Thoughts For The Day~*~Self-Restraint ^*^*^ August 11, 2013

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Self-Restraint
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"We enjoy certain inherent advantages
which should make our task of self-restraint
relatively easy.
There is no really good reason for anyone to object
if a great many drunks get sober.
Nearly everyone can agree that this is a good thing.
If, in the process, we are forced to develop
a certain amount of honesty, humility, and tolerance,
who is going to kick about that?
If we recognize that religion is the province of the clergy
and the practice of medicine is for doctors,
we can helpfully cooperate with both.
Certainly there is little basis for controversy in these areas.
It is a fact that AA has not the slightest reform
or political complexion.
We try to pay our own expenses,
and we strictly mind our single purpose."
- Bill W.
1962AAWS, Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th Printing, p. 69
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Thought to Consider . . .

We are not living just to be sober;
we are living to learn, to serve, and to love.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S W A T  =  Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, and Trust

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

So Touchy

From: "We Agnostics" 

Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith, we often found ourselves handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning prejudice. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things made us bristle with antagonism. This sort of thinking had to be abandoned. Though some of us resisted, we found no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings. Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness. Sometimes this was a tedious process; we hope no one else will be prejudiced for as long as some of us were. 

2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 47-48

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
REMOVING "THE GROUND GLASS"

The moral inventory is a cool examination of the damages that occurred to us during life and a sincere effort to look at them in a true perspective.  This has the effect of taking the ground glass out of us, the emotional substance that still cuts and inhibits.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 140

My Eighth Step list used to drag me into a whirlpool of resentment.  After four years of sobriety, I was blocked by denial connected with an ongoing abusive relationship.  The argument between fear and pride eased as the words of the Step moved from my head to my heart.  For the first time in years I opened my box of paints and poured out an honest rage, an explosion of reds and blacks and yellows.  As I looked at the drawing, tears of joy and relief flowed down my cheeks.  In my disease, I had given up my art, a self-inflicted punishment far greater than any imposed from outside.  In my recovery, I learned that the pain of my defects is the very substance God uses to cleanse my character and to set me free.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
One Fellowship - Many Faiths

As a society we must never become so vain as to suppose that we are authors and inventors of a new religion. We will humbly reflect that every one of A.A.'s principles has been borrowed from ancient sources.

<<<>>>

A minister in Thailand wrote, "We took A.A.'s Twelve Steps to the largest Buddhist monastery in this province, and the head priest said, 'Why, these Steps are fine! For us as Buddhists, it might be slightly more acceptable if you had inserted the word 'good' in your Steps instead of 'God.' Nevertheless, you say that it is God as you understand Him, and that must certainly include the good. Yes, A.A.'s Twelve Steps will surely be accepted by the Buddhists around here."

<<<>>>

St. Louis oldtimers recall how Father Edward Dowling helped start their group; it turned out to be largely Protestant, but this fazed him not a bit.

A.A. COMES OF AGE - 1. p. 231 - 2. p. 81 - 3. p. 37
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

"While alcoholics keep strictly away from drink, they react
to life much like other people. But the first drink sets
the terrible cycle in motion. Alcoholics usually have no
idea why they take the first drink. Some drinkers have
excuses with which they are satisfied, but in their hearts
they really do not know why they do it. The truth is that
at some point in their drinking they have passed into a
state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is
of no avail." Am I satisfied that I have passed my tolerance
point for alcohol?

Meditation for the Day

He who made the ordered world out of chaos and set the stars
in their courses and made each plant to know its season, He
can bring peace and order out of your private chaos if you
will let Him. God is watching over you, too, to bless you and
care for you. Out of the darkness He is leading you to light,
out of unrest to rest, out of disorder to order, out of
faults and failure to success. You belong to God and your
affairs are His affairs and can be ordered by Him if you
are willing.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be led out of disorder into order. I pray
that I may be led out of failure into success.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Higher Power ^*^*^ August 10, 2013

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Higher Power
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"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."
- Bill W.
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12
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Thought to Consider . . .

Willpower ... our will-ingness to use a Higher Power.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B I G   B O O K  =  Believing In God Beats Our Old Knowledge

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 

Solo

From "Source of Strength":

"I would tell a friend of mine, who was having the same problems, that I prayed to God not to take a drink today and not to get married today. It was a sort of pact. I was very serious about this. I couldn't seem to handle romance and God too well at the same time. And God did start to give me the strength that I had always thought would come from the man in my life. "New York, New York, USA"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pgs. 102-03 

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
REDOUBLING OUR EFFORTS

To a degree, he has already done this when taking moral inventory, but now the time has come when he ought to redouble his efforts to see how many people he has hurt, and in what ways.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 77

As I continue to grow in sobriety, I become more aware of myself as a person of worth.  In the process, I am better able to see others as persons, and with this comes the realization that these were people whom I had hurt in my drinking days.  I didn't just lie, I lied about Tom.  I didn't just cheat, I cheated Joe.  What were seemingly impersonal acts, were really personal affronts, because it was people - people of worth - whom I had harmed.  I need to do something about the people I have hurt so that I may enjoy a peaceful sobriety.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Who Is to Blame

At Step Four we resolutely looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, and frightened? Though a given situation had not been entirely our fault, we often tried to cast the whole blame on the other person involved. We finally saw that the inventory should be ours, not the other man's. So we admitted our wrongs honestly and became willing to set these matters straight.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 67

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show,
humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done." We
are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-
pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do
not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we
did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87

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

"The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have
discovered a common solution. We who have found this
solution to our alcoholic problem, we who are properly armed
with the facts about ourselves, can generally win the
entire confidence of another alcoholic. We who are making
the approach to new prospects have had the same difficulty
they have had. We obviously know what we are talking about.
Our whole deportment shouts at new prospects that we are
people with a real answer." Am I a person with the real
answer to the alcoholic problems of others?

Meditation for the Day

For straying from the right way there is no cure except to
keep so close to the thought of God that nothing, no other
interest, can seriously come between you and God. Sure of
that, you can stay on God's side. Knowing the way, nothing
can prevent your staying in the way and nothing can cause
you to seriously stray from it. God has promised peace if
you stay close to Him, but not leisure. You still have to
carry on in the world. He has promised heart-rest and
comfort, but not pleasure in the ordinary sense. Peace and
comfort bring real inward happiness.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may keep my feet on the way. I pray that I
may stay on God's side.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Service ^*^*^ August 9, 2013

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Service
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"Service gladly rendered,
obligations squarely met,
troubles well accepted or solved with God's help,
the knowledge that at home or in the world outside
we are partners in a common effort,
the well-understood fact that in God's sight
all human beings are important,
the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return,
the certainty that we are no longer isolated
and alone in self-constructed prisons,
the surety that we need no longer be square pegs
in round holes
but can fit and belong in God's scheme of things -
these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions
of right living
for which no amount of pomp and circumstance,
no heap of material possessions,
could possibly be substitutes.
True ambition is not what we thought it was."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124
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Thought to Consider . . .

Service is love in work clothes.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G O D  =  Group Of Drunks

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

Ego

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"At the beginning I had liked this title very much. But as the book-naming discussion went on, I began to have certain doubts and temptations. From the start the title 'The Way Out' was popular. If we gave the book this name, then I could add my signature, 'By Bill W.'! After all why shouldn't an author sign his book? I began to forget that this was everybody's book and that I had been mostly the umpire of the discussions that had created it. In one dark moment I even considered calling the book 'The B.W. Movement.' I whispered these ideas to a few friends and promptly got slapped down. Then I saw the temptation for what it was, a shameless piece of egotism. So once more I began to vote for the title 'Alcoholics Anonymous.'"

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 165-66

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
". . .OF ALL PERSONS WE HAD HARMED"

"...and became willing to make amends to them all."

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 77

One of the key words in the Eighth Step is the word all.   I am not free to
select a few names for the list and to disregard others.   It is a list of
all persons I have harmed.   I can see  immediately that this Step entails forgiveness because if I'm not willing to forgive someone, there is little
chance I will place his name on the list.   Before I placed the first name on my list, I said a little prayer: "I forgive anyone and everyone who has ever harmed me at any time and under any circumstances."
It is well for me to contemplate a small, but very significant, two-letter
word every time the Lord's Prayer is said. The word is as. I ask, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those  who trespass against us."  In this case, as means, "In the same manner."  I am asking to be forgiven in the same manner that I forgive others. As I say this portion of the prayer, if I am  harboring hatred or resentment, I am inviting more resentment, when I should be calling on the spirit of forgiveness.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
God Will Not Desert Us

"Word comes to me that you are making a magnificent stand in adversity - this adversity being the state of your health. It gives me a chance to express my gratitude for your recovery in A.A. and especially for the demonstration of its principles you are now so inspiringly giving to us all.
"You will be glad to know that A.A.'s have an almost unfailing record in this respect. This, I think, is because we are so aware that God will not desert us when the chips are down; indeed, He did not when we were drinking. And so it should be with the remainder of life.
"Certainly, He does not plan to save us from all troubles and adversity. Nor, in the end, does He save us from so-called death - since this is but an opening of a door into a new life, where we shall dwell among His many mansions. Touching these things I know you have a most confident faith."

LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ 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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~

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

"We have an allergy to alcohol. The action of alcohol on chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy. We allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all. We cannot be reconciled to a life without alcohol, unless we can experience an entire psychic change. Once this psychic change has occurred, we who seemed doomed, we who had so many problems that we despaired of ever solving them, find ourselves able to control our desire for alcohol." Have I had a psychic change?

Meditation for the Day

Ask God in daily prayer to give you the strength to change. When you ask God to change you, you must at the same time fully trust Him. If you do not fully trust Him, God may answer your prayer as a rescuer does that of a drowning person who is putting up too much of a struggle. The rescuer must first render the person still more helpless, until he or she is wholly at the rescuer's mercy. just so must we be wholly at God's mercy before we can be rescued.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be daily willing to be changed. I pray that I may put
myself wholly at the mercy of God.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Growth ^*^*^ August 8, 2013

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On this date in 1879, Robert Holbrook Smith was born in St. Johnsbury, VT.
Happy Birthday, Dr. Bob.  And thanks.
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Growth
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"Regardless of worldly success or failure,
regardless of pain or joy,
regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself,
a new life of endless possibilities can be lived
if we are willing to continue our awakening,
through the practice of AA's Twelve Steps."
Bill W., AAGrapevine, December 1957
1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 8
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Thought to Consider . . .

AA is not something you join, it's a way of life.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T S  =  Getting It From The Steps.

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

Criticize Neither

From: "Word of Mouth"

In my view, there isn't the slightest objection to groups who wish to remain strictly anonymous, or to people who think they would not like their membership in A.A. known at all. That is their business, and this is a very natural reaction 

However, most people find that anonymity to this degree is not necessary, or even desirable. Once one is fairly sober, and sure of this, there seems no reason for failing to talk about A.A. membership in the right places. This has a tendency to bring in other people. Word of mouth is one of our most important communications. 

So we should criticize neither the people who wish to remain silent, nor even the people who wish to talk too much about belonging to A.A., provided they do not do so at the public level and thus compromise our whole Society

Letter, 1962 1967, AAWS, Inc., As Bill Sees It, page 120

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
"MADE A LIST. . ."

Made a list of all persons we had harmed,. . .

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 77

When I approached the Eighth Step, I wondered how I could list all the things that I have done to other people since there were so many people, and some of them weren't alive anymore. Some of the hurts I inflicted weren't bad, but they really bothered me. The main thing to see in this Step was to become willing to do whatever I had to do to make these amends to the best of my ability at that particular time. Where there is a will, there's a way, so if I want to feel better, I need to unload the guilt feelings I have. A peaceful mind has no room for feelings of guilt. With the help of my Higher Power, if I am honest with myself, I can cleanse my mind of these feelings.

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

As we made spiritual progress, it became clear that, if we ever were to feel emotionally secure, we would have to put our lives on a give-and-take basis; we would have to develop the sense of being in partnership or brotherhood with all those around us. We saw that we would need to give constantly of ourselves without demand for repayment. When we persistently did this, we gradually found that people were attracted to us as never before. And even if they failed us, we could be understanding and not too seriously affected.

<<<>>>

The unity, the effectiveness, and even the survival 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.

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 115-116 - 2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, pp. 287-288
*~*~*~*~*^ 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

For a while, we are going back to the Big Book, Alcoholics
Anonymous, and pick out passages here and there, so that
they may become fixed in our minds, a little at a time,
day by day, as we go along. There is no substitute for
reading the Big Book. It is our "bible." We should study
it thoroughly and make it a part of ourselves. We should
not try to change any of it. Within its covers is the
full exposition of the A.A. program. There is no substitute
for it. We should study it often. Have I studied the Big
Book faithfully?

Meditation for the Day

All of life is a fluctuation between effort and rest. You
need both every day. But effort is not truly effective until
first you have had the proper preparation for it, by resting
in a time of quiet meditation. This daily time of rest and
meditation gives you the power necessary to make your best
effort. There are days when you are called on for much effort
and then comes a time when you need much rest. It is not good
to rest too long and it is not good to carry on great effort
too long without rest. The successful life is a proper
balance between the two.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be ready to make the proper effort. I pray
that I may also recognize the need for relaxation.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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