THE EASIER, SOFTER WAY
If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 72
I certainly didn't leap at the opportunity to face who I was, especially
when the pains of my drinking days hung over me like a dark cloud.
But I soon heard at the meetings about the fellow member who just
didn't want to take Step Five and kept coming back to meetings,
trembling from the horrors of reliving his past. The easier, softer way
is to take these Steps to freedom from our fatal disease, and to put our
faith in the Fellowship and our Higher Power.
***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
In A.A. we find fellowship and release and strength. And having found
these things, the real reasons for our drinking are taken away. Then
drinking has no more justification in our minds. We no longer need to
fight against drink. Drink just naturally leaves us. At first, we are
sorry that we can't drink, but we get so that we are glad that we don't
have to drink. Am I glad that I don't have to drink?
Meditation For The Day
Try never to judge. The human mind is so delicate and so complete
that only its Maker can know it wholly. Each mind is so different,
actuated by such different motives, controlled by such different
circumstance, influenced by such different sufferings, you cannot know
all the influences that have gone to make up a personality. Therefore,
it is impossible for you to judge wholly that personality. But God
knows that person wholly and He can change it. Leave to God the
unraveling of the puzzles of personality. And leave it to God to teach
you the proper understanding.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may not judge other people. I pray that I may be certain
that God can set right what is wrong in every personality.
***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It
"Privileged
People", p. 133
I saw that I had been living too much alone, too much aloof from my
fellows, and too deaf to that voice within. Instead of seeing myself as
a simple agent bearing the message of experience, I had thought of
myself as a founder of A.A.
How much better it would have been had I felt gratitude rather than
self-satisfaction--gratitude that I had once suffered the pains of
alcoholism, gratitude that a miracle of recovery had been worked
upon me from above, gratitude for the privilege of serving my fellow
alcoholics, and gratitude for those fraternal ties which bound me ever
closer to them in a comradeship such as few societies of men have
ever known.
Truly did a clergyman say to me, "Your misfortune has become your
good fortune. You A.A.'s are privileged people."
Grapevine, July 1946
***********************************************************
Walk in Dry Places
Who's to blame?
Personal responsibility.
Unless we're unusual, we've probably accepted the widespread practice
of blaming certain individuals and groups when trouble occurs. Most
likely, we'll also have people whom we blame for our own difficulties:
unloving parents, careless teachers, unfair bosses, and others on an
endless list.
However accurate it may be, such blame-placing does nothing
constructive. It really serves only to reinforce our bitterness and
resentment, thus assuring that more of the same "injustices" will come
to us.
The real truth is that we have no complete explanation for the world's
individual and social wrongs. While certain individuals are admittedly
guilty of wrongdoing, it often turns out that they've also been victims
of cruelty or neglect. Our goal, as people committed to a spiritual way
of life, is to reise above all blame placing while striving for
improvement in our own treatment of others.
Though
I may read and hear much to the contrary, I'll resist the notion that
certain people or groups must be held accountable for the world's
problems. I'll focus my attention, this day, on improvement in my
own
life.
***********************************************************
Keep It Simple
Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a
rat.---Harry Emerson Fosdick
Hate is like an illness. It steals our hope, our love, our
relationships.
Hate puts distance between people. Hate can give us a false sense of
power. Do I use hate to make myself feel important?
Our program tells us to let go of hate. Hate and sobriety don't mix.
Hate
doesn't let us connect with our Higher Power.
Ours is a program of love and respect. We're taught that if someone
treats us wrong, we still should be respectful in our response. Why?
Because we're changed by our actions. If we act with hate, we become
hateful. If we act in a respectful way, we become respectable.
Prayer for the Day: Hate is the drug of those who are afraid.
Higher Power, help me to be
free from hate today.
Action for the Day: It's self-centered to hate. Today, I'll read
pages 60-62 of Alcoholics
Anonymous(Third Edition) about being self-centered.
***********************************************************
Each Day a New Beginning
Your sense of what will bring happiness is so crude and blundering. Try
something else as a compass. Maybe the moralists are right and
happiness doesn't come from seeking pleasure and ease. --Joanna
Field
We think we know what will make us happy. Seldom do we readily accept
that painful moments are often the price tags for peaceful, happy
times. Nor do we appreciate that happiness lives within each of us;
never is it intrinsic to the events we experience. Because we look for
happiness "out there" and expect it gift-wrapped in a particular way,
we miss the joy of being fully alive each passing moment. How distorted
our sense of happiness was before finding our way to this program! How
futile our search!
The way still isn't easy every Step we take, but those fleeting moments
when we can get outside of ourselves long enough to be fully attentive
to the people in our lives, we'll find happiness. We'll find it because
it's been there all the time. It flows between us when we open our
hearts to give and to receive compassion. Being truly there for another
person is the key which unlocks the gate holding happiness back.
I will let someone in today and feel the rush of happiness.
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition
Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS
We avoid retaliation or argument. We wouldn’t treat sick people that
way. If we do, we destroy our chance of being helpful. 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.
p. 67
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition Stories
ME AN ALCOHOLIC? -
Alcohol's wringer squeezed this author--but he escaped quite whole.
I had to admit that he was
right. Only through being beaten down by my own misery would I
ever have accepted the term "alcoholic" as applied to myself.
Now, however, I accepted it fully. I knew from my general reading
that alcoholism was irreversible and fatal. And I knew that
somewhere along the line I'd lost the power to stop drinking.
"Well, Doc," I said, "what are we going to do?"
pp. 385-386
***********************************************************
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Twelve -
"Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we
tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these
principles in all our affairs."
Maybe there are as many definitions of spiritual awakening as there are
people who have had them. But certainly each genuine one has something
in common with all the others. And these things which they have in
common are not too hard to understand. When a man or a woman has a
spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has
now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do
before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted
a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being. He has
been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that
life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a
very real sense he has been transformed, because he has laid hold of a
source of strength which, in one way or another, he had hitherto denied
himself. He finds himself in possession of a degree of honesty,
tolerance, unselfishness, peace of mind, and love of which he had
thought himself quite incapable. What he has received is a free gift,
and yet usually, at least in some small part, he has made himself ready
to receive it.
pp. 106-107
***********************************************************
"God
could
not
be
everywhere,
and therefore he made
mothers."
--Jewish Proverb
"When it comes to love, Mom's the word."
--unknown
"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have
trouble."
Laughter, like a drenching rain, settles the dust, cleans and brightens
the world around us, and changes our whole perspective.
--Jan Pishok
A big part of my "conversion" has been full acceptance of myself,
warts and all.
--Mary Zink
***********************************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
ARGUMENTS
"Argument is the worst sort of
conversation."
--Jonathan Swift
Why did I argue so much? Why do I argue so much? Usually it is
because I feel threatened, angry, discounted or I am wrong and I do
not want to admit it.
Today I need to remember that discussion is the better path to follow.
I need to hear and understand what the other person is saying and
from where they are coming. For too long I have argued, fought and
produced enemies - today I wish to embrace the spiritual path of
serenity and reconciliation. Also, I do not want to hurt anymore.
Arguments hurt me. Arguments hurt others. I should, push and scream but
inside afterwards, I hurt. My program today allow my ego to be balanced
and
restrained. I try to think before I speak. I consider before I react.
However, when I do get into arguments and say hurtful and painful
things that I do not mean, I am brave enough to say I am sorry.
May the God of peace, love and acceptance be seen in my
relationships.
***********************************************************
"The
LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD,
endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands."
Psalm 138:8
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we
will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not
be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you
wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
***********************************************************
Daily Inspiration
Our goodness is one of God's many gifts to us. Lord,
may I humbly appreciate my good qualities and give thanks to You
through my actions.
The value of each gift God gives us is doubled when we share it with
someone else. Lord, may I freely give without expectation of something
in return even though I know Your constant generosity.
***********************************************************
NA Just For Today
Onward On The Journey
"The progression of recovery is a
continuous uphill journey"
Basic Text, p. 79
The longer we stay clean, the steeper
and narrower our path seems to become. But God doesn't give us more
than we can handle. No matter how difficult the road becomes, no matter
how narrow, how winding the turns, there is hope. That hope lies in our
spiritual progression.
If we keep showing up at meetings and
staying clean, life gets... well, different. The continual search for
answers to life's ups and downs can lead us to question all aspects of
our lives. Life isn't always pleasant. This is when we must turn to our
Higher Power with even more faith. Sometimes all we can do is hold on
tight, believing that things will get better.
In time, our faith will produce
understanding. We will begin to see the "bigger picture" of our lives.
As our relationship with our Higher Power unfolds and deepens,
acceptance becomes almost second nature. No matter what happens as we
walk through recovery, we rely on our faith in a loving Higher Power
and continue onward.
Just for today: I accept that I don't
have all the answers to life's questions. Nonetheless, I will have
faith in the God of my understanding and continue on the journey of
recovery.
***********************************************************
May 13
You are reading from the book Today's
Gift.
Talent--I don't know what that is.
It's will. You dream a dream and then you build it. --Philippe Petit
Even the most accomplished pianists
begin at some point by playing simple scales and exercises. With daily
practice, their hands learn to find the correct notes and become limber
enough to play well. They learn each new piece of music very slowly at
first, until, with study and practice, they can play almost without
effort.
In the beginning, the pianist only
dreams of being an accomplished musician. This dream helps the artist
through many hours of practice and study.
Talent is really the combination of a
dream and the time spent building it. We develop our ability by
devoting time to the skills that interest us. Like the musician, we
become talented through daily practice--the daily building of a dream.
By developing our talents, we develop who we are.
Who am I becoming today?
You are reading from the book
Touchstones.
As long as you keep a person down,
some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you
cannot soar as you otherwise might. --Marion Anderson
Because of our resentments we
sometimes get tense. We say we aren't going to have contact with our
parents until they do something we expect of them. Or we hold out on a
friend because we want an apology for an injury or injustice.
Sadly, we become more tense, more
limited in our own joy, by holding someone else to our expectations.
Our lives can be much richer and more fulfilled when we let go of these
expectations. We can let go of manipulating or drawing forth the
responses we want. Our manipulations and pouting make life too boring
and limited. No one else need stand in the way of our pleasure of being
adult men.
Today, I will let go of my claims on
others so I can be free to soar.
You are reading from the book Each Day
a New Beginning.
Your sense of what will bring
happiness is so crude and blundering. Try something else as a compass.
Maybe the moralists are right and happiness doesn't come from seeking
pleasure and ease. --Joanna Field
We think we know what will make us
happy. Seldom do we readily accept that painful moments are often the
price tags for peaceful, happy times. Nor do we appreciate that
happiness lives within each of us; never is it intrinsic to the events
we experience. Because we look for happiness "out there" and expect it
gift-wrapped in a particular way, we miss the joy of being fully alive
each passing moment. How distorted our sense of happiness was before
finding our way to this program! How futile our search!
The way still isn't easy every Step we
take, but those fleeting moments when we can get outside of ourselves
long enough to be fully attentive to the people in our lives, we'll
find happiness. We'll find it because it's been there all the time. It
flows between us when we open our hearts to give and to receive
compassion. Being truly there for another person is the key which
unlocks the gate holding happiness back.
I will let someone in today and feel
the rush of happiness.
You are reading from the book The
Language of Letting Go.
Property Lines
A helpful tool in our recovery,
especially in the behavior we call detachment, is learning to identify
who owns what. Then we let each person own and possess his or her
rightful property.
If another person has an addiction, a
problem, a feeling, or a self-defeating behavior, that is their
property, not ours. If someone is a martyr, immersed in negativity,
controlling, or manipulative, that is their issue, not ours.
If someone has acted and experienced a
particular consequence, both the behavior and the consequence belong to
that person.
If someone is in denial or cannot
think clearly on a particular issue, that confusion belongs to him or
her.
If someone has a limited or impaired
ability to love or care, that is his or her property, not ours. If
someone has no approval or nurturing to give away, that is that persons
property.
Peoples lies, deceptions, tricks,
manipulations, abusive behaviors, inappropriate behaviors, cheating
behaviors, and tacky behaviors belong to them, too. Not us.
Peoples hope and dreams are their
property. Their guilt belongs to them too. Their happiness or misery is
also theirs. So are their beliefs and messages.
If some people don't like themselves,
that is their choice. Other peoples choices are their property, not
ours.
What people choose to say and do is
their business.
What is our property? Our property
includes our behaviors, problems, feelings, happiness, misery, choices,
and messages; our ability to love, care, and nurture; our thoughts, our
denial, our hopes and dreams for ourselves. Whether we allow ourselves
to be controlled, manipulated, deceived, or mistreated is our business.
In recovery, we learn an appropriate
sense of ownership. If something isn't ours, we don't take it. If we
take it, we learn to give it back. Let other people have their
property, and learn to own and take good care of what's ours.
Today, I will work at developing a
clear sense of what belongs to me, and what doesn't. If its not mine, I
wont keep it. I will deal with my issues, my responsibilities, and
myself. I will take my hands off what is not mine.
Today I will wait in quiet and faith
for a clear answer before making any decisions. Today I feel secure,
trusting that my instincts are guiding me on every step on my path.
--Ruth Fishel
**************************************************
Journey to the Heart
Forgive Yourself
Doesn’t it feel good to forgive
yourself? You don’t have to be afraid or reluctant to do that anymore.
Forgiving yourself doesn’t mean you’re condemned. It means you’re
setting yourself free.
We can gather so much guilt as we go
through life. We may blame ourselves for the experiences we’ve had and
how we’ve handled them. We may build up resentments against ourselves.
We may even resist forgiving ourselves because we think that means
saying we were bad and wrong. But not forgiving ourselves when we need
to often leads us to return to situations that are unhealthy for us.
Forgiving yourself means you can leave
places that feel bad, you can end relationships that no longer work,
you can avoid situations that cause you continual pain and grief.
Forgiving yourself means you can stop punishing yourself for what
you’ve done and what you think you’ve done worng.
You don’t have to hold your mistakes
against yourself any longer. You don’t have to deprive yourself of
comfort, joy, love, and acceptance. It’s much easier to say, I made a
mistake. This isn’t right for me. I don’t like this. This is wrong.
Then forgive yourself.
Forgive yourself if you’ve done
something wrong. Forgive yourself even if you haven’t done something
wrong. Then see how good forgiveness feels. Forgive yourself and be
free.
**************************************************
More language of letting go
Respect your own timelines
“Do you have your “A” license yet?”
I was getting sick pf that question.
Everyone I knew in skydiving was pushing through the course, meeting
all their requirements, and hurrying to get their license. I knew from
the beginning that it wouldn’t do me any good to push. This was a sport
I needed to get right, and getting it right meant that I needed to
learn at my own pace.
“It’s the journey, not the
destination,” I kept telling myself as I watched my fellow sky divers
progress, leaving me behind. “Everything happens in its own time.”
Finally, I came up with my response.
It was November. I proudly announced, whenever asked about getting my
license, that I didn’t plan on having it until June. I said it over,
and over, and over. People left me alone. And I actually began to
progress rapidly, after giving myself that much time.
In February, a series of events
escalated my learning curve. I did my solo jumps, learned to pack my
own parachute, and passed my written test. I had now met all the
requirements for my “A” license. All that had to be done was submit the
information and I’d have my license in hand.
After sending my material off, I
waited an appropriate amount of time, then began checking the mail.
Week after week, the license didn’t arrive. I waited patiently and
continued checking. Toward the end of May, I went into the offices at
the skydiving school. I told them I was concerned because my license
hadn’t arrived yet.
They checked the records. “There was
some confusion with the paperwork,” they said. “But it’s all been
straightened out. You’ll have your license soon.”
When did that license arrive? In June,
it came in the mail exactly when I said it would.
Some timing in life is out of our
hands. Some isn’t. Just as you have power to say what, there’s a lot of
power in saying when.
God, help synchronize my timing with
yours. Show me if I’m pushing myself unduly or holding myself back.
**************************************************
Fast-Forward Button
Moving in Real Time by Madisyn Taylor
We all want to push the fast-forward
button, but in these times is where we find the juice stuff.
We all go through times when we wish
we could press a fast-forward button and propel ourselves into the
future and out of our current circumstances. Whether the situation we
are facing is minor, or major such as the loss of a loved one, it is
human nature to want to move away from pain and find comfort as soon as
possible. Yet we all know deep down that we need to work through these
experiences in a conscious fashion rather than bury our heads in the
sand, because these are the times when we access important information
about ourselves and life. The learning process may not be easy, but it
is full of lessons that bring us wisdom we cannot find any other way.
The desire to press fast-forward can
lead to escapism and denial, both of which only prolong our
difficulties and in some cases make them worse. The more direct, clear,
and courageous we are in the face of whatever we are dealing with, the
more quickly we will move through the situation. Understanding this, we
may begin to realize that trying to find the fast-forward button is
really more akin to pressing pause. When we truly grasp that the only
way out of any situation in which we find ourselves is to go through
it, we stop looking for ways to escape and we start paying close
attention to what is happening. We realize that we are exactly where we
need to be. We remember that we are in this situation in order to learn
something we need to know, and we can alleviate some of our pain with
the awareness that there is a purpose to our suffering.
When you feel the urge to press the
fast-forward button, remember that you are not alone; we all
instinctively avoid pain. But in doing so, we often prolong our pain
and delay important learning. As you choose to move forward in real
time, know that in the long run, this is the least painful way to go.
Published with permission from Daily OM
**************************************************
A Day At A Time
Reflection For The Day
When a person opens his eyes each
morning and rises through sweaty nausea to face frightening reality
with bones rattling and nerves screaming; when a person stumbles
through the day in a pit of despair, wishing to die, but refusing to
die; when a person gets up the next day and does it all over again —
well, that takes guts. That takes a kind of real, basic survival
courage, a courage that can be put to good use if that person even
finds his or her way to The Program. That person has learned courage
the hard way, and when that person comes to The Program, he or she will
find new and beautiful ways to use it. Have I the courage to keep
trying, one day at a time.
Today I Pray
May I put the “gut-to-survive” kind of
courage left over from my drinking days into good use in The Program.
If I was able to “hang on” enough to live through the miseries of my
addiction, may I translate that same will to survive into my recovery
program. May I use my courage in new, constructive ways.
Today I Will Remember
God preserve me to help carry out His
purpose.
**************************************************
One More Day
Patience and fortitude conquer all
things.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Remember how, ass children, we waited
for special occasions like birthdays and holidays? The waiting seemed
endless. Adults would admonish us, “Have patience. Everything comes to
those who wait.”
We were always more than surprised
when they seemed to pass more quickly by staying busy, just a our
parents had said it would. As adults, we hear that in many instances
the only way to conquer a problem is to wait it out. We can do nothing
else, for no matter how important the awaited event or the news is, we
can no more shorten the time than we could wish a speedy arrival of our
birthdays when we were young. Now as then, our only options are to have
patience and to stay busy.
Now that I am not as well as before I
am learning the true value of patience.
************************************
Food For Thought
No Doormats Here
When we work the Twelve Steps, we grow in self-respect. Abstaining from
compulsive overeating gives us new self-confidence. We no longer need
to feel either inferior or superior, but we can take our proper place
as an equal to those around us.
Many of us used to let ourselves be manipulated because of a lack of
self-respect. We may also have tried to manipulate others. Once we have
taken an inventory and gotten rid of past guilt's and defects, we
embark on a new way of living. Just as we do not try to control the
behavior of those we live with, we also do not permit them to control
ours.
We are responsible to our Higher Power and responsible for our own
actions. We look for opportunities to serve and to give freely of what
we have been given. We respect the new life that God has chosen to give
us, and we intend to use it as He directs. Saying no to requests and
demands, which interfere with and jeopardize our program is sometimes
necessary for our recovery.
Thank You, Lord, for self-respect.
*****************************************
One Day At A Time
SERENITY
“The final wisdom of life requires not
the annulment of incongruity
but the achievement of serenity with
and above it.”
Reinhold Niebuhr
When I started coming to Recovery
Group meetings, I heard the word "serenity" used frequently. I waited
for someone to turn the serenity light switch on for me. I thought if I
kept coming, the guy in charge of lights would turn mine on, and then I
would possess and understand serenity! But the people in the meetings
kept telling me, "You need to work the steps." I began to work them
with a vengeance, the way a compulsive person -- such as I am -- tends
to function.
With each passing day I have begun to
feel more comfortable living in my own skin. My fears, worries about
the future, and anxieties have all decreased. I have made a more
personal connection with my Higher Power. I have begun to develop
friendships with other people in Recovery Group. The loving friendships
here have had a huge impact on how I feel about myself. They have
caused me to experience more self-love and self-acceptance. I have come
to the point where I now know that no matter what happens, things will
eventually work out for the best for me.
One day at a time...
I will continue to attend meetings to
experience serenity.
~ Karen A.
*****************************************
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
Instead of regarding ourselves as
intelligent agents, spearheads of God's ever advancing Creation, we
agnostics and atheists chose to believe that our human intelligence was
the last word, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end of all.
Rather vain of us, wasn't it.? - Pg. 49 - We Agnostics
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Heavy were the storms and fierce the
tides that brought us to this point in recovery. Storms also lie ahead,
but after each storm, follows the dawn of calm. The old washes away and
the time is right for a clean life.
May I surrender to the Light, God as I
understand You, and learn to protect myself during storms.
Inside My Mind
I am changing, I can feel it. I am
learning and growing just by being still. I am sensing more than I
normally sense and feeling more than I normally feel. I am grateful to
feel alive and to recognize that life is a spiritual journey. All my
life circumstances are spiritual challenges, opportunities to see new
sides of myself, new sides of life. Life surrounds me; it is inside,
outside and everywhere. If I am open and still inside, life is there.
If I am not lost in a million unnecessary distractions, life is there,
spirit is there-waiting to be seen and felt.
I allow my mind its freedom.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
The most convincing message we can
carry to other chemical dependents is our own example of a contented
recovery. And kindness. To the desolate alcoholic/addict, an act of
kindness can be the difference between getting 'better' or getting
'bitter.'
I remember that I may be the only Big
Book some people ever see.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
You are the problem, but you are also
the solution.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I will wait in quiet and faith
for a clear answer before making any decisions. Today I feel secure,
trusting that my instincts are guiding me on every step on my path.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
I put my head in the oven and turned
on the gas. But nothing happened... They'd turned the gas off, I hadn't
paid the bill. - Anon.
*****************************************
AA Thought for the Day
May 13
Grace
I'm still mystified by how I got
sober, and the only answer that makes sense
is that I stopped drinking through the
grace of God.
I was thinking about the difference
between those of us who get sober
and those who are still drinking,
and I believe the difference is that
we have accepted the grace that was offered.
- The AA Grapevine, February, 1993
Thought to Ponder . . .
Joy is in knowing there is an answer.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G R A C E = Gently Releasing All
Conscious Expectations.
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
Disease
"Some strongly object to the AA
position
that alcoholism is an illness.
This concept, they feel, removes
moral responsibility from alcoholics.
As any AA 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 AA's Twelve
Steps to get well."
Bill W., Talk, 1960 As Bill Sees It,
p. 32
Thought to Consider . . .
The road to recovery is always under
construction.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
STEPS
Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Candor
STEP FIVE: Admitted to God, to
ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
"When we reached A.A., and for the
first time in our lives stood among people who seemed to understand,
the sense of
belonging was tremendously exciting.
We thought the isolation problem had been solved. But we soon
discovered that
while we weren't alone any more in a
social sense we still suffered many of the old pangs of anxious
apartness. 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. Step Five was the answer. It
was the beginning of true kinship with man and God."
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 57
*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
While I have years of sobriety, I
really only have this day."
Mesa, Ariz., February 1993
"Overcoming Depression and Fear,"
AA Grapevine
~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve
Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*
"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. This we did because we
honestly wanted to, and were
willing to make the effort."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We
Agnostics, pg. 46~
"...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."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The
Family Afterward, pg. 132
This all meant, of course, that we had
substituted negative for positive thinking.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,
p. 30
Misc. AA Literature - Quote
'Privileged People'
I saw that I had been living too much
alone, too much aloof from my fellows, and too deaf to that voice
within. Instead of
seeing myself as a simple agent
bearing the message of experience, I had thought of myself as a founder
of A.A.
How much better it would have been had
I felt gratitude rather than self-satisfaction--gratitude that I had
once suffered
the pains of alcoholism, gratitude
that a miracle of recovery had been worked upon me from above,
gratitude for the
privilege of serving my fellow
alcoholics, and gratitude for those fraternal ties which bound me ever
closer to them in a
comradeship such as few societies of
men have ever known.
Truly did a clergyman say to me, 'Your
misfortune has become your good fortune. You A.A.'s are a privileged
people.'
GRAPEVINE, JULY 1946
Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, I honor You as my
King and Lord, I submit myself to You to do Your will. Thank you, for
Your love for me. I am grateful that You are a loving and forgiving
God. I want to thank You also for the abundant blessings that You have
given me. One of those blessings is that I can lay my head down each
night and enjoy sweet sleep, and at times, You even speak to me in my
dreams. It is such a blessing to have Your love, peace and joy. No
amount of money can buy these blessings. I just want to say a special
thanks for these gifts. Bless my brothers and sisters with Your love
and guidance and lead us all into more truth. I ask this in Jesus name.
Amen.