AA Thoughts For Today - January

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AA Thought for the Day

January 15

Surrender
I became willing to face the pain of my life without a drink;
the fear of drinking became bigger than the fear of life without drink.
When I surrendered to the fact that alcohol was bigger than myself,
accepted life without ever drinking again, the compulsion was removed,
left me, as if it had never been there.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], p. 186

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

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

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

Fear
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.
Bill W., Grapevine, January 1962
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 263

Thought to Consider . . .
Courage is the willingness to accept fear and act anyway.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R = Face Everything And Recover

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

Paradox
Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol , that our lives had become unmanageable.
"We had approached A.A. expecting to be taught self-confidence. Then we had been told that so far as alcohol is
concerned, self-confidence was no good whatever; in fact, it was a total liability. Our sponsors declared that we were
the victims of a mental obsession so subtly powerful that no amount of human willpower could break it. There was, they
said, no such thing as the personal conquest of this compulsion by the unaided will. The tyrant alcohol wielded a
double-edged sword over us: first we were smitten by an insane urge that condemned us to go on drinking, and then by
an allergy of the body that insured we would ultimately destroy ourselves in the process. Few indeed were those who,
so assailed, had ever won through in single-handed combat."
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 22

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

"We are called to unity, not uniformity."
Oak Harbor, Wash., January 1984
"The Harmony of Service"
AA Grapevine

~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted.
We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and
ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our
Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to
have a spiritual experience."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 75

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

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Many people will have no truck at all with absolute spiritual values. Perfectionists, they say, are either full of conceit
because they fancy they have reached some impossible goal, or else they are swamped in self-condemnation because
they have not done so.
Yet I think that we should not hold this view. It is not the fault of great ideals that they are sometimes misused and so
become shallow excuses for guilt, rebellion, and pride. On the contrary, we cannot grow very much unless we
constantly try to envision what the eternal spiritual values are.
'Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection. So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to
achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon, light-years
away, that draws us on.'

Prayer for the Day: Prayer to Grow Closer to God - Dear Lord, I am trying to do better and better each day; I am trying to walk with you and do your will, but sometimes it seems like I am slipping backwards no matter how hard I try. And I get confused sometimes; even if I want to do the right thing, I don't always know what it is. So this is my prayer, heavenly Lord, for your help in straightening out my mind and straightening out my life. Lead me, Lord, and let your Holy Spirit guide me. Even if the correction is painful, help me to keep my mind open to your truth. Let me do your will in my every action, and know your will, that I might do it. Amen.