Thoughts For The Day~*~Vigilance^*^*^*^*^ January 22, 2012

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

Deliver us from temptation
must continue to be a prime ingredient of our every
attitude, practice, and prayer.
When things go well, we must never fall into the error
of believing that no great ill can possibly befall us.
Nor should we accuse ourselves of
"negative thinking" when we insist on facing
the destructive forces in and around us,
both realistically and effectively.
Vigilance will always be the price of survival.
Bill W., November 1960
c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, pp. 316-17
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Thought to Consider . . .

Adversity introduces us to ourselves

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

P E A C E  =  Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.

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

Bottoms

Step Two: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

"Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first? The answer is that few people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless they have hit bottom. For practicing A.A.'s remaining eleven Steps means the adoption of attitudes and actions that almost no alcoholic who is still drinking can dream of taking. Who wishes to be rigorously honest and tolerant? Who wants to confess his faults to another and make restitution for harm done? Who cares anything about a Higher Power, let alone meditation and prayer?"

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 24

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
"LET'S KEEP IT SIMPLE"

A few hours later I took my leave of Dr.  Bob...  The wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this thing up.  Let's keep it simple!'' I turned away, unable to say a word.  That was the last time I ever saw him.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, p.  214

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.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Fear as a Steppingstone

The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear - primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a basis of unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual disturbance and frustration. Therefore, no peace was to be had unless we could find a means of reducing these demands.

<<<>>>

For all its usual destructiveness, we have found that fear can be the starting point for better things. Fear can be a steppingstone to prudence and to a decent respect for others. It can point the path to justice, as well as to hate. And the more we have of respect and justice, the more we shall begin to find the love which can suffer much, and yet be freely given. So fear need not always be destructive, because the lessons of its consequences can lead us to positive values.

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 76 - 2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Another principle we observe carefully is that we do not relate
intimate experiences of another person unless we are sure he would
approve. We find it better, when possible, to stick to our own
stories. A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect
others favorably, but criticism or ridicule coming from another often
produces the contrary effect."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 125
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

In the beginning, you want to get sober, but you're helpless, so you turn to a Power greater than yourself and by trusting in that Power, you get the strength to stop drinking. From then on, you want to keep sober, and that's a matter of reeducating your mind. After a while, you get so that you really enjoy simple, healthy, normal living. You really get a kick out of life without the artificial stimulus of alcohol. All you have to do is to look around at the members of any A.A. group and you will see how their outlook has changed. Is my outlook on life changing?
Meditation for the Day

I will never forget to say thank you to God, even on the grayest days. My attitude will be one of humility and gratitude. Saying thank you to God is a daily practice that is absolutely necessary. If a day is not one of thankfulness, the practice has to be repeated until it becomes so. Gratitude is a necessity for those who seek to live a better life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that gratitude will bring humility. I pray that humility will bring me to live a better, life.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Illusion^*^*^*^*^ January 21, 2012

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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  /AA\
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Illusion

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.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30
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Thought to Consider . . . .

The two most dangerous words
in a recovering alcoholic's vocabulary are, 
"I'm different."

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A  =  Absolute Abstinence

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

Experience

From "More about Alcoholism":

"To us it is not far-fetched, for this kind of thinking has been characteristic of every single one of us. There was always the curious mental phenomenon that parallel with our sound reasoning there inevitably ran some insanely trivial excuse for taking the first drink. Our sound reasoning failed to hold us in check. The insane idea won out. Next day we would ask ourselves, in all earnestness and sincerity, how it could have happened."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 37,
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
SERVING MY BROTHER

The member talks to the newcomer not in a spirit of power but in a spirit of humility and weakness.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE p.  279

As the days pass in A.A., I ask God to guide my thoughts and the words that I speak.  In this labor of continuous participation in the Fellowship, I have numerous opportunities to speak.  So I frequently ask God to help me watch over my thoughts and my 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.

Today I may very well have to deal with disagreeable attitudes or utterances -- the typical stock-in-trade attitude of the still-suffering alcoholic.  If this should happen, I will take a moment to center myself in God, so that I will be able to respond from a perspective of composure, strength and sensibility.

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

"Each of us in turn - that is, the member who gets the most out of the program - spends a very large amount of time on Twelfth Step work in the early years. That was my case, and perhaps I should not have stayed sober with less work.
"However, sooner or later most of us are presented with other obligations - to family, friends, and country. As you will remember, the Twelfth Step also refers to "'practicing these principles in all our affairs." Therefore, I think your choice of whether to take a particular Twelfth Step job is to be found in your own conscience. No one else can tell you for certain what you ought to do at a particular time.
"I just know that you are expected, at some point, to do more than carry the message of A.A. to other alcoholics. In A.A. we aim not only for sobriety - we try again to become citizens of the world that we rejected, and of the world that once rejected us. This is the ultimate demonstration toward which Twelfth Step work is the first but not the final step."

LETTER, 1959
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"'My old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but I would not
exchange its best moments for the worst I have now. I would not go
back to it even if I could.'"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

"Our liquor was but a symptom."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~


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

To grasp the A.A. program, we have to think things out. Saint Paul said: "They are transformed by the renewing of their minds." We have to learn to think straight. We have to change from alcoholic thinking to sober thinking. We must build up a new way of looking at things. Before we came into A.A., we wanted an artificial life of excitement and everything that goes with drinking. That kind of a life looked normal to us then. But as we look back now, that life looks the exact opposite of normal. In fact, it looks most abnormal. We must reeducate our minds. Am I changing from an abnormal thinker to a normal thinker?

Meditation for the Day

I will take the most crowded day without fear. I believe that God is with me and controlling all. I will let confidence be the motif running through all the crowded day. I will not get worried, because I know that God is my helper. Underneath are the everlasting arms. I will rest in them, even though the day is full of things crowding in upon me.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be calm and let nothing upset me. I pray that I may not let material things control me and choke out spiritual things.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Communication^*^*^*^*^ January 20, 2012

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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/AA\
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Communication

From the beginning,
communication in AA has been
no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes.
Because of our kinship in suffering,
and because our common means of deliverance
are effective for ourselves only when constantly
carried to others,
our channels of contact have always been charged
with the language of the heart.
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 195
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Thought to Consider . . .

Listening feeds the spirit.

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

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

 

Obedience

Tradition One: Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.

"Every newcomer, every friend who looks at A.A. for the first time is greatly puzzled. They see liberty verging on license, yet they recognize at once that A.A. has an irresistible strength of purpose and action....The A.A. member has to conform to the principles of recovery. His life depends upon obedience to spiritual principles."

1981, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 129-30

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
"WE PAUSE ...  AND ASK"

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful and ask for the right thought or action.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  87

Today I humbly ask my Higher Power for the grace to find the space between my impulse and my action; to let flow a cooling breeze when I would respond with heat; to interrupt fierceness with gentle peace; to accept the moment which allows judgment to become discernment; to defer to silence when my tongue would rush to attack or defend.

I promise to watch for every opportunity to turn toward my Higher Power for guidance.  I know where this power is: it resides within me, as clear as a mountain brook, hidden in the hills -- it is the unsuspected Inner Resource.

I thank my Higher Power for this world of light and truth I see when I allow it to direct my vision.  I trust it today and hope it trusts me to make all effort to find the right thought or action today.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Light from a Prayer

"God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

<<<>>>

We treasure our "Serenity Prayer" because it brings a new light to us that can dissipate our oldtime and nearly fatal habit of fooling ourselves.
In the radiance of this prayer we see that defeat, rightly accepted, need be no disaster. We now know that we do not have to run away, nor ought we again try to overcome adversity by still another bulldozing power drive that can only push up obstacles before us faster than they can be taken down.

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

"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely,
or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take,
you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be
suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will
conquer."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~

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

In A.A. we're all through with lying, hangovers, remorse, and wasting money. When we were drinking, we were only half alive. Now that we're trying to live decent, honest, unselfish lives, we're really alive. Life has a new meaning for us, so that we can really enjoy it. We feel that we're some use in the world. We're on the right side of the fence, instead of on the wrong side. We can look the world in the face instead of hiding in alleys. We come into A.A. to get sober and if we stay long enough, we learn a new way of living. Am I convinced that no matter how much fun I got out of drinking, that life never was as good as the life I can build in A.A.?

Meditation for the Day

I want to be at one with the Divine Spirit of the universe. I will set my deepest affections on things spiritual, not on things material. As we think, so we are. So I will think of and desire that which will help, not hinder, my spiritual growth. I will try to be at one with God. No human aspiration can reach higher than this.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may think love, and love will surround me. I pray that I may think health, and health will come to me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Choice^*^*^*^*^ January 19, 2012

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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 /AA\
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Choice

The fact is that most alcoholics,
for reasons yet obscure,
have lost the power of choice in drink.
Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent.
We are unable, at certain times,
to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force
the memory of the suffering and humiliation
of even a week or a month ago.
We are without defense against the first drink.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 24
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Thought to Consider . . .
Just for today, I choose not to drink.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A  = Absolute Abstinence

 

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

Diverse

From "What We Need Each Other":

For years, whenever I reflected on Tradition Three ('The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking'), I thought it valuable only to newcomers. It was their guarantee that no one could bar them from A.A. Today I feel enduring gratitude for the spiritual development the Tradition has brought me.  Charlotte, the atheist, showed me higher standards of ethics and honor; Clay, of another race, taught me patience; Winslow, who is gay, led me by example into true compassion; Young Megan says that seeing me at meetings, sober thirty years, keeps her coming back. Tradition Three insured that we would get what we need  each other."

1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 33

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
ROUND-THE-CLOCK FAITH

Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through us, or we perish.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P.  16

The essence of my spirituality, and my sobriety, rests on a round-the-clock faith in a Higher Power.  I need to remember and rely on the God of my understanding as I pursue all of my daily activities.  How comforting for me is the concept that God works in and through people.  As I pause in my day, do I recall specific concrete examples of God's presence?  Am I amazed and uplifted by the number of times this power is evident?  I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my God's presence in my life of recovery.  Without this omnipotent force in my every activity, I would again fall into the depths of my disease -- and death.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Wine of Success

Disagreeable or unexpected problems are not the only ones that call for self-control. We must be quite as careful when we begin to achieve some measure of importance and material success. For no people have ever loved personal triumphs more than we have loved them; we drank of success as of a wine which could never fail to make us-feel elated. Blinded by prideful self-confidence, we were apt to play the big shot.
Now that we're in A.A. and sober, winning back the esteem of our friends and business associates, we find that we still need to exercise special vigilance. As an insurance against the dangers of big-shot-ism, we can often check ourselves by remembering that we are today sober only by the grace of God and that any success we may be having is far more His success than ours.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 91-92
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn't. What was our choice to be?

- Pg. 53 - We Agnostics
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

On the foundation of sobriety, we can build a life of honesty, unselfishness, faith in God, and love of our fellow human beings. We'll never fully reach these goals, but the adventure of building that kind of a life is so much better than the merry-go-round of our old drinking life that there's no comparison. We come into A.A. to get sober, but if we stay long enough we learn a new way of living. We become honest with ourselves and with other people. We learn to think more about others and less about ourselves. And we learn to rely on the constant help of a Higher Power. Am I living the way of honesty, unselfishness, and faith?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that God had already seen my heart's needs before I cried to Him, before I was conscious of those needs myself. I believe that God was already preparing the answer. God does not have to be petitioned with sighs and tears and much speaking before he reluctantly looses the desired help. He has already anticipated my every want and need. I will try to see this, as His plans unfold in my life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may understand my real wants and needs. I pray that my understanding of those needs and wants may help to bring the answer to them.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Housecleaning^*^*^*^*^ January 18, 2012

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

If we skip this vital step [Step Five],
we may not overcome drinking.
Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves
certain facts about their lives.
Trying to avoid this humbling experience,
they have turned to easier methods.
Almost invariably they got drunk.
Having persevered with the rest of the program,
they wondered why they fell.
We think the reason is that they never completed
their housecleaning.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 72-3
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Thought to Consider . . .
There's no elevator, you have to take the Steps.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
N U T S =  Not Using The Steps.

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

Roles

From "Something Was Wrong":

"I had been so elated by that wonderful experience on the road at night that I wanted to stay up in a cloud with God. But this was not to be. It was my place to be down among the suffering alcoholics, not up in a cloud. As long as I keep my feet on the ground, among the suffering, God will come down and remain always with me. -- Glasgow, Scotland"

© 1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 75
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
WOULD A DRINK HELP?

By going back in our own drinking histories, we could show that years before we realized it we were out of control, that our drinking even then was no mere habit, that it was indeed the beginning of a fatal progression.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  23

When I was still drinking, I couldn't respond to any of life's situations the way other, more healthy, people could.  The smallest incident triggered a state of mind that believed I had to have a drink to numb my feelings.  But the numbing did not improve the situation, so I sought further escape in the bottle.  Today I must be aware of my alcoholism.  I cannot afford to believe that I have gained control of my drinking -- or again I will think I have gained control of my life.  Such a feeling of control is fatal to my recovery.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Companion and Partner

"Dr. Bob was my constant companion and partner in the great A.A. adventure. As the physician and great human being that he was, he chose work with others as his prime A.A. vocation and achieved a record which, in quantity and in quality, none will ever surpass. Assisted by the incomparable Sister Ignatia at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, he - without charge - medically treated and spiritually infused five thousand sufferers.

<<<>>>

"In all the stress and strain of A.A.'s pioneering time, no hard word ever passed between us. For this, I can thankfully say that the credit was all his."

<<<>>>

I took my leave of Dr. Bob, knowing that he was to undergo a serious operation. The old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this thing up. Let's keep it simple!" I turned away, unable to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.

1. LETTER, 1966 - 2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 214
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"'There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which
is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in
everlasting ignorance, that principle is contempt prior to
investigation.'"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual
Experience, pg. 568~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

The new life can't be built in a day. we have to take the program slowly, a little at a time. Our subconscious minds have to be reeducated. We have to learn to think differently. We have to get used to sober thinking instead of alcoholic thinking. Anyone who tries it knows that the old alcoholic thinking is apt to come back on us when we least expect it. Building a new life is a slow process, but it can be done if we really follow the A.A. program. Am I building a new life on the foundation of sobriety?

Meditation for the Day

I will pray daily for faith, for it is God's gift. On faith alone depends the answer to my prayers. God gives it to me in response to my prayers, because it is a necessary weapon for me to possess for the overcoming of all adverse conditions and the accomplishment of all good in my life. Therefore, I will work at strengthening my faith.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may so think and live as to feed my faith in God. I pray that my faith may grow because with faith God's power becomes available to me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012