Thoughts For The Day~*~Progress ^*^*^*^*^ April 11, 2009

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

"We claim spiritual progress rather than
spiritual perfection.
Our description of the alcoholic,
the chapter to the agnostic,
and our personal adventures before and after
make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not
manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could
have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 60

Thought to Consider . . .

Every recovery from alcoholism
began with one sober hour.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
BIG BOOK
Believing In God Beats Our Old Knowledge

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

Surrender

From "God Is Good":

"Before A.A., I could not, or would not, admit I was wrong. My pride would not let me. And yet I was ashamed of me. Caught in this conflict, I banished God from my life because I felt He asked me to adhere to a behavior pattern too high for a man of my human frailty. Somehow, I believed that there could be no forgiveness of any failure, that God required me to be all good. The moral of the story of the Prodigal Son eluded me.

"Since I thought trying was not enough, I stopped trying. That made me feel guilty. For a while, alcohol blotted out the guilt. Then alcohol became the greatest cause of my guilt. I had to be beaten to a pulp physically, mentally and emotionally, become bankrupt in all facets of my being, before I could give up my pride and admit defeat. Unfortunately, admitting was not sufficient. My situation got worse until I had to surrender completely. From the depths of my hell, I called out, "Oh God, help," and He led me to a place where I could find a way out of the maze and then sent me a group of people to lead the way."

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg.86

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A WORD TO DROP: "BLAME"

To see how erratic emotions victimized us often took a long time.  We could perceive them quickly in others, but only slowly in ourselves.  First of all, we had to admit that we had many of these defects, even though such disclosures were painful and humiliating.  Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word "blame" from our speech and thought.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  47

When I did my Fourth Step, following the Big Book guidelines, I noticed that my grudge list was filled with my prejudices and my blaming others for my not being able to succeed and to live up to my potential.  I also discovered I felt different because I was black.  As I continued to work on the Step, I learned that I always had drunk to rid myself of those feelings.  It was only when I sobered up and worked on my inventory, that I could no longer blame anyone.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
"The Spiritual Angel"

How often do we sit in A.A. meetings and hear the speaker declare, "But I haven't yet got the spiritual angle." Prior to this statement, he has described a miracle of transformation which has occurred in him--not only his release from alcohol, but a complete change in his whole attitude toward life and the living of it.
It is apparent to everyone else present that he has received a great gift, and that this gift is all out of proportion to anything that may be expected from simple A.A. participation. So we in the audience smile and say to ourselves, "Well, that guy is just reeking with the spiritual angle--except that he doesn't seem to know it yet!"

GRAPEVINE, JULY 1962
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Once more: 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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

In that alcoholic world, one drink always leads to another and you can't stop till you're paralyzed. And the next morning it begins all over again. You eventually land in a hospital or jail. You lose your job. Your home is broken up. You're always in a mess. You're on the merry-go-round and you can't get off. You're in a squirrel cage and you can't get out. Am I convinced that the alcoholic world is not a pleasant place for me to live in?

Meditation for the Day

I must learn to accept self-discipline. I must try never to yield one point that I have already won. I must not let myself go in resentments, hates, fears, pride, lust, or gossip. Even if the discipline keeps me separated from some people who are without discipline, nevertheless I will carry on. I may have different ways and a different standard of living than some others. I may be actuated by different motives than some people. But I will try to live the way I believe God wants me to live, no matter what others say.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be an example to others of a better way of living. I pray that I may carry on in spite of hindrances.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Earnestness^*^*^*^*^ April 10, 2009

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

"An alcoholic in his cups is an unlovely creature.
Our struggles with them are variously
strenuous, comic, and tragic.
One poor chap committed suicide in my home.
He could not, or would not, see our way of life.
There is, however, a vast amount of fun about it all.
I suppose some would be shocked at our
seeming worldliness and levity.
But just underneath there is
deadly earnestness.
Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day
in and through us,
or we perish."
Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 92

Thought to Consider....

Laughter is the sound effect of recovery.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
DEAD
Drinking Ends All Dreams

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

Message

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"Three blocks away from the main office we have a good-sized loft space where all shipping and mailing is done. This activity now runs into tons of material a month. Six busy lads spend full time at it. Last year they shipped about 40,000 books and hundreds of thousands of pamphlets, many of them newly designed and edited largely through the work of Ralph, our consultant on pamphlet literature. They mailed about 30,000 letters and bulletins and did huge quantities of mimeographing. [c. 1959]"

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 207

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
GROWING UP

The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  115

Sometimes when I've become willing to do what I should have been doing all along, I want praise and recognition.  I don't realize that the more I'm willing to act differently, the more exciting my life is.  The more I am willing to help others, the more rewards I receive.  That's what practicing the principles means to me.  Fun and benefits for me are in the willingness to do the actions, not to get immediate results.  Being a little kinder, a little slower to anger, a little more loving makes my life better day by day. 

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Forgotten Mountain

When I was a child, I acquired some of the traits that had a lot to do with my insatiable craving for alcohol. I was brought up in a little town in Vermont, under the shadow of Mount Aeolus. An early recollection is that of looking up at this vast and mysterious mountain, wondering what it meant and whether I could ever climb that high. But I was presently distracted by my aunt who, as a fourth-birthday present, made me a plate of fudge. For the next thirty-five years I pursued the fudge of life and quite forgot about the mountain.
<<< >>>
When self-indulgence is less than ruinous, we have a milder word for it. We call it "taking our comfort."

1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, PP. 52-53
2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 67
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No
person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his
fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers
have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will
control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every
abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing.
Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, Page 30~

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

When I came into A.A., I came into a new world. A sober world. A world of sobriety, peace, serenity, and happiness. But I know that if I take just one drink, I'll go right back into that old world. That alcoholic world. That world of drunkenness, conflict, and misery. That alcoholic world is not a pleasant place for an alcoholic to live in. Looking at the world through the bottom of a whiskey glass is no fun after you've become an alcoholic. Do I want to go back to that alcoholic world?

Meditation for the Day

Pride stands sentinel at the door of the heart and shuts out the love of God. God can only dwell with the humble and the obedient. Obedience to God's will is the key unlocking the door to God's kingdom. You cannot obey God to the best of your ability without in time realizing God's love and responding to that love. The rough stone steps of obedience lead up to where the mosaic floor of love and joy is laid. Where God's spirit is, there is your home. There is heaven for you.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that God may make His home in my humble and obedient heart. I pray that I may obey His guidance to the best of my ability.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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