Thoughts For The Day~*~Puzzle ^*^*^ July 1, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Puzzle
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"By nature touchy and suspicious,
the alcoholic likes to be left alone to work out his puzzle,
and he has a convenient way of ignoring the tragedy
which he inflicts meanwhile upon those
who are close to him.
He holds desperately to a conviction that,
although he has not been able to handle alcohol in the past,
he will ultimately succeed in becoming a controlled drinker.
One of medicine's queerest animals,
he is, as often as not, an acutely intelligent person.
He fences with professional men and relatives
who attempt to aid him and he gets a perverse satisfaction
out of tripping them up in argument."
The Jack Alexander Article
From the March 1941 issue of The Saturday Evening Post
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Thought to Consider . . .

There is no such thing as being 'a little bit alcoholic.'

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D E N I A L  =  Don't Even Notice I Am Lying.

*~*~*~*~*^Just For TToday!^*~*~*~*~*
 Blindness

Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

"This lack of anchorage to any permanent values, this blindness to the true purpose of our lives, produced another bad result. For just so long as we were convinced that we could live exclusively by our own individual strength and intelligence, for just that long was a working faith in a Higher Power impossible."

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 72

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE BEST FOR TODAY

The principles we have set down are guides to progress.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 60

Just as a sculptor will use different tools to achieve
desired effects in creating a work of art, in Alcoholics
Anonymous the Twelve Steps are used to bring about results
in my own life. I do not overwhelm my self with life's
problems, and how much more work needs to be done. I let
myself be comforted in knowing that my life is now in the
hands of my Higher Power, a master craftsman who is shaping
each part of my life into a unique work of art. By working
my program I can be satisfied, knowing that "in doing the
best that we can for today, we are doing all that God
asks of us."
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
The Reality of Spiritual Experiences

"Perhaps you raise the question of hallucination verses the divine imagery of a genuine spiritual experience. I doubt if anyone has authoritatively defined what an hallucination really is. However, it is certain that all recipients of spiritual experiences declare for their reality. The best evidence of that reality is in the subsequent fruits. Those who receive these gifts of grace are very much changed people, almost invariably for the better. This can scarcely be said of those who hallucinate.
"Some might think me presumptuous when I say that my own experience is real. Nevertheless, I can surely report that in my own life and in the lives of
countless others, the fruits of that experience have been real, and the
benefactions beyond reckoning."

TALK, 1960
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy,
envy, frustration, and fear."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Employers, pg. 145~

"Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more
alcoholics than anything else."

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

*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*

A.A. Thought for the Day

In following the A.A. program with its twelve steps, we
have the advantage of a better understanding of our problems.
Day after day our sobriety results in the formation of new
habits, normal habits. As each twenty-four-hour period ends,
we find that the business of staying sober is a much less
trying and fearsome ordeal than it seemed in the beginning.
Do I find it easier as I go alone?

Meditation for the Day

Learn daily the lesson of trust and calm in the midst of the
storms of life. Whatever of sorrow or difficulty the day may
bring, God's command to you is the same. Be grateful, humble,
calm, and loving to all people. Leave each soul the better
for having met you or heard you. For all kinds of people,
this should be your attitude: a loving desire to help and an
infectious spirit of calmness and trust in God. You have the
answer to loneliness and fear, which is calm faith in the
goodness and purpose in the universe.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may he calm in the midst of storms. I pray that
I may pass on this calmness to others who are lonely and full
of fear.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Anonymity ^*^*^ June 30, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(   \ (AA)/   )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Anonymity
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"We now fully realize that 100 per cent personal anonymity
before the public is just as vital to the life of AA
as 100 percent sobriety is to the life
of each and every member.
This is not the counsel of fear;
it is the voice of long experience."
1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 293
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Thought to Consider . . .

Walk softly and carry a Big Book.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A N O N Y M O U S  =  
Actions, Not Our Names, Yield Maintenance Of Unity and Service.

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

Aware

From "Bill's Story":

"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."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 12

~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
SACRIFICE UNITY SURVIVAL

The unity, the effectiveness, and even the survival of A.A. will always depend upon our continued willingness to give up some of our personal ambitions and desires for the common safety and welfare. Just as sacrifice means survival for the individual alcoholic, so does sacrifice mean unity and survival for the group and for A.A.'s entire Fellowship.                                 
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 220

I have learned that I must sacrifice some of my personality traits for the good of A.A. and, as a result, I have been rewarded with many gifts. False pride can be inflated through prestige but, by living Tradition Six, I receive the gift of humility instead. Cooperation without affiliation is often deceiving. If I remain unrelated to outside interests, I am free to keep A.A. autonomous. Then the Fellowship will be here, healthy and strong for generations to come.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Imaginary Perfection

When we early A.A.'s got our first glimmer of how spiritually prideful we could be, we coined this expression: "Don't try to be a saint by Thursday!" That oldtime admonition may look like another of those handy alibis that can excuse us from trying for our best. Yet a closer view reveals just the contrary. This is our A.A. way of warning against pride-blindness, and the imaginary perfections that we do not posses.
<<<>>>
Only Step One, where we made the 100 per cent admission that we were
powerless over alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection. The
remaining eleven Steps state perfect ideals. They are goals toward which we look, and the measuring sticks by which we estimate our progress.

1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 68
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"...we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness as
being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all
the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take
them all-every one? If we still cling to something we will not let
go, we ask God to help us be willing."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 76~

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

Alcoholics are unable or unwilling, during their addiction
to alcohol, to live in the present. The result is that they
live in a constant state of remorse and fear because of
their unholy past and its morbid attraction, or the uncertain
future and its vague foreboding. So the only real hope for
the alcoholic is to face the present. Now is the time. Now is
ours. The past is beyond recall. The future is as uncertain
as life itself. Only the now belongs to us. Am I living in
the now?

Meditation for the Day

I must forget the past as much as possible. The past is over
and gone forever. Nothing can be done about the past, except
to make what restitution I can. I must not carry the burden of
my past failures. I must go on in faith. The clouds will clear
and the way will lighten. The path will become less stony with
every forward step I take. God has no reproach for anything
that He has healed. I can be made whole and free, even though
I have wrecked my life in the past. Remember the saying:
"Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more."

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not carry the burden of the past. I pray that
I may cast it off and press on in faith.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Skeletons ^*^*^ June 29, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Skeletons
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"Now and then the family will be plagued
by spectres from the past,
for the drinking career of almost every alcoholic
has been marked by escapades, funny,
humiliating, shameful or tragic.  
The first impulse will be to bury these skeletons
in a dark closet and padlock the door.
The family may be possessed by the idea
that future happiness can be based only
upon forgetfulness of the past.  
We think that such a view is self-centered
and in direct conflict with the new way of living."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 123-4
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Thought to Consider . . .

It's not making a mistake that will kill me.  
It's defending it that does the damage.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R  =  Forever Escaping And Retreating

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Todaay!^*~*~*~*~*

Revelation

From "Shattered Glass":

"The crest of this experience lasted several hours. When I fell into an exhausted sleep, it was with the knowledge that I had at last begun my adjustment to life as an alcoholic. From that moment, things seemed to change from within. Gradually, I could recognize when I was getting in my own way, and I could step aside, for 'Thy will, not mine' had become more than mere words. There have been many times when this revelation has been hard to hold on to, but, little by little, it seems easier every day. My course has become two steps forward, one step backward, two more forward, instead of always complete retreat. The days are too short, and they are seldom dull. Each day is a new challenge to stay sober and to keep moving straight ahead. - Charleston, West Virginia"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 37

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~~*~*
A RIPPLING EFFECT

Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everyone else how. . . . Yes, we of A.A. did dream those dreams.  How natural that was, since most alcoholics are bankrupt idealists. . . . So why shouldn't we share our way of life with everyone?

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 156

The great discovery of sobriety led me to feel the need to spread the "good news" to the world around me.  The grandiose thoughts of my drinking days returned.  Later, I learned that concentrating on my own recovery was a full-time process.  As I became a sober citizen in this world, I observed a rippling effect which, without any conscious effort on my part, reached any "related facility or outside enterprise," without diverting me from my primary purpose of staying sober and helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Community Problem

The answer to the problem of alcoholism seems to be in education in
schoolrooms, in medical colleges, among clergymen and employers, in families, and in the public at large. From cradle to grave, the drunk and the potential alcoholic will have to be completely surrounded by a true and deep understanding and by a continuous barrage of information.
This means factual education, properly presented. Heretofore, much of this education has attacked the immorality of drinking rather than the illness of alcoholism.
Now who is going to do all this education? Obviously, it is both a community job and a job for specialists. Individually, we A.A.'s can help, but A.A. as such cannot, and should not, get directly into this field. Therefore, we must rely on other agencies, on outside friends and their willingness to supply great amounts of money and effort.

GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1958
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"When you discover a prospect for Alcoholics Anonymous, find out all
you can about him. If he does not want to stop drinking, don't
waste time trying to persuade him. You may spoil a later opportunity."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 90

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

The program of Alcoholics Anonymous involves a continuous
striving for improvement. There can be no long resting
period. We must try to work at it all the time. We must
continually keep in mind that it is a program not to be
measured in years, because we never fully reach our goals
nor are we ever cured. Our alcoholism is only kept in
abeyance by daily living of the program. It is a timeless
program in every sense. We live it day by day, or more
precisely, moment by moment - now. Am I always striving
for improvement?

Meditation for the Day

Life is all a preparation for something better to come.
God has a plan for your life and it will work out, if you
try to do His will. God has things planned for you, far
beyond what you can imagine now. But you must prepare
yourself so that you will be ready for the better things
to come. Now is the time for discipline and prayer. The
time of expression will come later. Life can be flooded
through and through with joy and gladness. So prepare
yourself for those better things to come.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may prepare myself for better things that
God has in store for me. I pray that I may trust God for
the future.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Powerless ^*^*^June 27, 2012

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Powerless
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"Most certainly I was powerless over alcohol,
and for me, my life had become unmanageable.
It wasn't how far I had gone, but where I was headed.
It was important to me to see what alcohol had done to me
and would continue to do if I didn't have help.
At first it was a shock to realize I was an alcoholic,
but the realization that there was hope made it easier.
The baffling problem of getting drunk
when I had every intention of staying sober was simplified.
It was a great relief to know I didn't have to drink any more."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 379
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Thought to Consider . . .

Just because I'm powerless
does not mean that I am helpless.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E  =  Happy Our Program Exists

*~*~*~*~*^Just For TToday!^*~*~*~*~*

Faith

From "God is Good":

"To go along with this deep-seated belief in God, I have developed an enormous faith in God. He is good. My understanding is that everything He sends my way is for my benefit. But the growth of this understanding has taken time, as well as a relinquishing of my resistance to change. I needed the trials and tribulations I have had, so that I could surrender and give up self. Only in complete acceptance of the utter defeat of my pride and ego could I begin to win."

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pgs. 86-87

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
CONFORMING TO THE A.A. WAY

We obey A.A.'s Steps and Traditions because we really want them for ourselves.   It is no longer a question of good or evil; we conform because we genuinely want to conform.  Such is our process of growth in unity and function.   Such is the evidence of God's grace and love among us.

A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 106

It is fun to watch myself grow in A.A.  I fought conformity to A.A. principles from the moment I entered, but I learned from the pain of my belligerence that, in choosing to live the A.A. way of life, I opened myself to God's grace and love.  Then I began to know the full meaning of being a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Down to Earth

Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make-believe have eventually seen the childishness of it. This dream world has been replaced by a great sense of purpose, accompanied by a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives.

We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be planted on earth. That is where our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work must be done. There are the realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 130
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be
able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for
inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take
it easy. We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right
answers come after we have tried this for a while."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

If you can take your troubles as they come, if you can
maintain your calm and composure amid pressing duties and
unending engagements, if you can rise above the distressing
and disturbing circumstances in which you are set down, you
have discovered a priceless secret of daily living. Even if
you are forced to go through life weighed down by some
inescapable misfortune or handicap and yet live each day as
it comes with poise and peace of mind, you have succeeded
where most people have failed. You have wrought a greater
achievement than a person who rules a nation. Have I achieved
poise and peace of mind?

Meditation for the Day

Take a blessing with you wherever you go. You have been
blessed, so bless others. Such stores of blessings are
awaiting you in the months and years that lie ahead. Pass
on your blessings. Blessing can and does go around the world,
passed on from one person to another. Shed a little blessing
in the heart of one person. That person is cheered to pass it
on, and so, God's vitalizing, joy-giving message travels on.
Be a transmitter of God's blessings.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may pass on my blessings. I pray that they may
flow into the lives of others.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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