Thoughts For The Day~*~Anonymity ^*^*^ June 30, 2007

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Anonymity
^*^*^
"We now fully realize that 100 per cent personal anonymity
before the public is just as vital to the life of AA
as 100 percent sobriety is to the life
of each and every member.
This is not the counsel of fear;
it is the voice of long experience."
1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 293
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

Walk softly and carry a Big Book.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A N O N Y M O U S  =  
Actions, Not Our Names, Yield Maintenance Of Unity and Service.

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

Pick

From Will Power and Choice

We A.A.'s [sic] know the futility of trying to break the drinking obsession by will power alone. However, we do know that it takes great willingness to adopt A.A.'s Twelve Steps as a way of life that can restore us to sanity.  From a letter written by Bill W.

1967, AAWS, Inc.; As Bill Sees It, pg. 88

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
SACRIFICE UNITY SURVIVAL

The unity, the effectiveness, and even the survival of A.A. will always depend upon our continued willingness to give up some of our personal ambitions and desires for the common safety and welfare. Just as sacrifice means survival for the individual alcoholic, so does sacrifice mean unity and survival for the group and for A.A.'s entire Fellowship.                                 
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 220

I have learned that I must sacrifice some of my personality traits for the good of A.A. and, as a result, I have been rewarded with many gifts. False pride can be inflated through prestige but, by living Tradition Six, I receive the gift of humility instead. Cooperation without affiliation is often deceiving. If I remain unrelated to outside interests, I am free to keep A.A. autonomous. Then the Fellowship will be here, healthy and strong for generations to come.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Imaginary Perfection

When we early A.A.'s got our first glimmer of how spiritually prideful we
could be, we coined this expression: "Don't try to be a saint by Thursday!"
That oldtime admonition may look like another of those handy alibis that can
excuse us from trying for our best. Yet a closer view reveals just the
contrary. This is our A.A. way of warning against pride-blindness, and the
imaginary perfections that we do not posses.
<<<>>>
Only Step One, where we made the 100 per cent admission that we were
powerless over alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection. The
remaining eleven Steps state perfect ideals. They are goals toward which we look, and the measuring sticks by which we estimate our progress.

1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 68
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"...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~

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

Alcoholics are unable or unwilling, during their addiction
to alcohol, to live in the present. The result is that they
live in a constant state of remorse and fear because of
their unholy past and its morbid attraction, or the uncertain
future and its vague foreboding. So the only real hope for
the alcoholic is to face the present. Now is the time. Now is
ours. The past is beyond recall. The future is as uncertain
as life itself. Only the now belongs to us. Am I living in
the now?

Meditation for the Day

I must forget the past as much as possible. The past is over
and gone forever. Nothing can be done about the past, except
to make what restitution I can. I must not carry the burden of
my past failures. I must go on in faith. The clouds will clear
and the way will lighten. The path will become less stony with
every forward step I take. God has no reproach for anything
that He has healed. I can be made whole and free, even though
I have wrecked my life in the past. Remember the saying:
"Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more."

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not carry the burden of the past. I pray that
I may cast it off and press on in faith.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Skeletons ^*^*^ June 29, 2007

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\    ~~  /)
(   \ (AA)/   )
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  /AA\
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Skeletons
^*^*^
"Now and then the family will be plagued
by spectres from the past,
for the drinking career of almost every alcoholic
has been marked by escapades, funny,
humiliating, shameful or tragic.  
The first impulse will be to bury these skeletons
in a dark closet and padlock the door.
The family may be possessed by the idea
that future happiness can be based only
upon forgetfulness of the past.  
We think that such a view is self-centered
and in direct conflict with the new way of living."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 123-4
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Thought to Consider . . .

It's not making a mistake that will kill me.  
It's defending it that does the damage.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R  =  Forever Escaping And Retreating

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Todaay!^*~*~*~*~*

Revelation

From "Shattered Glass":

"The crest of this experience lasted several hours. When I fell into an exhausted sleep, it was with the knowledge that I had at last begun my adjustment to life as an alcoholic. From that moment, things seemed to change from within. Gradually, I could recognize when I was getting in my own way, and I could step aside, for 'Thy will, not mine' had become more than mere words. There have been many times when this revelation has been hard to hold on to, but, little by little, it seems easier every day. My course has become two steps forward, one step backward, two more forward, instead of always complete retreat. The days are too short, and they are seldom dull. Each day is a new challenge to stay sober and to keep moving straight ahead. - Charleston, West Virginia"

© 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 37

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~~*~*
A RIPPLING EFFECT

Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everyone else how. . . . Yes, we of A.A. did dream those dreams.  How natural that was, since most alcoholics are bankrupt idealists. . . . So why shouldn't we share our way of life with everyone?

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 156

The great discovery of sobriety led me to feel the need to spread the "good news" to the world around me.  The grandiose thoughts of my drinking days returned.  Later, I learned that concentrating on my own recovery was a full-time process.  As I became a sober citizen in this world, I observed a rippling effect which, without any conscious effort on my part, reached any "related facility or outside enterprise," without diverting me from my primary purpose of staying sober and helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Community Problem

The answer to the problem of alcoholism seems to be in education in
schoolrooms, in medical colleges, among clergymen and employers, in families, and in the public at large. From cradle to grave, the drunk and the potential alcoholic will have to be completely surrounded by a true and deep
understanding and by a continuous barrage of information.
This means factual education, properly presented. Heretofore, much of this
education has attacked the immorality of drinking rather than the illness of
alcoholism.
Now who is going to do all this education? Obviously, it is both a community job and a job for specialists. Individually, we A.A.'s can help, but A.A. as
such cannot, and should not, get directly into this field. Therefore, we must
rely on other agencies, on outside friends and their willingness to supply
great amounts of money and effort.

GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"When you discover a prospect for Alcoholics Anonymous, find out all
you can about him. If he does not want to stop drinking, don't
waste time trying to persuade him. You may spoil a later opportunity."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 90

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

The program of Alcoholics Anonymous involves a continuous
striving for improvement. There can be no long resting
period. We must try to work at it all the time. We must
continually keep in mind that it is a program not to be
measured in years, because we never fully reach our goals
nor are we ever cured. Our alcoholism is only kept in
abeyance by daily living of the program. It is a timeless
program in every sense. We live it day by day, or more
precisely, moment by moment - now. Am I always striving
for improvement?

Meditation for the Day

Life is all a preparation for something better to come.
God has a plan for your life and it will work out, if you
try to do His will. God has things planned for you, far
beyond what you can imagine now. But you must prepare
yourself so that you will be ready for the better things
to come. Now is the time for discipline and prayer. The
time of expression will come later. Life can be flooded
through and through with joy and gladness. So prepare
yourself for those better things to come.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may prepare myself for better things that
God has in store for me. I pray that I may trust God for
the future.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Prayer ^*^*^June 28, 2007

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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  /AA\
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Prayer
^*^*^
"The man said, 'The thing I do is to say
"God here I am and here are all my troubles.
I've made a mess of things and can't do anything about it.
You take me and all my troubles,
and do anything you want with me." '
I return to bed.  It doesn't make sense. . .
I am in the bottom of hell.
And there a tremendous hope is born.
It might be true.
I tumble out of bed on my knees.
I know not what I say.
But slowly a great peace comes to me.
I feel lifted up.  I believe in God.
I crawl back into bed and sleep like a child."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 504
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Thought to Consider . . .

Faith is not belief without proof;
it's trust without reservation.

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

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

Foundations

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"In important matters there was still considerable disagreement between the Eastern and the Midwestern viewpoints. Our people out there were still active Oxford Group members, while we in New York had withdrawn a year before. In Akron and vicinity they still talked about the Oxford Groups' absolutes: absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness, and absolute love. This dose was found to be too rich for New Yorkers, and we had abandoned the expressions. But all of us, East and West, were placing increasing emphasis on Dr. Silkworth's expression describing the alcoholic's dilemma: the obsession plus the allergy. By now we knew from experience that the new prospect had to accept Step One or get no place."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 160-61

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE DETERMINATION OF OUR FOUNDERS

A year and six months later these three had succeeded with seven more.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159

If it had not been for the fierce determination of our founders, A.A. would
have quickly faded like so many other so-called good causes.  I look at the
hundreds of meetings weekly in the city where I live and I know A.A. is
available twenty-four hours a day.  If I had had to hang on with nothing but
hope and a desire not to drink, experiencing rejection wherever I went, I
would have sought the easier, softer way and returned to my previous way of life.  

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Coping with Anger

Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. 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 "dry benders" often led straight to the bottle.
<<<>>>
Nothing pays of like restraint of tongue and pen. We must avoid
quick-tempered criticism, furious power-driven argument, sulking, and silent
scorn. These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness.
When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves to step back and
think. We can neither think nor act to good purpose until the habit of
self-restraint has become automatic.

TWELVE AND TWELVE - 1. P. 90 - 2. P. 91
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"...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."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132

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

You can prove to yourself that life is basically and
fundamentally an inner attitude. just try to remember
what troubled you most a week ago. You probably will find
it difficult to remember. Why then should you unduly worry
or fret over the problems that arise today? Your attitude
toward them can be changed by putting yourself and your
problems in God's hands and trusting Him to see that
everything will turn out all right, provided you are
trying to do the right thing. Your changed mental attitude
toward your problems relieves you of their burden and you
can face them without fear. Has my mental attitude changed?

Meditation for the Day

You cannot see the future. It's a blessing that you cannot.
You could not bear to know all the future. That is why God
only reveals it to you day by day. The first step each day
is to lay your will before God as an offering, ready for God
to do what is best for you. Be sure that, if you trust God,
what He does for you will be for the best. The second step
is to be confident that God is powerful enough to do anything
He wills, and that no miracle in human lives is impossible
with Him. Then leave the future to God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may gladly leave my future in God's hands.
I pray that I may be confident that good things will happen,
as long as I am on the right path.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Powerless ^*^*^June 27, 2007

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(   \ (AA)/   )
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Powerless
^*^*^
"Most certainly I was powerless over alcohol,
and for me, my life had become unmanageable.
It wasn't how far I had gone, but where I was headed.
It was important to me to see what alcohol had done to me
and would continue to do if I didn't have help.
At first it was a shock to realize I was an alcoholic,
but the realization that there was hope made it easier.
The baffling problem of getting drunk
when I had every intention of staying sober was simplified.
It was a great relief to know I didn't have to drink any more."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 379
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

Just because I'm powerless
does not mean that I am helpless.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E  =  Happy Our Program Exists

*~*~*~*~*^Just For TToday!^*~*~*~*~*

Irresponsible

From "Freedom from Bondage":

"Finally, in desperation, my family appealed to a doctor for advice, and he suggested A.A. The people who came knew immediately I was in no condition to absorb anything of the program. I was put in a sanitarium to be defogged so that I could make a sober decision about this for myself. It was here that I realized for the first time that as a practicing alcoholic, I had no rights. Society can do anything it chooses to do with me when I am drunk, and I can't lift a finger to stop it, for I forfeit my rights through the simple expedient of becoming a menace to myself and to the people around me. With deep shame came the knowledge too that I had lived with no sense of social obligation nor had I known the meaning of moral responsibility to my fellow man."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 549

 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
CONFORMING TO THE A.A. WAY

We obey A.A.'s Steps and Traditions because we really want them for ourselves.   It is no longer a question of good or evil; we conform because we genuinely want to conform.  Such is our process of growth in unity and function.   Such is the evidence of God's grace and love among us.

A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 106

It is fun to watch myself grow in A.A.  I fought conformity to A.A. principles from the moment I entered, but I learned from the pain of my belligerence that, in choosing to live the A.A. way of life, I opened myself to God's grace and love.  Then I began to know the full meaning of being a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Down to Earth

Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make-believe
have eventually seen the childishness of it. This dream world has been
replaced by a great sense of purpose, accompanied by a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives.

We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be planted on earth. That is where our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work must be done. There are the
realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful
spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 130
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be
able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for
inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take
it easy. We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right
answers come after we have tried this for a while."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

If you can take your troubles as they come, if you can
maintain your calm and composure amid pressing duties and
unending engagements, if you can rise above the distressing
and disturbing circumstances in which you are set down, you
have discovered a priceless secret of daily living. Even if
you are forced to go through life weighed down by some
inescapable misfortune or handicap and yet live each day as
it comes with poise and peace of mind, you have succeeded
where most people have failed. You have wrought a greater
achievement than a person who rules a nation. Have I achieved
poise and peace of mind?

Meditation for the Day

Take a blessing with you wherever you go. You have been
blessed, so bless others. Such stores of blessings are
awaiting you in the months and years that lie ahead. Pass
on your blessings. Blessing can and does go around the world,
passed on from one person to another. Shed a little blessing
in the heart of one person. That person is cheered to pass it
on, and so, God's vitalizing, joy-giving message travels on.
Be a transmitter of God's blessings.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may pass on my blessings. I pray that they may
flow into the lives of others.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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