Saturday, January 14, 2012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Fear ^*^*^*^*^ January 15, 2012

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

(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(
AA)/  )
(_   /
AA
\ _)
  /
AA\

^*^*^*^*^

Fear

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 to this emotion --
well or badly, as the case may be.
Only the self-deceived will claim perfect freedom from fear.
Bill W., Grapevine, January 1962
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It,  p. 263
^*^*^*^*^
 
Thought to Consider . . .
C
ourage is the willingness to accept fear and act anyway.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R =  Face Everything And Recover


*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Paradox
Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol , that our lives had become unmanageable.

"We had approached A.A. expecting to be taught self-confidence. Then we had been told that so far as alcohol is concerned, self-confidence was no good whatever; in fact, it was a total liability. Our sponsors declared that we were the victims of a mental obsession so subtly powerful that no amount of human willpower could break it. There was, they said, no such thing as the personal conquest of this compulsion by the unaided will.  The tyrant alcohol wielded a double-edged sword over us: first we were smitten by an insane urge that condemned us to go on drinking, and then by an allergy of the body that insured we would ultimately destroy ourselves in the process. Few indeed were those who, so assailed, had ever won through in single-handed combat."

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 22

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
AN UNSUSPECTED INNER RESOURCE

With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp.  569-70

From my first days in A.A., as I struggled for sobriety, I found hope in these words from our founders.  I often pondered the phrase: "they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource."  How, I asked myself, can I find the Power within myself, since I am so powerless?  In time, as the founders promised, it came to me: I have always had the choice between goodness and evil, between unselfishness and selfishness, between serenity and fear.  That Power greater than myself is an original gift that I did not recognize until I achieved daily sobriety through living A.A.'s Twelve Steps.


Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Eternal Values

Many people will have no truck at all with absolute spiritual values. Perfectionists, they say, are either full of conceit because they fancy they have reached some impossible goal, or else they are swamped in self-condemnation because they have not done so.
Yet I think that we should not hold this view. It is not the fault of great ideals that they are sometimes misused and so become shallow excuses for guilt, rebellion, and pride. On the contrary, we cannot grow very much unless we constantly try to envision what the eternal spiritual values are.

<<<>>>

"Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection. So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon, light-years away, that draws us on."

1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961 - 2. LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Some day we hope that Alcoholics Anonymous will help the public to
a better realization of the gravity of the alcoholic problem, but we
shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or
hostility. Drinkers will not stand for it.

After all, our problems were of our own making. Bottles were only a
symbol. Besides, we have stopped fighting anybody or anything. We
have to!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 103~
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

The A.A. program is a way of life. It's a way of living and we have to learn to live the program if we're going to stay sober. The twelve steps in the book are like guide-posts. They point the direction in which we have to go. But all members of the group have to find their own best way to live the program. We don't all do it exactly alike. Whether by quiet times in the morning, meetings, working with others, or spreading the word, we have to learn to live the program. Has the A.A. way become my regular, natural way of living?

Meditation for the Day

I will relax and not get tense. I will have no fear, because everything will work out in the end. I will learn soul-balance and poise in a vacillating, changing world. I will claim God's power and use it because if I do not use it, it will be withdrawn. As long as I get back to God and replenish my strength after each task, no work can be too much.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may relax and that God's strength will be given to me. I pray that I may subject my will to God's will and be free from all tenseness.


Friday, January 13, 2012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Unity ^*^*^*^*^ January 14, 2012

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

Unity

In many self-governing countries we are now seeing
the inroads of ignorance, apathy, and power-seeking
upon democratic systems.
Their spiritual resources of right purpose
and collective intelligence are waning.
Consequently, many a land has become so helpless
that the only answer is dictatorship.
Happily for us, there seems little prospect
of such a calamity in AA.
The life of each individual and of each group
is built around our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.
We very well know that the penalty for
extensive disobedience to these principles
is death for the individual and dissolution for the group.
An even greater force for AA's unity is in the compelling love
that we have for our fellow members and for the principles
upon which our lives today are founded.
Bill W.

c. 1962 AAWS, Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th printing,  p. 8
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
Only those who see the invisible
can accomplish the impossible.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M =  People Relying On God Relay A Message

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

Quitting
From "More about Alcoholism":

"Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our drinking careers most of us could have stopped drinking. But the difficulty is that few alcoholics have enough desire to stop while there is yet time."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 33

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
NO REGRETS

We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.


ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  83

Once I became sober, I began to see how wasteful my life had been and I experienced overwhelming guilt and feelings of regret.  The program's Fourth and Fifth Steps assisted me enormously in healing those troubling regrets.  I learned that my self-centeredness and dishonesty stemmed largely from my drinking and that I drank because I was an alcoholic.  Now I see how even my most distasteful past experiences can turn to gold because, as a sober alcoholic, I can share them to help my fellow alcoholics, particularly newcomers.  Sober for several years in A.A., I no longer regret the past; I am simply grateful to be conscious of God's love and of the help I can give to others in the Fellowship.


Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*
~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Newcomer Problems

The temptation is to become rather possessive of newcomers. Perhaps we try to give them advice about their affairs which we aren't really competent to give or ought not give at all. Then we are hurt and confused when the advice is rejected, or when it is accepted and brings still greater confusion.

<<<>>>

"You can't make a horse drink water if he still prefers beer or is too crazy to know what he does want. Set a pail of water beside him, tell him how good it is and why, and leave him alone.
"If people really want to get drunk, there is, so far as I know, no way of stopping this - so leave them alone and let them get drunk. But don't exclude them from the water pail, either."

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 111 - 2. LETTER, 1942
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"When ready, we say something like this: 'My Creator, I am now
willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you
now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in
the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as
I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.' We have then
completed Step Seven."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 76~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When we first came into A.A., a sober life seemed strange. We wondered what life could possibly be like without ever taking a drink. At first, a sober life seemed unnatural. But the longer we're in A.A., the more natural this way of life seems. And now we know that the life we're living in A.A., the sobriety, the fellowship, the faith in God, and the trying to help each other, is the most natural way we could possibly live. Do I believe it's the way God wants me to live?

Meditation for the Day

I will learn to overcome myself, because every blow to selfishness is used to shape the real, eternal, unperishable me. As I overcome myself, I gain that power which God releases in my soul. And I too will be victorious. It is not the difficulties of life that I have to conquer, so much as my own selfishness.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may obey God and walk with Him and listen to Him. I pray that I may strive to overcome my own selfishness.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Reprieve ^*^*^*^*^ January 12, 2012

~*~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 . . .
T
he 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

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Satisfaction ^*^*^*^*^ January 13, 2012

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

^*^*^*^*^

Satisfaction

No satisfaction has been deeper
and no joy greater than in a Twelfth Step job well done.
To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder
as they move from darkness into light,
to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning,
to see whole families reassembled,
to see the alcoholic outcast received back
into his community in full citizenship,
and above all to watch these people awaken
to the presence of a loving God in their lives --
these things are the substance of what we receive
as we carry AA's message to the next alcoholic.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 110
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
I keep my sobriety by giving it away.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E =  Comforting And Reassuring Each other

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

 
Better
From "Getting active:"
 
"After our first month's sobriety, many of us
notice a distinct difference.  After three months,
our minds seem still clearer.  And during our
second year of recovery, the change is striking. 
More mental energy seems available to us than
ever before."
 
c. 1975, Living Sober, page 16
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT

     
    We are not cured of alcoholism.  What we really have is a daily
        reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  85        

The most common alcoholic fantasy seems to be: "If I just don't
        drink, everything will be all right." Once the fog cleared for me, I
        saw -- for the first time -- the mess my life had become.  I had family,
        work, financial and legal problems; I was hung up on old religious
        ideas; there were sides of my character to which I was inclined to stay blind because they easily could have convinced me that I was hopeless and pushed me toward escape again.  The Big Book guided me in
        resolving all of my problems.  But it didn't happen overnight -- and
        certainly not automatically -- with no effort on my part.  I need always to recognize God's mercy and blessings that shine through any problem
        I have to face.


Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
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.

<<<>>>

Faith is more than our greatest gift; its sharing with others is our greatest responsibility. May we of A.A. continually seek the wisdom and the willingness by which we may well fulfill that immense trust which the Giver of all perfect gifts has placed in our hands.


1. SERVICE MANUAL, p. 5 - 2. GRAPEVINE, APRIL 1961
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by
which faith can be acquired. If what we have learned and felt and
seen means anything at all, it means that all of us, whatever our
race, creed, or color are the children of a living Creator with whom
we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as
soon as we are willing and honest enough to try."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 28~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When we were drinking, we were living an unnatural life physically and mentally. We were punishing our bodies by loading them with alcohol. We didn't eat enough and we ate the wrong things. We didn't get enough sleep or the right kind of rest. We were ruining ourselves physically. We had an alcoholic obsession and we couldn't imagine life without alcohol. We kept imagining all kinds of crazy things about ourselves and about other people. We were ruining ourselves mentally. Since I came into A.A., am I getting better physically and mentally?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that my life is being refined like gold in a crucible. Gold does not stay in the crucible, only until it is refined. I will never despair or be despondent. I now have friends who long for me to conquer. If I should err or fail, it would cause pain and disappointment to them. I will keep trying to live a better life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may always call on God's strength, while the gold of my life is being refined. I pray that I may see it through, with God's help.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012