Thoughts For The Day~*~Resentments ^*^*^*^*^ January 5, 2008

~*~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, 2008

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

Duty

From "Reason or Conscience":

"When, in all humility, I try to pass our message on to other less fortunate alcoholics, I know that the plan of the Higher Power comes to us through the medium of people. To us alcoholics, this does not mean common or garden people, but special people, such as other alcoholics. And I am guided to include among the people from whom I might receive guidance, and to whom I must demonstrate the life of my conscience or Higher Power, those who married me, loved me, befriended me, and stuck by me, as others stuck by other alcoholics. – Bulawayo, Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe]"

© 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 82

*~*~*~*~*^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~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\  ~~~  /)
(   \(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!^*~*~*~*~*

Prayer

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"A news clipping whose content was to become famous was called to our attention by a New York member, newsman Jack. It was an obituary notice from a New York paper. Underneath a routine account of the one who had died there appeared these words: 'God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.' [Usually attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr]

"Never had we seen so much A.A. in so few words. While Ruth and I were admiring the prayer, and wondering how to use it, friend Howard walked into the office. Confirming our own ideas, he exclaimed, 'We ought to print this on cards and drop one into every piece of mail that goes out of here. I'll pay for the first printing.' For several years afterward we followed his suggestion, and with amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use and took its place alongside our two other favorites, the Lord's Prayer and the Prayer of St. Francis."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 196

*~*~*~*~*^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 ^*~*~*~*~*
"We began to see that the world and its people really dominated us.
In that state, the wrong-doing of others, fancied or real, had power
to actually kill. How could we escape? We saw that these resentments
must be mastered, but how? We could not wish them away any more than
alcohol."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~



*~*~*~*^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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Thoughts For The Day~*~Faith^*^*^*^*^ January 2, 2008

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

Faith

When I was driven to my knees by alcohol,
I was made ready to ask for the gift of faith.
And all was changed.
Never again, my pains and problems notwithstanding,
would I experience my former desolation.
I saw the universe to be lighted by God's love;
I was alone no more.
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 51
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around,
and faith looks up.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H =  Finding Answers In The Heart.

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

Allergy

From "It Might Have Been Worse":

"The explanation that alcoholism was a disease of a two-fold nature, an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind, cleared up a number of puzzling questions for me. The allergy we could do nothing about. Somehow our bodies had reached the point where we could no longer absorb alcohol in our systems. The why is not important; the fact is that one drink will set up a reaction in our system that requires more, that one drink is too much and a hundred drinks are not enough."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 355

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
FIRST, THE FOUNDATION

Is sobriety all that we can expect of a spiritual awakening?  No, sobriety is only a bare beginning.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  8

Practicing the A.A. program is like building a house.  First I had to pour a big, thick concrete slab on which to erect the house; that, to me, was the equivalent of stopping drinking.  But it's pretty uncomfortable living on a concrete slab, unprotected and exposed to the heat, cold, wind and rain.  So I built a room on the slab by starting to practice the program.  The first room was rickety because I wasn't used to the work.  But as time passed, as I practiced the program, I learned to build better rooms.  The more I practiced, and the more I built, the more comfortable, and happy, was the home I now have to live in.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
In God's Hands

When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands were better than anything we could have planned.

<<<>>>

My depression deepened unbearably, and finally it seemed to me as though I were at the very bottom of the pit. For the moment, the last vestige of my proud obstinacy was crushed. All at once I found myself crying out, "If there is a God, let Him show Himself! I am ready to do anything, anything!" Suddenly the room lit up with a great white light. It seemed to me, in the mind's eye, that I was on a mountain and that a wind not of air but of spirit was blowing. And then it burst upon me that I was a free man. Slowly the ecstasy subsided. I lay on the bed, but now for a time I was in another world, a new world of consciousness. All about me and through me there was a wonderful feeling of Presence , and I thought to myself, "So this is the God of the preachers!"

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 100 - 2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 63
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"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~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

What makes A.A. work? The first thing is to have a revulsion against myself and my way of living. Then I must admit I was helpless, that alcohol had me licked and I couldn't do anything about it. The next thing is to honestly want to quit the old life. Then I must surrender my life to a Higher Power, put my drinking problem in His hands and leave it there. After these things are done, I should attend meetings regularly for fellowship and sharing. I should also try to help other alcoholics. Am I doing these things?

Meditation for the Day

You are so made that you can only carry the weight of twenty-four hours, no more. if you weigh yourself down with the years behind and the days ahead, your back breaks. God has promised to help with the burdens of the day only. if you are foolish enough to gather again that burden of the past and carry it, then indeed you cannot expect God to help you bear it. So forget that which lies behind you and breathe in the blessing of each new day.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may realize that, for good or bad, past days have ended. I pray that I may face each new day, the coming twenty-four hours, with hope and courage.

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

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