Thoughts For The Day~*~Entirely Ready^*^*^*^*^ February 19, 2012

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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/AA\
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Entirely Ready
It is plain for everybody to see that each sober AA member
has been granted a release from this very obstinate
and fatal obsession.
So in a very complete and literal way,
all AA's have "become entirely ready"
to have God remove the mania for alcohol from their lives.
And God has proceeded to do just that.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 64
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Thought to Consider . . .

I stood in the sunlight at last.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S =  Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

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

Faith

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

"Therefore, Step Two is the rallying point for all of us. Whether agnostic, atheist, or former believer, we can stand together on this Step. True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every A.A. meeting is an assurance that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselves to Him."

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 33

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
I'M NOT DIFFERENT

In the beginning, it was four whole years before A.A.  brought permanent sobriety to even one alcoholic woman.  Like the "high bottoms, " the women said they were different;  .  .  .  The Skid-Rower said he was different .  .  .  so did the artists and the professional people, the rich, the poor, the religious, the agnostic, the Indians and the Eskimos, the veterans, and the prisoners.  .  .  .  nowadays all of these, and legions more, soberly talk about how very much alike all of us alcoholics are when we admit that the chips are finally down.

AS BILL SEES IT, p.  24

I cannot consider myself "different" in A.A.; if I do I isolate myself from others and from contact with my Higher Power.  If I feel isolated in A.A., it is not something for which others are responsible.  It is something I've created by feeling I'm "different" in some way.  Today I practice being just another alcoholic in the worldwide Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
A.A.: Benign Anarchy and Democracy

When we come into A.A. we find a greater personal freedom than any other society knows. We cannot be compelled to do anything. In that sense our Society is a benign anarchy. The word "anarchy" has a bad meaning to most of us. But I think that the idealist who first advocated the concept felt that if only men were granted absolute liberty, and were compelled to obey no one, they would then voluntarily associate themselves in the common interest. A.A. is an association of the benign sort he envisioned.
But when we had to go into action - to function as groups - we discovered that we also had to become a democracy. As our oldtimers retired, we therefore began to elect our trusted servants by majority vote. Each group in this sense became a town meeting. All plans for group action had to be approved by the majority. This meant that no single individual could appoint himself to act for his group or for A.A. as a whole. Neither dictatorship nor paternalism was for us.

A.A. COMES OF AGE, pp. 224-225
Copyright1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"If there be divorce or separation, there should be no undue haste
for the couple to get together. The man should be sure of his
recovery. The wife should fully understand his new way of life. If
their old relationship is to be resumed it must be on a better basis,
since the former did not work. This means a new attitude and spirit
all around. Sometimes it is to the best interests of all concerned
that a couple remain apart. Obviously, no rule can be laid down.
Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day. When the time for
living together has come, it will be apparent to both parties."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, Page 99
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Many things we do in A.A. are in preparation for that crucial moment when, walking down the street on a nice sunshiny day, we see a nice cool cocktail lounge and the idea of having a drink pops into our minds. If we've trained our minds so that we're well prepared for that crucial moment, we won't take that first drink. In other words, if we've done our A.A. homework well, we won't slip when temptation comes. In preparation for that crucial moment when I'll be tempted, will I keep in mind the fact that liquor is my enemy?

Meditation for the Day

How many of the world's prayers have gone unanswered because those who prayed did not endure to the end? They thought it was too late, that they must act for themselves, that God was not going to guide them. "He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." Can I endure to the very end? If so, I shall be saved. I will try to endure with courage. If I endure, God will unlock those secret spiritual treasures that are hidden from those who do not endure to the end.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may follow God's guidance, so that spiritual success shall be mine. I pray that I may never doubt the power of God and so take things into my own hands.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~AA Unity^*^*^*^*^ February 18, 2012

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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AA Unity
Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety,
never yet has this Fellowship had to struggle
for lost unity.
Consequently, we sometimes take this one great gift
for granted.
We forget that, should we lose our unity,
the millions of alcoholics who still "do not know"
might never get their chance.
Bill W., Letter, 1949
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It,  p. 297
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Thought to Consider . . .

We can make a difference.
Without you, there is no 'we.'

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A's - R - U S  =  Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Unity Service

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

Paybacks

From "Into Action":

"Most alcoholics owe money. We do not dodge our creditors. Telling them what we are trying to do, we make no bones about our drinking; they usually know it anyway, whether we think so or not. Nor are we afraid of disclosing our alcoholism on the theory it may cause financial harm. Approached in this way, the most ruthless creditor will sometimes surprise us. ... [W]e let these people know we are sorry. Our drinking has made us slow to pay. We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are afraid to face them."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 78

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
OUR PATHS ARE OUR OWN

.  .  .  there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  25

My first attempt at the Steps was one of obligation and necessity, which resulted in a deep feeling of discouragement in the face of all those adverbs: courageously; completely; humbly; directly; and only.  I considered Bill W. fortunate to have gone through such a major, even sensational, spiritual experience.  I had to discover, as time went on, that my path was my own.  After a few twenty-four hours in the A.A. Fellowship, thanks especially to the sharing of members in the meetings, I understood that everyone gradually finds his or her own pace in moving through the Steps.  Through progressive means, I try to live according to these suggested principles.  As a result of these Steps, I can say today that my attitude towards life, people, and towards anything having to do with God, has been transformed and improved.

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

If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that some day we will be immune to alcohol.

<<<>>>

Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one's old life as a condition for finding a new one.

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 33 - 2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 46
Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, 'Why
don't you choose your own conception of God?'

That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain
in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the
sunlight at last.

It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater
than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning.
I saw that growth could start from that point."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 12~

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

After I became an alcoholic, alcohol poisoned my love for my family and friends, it poisoned my ambition, it poisoned my self respect. it poisoned my whole life, until I met A.A. My life is happier now than it has been for a long time. I don't want to commit suicide. So with the help of God and A.A., I'm not going to take any more of that alcoholic poison into my system. And I'm going to keep training my mind never even to think of liquor again in any way except as a poison. Do I believe that liquor will poison my life if I ever touch it again?

Meditation for the Day

I will link up my frail nature with the limitless Divine Power. I will link my life with the Divine Force for Good in the world. It is not the passionate appeal that gains the Divine attention as much as the quiet placing of the difficulty and worry in the Divine Hands. So I will trust God like a child who places its tangled skein of wool in the hands of a loving parent to unravel. We please God more by our unquestioning confidence than by imploring Him for help.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may put all my difficulties in God's hands and leave them there. I pray that I may fully trust God to take care of them.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~A New Life^*^*^*^*^ February 17, 2012

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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A New Life
Life will take on a new meaning.
To watch people recover, to see them help others,
to watch loneliness vanish,
to see a fellowship grow up about you,
to have a host of friends --
this is an experience you must not miss.
We know you will not want to miss it.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 89
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Thought to Consider . . .

Break out of your shell and join us!

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E E L  =  Feel, Experience, Express, Let go

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

God's Help

From "Another Prodigal Story":

"I know I am an alcoholic and while I used to call on God to help me, my conclusion is that I was simply asking God to help me drink alcohol without its hurting me, which is a far different thing than asking him [sic] to help me not to drink at all."

2005, AAWS, Inc.; Experience, Strength & Hope, pg. 113

 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*

THE LOVE IN THEIR EYES

Some of us won't believe in God, others can't, and still others who do believe that God exists have no faith whatever He will perform this miracle.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  25

It was the changes I saw in the new people who came into the Fellowship that helped me lose my fear, and change my negative attitude to a positive one.  I could see the love in their eyes and I was impressed by how much their "One Day at a Time" sobriety meant to them.  They had looked squarely at Step Two and came to believe that a power greater than themselves was restoring them to sanity.  That gave me faith in the Fellowship, and hope that it could work for me too.  I found that God was a loving God, not that punishing God I feared before coming to A.A.  I also found that He had been with me during all those times I had been in trouble before I came to A.A.  I know today that He was the one who led me to A.A. and that I am a miracle.

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

When a drunk has a terrific hangover because he drank heavily yesterday, he cannot live well today. But there is another kind of hangover which we all experience whether we are drinking or not. That is the emotional hangover, the direct result of yesterday's and sometimes today's excesses of negative emotion - anger, fear, jealousy, and the like.
If we would live serenely today and tomorrow, we certainly need to eliminate these hangovers. This doesn't mean we need to wander morbidly around in the past. It requires an admission and correction of errors - now.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 88-89
Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

Alcohol is poison to the alcoholic. Poison is not too strong a word, because alcoholism leads eventually to the death of the alcoholic. It may be a quick death or a slow death. When we go by package stores and see various kinds of liquor all dressed up in fancy packages to make it look attractive, we should always make it a point to say to ourselves so we'll never forget it: "That stuffs all poison to me." And it is. Alcohol poisoned our lives for a long time. Do I know that since I'm an alcoholic all liquor is poison to me?

Meditation for the Day

I must somehow find the means of coming nearer to God. That is what really matters. I must somehow seek the true bread of life, which is communion with Him. I must grasp for the truth at the center of all worship. This central truth is all that matters. All forms of worship have this communion with God as their purpose and goal.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may meet God in quiet communion. I pray that I may partake of the soul-food that God has provided for me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Cheerfulness^*^*^*^*^ February 16, 2012

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Cheerfulness
But we aren't a glum lot. . .
We absolutely insist on enjoying life. . .
So we think cheerfulness and laughter
make for usefulness.
Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we
burst into merriment over a seemingly tragic
experience out of the past.
But why shouldn't we laugh?
We have recovered,
and have been given the power to help others.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 132
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Thought to Consider . . .

Laughter is the sound of recovery.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B E S T  =  Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?

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

Change

From "A Glacier Melts":

"I had thought I was happy in that first eighteen months of sobriety, but now everything began to look brighter; people seemed nicer; and I had moments of tremendous insight. It was as if words and sentences I had heard all my life had a deeper meaning and were reaching my feelings, rather than my intellect. It was as if my head and my heart finally had gotten glued together. I no longer seemed like two people in one, engaging in a tug of war. I experienced within this six-week period a feeling of being totally forgiven, and never since have I felt the guilt that I had throughout my life prior to that time. More than once, I had as sense of Presence which I can describe only as being marvelously warm, uplifting, and comfortable."

1973 AAWS, Inc., printed 2004; Came to Believe, pg. 58

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
COMMITMENT

Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  125

There came a time in my program of recovery when the third stanza of the Serenity Prayer -- "The wisdom to know the difference" -- became indelibly imprinted in my mind.  From that time on, I had to face the ever-present knowledge that my every action, word and thought was within, or outside, the principles of the program.  I could no longer hide behind self-rationalization, nor behind the insanity of my disease.  The only course open to me, if I was to attain a joyous life for myself (and subsequently for those I love), was one in which I imposed on myself an effort of commitment, discipline, and responsibility.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Seeing Is Believing

The Wright brothers' almost childish faith that they could build a machine which would fly was the mainspring of their accomplishment. Without that, nothing could have happened.
We agnostics and atheists were sticking to the idea that self-sufficiency would solve our problems. When others showed us that God-sufficiency worked with them, we began to feel like those who had insisted the Wrights would never fly. We were seeing another kind of flight, a spiritual liberation from this world, people who rose above their problems.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 52-53, 55
Copyright 1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

One drink started a train of thought that became an obsession, and from then on, we couldn't stop drinking. We developed a mental compulsion to keep drinking until we got good and drunk. People generally make two mistakes about alcoholism. One mistake is that it can be cured by physical treatment only. The other mistake is that it can be cured by willpower only. Most alcoholics have tried both of these ways and have found that they don't work. But we members of A.A. have found a way to arrest alcoholism. Have I gotten over my obsession by following the A.A. program?

Meditation for the Day

I will try to be unruffled, no matter what happens. I will keep my emotions in check, although others about me are letting theirs go. I will keep calm in the face of disturbance, keep that deep, inner calm through all the experiences of the day. In the rush of work and worry, the deep, inner silence is necessary to keep me on an even keel. I must learn to take the calm with me into the most hurried days.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be still and commune with God. I pray that I may learn patience, humility, and peace.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

Thoughts For The Day~*~Children of Chaos^*^*^*^*^ February 15, 2012

View  *-=| Best Home Groups |=-

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Children of Chaos
Over the years, every conceivable deviation
from our Twelve Steps and Traditions has been tried.
That was sure to be,
since we are largely a band of ego-driven individuals.
Children of chaos, we have definitely played
with every brand of fire,
only to emerge unharmed and, we think, wiser.
These very deviations created a vast process
of trial and error which, under the grace of God,
has brought us to where we stand today.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 146
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Thought to Consider . . .

Once we clear a hurdle, it doesn't seem so high

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A O S =  Can't Handle Another Overwhelming Situation

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

 

Accept

From "'The Belief Will Come'":

"I don't recall any immediate, dramatic change in my life.  I began rereading the Big Book and the Twelve Steps, and now I found in these much that I had never found before. I didn't reject any of it. I accepted it just as it was written. Nor did I read into it anything that wasn't there.

"Again, nothing changed overnight. But, as time has passed, I have acquired a blind and, yes, childlike faith that, by accepting a God I don't understand and the program of A.A. just as it is written, I can maintain my sobriety one day at a time."

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

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
TAKING ACTION

Are these extravagant promises?  We think not.  They are being fulfilled among us-sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.  They will always materialize if we work for them.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  84

One of the most important things A.A.  has given me, in addition to freedom from booze, is the ability to take "right action."  It says the promises will always materialize if I work for them.  Fantasizing about them, debating them, preaching about them and faking them just won't work.  I'll remain a miserable, rationalizing dry drunk.  By taking action and working the Twelve Steps in all my affairs, I'll have a life beyond my wildest dreams.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
True Ambition - and False

We have had a much keener look at ourselves and those about us. We have seen that we were prodded by unreasonable fears or anxieties into making a life business of winning fame, money, and what we thought was leadership. So false pride became the reverse side of that ruinous coin marked "Fear." We simply had to be Number One people to cover up our deep-lying inferiorities.

<<<>>>

True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the profound desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God

TWELVE AND TWELVE1. p. 123 - 2. pp. 124-125
Copyright 1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man,
woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured
by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form
or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and
miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as
old as man himself."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 55~

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

If alcoholism were just a physical allergy, like asthma or hay fever, it would be easy for us, by taking a skin test with alcohol, to find out whether or not we're alcoholics. But alcoholism is not just a physical allergy. It's also a mental allergy or obsession. After we've become alcoholics, we can still tolerate alcohol physically for quite a while, although we suffer a little more after each binge and each time it takes a little longer to get over the hangovers. Do I realize that since I have become an alcoholic, I cannot tolerate alcohol mentally at all?

Meditation for the Day

The world doesn't need super men or women, but supernatural people. People who will turn the self out of their lives and let Divine Power work through them. Let inspiration take the place of aspiration. Seek to grow spiritually, rather than to acquire fame and riches. Our chief ambition should be to be used by God. The Divine Force is sufficient for all the spiritual work in the world. God only needs the instruments for His use. His instruments can remake the world.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be an instrument of the Divine Power. I pray that I may do my share in remaking the world.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012