under God: The Choice Is Ours,"
The Language of the Heart3
~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"'My old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but I would not
exchange its best moments for the worst I have now. I would not go
back to it even if I could.'"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

"Our liquor was but a symptom."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~\

The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 98

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Each of us in turn - that is, the member who gets the most out of the program - spends a very large amount of time on
Twelfth Step work in the early years. That was my case, and perhaps I should not have stayed sober with less work.
'However, sooner or later most of us are presented with other obligations - to family, friends, and country. As you will
remember, the Twelfth Step also refers to 'practicing these principles in all our affairs.' Therefore, I think your choice of
whether to take a particular Twelfth Step job is to be found in your own conscience. No one else can tell you for certain
what you ought to do at a particular time.
'I just know that you are expected, at some point, to do more than carry the message of A.A. to other alcoholics. In A.A.
we aim not only for sobriety - we try again to become citizens of the world that we rejected, and of the world that once
rejected us. This is the ultimate demonstration toward which Twelfth Step work is the first but not the final step.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, inspire me to live in such a way that I always give of my best and be welcoming and generous
towards others. Amen.