Thoughts For The Day~*~Family Matters^*^*^*^*^ January 25, 2015

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
 /AA\
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Family Matters
Now and then the family will be plagued
by specters 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.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  pp. 123-4
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Thought to Consider . . .

The spiritual life is not a theory.
We have to live it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
RACING = Real Alcoholics Centered Inward Needing God

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

 

Acceptance

From "'No Man Is an Island'":

"I needed to look no further than the Twelve Steps and the powerful wording of our Serenity Prayer, 'to accept the things we cannot change.'  With the tools and guideposts of Alcoholics Anonymous, we can learn a little of this precious gift our gateway to human spirituality. " New York, New York, USA"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 120

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
WHAT WE NEED -- EACH OTHER

        . . .  A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker, "You are an A.A. member if you say so .  .  .  nobody can keep you out."

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  139

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.  I don't seek out people obviously different from myself.  Tradition Three, concentrating on the one way I am similar to others, brought me to know and help every kind of alcoholic, just as they have helped 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.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
We Cannot Stand Still

In the first days of A.A., I wasn't much bothered about the areas of life in which I was standing still. There was always the alibi: "After all," I said to myself, "I'm far too busy with much more important matters." That was my near perfect prescription for comfort and complacency.

<<<>>>

How many of us would presume to declare, "Well, I'm sober and I'm happy. What more can I want, or do? I'm fine the way I am." We know that the price of such self-satisfaction is an inevitable backslide, punctuated at some point by a very rude awakening. We have to grow or else deteriorate. For us, the status quo can only be for today, never for tomorrow. Change we must; we cannot stand still.

1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961 - 2. GRAPEVINE, FEBRUARY 1961
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing get well, little
charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men
who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the
wrong track."

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97

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

We used to depend on drinking for a lot of things. We depended on drinking to help us enjoy things. It gave us a "kick." It broke down our shyness and helped us to have a "good time." We depended on drinking to help us when we felt low physically. if we had a toothache or just a hangover, we felt better after a few drinks. We depended on drinking to help us when we felt low mentally. If wed had a tough day at work or if we'd had a fight with our loved one, or if things just seemed against us, we felt better under the influence of alcohol. For us alcoholics, it got so that we depended on drinking for almost everything. Have I gotten over that dependence on drinking?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that complete surrender of my life to God is the foundation of serenity. God has prepared for us many mansions. I do not look upon that promise as referring only to the afterlife. I do not look upon this life as something to be struggled through, in order to get the rewards of the next life. I believe that the Kingdom of God is within us and we can enjoy "eternal life" here and now.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may try to do God's will. I pray that such understanding, insight, and vision shall be mine as shall make my life eternal, here and now.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Belief^*^*^*^*^ January 24, 2015

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On this date in 1971, the 53rd Anniversary of his marriage to Lois, Bill W. died. 

What can we say, except "Thanks, Bill."

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Belief
Here are thousands of men and women, worldly indeed.
They flatly declare that since they have come to believe
in a Power greater than themselves,
to take a certain attitude toward that Power,
and to do certain simple things,
there has been a revolutionary change
in their way of living and thinking.
In the face of collapse and despair,
in the face of the total failure of their human resources,
they found that a new power, peace, happiness,
and sense of direction flowed into them.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 50
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Thought to Consider . . .

Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program.
But our old-timers are the arteries.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

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

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

Visibility

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"The 1941-1945 period brought still other developments. Our downtown Vesey Street office was moved to 415 Lexington Avenue, just opposite Grand Central [train] Station. We made this move because the need for serving the many A.A. travelers through New York had become urgent. Our new location near Grand Central brought us into contact with visitors who, for the first time, began to see Alcoholics Anonymous as a vision for the whole world."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 198-99

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
GETTING INVOLVED

There is action and more action.  "Faith without works is dead" . . .  To be helpful is our only aim.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp.  88-89

I understand that service is a vital part of recovery but I often wonder, "What can I do?"  Simply start with what I have today!  I look around to see where there is a need.  Are the ashtrays full?   Do I have hands and feet to empty them?  Suddenly I'm involved!  The best speaker may make the worst coffee; the member who's best with newcomers may be unable to read; the one willing to clean up may make a mess of the bank account -- yet every one of these people and jobs is essential to an active group.  The miracle of service is this: when I use what I have, I find there is more available to me than I realized before.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Alike When the Chips Are Down

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; A.A. couldn't be for them. But as the communication was perfected, mostly by the women themselves, the picture changed.
This process of identification and transmission has gone on and on. The Skid-Rower said he was different. Even more loudly, the socialite (or Park Avenue stumblebum) said the same - 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.
But 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.

GRAPEVINE, OCTOBER 1959
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a
fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from
care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will
mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your
existence lie ahead. Thus we find the fellowship, and so will you."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 152~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Alcoholics who are living in a blind alley refuse to be really honest with themselves or with other people. They're running away from life and won't face things as they are. They won't give up their resentments. They're too sensitive and too easily hurt. They refuse to try to be unselfish. They still want everything for themselves. And no matter how many disastrous experiences they have had with drinking, they still do it over and over again. There's only one way to get out of that blind alley way of living and that's to change your thinking. Have I changed my thinking?

Meditation for the Day

I know that the vision and power that I receive from God are limitless, as far as spiritual things are concerned. But in temporal and material things, I must submit to limitations. I know that I cannot see the road ahead. I must go just one step at a time, because God does not grant me a longer view. I am in uncharted waters, limited by my temporal and spatial life, but unlimited in my spiritual life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that, in spite of my material limitations, I may follow God's way. I pray that I may learn that trying to do His will is perfect freedom.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Tolerance^*^*^*^*^ January 23, 2015

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

Finally, we begin to see that all people,
including ourselves,
are to some extent emotionally ill
as well as frequently wrong,
and then we approach true tolerance
and see what real love for our fellows actually means.  
It will become more and more evident as we go forward
that it is pointless to become angry,
or to get hurt by people who, like us,
are suffering from the pains of growing up.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 92
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Thought to Consider . . .

Honesty gets us sober, tolerance keeps us sober.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance

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

Involvement

From "The Keys of the Kingdom":

"A complete change takes place in our approach to life. Where we used to run from responsibility, we find ourselves accepting it with gratitude that we can successfully shoulder it. Instead of wanting to escape some perplexing problem, we experience the thrill of challenge in the opportunity it affords for another application of A.A. techniques, and we find ourselves tackling it with surprising vigor."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 275-76

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
HAVING FUN YET?

.  .  .  we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it.  We absolutely insist on enjoying life.  We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  132

When my own house is in order, I find the different parts of my life are more manageable.  Stripped from the guilt and remorse that cloaked my drinking years, I am free to assume my proper role in the universe, but this condition requires maintenance.  I should stop and ask myself, Am I having fun yet?  If I find answering that question difficult or painful, perhaps I'm taking myself too seriously -- and finding it difficult to admit that I've strayed from my practice of working the program to keep my house in order.  I think the pain I experience is one way my Higher Power has to get my attention, coaxing me to take stock of my performance.  The slight time and effort it takes to work the program --  spot-check inventory, for example, or the making of amends, whatever is appropriate-are well worth the effort.

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

We found that we had indeed been worshipers. What a state of mental goose flesh that used to bring on! Had we not variously worshiped people, sentiment, things, money, and ourselves?
And then, with a better motive, had we not worshipfully beheld the sunset, the sea, or a flower? Who of us had not loved something or somebody? Were not these things the tissue out of which our lives were constructed? Did not these feelings, after all, determine the course of our existence?
It was impossible to say we had no capacity for faith, or love, or worship. In one form or another, we had been living by faith and little else.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 54
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"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. Arranging the best deal we can we 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."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 78~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Alcoholics are people whose drinking got them into a "blind alley." They haven't been able to learn anything from their drinking experiences. They are always making the same mistakes and suffering the same consequences over and over again. They refuse to admit they're alcoholic. They still think they can handle the stuff. They won't swallow their pride and admit that they're different from ordinary drinkers. They won't face the fact that they must spend the rest of their lives without liquor. They can't visualize life without ever taking a drink. Am I out of this blind alley?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that God has all power. It is His to give and His to withhold. But lie will not withhold it from the person who dwells near Him, because then it passes insensibly from God to that person. It is breathed in by the person who lives in God's presence. I will learn to live in God's presence and then I will have those things which I desire of Him: strength, power, and joy. God's power is available to all who need it and are willing to accept it.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may get myself out of the way, so that God's power may flow in. I pray that I may surrender myself to that power.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Vigilance^*^*^*^*^ January 22, 2015

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

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Illusion^*^*^*^*^ January 21, 2015

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

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*~*~*~*~*^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

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