AA Thoughts For Today - September

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AA Thought for the Day

September 27

Wish To Be Helpful

We are not an organization in the conventional sense of the word.
There are no fees or dues whatsoever. The only requirement for
membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. We are not allied
with any particular faith, sect or denomination, nor do we oppose
anyone. We simply wish to be helpful to those who are afflicted.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Foreword to First Edition) pp. xiii - xiv

Thought to Ponder . . .
To be helpful is our only aim.

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

~*~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.