Thoughts For The Day~*~Maturity ^*^*^*^*^ May 11, 2014

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Maturity

"Many oldsters who have put our AA 'booze cure'
to severe but successful tests
still find they often lack emotional sobriety.
To attain this,
we must develop a real maturity and balance
(which is to say humility)
in our relations with ourselves,
with our fellows,
and with God."

Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, January 1958
As Bill Sees It, p. 244

Thought to Consider . . .

"We must find a spiritual basis of life -- or else."

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 44

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
AA
Attitude Adjustment

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

Inspiration

From "This Spirit Touch":

"At some time, perhaps in a more moderate way, nearly everyone has experienced this spirit touch of God" the fleeting feeling of insight, love, joy, and 'The world is right.' Once, I thought that only unusual circumstances made these moments possible. Actually, I now think, they are forecasts of what one can have if one is willing to take the time and make the effort. Peace, love, and joy can be sought through quiet thinking and honest prayer. The wholeness, the new awareness, that is produced affects one's relationship with God and man to a degree greater than would seem possible in ordinary life."

AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30^th printing 2004, pg. 65

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A NEW SENSE OF BELONGING

Until we had talked with complete candor of our conflicts, and had listened to someone else do the same thing, we still didn't belong.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  57

After four years in A.A. I was able to discover the freedom from the burden of buried emotions that had caused me so much pain.  With the help of A.A., and extra counseling, the pain was released and I felt a complete sense of belonging and peace.  I also felt a joy and a love of God that I had never experienced before.  I am in awe of the power of Step Five.

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

"Your point of view was once mine. Fortunately, A.A. is constructed so that we need not debate the existence of God; but for best results, most of us must depend upon a Higher Power. You say the group is your Higher Power, and no right-minded A.A. would challenge your privilege to believe precisely that way. We should all be glad that good recoveries can be made even on this limited basis.
"But turnabout is fair play. If you would expect tolerance for your point of view, I am sure you would be willing to reciprocate. I try to remember that, down through the centuries, lots of brighter people than 1 have been found on both sides of this debate about belief. For myself, of late years, I am finding it much easier to believe that God made man, than that man made God."

LETTER, 1950
Copyright1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc

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

"We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can
quickly diagnose yourself, Step over to the nearest barroom and try
some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it
more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are
honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters
if you get a full knowledge of your condition."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~

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

We can depend on those members of any group who have gone all out for the program. They come to meetings. They work with other alcoholics. We don't have to worry about their slipping. They're loyal members of the group. I'm trying to be a loyal member of the group. When I'm tempted to take a drink, I tell myself that if I did I'd be letting down the other members who are the best friends I have. Am I going to let them down, if I can help it?

Meditation for the Day

Wherever there is true fellowship and love between people, God's spirit is always there as the Divine Third. In all human relationships, the Divine Spirit is what brings them together. When a life is changed through the channel of another person, it is God, the Divine Third, who always makes the change, using the person as a means. The moving power behind all spiritual things, all personal relationships between people is God, the Divine Third, who is always there. No personal relationships can be entirely right without the presence of God's spirit.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be used as a channel by God's spirit. I pray that I may feel that the Divine Third is always there to help me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Sunlight^*^*^*^*^ May 10, 2014

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Sunlight

"It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment
leads only to futility and unhappiness.
To the precise extent that we permit these,
do we squander the hours that might have been worthwhile.
This business of resentment is infinitely grave.
We found that it is fatal.
For when harboring such feelings
we shut ourselves off from
the sunlight of the Spirit.
The insanity of alcohol returns and we drink again.
And with us, to drink is to die."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 66

Thought to Consider . . .

"I have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine."

Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, Jan. 1958.
The Language of the Heart, p. 238

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
CALM
Can Anger Leave Me

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

Book

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"But at one of these [Trustee] meetings in the early fall of 1938, Frank Amos popped up with an idea which opened the door upon our real future. Frank said, 'One of my friends, Eugene Exman, is Religious Editor of Harper. Perhaps he would be interested in your [Bill W.'s] new book. Why don't you go down there and show him the few chapters you have done? I'll fix it up for you.'

"So down I went to meet Gene Exman, another wonderful friend-to-be of our society. I related the tale of our struggles and handed over to him my first attempt at authorship. While I waited Gene thoughtfully scanned the two chapters. Then he asked, 'Could you do a whole book in this style? And how many months would it take you?' I was shaking, but I had an answer ready: 'I believe I can do it. It will probably take nine or ten months.' Thereupon he made a proposal that was surprising. 'If it would help things along,' he said, 'I think Harper might be willing to advance you $1,500 in royalties. This amount would be deducted from your account when the book is finished in 1939.'

"Again in the clouds, I left Harper to break the great news to the gang."

 2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 153-54

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
FREE AT LAST

Another great dividend we may expect from confiding our defects to another human being is humility -- a word often misunderstood... it amounts to a clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be. 

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  58

I knew deep inside that if I were ever to be joyous, happy and free, I had to share my past life with some other individual.  The joy and relief I experienced after doing so were beyond description.  Almost immediately after taking the Fifth Step, I felt free from the bondage of self and the bondage of alcohol.  That freedom remains after 36 years, a day at a time.  I found that God could do for me what I couldn't do for myself.

Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Our Problem Centers in the Mind

We know as long as the alcoholic keeps away from drink, he usually reacts much like other men. We are equally positive that once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system, something happens, in both the bodily and the mental sense, which makes it virtually impossible for him to stop. The experience of any alcoholic will abundantly confirm this.
These observations would be academic and pointless if our friend never took the first drink, thereby setting the terrible cycle in motion. Therefore, the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, PP. 22-23

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

"Many of us felt that we had plenty of character. There was a
tremendous urge to cease forever. Yet we found it impossible. This
is the baffling feature of alcoholism as we know it this utter
inability to leave it alone, no matter how great the necessity or the
wish."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 34~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

One thing that keeps me sober is a feeling of loyalty to the other members of the group. I know I'd be letting them down if I ever took a drink. When I was drinking, I wasn't loyal to anybody. I should have been loyal to my family, but I wasn't. I let them down by my drinking. When I came into A.A., I found a group of people who were not only helping each other to stay sober, but who were loyal to each other by staying sober themselves. Am I loyal to my group?

Meditation for the Day

Calmness is constructive of good. Agitation is destructive of good. I should not rush into action. I should first "be still and know that He is God." Then I should act only as God directs me through my conscience. Only trust, perfect trust in God, can keep me calm when all around me are agitated. Calmness is trust in action. I should seek all things that can help me to cultivate calmness. To attain material things, the world learns to attain speed. To attain spiritual things, I have to learn to attain a state of calm.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may learn how to have inner peace. I pray that I may be calm, so that God can work through me.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Anonymity ^*^*^*^*^ May 9, 2014

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 ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Anonymity

"We have denied ourselves personal government,
professionalism, and the right to say
who our members shall be.
We have abandoned do-goodism,
reform, and paternalism.
We refuse charitable money and prefer
to pay our own way.
We will cooperate with practically everybody,
yet we decline to marry our Society to anyone.
We abstain from public controversy and will not
quarrel among ourselves about
those things that so rip society asunder--
religion, politics, and reform.
We have but one purpose;
to carry the AA message
to the sick alcoholic who wants it."
Bill W., The Language of the Heart, p. 211

Thought to Consider . . .

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


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ANONYMOUS
Actions Not Our Names Yield Maintenance Of Unity & Service

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

 

Psychology

From "Medicine Looks at Alcoholics Anonymous":":

"As excuse-makers and rationalizers, we drunks are champions. It is the business of the psychiatrist to get behind our excuses and to find the deeper causes for our conduct. Though uninstructed in psychiatry, we can, after a little time in A.A., see that our motives have not been what we thought they were and that we have been motivated by forces unknown to us. Therefore we ought to look with the deepest respect, interest, and profit upon the findings of psychiatry, remembering that up to now the psychiatrists have been far more tolerant of us than we have been of them. "Bill W."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 236

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
WALKING THROUGH FEAR

If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  76

When I had taken my Fifth Step, I became aware that all my defects of character stemmed from my need to feel secure and loved.  To use my will alone to work on them would have been trying obsessively to solve the problem.  In the Sixth Step I intensified the action I had taken in the first three Steps -- meditating on the Step by saying it over and over, going to meetings, following my sponsor's suggestions, reading and searching within myself.  During the first three years of sobriety I had a fear of entering an elevator alone.  One day I decided I must walk through this fear.  I asked for God's help, entered the elevator, and there in the corner was a lady crying.  She said that since her husband had died she was deathly afraid of elevators.  I forgot my fear and comforted her.  This spiritual experience helped me to see how willingness was the key to working the rest of the Twelve Steps to recovery.  God helps those who help themselves.

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

We need not apologize to anyone for depending upon the Creator. We have good reason to disbelieve those who think spirituality is the way of weakness. For us, it is the way of strength.
The verdict of the ages is that men of faith seldom lack courage. They trust their God. So we never apologize for our belief in Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 68

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

"Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for
the alcoholic! For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his
spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could
not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead. If he did not
work, he would surely drink again, and if he drank, he would surely
die. Then faith would be dead indeed. With us it is just like that."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 14~

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

We alcoholics used so little self-control when we were drinking, we were so absolutely selfish, that it does us good to give up something once in a while. Using self-discipline and denying ourselves a few things is good for us. At first, giving up liquor is a big enough job for all of us, even with God's help. But later on, we can practice self-discipline in other ways to keep a firm grip on our minds so that we don't start any wishful thinking. If we daydream too much, we'll be in danger of slipping. Am I practicing enough self-discipline?

Meditation for the Day

In material things, you must rely on your own wisdom and that of others. In spiritual things, you cannot rely so much on your own wisdom as on God's guidance. In dealing with personalities, it is a mistake to step out too much m your own. You must try to be guided by God in all human relationships. You cannot accomplish much of value in dealing with people until God knows you are ready. You alone do not have the power or wisdom to put things right between people. You must rely on God to help you in these vital matters.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may rely on God in dealing with people's problems. I pray that I may try to follow His guidance in all personal relationships.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Friendship ^*^*^*^*^ May 8, 2014

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 ~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Friendship

"We commenced to make many fast friends
and a fellowship has grown up among us
of which it is a wonderful thing to feel a part of.
The joy of living we really have,
even under pressure and difficulty.
I have seen hundreds of families set their feet
in the path that really goes somewhere;
have seen the most impossible
domestic situations righted;
feuds and bitterness of all sorts wiped out.
I have seen men come out of asylums
and resume a vital place in the lives
of their families and communities.
Business and professional men
have regained their standing.
There is scarcely any form of trouble and misery
which has not been overcome among us."
Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 15

Thought to Consider . . .

"Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia.
We have it with us right here and now."

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 16

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
EGO
Easing God Out

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

Psychology

From "Medicine Looks at Alcoholics Anonymous":":

"As excuse-makers and rationalizers, we drunks are champions. It is the business of the psychiatrist to get behind our excuses and to find the deeper causes for our conduct. Though uninstructed in psychiatry, we can, after a little time in A.A., see that our motives have not been what we thought they were and that we have been motivated by forces unknown to us. Therefore we ought to look with the deepest respect, interest, and profit upon the findings of psychiatry, remembering that up to now the psychiatrists have been far more tolerant of us than we have been of them. "Bill W."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 236

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A RESTING PLACE

All of A.A.'s Twelve Steps ask us to go contrary to our natural desires . . . they all deflate our egos.  When it comes to ego deflation, few Steps are harder to take than Five.  But scarcely any Step is more necessary to longtime sobriety and peace of mind than this one.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  55

After writing down my character defects, I was unwilling to talk about them, and decided it was time to stop carrying this burden alone, I needed to confess those defects to someone else.  I had read -- and been told -- I could not stay sober unless I did.  Step Five provided me with a feeling of belonging, with humility and serenity when I practiced it in my daily living.  It was important to admit my defects of character in the order presented in Step Five: "to God, to ourselves and to another human being."  Admitting to God first paved the way for admission to myself and to another person.  As the taking of the Step is described, a feeling of being at one with God and my fellow man brought me to a resting place where I could prepare myself for the remaining Steps toward a full and meaningful sobriety.

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

It is possible for us to use the alleged dishonesty of other people as a plausible excuse for not meeting our own obligations.
Once, some prejudiced friends exhorted me never to go back to Wall Street. They were sure that the rampant materialism and double-dealing down there would stunt my spiritual growth. Because this sounded so high-minded, I continued to stay away from the only business that I knew.
When, finally, my household went broke, I realized I hadn't been able to face the prospect of going back to work. So I returned to Wall Street, and I have ever since been glad that I did. I needed to rediscover that there are many fine people in New York's financial district. Then, too, I needed the experience of staying sober in the very surroundings where alcohol had cut me down.
A Wall Street business trip to Akron, Ohio, first brought me face to face with Dr. Bob. So the birth of A.A. hinged on my effort to meet my bread-and-butter responsibilities.

GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1961

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

"Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get
well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in
God and clean house."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 98~

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

I'm grateful that I found a program in A.A. that could keep me sober. I'm grateful that A.A. has shown me the way to faith in a Higher Power, because the renewing of that faith has changed my way of life. And I've found a happiness and contentment that I had forgotten existed, by simply believing in God and trying to live the kind of a life that I know He wants me to live. As long as I stay grateful, I'll stay sober. Am I in a grateful frame of mind?

Meditation for the Day

God can work through you better when you are not hurrying. Go very slowly, very quietly, from one duty to the next, taking time to rest and pray between. Do not be too busy. Take everything in order. Venture often into the rest of God and you will find peace. At work that results from resting with God is good work. Claim the power to work miracles in human lives. Know that you can do many things through the Higher Power. Know that you can do good things through God who rests you and gives you strength. Partake regularly of rest and prayer.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not be in too much of a hurry. I pray that I may take time out often to rest with God.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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Thoughts For The Day~*~Tornado ^*^*^*^*^ May 7, 2014

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~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Tornado

"The alcoholic is like a tornado
roaring his way through the lives of others.
Hearts are broken.
Sweet relationships are dead.
Affections have been uprooted.
Selfish and inconsiderate habits
have kept the home in turmoil.
We feel a man is unthinking
when he says that sobriety is enough.
He is like the farmer who came up out of his cyclone cellar
to find his home ruined.
To his wife, he remarked,
'Don't see anything the matter here, Ma.
Ain't it grand the wind stopped blowin'?'"
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 82

Thought to Consider . . .

"We alcoholics are undisciplined.
So we let God discipline us..."

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 88

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
BUT
Being Unconvinced Totally

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

Deadly

From "The Perpetual Quest":

"Within a dozen years, three of these five promising lawyers were dead from alcoholism, struck down at the peak of their careers. The judge is still and always has been a sober judge. And I somehow unwittingly, and even while drinking, turned into a corporate counsel and later, thankfully, became a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. The professor's kidneys gave out from one too many martinis; the exporting lawyer kept drinking until he died, despite a liver transplant; my ex-husband died in a fire on what was to be, he had said, his last drunk before doing to A.A. again, when I was ten years sober. I have been to too many premature funerals due to our good friend alcohol."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 388-89

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
RESPECT FOR OTHERS

Such parts of our story we tell to someone who will understand, yet be unaffected.  The rule is we must be hard on our self, but always considerate of others.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  74

Respect for others is the lesson that I take out of this passage.  I must go to any lengths to free myself if I wish to find that peace of mind that I have sought for so long.  However, none of this must be done at another's expense.  Selfishness has no place in the A.A. way of life.

When I take the Fifth Step it's wiser to choose a person with whom I share common aims because if that person does not understand me, my spiritual progress may be delayed and I could be in danger of a relapse.  So I ask for divine guidance before choosing the man or woman whom I take into my confidence.

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

We often tend to slight serious meditation and prayer as something not really necessary. To be sure, we feel it is something that might help us to meet an occasional emergency, but at first many of us are apt to regard it as a somewhat mysterious skill of clergymen, from which we may hope to get a secondhand benefit.
<<<>>>
In A.A. we have found that the actual good results of prayer are beyond question. They are matters of knowledge and experience. All those who have persisted have found strength not ordinarily their own. They have found wisdom beyond their usual capability. And they have increasingly found a peace of mind which can stand in the face of difficult circumstances.

TWELVE AND TWELVE
1. P. 96     2. P. 104

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family
back. This just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come
back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his
recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his
relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came back too soon."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 99~

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

It's very important to keep in a grateful frame of mind, if we want to stay sober. We should be grateful that we're living in a day and age when alcoholics aren't treated as they often used to be treated before Alcoholics Anonymous was started. In the old days, every town had its town drunk who was regarded with scorn and ridiculed by the rest of the townspeople. We have come into A.A. and found all the sympathy, understanding, and fellowship that we could ask for. There's no other group like A.A. in the world. Am I grateful?

Meditation for the Day

God takes our efforts for good and blesses them. God needs our efforts. We need God's blessing. Together, they mean spiritual success. Our efforts are necessary. We cannot merely relax and drift with the tide. We must often direct our efforts against the tide of materialism around us. When difficulties come, our efforts are needed to surmount them. But God directs our efforts into the right channels and God's power is necessary to help us choose the right.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may choose the right. I pray that I may have God's blessing and direction in all my efforts for good.

Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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