Thoughts For The Day~*~Fear ^*^*^*^*^ February 1, 2015

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Fear
Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing.
It seems to cause more trouble.
   We reviewed our fears thoroughly.
We put them on paper,
even though we had no resentment in connection with them.
We asked ourselves why we had them.
Wasn't it because self-reliance failed us?
Self-reliance was good as far as it went,
but it didn't go far enough.
Some of us once had great self-confidence,
but it didn't fully solve the fear problem, or any other.
When it made us cocky, it was worse.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 67-8
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Thought to Consider . . .
Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R =  Forgetting Everything's All Right

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

Surrender

From "A Practical Philosophy":

"We simply stop messing in God's business. And in my opinion, when we stop messing and stop worrying, we have turned our will and our lives over to God (or Good) as we understand (or don't understand) Him. "San Jose, California, USA"

1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 116

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
GOAL: SANITY

". . .  Step Two gently and very gradually began to infiltrate my life.  I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day I came to believe in a Power greater than myself, but I certainly have that belief now."

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  27

"Came to believe!" I gave lip service to my belief when I felt like it or when I thought it would look good.  I didn't really trust God.  I didn't believe He cared for me.  I kept trying to change things I couldn't change.  Gradually, in disgust, I began to turn it all over, saying: "You're so omnipotent, you take care of it." He did.  I began to receive answers to my deepest problems, sometimes at the most unusual times: driving to work, eating lunch, or when I was sound asleep.  I realized that I hadn't thought of those solutions -- a Power greater than myself had given them to me.  I came to believe.

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

"Some strongly object to the A.A. position that alcoholism is an illness. This concept, they feel, removes moral responsibility from alcoholics. As any A.A. knows, this is far from true. We do not use the concept of sickness to absolve our members from responsibility. On the contrary, we use the fact of fatal illness to clamp the heaviest kind of moral obligation onto the sufferer, the obligation to use A.A.'s Twelve Steps to get well.
"In the early days of his drinking, the alcoholic is often guilty of irresponsibility. But once the time of compulsive drinking has arrived, he can't very well be held fully accountable for his conduct. He then has an obsession that condemns him to drink, and a bodily sensitivity to alcohol that guarantees his final madness and death.
"But when he is made aware of this condition, he is under pressure to accept A.A.'s program of moral regeneration."

TALK, 1960
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"But life among Alcoholics Anonymous is more than attending
gatherings and visiting hospitals. Cleaning up old scrapes, helping
to settle family differences, explaining the disinherited son to his
irate parents, lending money and securing jobs for each other, when
justified these are everyday occurrences. No one is too
discredited or has sunk too low to be welcomed cordially if he means
business."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 161~

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

When we think about having a drink, we're thinking of the kick we get out of drinking, the pleasure, the escape from boredom, the feeling of self-importance, and the companionship of other drinkers. What we don't think of is the letdown, the hangover, the remorse, the waste of money, and the facing of another day. In other words, when we think about that first drink, we're thinking of all the assets of drinking and none of the liabilities. What has drinking really got that we haven't got in A.A.? Do I believe that the liabilities of drinking outweigh the assets?

Meditation for the Day

I will start a new life each day. I will put the old mistakes away and start anew each day. God always offers me a fresh start. I will not be burdened or anxious. If God's forgiveness were only for the righteous and those who had not sinned, where would be its need? I believe that God forgives us all of our sins, if we are honestly trying to live today the way He wants us to live. God forgives us much and we should be very grateful.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that my life may not be spoiled by worry and fear and selfishness. I pray that I may have a glad, thankful, and humble heart.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Surrender ^*^*^*^*^ January 31, 2015

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\ ~~~ /)
( \(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Surrender
On the face of it,
surrendering certainly does not seem like winning.
But it is in AA
Only after we have come to the end of our rope,
hit a stone wall in some aspect of our lives
beyond which we can go no further;
only when we hit "bottom" in despair and surrender,
can we accomplish sobriety which we could
never accomplish before.
We must, and we do, surrender in order to win.
c. 1955 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, 2nd Edition, pp. 341-2
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Thought to Consider . . .

Life didn't end when I got sober -- it started.

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

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

Stages

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"In the first years, those of us who sobered up in A.A. had been grim and utterly hopeless cases, almost without exception. But now younger folks began to appear. Lots of people turned up who still had jobs and homes and health and even good social standing. These in their turn were able to persuade others like themselves of the need for A.A. Of course it was necessary for these types of newcomers to hit bottom emotionally. But we found they did not have to hit every possible bottom there was in order to admit that they were licked. When one of these mild cases arrived at the conviction that he already had the principal symptoms of alcoholism that was usually enough. He 'hit bottom' then and there and so was spared years of anguish."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 199

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
OUR COMMON WELFARE COMES FIRST

The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality our Society has. . . . We stay whole, or A.A. dies.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 129

Our Traditions are key elements in the ego deflation process necessary to achieve and maintain sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. The First Tradition reminds me not to take credit, or authority, for my recovery. Placing our common welfare first reminds me not to become a healer in this program; I am still one of the patients. Self-effacing elders built the ward. Without it, I doubt I would be alive. Without the group, few alcoholics would recover.

The active role in renewed surrender of will enables me to step aside from the need to dominate, the desire for recognition, both of which played so great a part in my active alcoholism. Deferring my personal desires for the greater good of group growth contributes toward A.A. unity that is central to all recovery. It helps me to remember that the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
In God's Economy

"In God's economy, nothing is wasted. Through failure, we learn a lesson in humility which is probably needed, painful though it is."

<<<>>>

We did not always come closer to wisdom by reason of our virtues; our better understanding is often rooted in the pains of our former follies. Because this has been the essence of our individual experience, it is also the essence of our experience as a fellowship.

1. LETTER, 1942 - 2. GRAPEVINE, NOVEMBER 1961
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from
it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will
find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new
attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or
effort on our part. It just comes!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

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

Drinking cuts you off from God. No matter how you were brought up, no matter what your religion is, no matter if you say you believe in God, nevertheless you build up a wall between you and God by your drinking. You know you're not living the way God wants you to. As a result, you have that terrible remorse. When you come into A.A., you begin to get right with other people and with God. A sober life is a happy life, because by giving up drinking, we've gotten rid of our loneliness and remorse. Do I have real fellowship with other people and with God?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that all sacrifice and all suffering are of value to me. When I am in pain, I am being tested. Can I trust God, no matter how low I feel? Can I say, "Thy will be done," no matter how much I am defeated? If I can, my faith is real and practical. it works in bad times as well as in good times. The Divine Will is working in a way that is beyond my finite mind to understand, but I can still trust in it.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may take my suffering in my stride. I pray that I may accept pain and defeat as part of God's plan for my spiritual growth.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Good Living ^*^*^*^*^ January 30, 2015

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Good Living
Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes,
and right action is the key to good living;
therefore the joy of good living
is the theme of AA's Twelfth Step.
With each passing day of our lives,
may every one of us sense more deeply
the inner meaning of AA's simple prayer:

God grant us the serenity to accept
the things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 125
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Thought to Consider . . .  .

The joy is in the journey.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T H I N K  =  The Happiness I Never Knew

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
 

Growth

From "The Keys of the Kingdom":

"Letting go of everything at once was both painful and terrifying. I could never have accomplished this alone. It took the help, understanding, and wonderful companionship that was given so freely to me by my ex-alkie friend this and the program of recovery embodied in the Twelve Steps. In learning to practice these steps in my daily living, I began to acquire faith and a philosophy to live by. Whole new vistas were opened up for me, new avenues of experience to be explored, and life began to take on color and interest. In time, I found myself looking forward to each new day with pleasurable anticipation."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 275

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
FREEDOM FROM .  .  .  FREEDOM TO

        We are going to know a new freedom.  .  .  .

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  83

Freedom for me is both freedom from and freedom to.  The first freedom I enjoy is freedom from the slavery of alcohol.  What a relief!  Then I begin to experience freedom from fear -- fear of people, of economic insecurity, of commitment, of failure, of rejection.  Then I begin to enjoy freedom to -- freedom to choose sobriety for today, freedom to be myself, freedom to express my opinion, to experience peace of mind, to love and be loved, and freedom to grow spiritually.  But how can I achieve these freedoms?  The Big Book clearly says that before I am halfway through making amends, I will begin to know a "new" freedom; not the old freedom of doing what I pleased, without regard to others, but the new freedom that allows fulfillment of the promises in my life.  What a joy to be free!

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Getting off a "Dry Bender"

"Sometimes, we become depressed. I ought to know; I have been a champion dry-bender case myself. While the surface causes were a part of the picture - trigger-events that precipitated depression - the underlying causes, I am satisfied, ran much deeper.
"Intellectually, I could accept my situation. Emotionally, I could not.
"To these problems, there are certainly no pat answers. But part of the answer surely lies in the constant effort to practice all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps."

LETTER, 1954
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"We cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show us
how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and every one."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 67~

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

A drinking life isn't a happy life. Drinking cuts you off from other people and from God. One of the worst things about drinking is the loneliness. And one of the best things about A.A. is the fellowship. Drinking cuts you off from other people, at least from the people who really matter to you, your family, your coworkers, and your real friends. No matter how much you love them, you build up a wall between you and them by your drinking. You're cut off from any real companionship with them. As a result, you're terribly lonely. Have I gotten rid of my loneliness?

Meditation for the Day

I will sometimes go aside into a quiet place of retreat with God. In that place, I will find restoration and healing and power. I will plan quiet times now and then, times when I will commune with God and arise rested and refreshed to carry on the work that God has given me to do. I know that God will never give me a load greater than I can bear. It is in serenity and peace that all true success lies.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may strengthen my inner life, so that I may find serenity. I pray that my soul may be restored in quietness and peace.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Solution^*^*^*^*^ January 29, 2015

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Solution
If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were,
we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution.
We were in a position where life was becoming impossible,
and if we had passed into the region
from which there is no return through human aid,
we had but two alternatives:
One was to go on to the bitter end,
blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation
as best we could;
and the other, to accept spiritual help.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25
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Thought to Consider . . .

The solution is simple.
The solution is spiritual.

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

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

Ready

Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable.

"Under the lash of alcoholism, we are driven to A.A., and there we discover the fatal nature of our situation. Then, and only then, do we become as open-minded to conviction and as willing to listen as the dying can be. We stand ready to do anything which will lift the merciless obsessions from us."

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

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE JOY OF SHARING

Life will take on 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.  Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  89

To know that each newcomer with whom I share has the opportunity to experience the relief that I have found in this Fellowship fills me with joy and gratitude.  I feel that all the things described in A.A. will come to pass for them, as they have for me, if they seize the opportunity and embrace the program fully.

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

"Gratitude should go forward, rather than backward.
"In other words, if you carry the message to still others, you will be making the best possible repayment for the help given to you."

<<<>>>

No satisfaction has been deeper and no joy greater than in a Twelfth Step job well done. To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from darkness into light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning, and above all to watch them awaken to the presence of a loving God in their lives - these things are the substance of what we receive as we carry A.A.'s message.

1. LETTER, 1959 - 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 110
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble?  Does this
mean we are going to get drunk. Some people tell us so. But this is
only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 70~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

What a load wasting money puts on your shoulders! They say that members of A.A. have paid the highest initiation fee of any club members in the world, because we've wasted so much money on liquor. We'll never be able to figure out how much it was. We not only wasted our own money, but also the money we should have spent on our families. When you come into A.A., that terrible load of wasted money falls off your shoulders. We alcoholics were getting round shouldered from carrying all those loads that drinking put on our shoulders. But when we come into A.A., we get a wonderful feeling of release and freedom. Can I throw back my shoulders and look the whole world in the face again?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that the future is in the hands of God. He knows better than I what the future holds for me. I am not at the mercy of fate or buffeted about by life. I am being led in a very definite way, as I try to rebuild my life. I am the builder, but God is the architect. It is mine to build as best I can, under His guidance.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may depend on God, since He has planned my life. I pray that I may live my life as I believe God wants me to live it.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Thankfulness ^*^*^*^*^ January 28, 2015

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\  ~~~ /)
(   \(AA)/  )
(_   /AA\ _)
  /AA\
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Thankfulness
I try to hold fast to the truth
that a full and thankful heart
cannot entertain great conceits.
When brimming with gratitude,
one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love,
the finest emotion that we can ever know.
Bill W., AAGrapevine, March 1962
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It,  p. 37
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Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.

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

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

Puzzle

From "More about Alcoholism":

"The actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self-knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it has been revealed to us out of bitter experience."

 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 39

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
THE TREASURE OF THE PAST

Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now.  Cling to the thought that, in God's hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have -- the key to life and happiness for others.  With it you can avert death and misery for them.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  124

What a gift it is for me to realize that all those seemingly useless years were not wasted.  The most degrading and humiliating experiences turn out to be the most powerful tools in helping others to recover.  In knowing the depths of shame and despair, I can reach out with a loving and compassionate hand, and know that the grace of God is available to me.

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

Few of us are any longer afraid of what any newcomer can do to our A.A. reputation or effectiveness. Those who slip, those who panhandle, those who scandalize, those with mental twists, those who rebel at the program, those who trade on the A.A. reputation - all such persons seldom harm an A.A. group for long.
Some of these have become our most respected and best loved. Some have remained to try our patience, sober nevertheless. Others have drifted away. We have begun to regard the troublesome ones not as menaces, but rather as our teachers. They oblige us to cultivate patience, tolerance, and humility. We finally see that they are only people sicker than the rest of us, that we who condemn them are the Pharisees whose false righteousness does our group the deeper spiritual damage.

GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1946
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic
commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God. He
clamors for this or that, claiming he cannot master alcohol until
his material needs are cared for. Nonsense. Some of us have taken very
hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job  wife or no wife  we
simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other
people ahead of dependence on God."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 98~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

What a load hangovers put on your shoulders! What terrible physical punishment we've all been through. The pounding headaches and jumpy nerves, the shakes and the jitters, the hot and cold sweats! When you come into A.A. and stop drinking, that terrible load of hangovers falls off your shoulders. What a load remorse puts on your shoulders! That terrible mental punishment we've all been through. Ashamed of the things you've said and done. Afraid to face people because of what they might think of you. Afraid of the consequences of what you did when you were drunk. What an awful beating the mind takes! When you come into A.A., that terrible load of remorse falls off your shoulders. Have I gotten rid of these loads of hangovers and remorse?

Meditation for the Day

When you seek to follow the way of the spirit, it frequently means a complete reversal of the way of the world that you had previously followed. But it is a reversal that leads to happiness and peace. Do the aims and ambitions that a person usually strives for bring peace? Do the world's awards bring heart rest and happiness? Or do they turn to ashes in the mouth?

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not be weary, disillusioned, or disappointed. I pray that I may not put my trust in the ways of the world, but in the way of the spirit.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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