~*~Step Eleven Group~*~: 7/9/23

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~~Selfishness ^^*^ July 16

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~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~

^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/ AA \
^*^*^*^*^

Selfishness

"So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible . . . We had to have God's help."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62

Thought to Consider . . .

The smallest package in the world is an alcoholic wrapped up in just themselves.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

P R I D E
Pretty Ridiculous Individual Directing Everything

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

Peace of Mind
from: "Freedom from Bondage"
"A.A. has taught me that I will have peace of mind in exact proportion to the peace of mind I bring into the lives of other people, and it has taught me the true meaning of the admonition happy are ye who know these things and do them. For the only problems I have now are those I create when I break out in a rash of self-will."
2001 AAWS Inc.
Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 550-551

*^Daily Reflections^*
"A MEASURE OF HUMILITY"
In every case, pain had been the price of admission into a new life. But this admission price had purchased more than we expected. It brought a measure of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75

It was painful to give up trying to control my life, even though success eluded me, and when life got too rough, I drank to escape. Accepting life on life's terms will be mastered through the humility I experience when I turn my will and my life over to the care of God, as I understand Him. With my life in God's care, fear, uncertainty, and anger are no longer my response to those portions of life that I would rather not have happen to me. The pain of living through these times will be healed by the knowledge that I have received the spiritual strength to survive.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

Where Rationalizing Leads

"You know what our genius for rationalization is. 'If, to ourselves, we fully justify one slip, then our rationalizing propensities are almost sure to justify another one, perhaps with a different set of excuses. But one justification leads to another and presently we are back on the bottle full-time.'
1. LETTER, 1959

Experience shows, all too often, that even the 'controlled' pill-taker may get out of control. The same crazy rationalizations that once characterized his drinking begin to blight his existence. He thinks that if pills can cure insomnia so may they cure his worry. Our friends the doctors are seldom directly to blame for the dire results we so often experience. It is much too easy for alcoholics to buy these dangerous drugs, and once possessed of them the drinker is often likely to use them without any judgment whatever."
2. GRAPEVINE, NOVEMBER 1945

*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*

"One of the many doctors who had the opportunity of reading this book in manuscript form told us that the use of sweets was often helpful, of course depending upon a doctor's advice. He thought all alcoholics should constantly have chocolate available for its quick energy value at times of fatigue. He added that occasionally in the night a vague craving arose which would be satisfied by candy. Many of us have noticed a tendency to eat sweets and have found this practice beneficial."
Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition
The Family Afterward, pg. 133

*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*

A.A. Thought For The Day

We can believe that God is in His heaven and that He has a purpose for our lives, which will eventually work out as long as we try to live the way we believe He wants us to live. It has been said that we should "wear the world like a loose garment." That means nothing should seriously upset us because we have a deep, abiding faith that God will always take care of us. To us that means not to be too upset by the surface wrongness of things, but to feel deeply secure in the fundamental goodness and purpose in the universe. Do I feel deeply secure?

Meditation For The Day

Like the shadow of a great rock in a desert land, God is your refuge from the ills of life. The old hymn says: "Rock of ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee." God can be your shelter from the storm. God's power can protect you from every temptation and defeat. Try to feel His divine power - call on it - accept it - and use it. Armed with that power, you can face anything. Each day, seek safety in God's secret place, in communion with Him. You cannot be wholly touched or seriously harmed there. God can be your refuge.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may find a haven in the thought of God. I pray that I may abide in that Strong Tower, strongly guarded.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Friday, July 14, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~~Paradox ^^*^ July 15

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

"We Give Away to Keep. That seems absurd and untrue. How can you keep anything if you give it away? But in order to keep whatever it is we get in A.A., we must go about giving it away to others, for no fees or rewards of any kind. When we cannot afford to give away what we have received so freely in A.A., we had better get ready for our next 'drunk.' It will happen every time. We've got to continue to give it away in order to keep it."
The Professor and the Paradox 1955AAWS
Alcoholics Anonymous (2nd Ed.), pp. 341-2

Thought to Consider . . .

"We are not living just to be sober; we are living to learn, to serve, and to love."
As Bill Sees It, p. 94

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

H E L P
Hope, Encouragement, Love, and Patience

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

Attraction

Tradition Eleven: Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.

"Let's see how these two contrasting ideas - attraction and promotion - work out. A political party wishes to win an election, so it advertises the virtues of its leadership to draw votes. A worthy charity wants to raise money; forthwith, its letterhead shows the name of every distinguished person whose support can be obtained. Much of the political, economic, and religious life of the world is dependent upon publicized leadership. People who symbolize causes and ideas fill a deep human need. We of A.A. do not question that. But we do have to soberly face the fact that being in the public eye is hazardous, especially for us. By temperament, nearly every one of us had been an irrepressible promoter, and the prospect of a society composed almost entirely of promoters was frightening. Considering this explosive factor, we knew we had to exercise self-restraint."
1981, AAWS Inc.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 181

*^Daily Reflections^*

PRIDE

For thousands of years we have been demanding more than our share of security, prestige, and romance. When we seemed to be succeeding, we drank to dream still greater dreams. When we were frustrated, even in part, we drank for oblivion. Never was there enough of what we thought we wanted.

In all these strivings, so many of them well-intentioned, our crippling handicap had been our lack of humility. We had lacked the perspective to see that character-building and spiritual values had to come first, and that material satisfactions were not the purpose of living.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 71

Time and again I approached the Seventh Step, only to fall back and regroup. Something was missing and the impact of the Step escaped me. What had I overlooked? A single word: read but ignored, the foundation of all the Steps, indeed the entire Alcoholics Anonymous program - that word is "humbly".

I understood my shortcomings: I constantly put tasks off; I angered easily; I felt too much self-pity; and thought, why me? Then I remembered, "Pride goeth before the fall," and I eliminated pride from my life.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

Antidote for Fear

"When our failings generate fear, we then have soul-sickness. This sickness, in turn, generates still more character defects. Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied drives us to covet the possessions of others, to lust for sex and power, to become angry when our instinctive demands are threatened, to be envious when the ambitions of others seem to be realized while ours are not. We eat, drink, and grab for more of everything than we need, fearing we shall never have enough. And, with genuine alarm at the prospect of work, we stay lazy. We loaf and procrastinate, or at best work grudgingly and under half steam. These fears are the termites that ceaselessly devour the foundations of whatever sort of life we try to build."
<<< >>>
"As faith grows, so does inner security. The vast underlying fear of nothingness commences to subside. We of A.A. find that our basic antidote for fear is a spiritual awakening."
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 49
2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962

*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*

"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer."
Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition
We Agnostics, pg. 44

*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*

A.A. Thought for the Day

After we had sobered up through the A.A. program, we gradually began to get a peace of mind and serenity which we never thought were possible. This peace of mind is based on a feeling that fundamentally all is well. That does not mean that all is well on the surface of things. Little things can keep going wrong and big things can keep on upsetting us. But deep down in our hearts we know that everything is eventually going to be all right, now that we are living sober lives. Have I achieved a deep down, inner calm?

Meditation for the Day

You are climbing up the ladder of life, which reaches into eternity. Would God plant your feet upon an insecure ladder? Its supports may be out of sight, hidden in secret places, but if God has asked you to step on and up firmly, then surely He has secured your ladder. Faith gives you the strength to climb steadily this ladder of life. You should leave your security to God and trust Him not to let you fall. He is there to give you all the power you need to keep on climbing.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may climb the ladder of life without fear. I pray that I may progress steadily through the rest of my life with faith and confidence.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thursday, July 13, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~~Powerless ^^*^ July 14

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~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~

^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
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^*^*^*^*^
Powerless

"I had no problem admitting I was powerless over alcohol, and I certainly agreed that my life had become unmanageable. I had only to reflect on the contrast between the plans I made so many years ago for my life with what really happened to know I couldn't manage my life drunk or sober. A.A. taught me that willingness to believe was enough for a beginning."
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 550

Thought to Consider . . .

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

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

S L I P
Sobriety Loses Its Priority

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

Like the Effect
from: "The Doctor's Opinion"

"Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks - drinks which they see others taking with impunity. After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery."
2001, AAWS, Inc.
Alcoholics Anonymous, pages xxviii-xxix

*^Daily Reflections^*

A NOURISHING INGREDIENT

Where humility had formerly stood for a forced feeding on humble pie, it now begins to mean the nourishing ingredient which can give us serenity.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 74

How often do I focus on my problems and frustrations? When I am having a "good day" these same problems shrink in importance and my preoccupation with them dwindles. Wouldn't it be better if I could find a key to unlock the "magic" of my "good days" for use on the woes of my "bad days?"

I already have the solution! Instead of trying to run away from my pain and wish my problems away, I can pray for humility! Humility will heal the pain. Humility will take me out of myself. Humility, that strength granted to me by that "power greater than myself," is mine for the asking! Humility will bring balance back into my life. Humility will allow me to accept my humanness joyously.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

The Language of the Heart

"Why, at this particular point in history, has God chosen to communicate His healing grace to so many of us? Every aspect of this global unfoldment can be related to a single crucial word. The word is communication among ourselves, with the world around us, and with God. From the beginning, communication in A.A. has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart."
A.A. TODAY, PP. 7-8

*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*

"He Sold Himself Short - But he found that there was a Higher Power which had more faith in him than he had in himself. Thus, A.A. was born in Chicago. The day before I was due to go back to Chicago, a Wednesday and Dr. Bob's afternoon off, he had me down to the office and we spent three or four hours formally going through the Six-Step program as it was at that time.

The six steps were:

1. Complete deflation.
2. Dependence and guidance from a Higher Power.
3. Moral Inventory.
4. Confession.
5. Restitution.
6. Continued work with other alcoholics."
2001, Alcoholics Anonymous, page 266

*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*

A.A. Thought For The Day

One of the best things about the A.A. program is the peace of mind and serenity that it can bring us. In our drinking days, we had no peace of mind or serenity. We had the exact opposite, a kind of turmoil and that "quiet desperation" we knew so well. The turmoil of our drinking days was caused partly by our physical suffering, the terrible hangovers, the cold sweats, the shakes and the jitters. But it was caused even more by our mental suffering, the loneliness, the feeling of inferiority, the lying, the remorse that every alcoholic understands. Have I achieved more peace of mind?

Meditation For The Day

Try to look for God's leading in all your personal relationships, in all your dealings with other persons. God will help you to take care of all your relationships with people, if you are willing to let Him guide you. Rejoice that God can protect you and keep you from temptation and failure. God can protect you in all situations during the day, if you will rely on His strength and go forward. You should feel that you are entering upon the stage of success in the proper way of living. You should not doubt that better things are ahead for you. Go forward unafraid because you feel deeply safe under God's protection.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that God may protect and keep me as long as I try to serve Him. I pray that I may go forward today unafraid.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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2. Subscribe to the Transitions Daily Podcast: We cannot sign you up for a podcast. Depending on your phone, you will need to pick a podcast provider. There are many free options. You'll need to investigate yourself or ask a friend who listens to podcasts to explain the process.

For iPhone:
For the iPhone, most use iTunes. Search "how to sign up for podcasts on an iPhone" in your favorite search engine or go to iTunes for more information.

For Android:
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We also list many recovery resources
including recovery podcasts at
www.DailyAAEmails.com

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~~Triumph ^^*^ July 13

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

"It is only at the moment when a member ceases to drink that he asserts the right to describe himself as an alcoholic . . . What an unthinking world may look upon as defeat, alcoholics in A.A. know as a triumph of the spirit, a triumph of humility over false pride and self-centeredness. How few human beings ever have the courage to stand up before their neighbors and, in humility, describing themselves truthfully, to say: 'This is what I really am.'"
1985 AAWS
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 278

Thought to Consider . . .

Veni, vidi, velcro . . . I came, I saw, I stuck around.

*~*AACRONYMS*~*

A. A.
Adventurers Anonymous

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

Inexplicable

From "Why? I Don't Know":

"I don't attempt to explain with reason and logic why these things happen. When they happen, I just accept them. I feel perhaps that God, as I understand Him, found it necessary for me to suffer the pain and anguish of an addicted alcoholic and to go through the slow and, for me, difficult program of recovery in A.A. in order to be prepared and willing to do His will. I am grateful and thankful that God has given this to me. Perhaps it is because I take the Third Step every morning. My hopes and prayers are that each day I will be able to maintain this conscious contact with God."
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA
1973 AAWS Inc.
Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 70

*^Daily Reflections^*

HUMILITY IS A GIFT

As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question. That basic ingredient of all humility, a desire to seek and do God's will, was missing.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 72

When I first came to A.A., I wanted to find some of the elusive quality called humility. I didn't realize I was looking for humility because I thought it would help me get what I wanted, and that I would do anything for others if I thought God would somehow reward me for it. I try to remember now that the people I meet in the course of my day are as close to God as I am ever going to get while on this earth. I need to pray for knowledge of God's will today, and see how my experiences with hope and pain can help other people; if I can do that, I don't need to search for humility, it has found me.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*

The Obsession and the Answer

"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."
<<< >>>
"Alcoholism, not cancer, was my illness, but what was the difference? Was not alcoholism also a consumer of body and mind? Alcoholism took longer to do its killing, but the result was the same. So, I decided, if there was a great Physician who could cure the alcoholic sickness, I had better seek Him at once."
1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 30
2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 61

*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*

"Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code."
Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition
Into Action, pg. 84

*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*

A.A. Thought for the Day

Before alcoholics come into A.A., they are "flying blind." But A.A. gives them a directed beam in the A.A. program. As long as they keep on this beam, the signal of sobriety keeps coming through. If they have a slip, the signal is broken. If they swing off course into drunkenness, the signal stops. Unless they regain the A.A. directed beam, they are in danger of crashing against the mountain peak of despair. Am I on the beam?

Meditation for the Day

Be expectant. Constantly expect better things. Believe that what God has in store for you is better than anything you ever had before. The way to grow old happily is to expect better things right up to the end of your life and even beyond that. A good life is a growing, expanding life, with ever widening horizons, an ever greater circle of friends and acquaintances, and an ever greater opportunity for usefulness.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may await with complete faith for the next good thing in store for me. I pray that I may always keep an expectant attitude toward life.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

If you were forwarded this email
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For iPhone:

For the iPhone, most use iTunes. Search "how to sign up for podcasts on an iPhone" in your favorite search engine or go to iTunes for more information.

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We also list many recovery resources
including recovery podcasts at
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~~Step Eleven Group~~

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~~Selfishness ^^*^ July 16

Friday, July 14, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~~Paradox ^^*^ July 15

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~~Powerless ^^*^ July 14

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~~Triumph ^^*^ July 13

Followers

Blog Archive

Contributors

~*~Step Eleven Group~*~

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~*~Selfishness ^*^*^ July 16

Friday, July 14, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~*~Paradox ^*^*^ July 15

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~*~Powerless ^*^*^ July 14

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Thoughts For The Day~*~Triumph ^*^*^ July 13

Followers

Blog Archive

Contributors

~~Step Eleven Group~~

Thoughts For The Day~~Selfishness ^^*^ July 16

Thoughts For The Day~~Paradox ^^*^ July 15

Thoughts For The Day~~Powerless ^^*^ July 14

Thoughts For The Day~~Triumph ^^*^ July 13