Thoughts For The Day~*~Insecurity ^*^*^*^*^ January 6, 2007

 

 ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\  ~~~  /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
^*^*^*^*^

Insecurity

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, well or badly, as the case may be.
Only the vainglorious claim perfect freedom from fear,
though their very grandiosity is really rooted
in the fears they have temporarily forgotten.
Bill W., January 1962
c. 1988 AA Grapevine, The Language of the Heart,  p. 265
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Thought to Consider . . .

Once we clear a hurdle, it doesn't seem so high.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T R U S T  =  Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions

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

Action

From "The Shared Gift:"

 

"A.A. is more than a set of principles;
it is a society of alcoholics in action. 
We must carry the message, else we
ourselves can wither and those who
haven't been given the truth may die."

 

c. 1967, As Bill Sees It, page 13

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE VICTORY OF SURRENDER

We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength.  Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  21

When alcohol influenced every facet of my life, when bottles became the symbol of all my self-indulgence and permissiveness, when I came to realize that, by myself, I could do nothing to overcome the power of alcohol, I realized I had no recourse except surrender.  In surrender I found victory -- victory over my selfish self-indulgence, victory over my stubborn resistance to life as it was given to me.  When I stopped fighting anybody or anything, I started on the path to sobriety, serenity and peace.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
All or Nothing?

Acceptance and faith are capable of producing 100 per cent sobriety. In fact, they usually do; and they must, else we could have no life at all. But the moment we carry these attitudes into our emotional problems, we find that only relative results are possible. Nobody can, for example, become completely free from fear, anger, and pride.
Hence, in this life we shall attain nothing like perfect humility and love. So we shall have to settle, respecting most of our problems, for a very gradual progress, punctuated sometimes by very heavy setbacks. Our oldtime attitude of "all or nothing" will have to be abandoned.

GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation
of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to
alcohol."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Keeping sober is the most important thing in my life. The most important decision I ever made was my decision to give up drinking. I am convinced that my whole life depends on not taking that first drink. Nothing in the world is as important to me as my own sobriety. Everything I have, my whole life, depends on that one thing. Can I afford ever to forget this, even for one minute?

Meditation for the Day

I will discipline myself. I will do this disciplining now. I will turn out all useless thoughts. I know that the goodness of my life is a necessary foundation for its usefulness. I will welcome this training, for without it God cannot give me His power. I believe that this power is a mighty power when it is used in the right way.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may face and accept whatever discipline is necessary. I pray that I may be fit to receive God's power in my life.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Resentments ^*^*^*^*^ January 5, 2007

 ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\  ~~~  /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Resentments

Few people have been more victimized by resentments
than have we alcoholics.
It mattered little whether our resentments
were justified or not.
A burst of temper could spoil a day,
and a well-nursed grudge could make us
miserably ineffective.
Nor were we ever skillful in separating
justified from unjustified anger.
As we saw it, our wrath was always justified.
Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people,
could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely.
These emotional "dry benders" often led
straight to the bottle.
Other kinds of disturbance -- jealousy, envy,
sef-pity, or hurt pride -- did the same thing.
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 90
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Thought to Consider . . .

Anger is the hot wind that extinguishes the light of reason.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A L M =  Can Anger Leave Me.

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

Essentials

From "'Let's Keep It Simple'":

"After years of sobriety I occasionally ask myself: 'Can it be this simple?' Then, at meetings, I see former cynics and skeptics who have walked the A.A. path out of hell by packaging their lives, without alcohol, into twenty-four hour segments, during which they practice a few principles to the best of their individual abilities. And then I know again that, while it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works."

© 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 30

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
TOTAL ACCEPTANCE

He cannot picture life without alcohol. Some day he will be unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it.  Then he will know loneliness such as few do.  He will be at the jumping-off place.  He will wish for the end.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  152

Only an alcoholic can understand the exact meaning of a statement like this one.  The double standard that held me captive as an active alcoholic also filled me with terror and confusion: "If I don't get a drink I'm going to die," competed with "If I continue drinking it's going to kill me." Both compulsive thoughts pushed me ever closer to the bottom.  That bottom produced a total acceptance of my alcoholism -- with no reservations whatsoever -- and one that was absolutely essential for my recovery.  It was a dilemma unlike anything I had ever faced, but as I found out later on, a necessary one if I was to succeed in this program.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Maintenance and Growth

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 worthwhile. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then 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.
If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the sudden rage were not for us. Anger is the dubious luxury of normal men, but for us alcoholics it is poison.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 66
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going
to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is
the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and
this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through
which we passed to freedom."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Have I turned to a Higher Power for help? Do I believe that each man or woman I see in A.A. is a demonstration of the power of God to change a human being from a drunkard into a sober, useful citizen? Do I believe that this Higher Power can keep me from drinking? Am I living one day at a time? Do I ask God to give me the power to stay sober for each twenty-four hours? Do I attend A.A. meetings regularly?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that God's presence brings peace and that peace, like a quiet-flowing river, will cleanse all irritants away. In these quiet times, God will teach me how to rest my nerves. I will not be afraid. I will learn how to relax. When I am relaxed, God's strength will flow into me. I will be at peace.

Prayer for the Day

I pray for that peace which passes all understanding. I pray for that peace which the world can neither give nor take away.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Coping^*^*^*^*^ January 4, 2007

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\  ~~~  /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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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. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 160
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 558-9
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Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.
* * *

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R D S  = 

.                                                Call your sponsor,
.                                                Ask for help from your Higher Power,
.                                                Read the Big Book,
.                                                Do the Twelve Steps,
.                                                Stay active in your group.

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

Influence

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"We saw that the more A.A. minded its own business the greater its general influence would become. Medicine and religion and psychiatry began to borrow some of our ideas and experience. So did research, rehabilitation, and education. All sorts of therapeutic groups began to spring up. They dealt with gambling, divorce, delinquency, dope addiction, mental illness, and the like. They, too, borrowed from A.A., but they made their own adaptations. They worked their own fields, and we did not have to endorse them or tell them how to live." (Written in 1959)

© 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 109

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
BEGIN WHERE YOU ARE

We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning.  A much more important demonstration of our principles lies before US in our respective homes, occupations and affairs.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  19

It's usually pretty easy for me to be pleasant to the people in an A.A. setting.  While I'm working to stay sober, I'm celebrating with my fellow A.A.'s our common release from the hell of drinking.  It's often not so hard to spread glad tidings to my old and new friends in the program. At home or at work, though, it can be a different story.  It is in situations arising in both of those areas that the little day-to-day frustrations are most evident, and where it can be tough to smile or reach out with a kind word or an attentive ear.  It's outside of the A.A. rooms that I face the real test of the effectiveness of my walk through A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Can We Choose?

We must never be blinded by the futile philosophy that we are just the hapless victims of our inheritance, of our life experience, and of our surroundings - that these are the sole forces that make our decisions for us. This is not the road to freedom. We have to believe that we can really choose.

<<<>>>

"As active alcoholics, we lost our ability to choose whether we would drink. We were the victims of a compulsion which seemed to decree that we must go on with our own destruction.
"Yet we finally did make choices that brought about our recovery. We came to believe that alone we were powerless over alcohol. This was surely a choice, and a most difficult one. We came to believe that a Higher Power could restore us to sanity when we became willing to practice A.A.'s Twelve Steps.
"In short, we chose to "become willing," and no better choice did we ever make."

1. GRAPEVINE, NOVEMBER 1960 - 2. LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for
the alcoholic! For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his
spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could
not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead. If he did not
work, he would surely drink again, and if he drank, he would surely
die. Then faith would be dead indeed. With us it is just like that."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 14~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

In Alcoholics Anonymous there is no thought of individual profit. No greed or gain. No membership fees, no dues. Only voluntary contributions of our money and ourselves. All that we hope for is sobriety and regeneration, so that we can live normal, respectable lives and can be recognized by others as men and women willing to do unto others as we would be done by. These things we accomplish by the help of each other, by following the Twelve Steps, and by the grace of God. Am I willing to work for A.A. without material gain to myself?

Meditation for the Day

What is sometimes called a conversion by religion is often only the discovery of God as a friend in need, What is sometimes called religion is often only the experiencing of the help and strength of God's power in our lives. What is sometimes called holiness is often only the invitation of God to be our Friend. As God becomes your friend, you become a friend to others. We experience true human friendship and from this experience we can imagine what kind of a Great Friend God can be. We believe Him to be a tireless, selfless, all conquering, miracle-working Friend. We can reach out to the Great Friend and figuratively take His hand in ours.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may think of God as a Great Friend in need. I pray that I may go along with Him.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Joyous^*^*^*^*^ January 3, 2007

  ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\  ~~~  /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Joyous

We have been speaking to you of serious,
sometimes tragic things.
We have been dealing with alcohol in its worst aspects.
But we aren't a glum lot.
If newcomers could see no joy 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.
c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 132
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Thought to Consider . . .

Laughter is the sound of recovery.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H J F  =  Happy, Joyous, Free

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

Freedom

From "Our Southern Friend":

"I cannot see the cause of this temptation [to drink] now. But I am to learn later that it began with my desire for material success becoming greater than my interest in the welfare of my fellow man. I learn more of that foundation stone of character, which is honesty. . . .

"I learn that honesty is truth and that truth shall make us free!"

© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 218

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
POWERLESS

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  21

It is no coincidence that the very first Step mentions powerlessness: An admission of personal powerlessness over alcohol is a cornerstone of the foundation of recovery.  I've learned that I do not have the power and control I once thought I had.  I am powerless over what people think about me.  I am powerless over having just missed the bus.  I am powerless over how other people work (or don't work) the Steps.  But I've also learned I am not powerless over some things.  I am not powerless over my attitudes.  I am not powerless over negativity.  I am not powerless over assuming responsibility for my own recovery.  I have the power to exert a positive influence on myself, my loved ones, and the world in which I live.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Pain and Progress

"Years ago I used to commiserate with all people who suffered. Now I commiserate only with those who suffer in ignorance, who do not understand the purpose and ultimate utility of pain."

<<<>>>

Someone once remarked that pain is the touchstone of spiritual progress. How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him, for we know that the pains of alcoholism had to come before sobriety, and continued turmoil before serenity.

<<<>>>

"Believe more deeply. Hold your face up to the Light, even though the moment you do not see."

1. LETTER, 1950 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 93-94 - 3. LETTER, 195
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter
you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the
start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to
effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him.
Afterward, we found ourselves accepting many things which then
seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth, but if we wished to
grow we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conception, however
limited it was."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 47~


*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When I came into A.A., I learned what an alcoholic was and then I applied this knowledge to myself to see if I was an alcoholic. When I was convinced that I was an alcoholic, I admitted it openly. Since then, have I been learning to live accordingly? Have I read the book Alcoholics Anonymous? Have I applied the knowledge gained to myself Have I admitted openly that I am an alcoholic? Am I ready to admit it at any time when I can be of help?

Meditation for the Day

I will be renewed. I will be remade. In this, I need God's help. His spirit shall flow through me and, in flowing through me, it shall sweep away all the bitter past. I will take heart. The way will open for me. Each day will unfold something good, as long as I am trying to live the way I believe God wants me to live.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be taught, just as a child would be taught. I pray that I may never question God's plans, but accept them gladly.

©Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012©

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