Thoughts For The Day~*~Reprieve ^*^*^*^*^ January 12, 2008

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

Reprieve

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action
and rest on our laurels.
We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe.
We are not cured of alcoholism.
What we have is a daily reprieve
contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.
Every day is a day when we must carry the vision
of God's will into all our activities.
"How can I best serve Thee -- Thy will (not mine) be done."
These are thoughts which must go with us constantly.
We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish.
It is the proper use of the will.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 85
^*^*^*^*^
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Thought to Consider . . .
The alcoholic is in no greater peril
than when he takes sobriety for granted.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S W A T  =  Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust.

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

Caring

From "Serving My Brother":

"I frequently ask God to help me watch over my thoughts and words, that they may be the true and proper reflections of our program; to focus my aspirations once again to seek His guidance; to help me be truly kind and loving, helpful and healing, yet always filled with humility, and free from any trace of arrogance."

 1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 29

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
ACCEPTING OUR PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES

        Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they are.  This is to adopt a realistic humility without which no genuine advance can even begin.  Again and again, we shall need to return to that unflattering point of departure.  This is an exercise in acceptance that we can profitably practice every day of our lives.
        Provided we strenuously avoid turning these realistic surveys of the facts of life into unrealistic alibis for apathy or defeatism, they can be the sure foundation upon which increased emotional health and therefore spiritual progress can be built.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  44

        When I am having a difficult time accepting people, places or events, I turn to this passage and it relieves me of many an underlying fear regarding others, or situations life presents me.  The thought allows me to be human and not perfect, and to regain my peace of mind.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Seeking Fool's Gold

Pride is the basic breeder of most human difficulties, the chief block to true progress. Pride lures us into making demands upon ourselves or upon others which cannot be met without perverting or misusing our God-given instincts. When the satisfaction of our instincts for sex, security, and a place in society becomes the primary object of our lives, then pride steps in to justify our excesses.

<<<>>>

I may attain "humility for today" only to the extent that I am able to avoid the bog of guilt and rebellion on one hand and, on the other hand, that fair but deceiving land which is strewn with the fool's-gold coins of pride. This is how I can find and stay on the highroad to humility, which lies between these extremes. Therefore, a constant inventory which can reveal when I am off the road is always in order.

1.TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 48-49 - 2. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an
altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is
very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that
a man's brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then
a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

The longer were in A.A., the more natural this way of life seems. Our old drinking lives were a very unnatural way of living. Our present sober lives are the most natural way we could possibly live. During the early years of our drinking, our lives weren't so different from the lives of a lot of other people. But as we gradually became problem drinkers, our lives became more and more unnatural. Do I realize now that the things I did were far from natural?

Meditation for the Day

I will say thank you to God for everything, even the seeming trials and worries. I will strive to be grateful and humble. My whole attitude toward the Higher Power will be one of gratitude. I will be glad for the things I have received. I will pass on what God reveals to me. I believe that more truths will flow in, as I go along in the new way of life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be grateful for the things I have received and do not deserve. I pray that this gratitude will make me truly humble.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Defense ^*^*^*^*^ January 11, 2008

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

Defense

The alcoholic at certain times
has no effective mental defense against the first drink.
Except in a few rare cases,
neither he nor any other human being
can provide such a defense.
His defense must come from a Higher Power.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 43
^*^*^*^*^
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Thought to Consider
Alcohol ... cunning, baffling, powerful!

. . .
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R =  Spirituality Over Booze Equals Recovery

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

Faith

From "The Belief Will Come":

"I remained dry for a number of years, and then, as you may already have guessed, I drank again. It was inevitable. I had accepted only those parts of the program that fitted into my life without effort on my part. I was still the self-centered egotist I had always been, still full of all my old hatreds, selfishness, and disbelief—just as lacking in maturity as I had been when I first arrived at A.A.

"This time, when I came to in the hospital, I had absolutely no hope. After all, you had told me that A.A. was the last hope for the alcoholic, and I had failed—there was nothing else. At this very point, my sister chose to send me a clipping from a Sunday-school paper. No letter, just the clipping: 'Pray with disbelief; but pray with sincerity; and the belief will come.'"

© 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 47

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE 100% STEP

Only Step One, where we made the 100 percent admission we were powerless over alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  68

Long before I was able to obtain sobriety in A.A., I knew without a doubt that alcohol was killing me, yet even with this knowledge, I was unable to stop drinking.  So, when faced with Step One, I found it easy to admit that I lacked the power to not drink.  But was my life unmanageable?  Never!  Five months after coming into A.A., I was drinking again and wondered why.

Later on, back in A.A. and smarting from my wounds, I learned that Step One is the only Step that can be taken 100%.  And that the only way to take it 100% is to take 100% of the Step.  That was many twenty-four hours ago and I haven't had to take Step One again.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Quantity or Quality

"About this slip business - I would not be too discouraged. I think you are suffering a great deal from a needless guilt. For some reason or other, the Lord has laid out tougher paths for some of us, and I guess you are treading one of them. God is not asking us to be successful. He is only asking us to try to be. That, you surely are doing, and have been doing. So I would not stay away from A.A. through any feeling of discouragement or shame. It's just the place you should be. Why don't you try just as a member? You don't have to carry the whole A.A. on your back, you know!
"It is not always the quantity of good things that you do, it is also the quality that counts.
"Above all, take it one day at a time."

LETTER, 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your
morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still
sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But
obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got. See to it
that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come
to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 164~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When we were drinking, most of us never thought of helping others. We liked to buy drinks for people, because that made us feel like big shots. But we only used others for our own pleasure. To really go out and try to help somebody who needed help never occurred to us. To us, helping others looked like a sucker's game. But when we came into A.A., we began to try to help others. And we found out that helping others made us happy and also helped us to stay sober Have I learned that there is happiness in helping others?

Meditation for the Day

I will pray only for strength and that God's will be done. I will use God's unlimited store of strength for my needs. I will seek God's will for me. I will strive for consciousness of God's presence, for He is the light of the world. I have become a pilgrim, who needs only marching orders and strength and guidance for this day.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may seek God's guidance day by day. I pray that I may strive to abide in God's presence.

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

---

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Courage ^*^*^*^*^ January 10, 2008

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

Courage

I looked around me at people who seemed happy
and tried to analyze their happiness,
and it seemed to me that without exception
these people had something or somebody
they loved very much.
I didn't have the courage to love;
I was not even sure I had the capacity.
Fear of rejection and its ensuing pain were not to be risked . . .
c. 1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 546
(does not appear in 4th Edition)
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . . 

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A  =  Altered Attitudes

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

Cooperation

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"Public relations was not only a big problem but a very delicate one. Any blunders that could arouse general prejudice might prolong the suffering of many and cost the lives of some. A carefully thought-out public relations policy had to be formed and put into operation.

"Prime consideration was given to our relations with medicine and religion. Under no circumstances must we get into competition with either. If we appeared to be a new religious sect, we would certainly be in trouble. And if we moved into the medical field as such, there would be more trouble. So we began to emphasize the fact that A.A. was a way of life that conflicted with no one's religious belief. We let the doctors know how much we needed hospitalization, and we suggested to psychiatrists and drying-out places the advantage of cooperating with us."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 197

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
UNITED WE STAND

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, p.  30

I came to Alcoholics Anonymous because I was no longer able to control my drinking.  It was either my wife's complaining about my drinking, or maybe the sheriff forced me to go to A.A. meetings, or perhaps I knew, deep down inside, that I couldn't drink like others, but I was unwilling to admit it because the alternative terrified me.  Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women united against a common, fatal disease.  Each one of our lives is linked to every other, much like the survivors on a life raft at sea.  If we all work together, we can get safely to shore.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Out of the Dark

Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and grace to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures. With it comes the development of that kind of humility that makes it possible for us to receive God's help. Yet it is only a step. We will want to go further.
We will want the good that is in us all, even in the worst of us, to flower and to grow. But first of all we shall want sunlight; nothing much can grow in the dark. Meditation is our step out into the sun.

<<<>>>

"A clear light seems to fall upon us all - when we open our eyes. Since our blindness is caused by our own defects, we must first deeply realize what they are. Constructive meditation is the first requirement for each new step in our spiritual growth."

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 98 - 2. LETTER, 1946
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going
to believe they are in that class. By every form of self-deception
and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to
the rule, therefore nonalcoholic. If anyone who is showing inability
to control his drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a
gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard
enough and long enough to drink like other people!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When we were drinking, most of us were full of pride and selfishness. We believed we could handle our own affairs, even though we were making a mess of our lives. We were very stubborn and didn't like to take advice. We resented being told what to do. To us, humility looked like weakness. But when we came into A.A., we began to be humble. And we found out that humility gave us the power we needed to overcome drinking. Have I learned that there is power in humility?

Meditation for the Day

I will come to God in faith and He will give me a new way of life. This new way of life will alter my whole existence, the words I speak, the influence I have. They will spring from the life within me. I see how important is the work of a person who has this new way of life. The words and the example of such a person can have a wide influence for good in the world.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may learn the principles of the good life. I pray that I may meditate upon them and work at them, because they are eternal.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Action ^*^*^*^*^ January 9, 2008

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

"Then they outlined the spiritual answer
and program of action
which a hundred of them had followed successfully.
Though I had been only a nominal churchman,
their proposals were not, intellectually, hard to swallow.
But the program of action, though entirely sensible,
was pretty drastic.
It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions
out of the window.
That was not easy.
But the moment I made up my mind
to go through with the process,
I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition
was relieved, as in fact it proved to be."
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 42
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Willingness without action is fantasy.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A C T I O N =  Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 

Solutions

From "The Housewife Who Drank at Home":

"I had problems. We all have them, and I thought a little brandy or a little wine now and then could certainly hurt no one. I don't believe, when I started, that I even had in mind the thought that I was drinking. I had to sleep. I had to clear my mind and free it from worry, and I had to relax. But from one or two drinks of an afternoon or evening, my intake mounted, and mounted fast. It wasn't long before I was drinking all day. I had to have that wine. The only incentive that I had, toward the end, for getting dressed in the morning was to get out and get 'supplies' to help me get my day started. But the only thing that got started was my drinking."

© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 296 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
AN ACT OF PROVIDENCE

It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive drinking that only an act of Providence can remove it from us.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  21

My act of Providence, (a manifestation of divine care and direction), came as I experienced the total bankruptcy of active alcoholism -- everything meaningful in my life was gone.  I telephoned Alcoholics Anonymous and, from that instant, my life has never been the same.  When I reflect on that very special moment, I know that God was working in my life long before I was able to acknowledge and accept spiritual concepts.  The glass was put down through this one act of Providence and my journey into sobriety began.  My life continues to unfold with divine care and direction.  Step One, in which I admitted I was powerless over alcohol, that my life had become unmanageable, takes on more meaning for me -- one day at a time -- in the life-saving, life Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Group and World-Wide Community

The moment Twelfth Step work forms a group, a discovery is made - that most individuals cannot recover unless there is a group. Realization dawns on each member that he is but a small part of a great whole; that no personal sacrifice is too great for preservation of the Fellowship. He learns that the clamor of desires and ambitions within him must be silenced whenever these could damage the group.
It becomes plain that the group must survive or the individual will not.

<<<>>>

"The Lone member at sea, the A.A. at war in a far land - all these members know that they belong to A.A.'s world-wide community, that theirs is only a physical separation, that their fellows may be as near as the next port of call. Ever so importantly, they are certain that God's grace is just as much with them on the high seas or the lonely outpost as it is with them at home."

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 130 - 2. LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on
our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a
subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is
a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual
condition."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When we were drinking, most of us had no real faith in anything. We may have said that we believed in God, but we didn't act as though we did. We never honestly asked God to help us and we never really accepted His help. To us, faith looked like helplessness. But when we came into A.A., we began to have faith in God. And we found out that faith gave us the strength we needed to overcome drinking. Have I learned that there is strength in faith?

Meditation for the Day

I will have faith, no matter what may befall me. I will be patient, even in the midst of troubles. I will not fear the strain of life, because I believe that God knows just what I can bear. I will look to the future with confidence. I know that God will not ask me to bear anything that could overcome or destroy me.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may put this day in the hands of God. I pray for faith, so that nothing will upset me or weaken my determination to stay sober.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

---

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

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