"HOLD BACK NOTHING"
The real tests of the situation are your own willingness to
confide and your full confidence in the one with whom you
you share your first accurate self-survey. . . . Provided
you hold back nothing, your sense of relief will mount from
minute to minute. The dammed-up emotions of years break
out of their confinement, and miraculously vanish as soon
as they are exposed. As the pain subsides, a healing
tranquility takes its place.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS p. 61-62,
A tiny kernel of locked-in feelings began to unfold when I
first attended A.A. meetings and self-knowledge then became
a learning task for me. This new self-understanding brought
about a change in my responses to life's situations. I
realized I had the right to make choices in my life, and
the inner dictatorship of habits slowly lost its grip.
I believe that if I seek God I can find a better way to
live and I ask Him daily to assist me in living a sober life.
***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
I've noticed that the ones who do the most for A.A. are not
in the habit of boasting about it. The danger of building
myself up too much is that, if I do, I'm in danger of having
a fall. That pattern of thought goes with drinking. If one
side of a boat gets too far up out of the water, it's liable
to tip over. Building myself up and drinking go together.
One leads to the other. So if I'm going to stay sober, I've
got to keep small. Have I got the right perspective on myself?
Meditation For The Day
The way sometimes seems long and weary. So many people today
are weary. The weariness of others must often be shared by me.
The weary and the heavy laden, when they come to me, should
be helped to find the rest that I have found. There is only
one sure cure for world-weariness and that is turning to
spiritual things. In order to help bring about the turning
of the weary world to God, I must dare to suffer, dare to
conquer selfishness in myself, and dare to be filled with
spiritual peace in the face of all the weariness of the
world.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be a help to discouraged people. I pray
that I may have the courage to help bring about what the
weary world needs but does not know how to get.
***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It
"Admitted to
God . . .", p. 126
Provided you hold back nothing in taking the Fifth Step, your sense of
relief will mount from minute to minute. The dammed-up emotions of
years break out of their confinement, and miraculously vanish as soon
as they are exposed. As the pain subsides, a healing tranquillity takes
its place. And when humility and serenity are so combined, something
else of great moment is apt to occur.
Many an A.A., once agnostic or atheist, tells us that it was during this
stage of Step Five that he first actually felt the presence of God.
And even those who already had faith often become conscious of God
as they never were before.
12 & 12, p. 62
***********************************************************
Walk in Dry Places
Dealing with Fear____ Challenges
Some of us suffer from a free-floating anxiety that is like a general
fear, while others have specific fears that cause distress.
Sometimes
the specific fears are easier to face, because they can at least be
identified. Most of us dread that other kind--- a sort of general
apprehension that things are not well or that something very bad is
about to happen.
It's reasonable to have some fear when facing trouble or risk. It's
unreasonable, however, to let fear keep us from acting in our own best
interests. A review of the past may show that may of us did that while
drinking-- and brought even more calamities upon ourselves.
Whatever the fear, the answer is always the same. We must apply
our
principles to the problem, take ay reasonable action and then place the
outcome in God's hands. No person can do more than this.
This will not bring permanent victory over fear. It will however,
give
us confidence in the program as a tool for dealing with fears that
arise in the future.
I
may have to deal with fear today, but I will accept it as part of the
human condition. I know that I have great spiritual
resources to deal
with any fear that might arise, and this gives me confidence and
reassurance.
***********************************************************
Keep It Simple
Anyone who follows a middle course is called a sage.--- Maimonides
Much of the wisdom of our program is about how to live in the middle.
We
learn how to pause and think before we act. We ask, "What is the
best way to handle this?" We look for the smooth part of the road.
Our actions tell us who we are. We listen to our actions, and we think
about them. This listening and thinking takes time. This slows us down.
It's good for us. It gives us time to talk with our Higher Power. After
all, we want our actions to come from the new values our Higher Power
has
given us. Thus, over time we act and feel wiser. The wisdom of the
program becomes part of who we are.
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I I don't get caught up in the
rush of
the day. Higher Power,
teach me to stop and think, to seek Your wisdom.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll set aside time to think,
meditate, and
be alone. I will
listen to what's inside me.
***********************************************************
Each Day a New Beginning
I stand before you as a tower of strength, the weight of the world on
my shoulders. As you pass through my life, look, but not too close, for
I fear I will expose the vulnerable me. --Deidra Sarault
Vulnerability is as much a part of being human as is strength. Our
vulnerability prevents our strength from becoming hard, brittle,
self-serving. Our soft edges invite others' openness and their
expressions of love.
We learned long ago to be "strong." We were encouraged to need no help,
to need nobody. Now, we struggle to ask for help. As we grow in
understanding of our human needs, and as we become more aware of the
spiritual help available, the difficulty of reaching out to others is
eased.
No longer need we look to pills, booze, food, or lovers for strength.
All the strength we'll ever need is as close as our thoughts. At this
moment, we are a tower of strength, not one weighted with burdens.
Rather, our strength is a gift of our connection to a spiritual power
that can free us from all the troubles we shoulder. Our vulnerable
selves will open our souls to the flood of strength just waiting for
our prayers.
I will be as strong as I need to be, when I tap the spiritual source
that awaits my call. I will risk my vulnerable self today.
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition
Chapter 5 - HOW IT
WORKS
We were
usually as definite as this example:
I'm resentful at:
|
The Cause:
|
Affects my:
|
Mr.Brown |
His
attention to my |
Sex relations.
|
|
wife. |
Self-esteem (fear)
|
|
Told my
wife of my |
Sex relations.
|
|
mistress. |
Self-esteem (fear)
|
|
Brown
may get my |
Security.
|
|
job
at the office. |
Self-esteem (fear)
|
Mrs.
Jones |
She's
a nut---she |
Personal Relation-
|
|
snubbed
me. She |
ship. Self-esteem
|
|
committed
her hus- |
(fear)
|
|
band
for drinking. |
|
|
He's
my friend. |
|
|
She's
a gossip. |
|
My
employer |
Unreasonable-Unjust |
Self-esteem (fear)
|
|
-O v e r b e a
r i n g- |
Security.
|
|
Threatens to fire |
|
|
me
for drinking |
|
|
and
padding my ex- |
|
|
pence
account. |
|
My
wife |
Misunderstands
and |
P r i d e--P e r s o n a l
|
|
nags.
Likes Brown. |
s e x r e l a t i o n s--
|
|
Wants house
put in |
Security (fear)
|
|
her
name. |
|
p. 65
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition Stories
ME AN ALCOHOLIC? - Alcohol's wringer
squeezed this author--but he escaped quite whole.
My growing inward unhappiness was a
very real thing, however, and I knew that something would have to be
done about it. A friend found help in psychoanalysis. After
a particularly ugly one-nighter, my wife suggested I try it, and I
agreed. Educated child of the scientific age that I was, I had
complete faith in the science of the mind. It would be a sure
cure and also an adventure. How exciting to learn the inward
mysteries that govern the behavior of people, how wonderful to know, at
last, all about myself! To cut a long story short, I spent seven
years and $10,000 on my psychiatric adventure, and emerged in worse
condition than ever.
p. 384
***********************************************************
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eleven - "Sought through prayer and
meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood
Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to
carry that out."
We also fall into another similar temptation. We form ideas as to what
we think God's will is for other people. We say to ourselves, "This one
ought to be cured of his fatal malady," or "That one ought to be
relieved of his emotional pain," and we pray for these specific things.
Such prayers, of course, are fundamentally good acts, but often they
are based upon a supposition that we know God's will for the person for
whom we pray. This means that side by side with an earnest prayer there
can be a certain amount of presumption and conceit in us. It is A.A.'s
experience that particularly in these cases we ought to pray that God's
will, whatever it is, be done for others as well as for ourselves.
p. 104
***********************************************************
"If
we
had
no
winter,
the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not
sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
--Anne Bradstreet
We can find no better insurance policy, than working a diligent
program.
--SweetyZee
Today, I will come back to balance with any need or want that seems
to be controlling my life. Instead of dwelling on it, I'll give it to
God
and focus on taking care of myself.
--Melody Beattie
God is the only constant.
--Ruth Casey
At times fear grips me and I can concentrate only on the anxiety.
Then I realize I am in God's care and I need only trust and the fear
subsides.
--Michele Fedderly
***********************************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
CHILDLIKE
"In every real man a child is
hidden that wants to play."
--Friedrich Nietzsche
My spiritual program means that I can play and have fun in my life. I
am forty years old and I can still enjoy going on the swings in the
park.
But more importantly I have a daily sense of adventure. My eyes light
up as I ask: How? When? Where? These words still dominate my life.
I can still get excited about life; I can still get excited about my
life.
God is forever present in His world of color, movement and change.
But for me God is most clearly seen in people. They are a constant
fascination for me. Part of my play involves people-watching and as I
gaze my mouth still opens in amazement. The child in me still enjoys
the world in which I play.
Thank You for toys, people and "difference" because they add color
to my life.
***********************************************************
Stand
fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,
and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use
liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one
another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You
shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour
one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Galatians 5:13-15
***********************************************************
Daily Inspiration
Each day offers many situations for accomplishment,
joy, change and personal growth. Lord, grant me the ability to
recognize these moments and the energy to benefit from these daily
opportunities.
God knows what is best for you in all matters of your life. Rely on His
wisdom. Lord, I place my trust in You because You answer every prayer.
***********************************************************
NA Just For Today
Are We Having Fun Yet?
"In time, we can relax and enjoy the
atmosphere of recovery."
Basic Text, pp. 53-54
Imagine what would happen if a
newcomer walked into one of our meetings and was met by a group of
grim-faced people gripping the arms of their chairs with white
knuckles. That newcomer would probably bolt, perhaps muttering, "I
thought I could get off drugs and be happy."
Thankfully, our newcomers are usually
met by a group of friendly, smiling folks who are obviously fairly
content with the lives they've found in Narcotics Anonymous. What an
enormous amount of hope this provides! A newcomer, whose life has been
deadly serious, is strongly attracted by an atmosphere of laughter and
relaxation. Coming from a place where everything is taken seriously,
where disaster always waits around the next corner, it's a welcome
relief to enter a room and find people who generally don't take
themselves too seriously, who are ready for something wonderful.
We learn to lighten up in recovery. We
laugh at the absurdity of our addiction. Our meetings—those rooms
filled with the lively, happy sounds of percolating coffee, clattering
chairs, and laughing addicts—are the gathering places where we first
welcome our newcomers and let them know that, yes, we're having fun now.
Just for today: I can laugh at myself.
I can take a joke. I will lighten up and have some fun today.
***********************************************************
You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
"Take it away at once," stormed the
Princess, stamping her tiny foot in its embroidered slipper. "I hate
real flowers; their petals fall off and they die." --Hans Christian
Andersen
If love is reserved for things that
never die, love is doomed to die. If flowers fade in a minute or two,
will not stones wear to sand in time? Even this earth, this garden of
life, one day will be like the dust of stars. We must walk gratefully,
carefully on it now. Now is the lifetime that passes here, now is the
best of all days; now is the flower's eternity in the sun, our chance
of a lifetime.
This is all we have, this moment.
Within it, anything can be done, any dream fulfilled, if we only use it
well. Why hold back? There is nothing to stop us.
What can I do to use this moment well?
You are reading from the book
Touchstones.
Little importance has been given to
body awareness. The emphasis is on achievement rather than awareness.
Yet it is only those athletes who have a highly developed kinesthetic
sense - muscle sense - who ever achieve high levels of excellence.
--W. Timothy Gallwey
The outstanding athlete is guided by
the feeling in his muscles and bones. He knows as he moves how much
force to apply, how to place the ball on target, or how to dive
gracefully. Competitiveness and achievement are useful in our lives.
Winning provides us with motivation and fun. But when we give primary
importance to being a winner, we weaken and lose balance.
Our balance is strengthened through
more awareness in all aspects of our lives. If a ruler refused to hear
news from a certain section of his country, his leadership would
suffer. When we ignore our feelings and don't reflect on our daily
lives, we become weaker and less adequate men. As we read this page
today, we are opening ourselves to internal messages and opening the
windows of awareness.
God, help me find more balance and
learn to be more aware.
You are reading from the book Each Day
a New Beginning.
I stand before you as a tower of
strength, the weight of the world on my shoulders. As you pass through
my life, look, but not too close, for I fear I will expose the
vulnerable me. --Deidra Sarault
Vulnerability is as much a part of
being human as is strength. Our vulnerability prevents our strength
from becoming hard, brittle, self-serving. Our soft edges invite
others' openness and their expressions of love.
We learned long ago to be "strong." We
were encouraged to need no help, to need nobody. Now, we struggle to
ask for help. As we grow in understanding of our human needs, and as we
become more aware of the spiritual help available, the difficulty of
reaching out to others is eased.
No longer need we look to pills,
booze, food, or lovers for strength. All the strength we'll ever need
is as close as our thoughts. At this moment, we are a tower of
strength, not one weighted with burdens. Rather, our strength is a gift
of our connection to a spiritual power that can free us from all the
troubles we shoulder. Our vulnerable selves will open our souls to the
flood of strength just waiting for our prayers.
I will be as strong as I need to be,
when I tap the spiritual source that awaits my call. I will risk my
vulnerable self today.
You are reading from the book The
Language of Letting Go.
Feeling Good
Make yourself feel good.
Its our job to first make ourselves
feel better and then make ourselves feel good. Recovery is not only
about stopping painful feelings; it is about creating a good life for
ourselves.
We don't have to deny ourselves
activities that help us feel good. Going to meetings, basking in the
sun, exercising, taking a walk, or spending time with a friend are
activities that may help us feel good. We each have our list. If we
don't we're now free to explore, experiment, and develop that list.
When we find a behavior or activity
that produces a good feeling, put it on the list. Then, do it
frequently.
Lets stop denying ourselves good
feelings and start doing things that make us feel good.
Today, I will do one activity or
behavior that I know will create a good feeling for me. If Im uncertain
about what I like, I will experiment with one behavior today.
Today I feel my entire body energized
by my powerful positive, thoughts. I feel alive and full of joy as I
feed myself with loving and positive energy. --Ruth Fishel
**************************************************
***********
Journey to the Heart
Stay Open to Life
I have a tendency to be dogmatic. If I
have an experience that’s unpleasant, I take a firm stand and say, I’ll
never go through that again. I’ll never do that again. If something
frightens me or I don’t understand it, I’ll push it away. Won’t even
consider it. That won’t work for me, I say, sometimes before I know
whether it will or not. Being dogmatic shuts us down and can shut life
out.
The universe will challenge our
prejudices,though. Without being certain how it happened,we may find
ourselves doing the very thing we thought we never would, liking it,
and hearing a quiet voice, the one that comes from our heart ask, What
do you think now? When we’re open, we’ll find ourselves doing things,
sharing things, experiencing things, and liking things we never thought
we would or could.
Open your heart. Open your mind. Open
to life and all it holds for you. Let the dogma dissolve.
**************************************************
***********
More Language Of Letting Go
Say when it’s worn out
Throw it away when it wears out.
John and Al were talking one day about
a mutual friend, someone they both knew and liked. “Mark thinks he has
to be in pain all the time,” John said. “He defines himself by his
resentments. He’s always angry, always upset, and so deeply concerned
about how terrible and tragic life is that he’s always pulling out his
hair and wailing about life. I’m worried about him,” John said.
“Let him go,” Al said. “People need to
wear things out. They need to take their time wearing out their beliefs
and attitudes before they’re ready to throw them away. You’ve needed
your time to do this. So have I. Give Mark the time he needs–however
long that is– to wear his beliefs out too.”
Are you attached to any beliefs that
are sabotaging your life– beliefs about your ability to be happy,
joyous, and free? Life is a journey through places, through people, and
through our beliefs. We wear these beliefs out one by one, shedding
them amd making room for a little more light.
Give other people the time and freedom
to wear out their beliefs. Give yourself that freedom,too.
Right now, this moment, you’re wearing
out a belief. Look around at your life. Trust where you are. Trust what
you’re going through. Some belief is wearing thin right now, as you
read this. Say when it’s time to throw out that belief.
You are loveable. You are beautiful,
just as you are. You have a purpose. There’s a plan for your life. You
can take care of yourself. You can think, feel, and solve your
problems. Sometimes life is hard, but it doesn’t have to be a struggle.
And it doesn’t have to hurt that much and that long. Not anymore. You
can detach, and you can detach in love.
Look in the mirror for a few moments.
Instead of just being honest with yourself about what you see, be
honest with yourself about what you believe about who you see.
God, help me let go of my limiting and
sabotaging beliefs.
**************************************************
***********
Emerging Courageous
Walking Through Your Fear
The situations, activities, and
individuals that frighten us remain static. Their relative intensity
does not change. Fear, on the other hand, self-magnifies. It is when
you are afraid and envisioning all that might go wrong that the energy
underlying your fear grows. A tiny flicker of anxiety can easily
develop into a terror that manifests itself physically and eventually
paralyzes you into inaction. Though frequently, in walking through that
fear, we discover that the strength of our fright was out of synch with
reality. And we learn that doing what frightens us can lead to great
blessings. Confronting your trepidation head-on will help you accept
that few frightening scenarios will ever live up to the negative
disasters that we sometimes play out in our minds.
Though fear is literally an
evolutionary gift meant to sharpen your senses and energize you during
times of great stress, it can nonetheless become a barrier that
prevents you from fulfilling your potential by causing you to miss out
on rewarding, life-changing experiences. During the period before you
face your fear, you may have to deal with a barrage of negative
thoughts and emotions. Walking through it, whether your fear is public
speaking, taking part in an activity that makes you nervous, or
asserting yourself when the odds are against you, may be equally as
difficult. But once you have emerged unscathed on the other side, which
you will, you will likely wonder why you assumed the worst in the first
place. As you spend time worrying about what might happen, it’s good to
know that your fear probably won’t happen at all. It may feel like a
great weight has been lifted from your shoulders, and you will likely
feel a sense of passionate pride. Walking through your fear can! mean
taking risks and can require both practice and patience. Since it is
challenging to act when you are gripped with fear, start small.
Each step you take into fear will
strengthen you and help you confront future fears with poise, courage,
and confidence. You will also find that when you are willing to stare
your fear in the face, the universe will always offer you some form of
aid or support. When you see the heights of accomplishment and personal
evolution you can attain when you walk through your fears, your faith
in yourself will grow, allowing your next step to be easier. Published
with permission from Daily OM
**************************************************
***********
A Day At A Time
Reflection For The Day
So many of us suffer from despair. Yet
we don’t realize that despair is purely the absence of faith. As long
as we’re willing to turn to God for help in our difficulties, we cannot
despair. When we’re troubled and can’t see a way out, it’s only because
we imagine that all solutions depend on us. The Program teaches us to
let go of overwhelming problems and let God handle them for us. When I
consciously surrender my will to God’s will, do I see faith at work in
my life?
Today I Pray
May I be free of despair and
depression, those two “down D’s” that are the result of feelings of
helplessness. May I know that I am never without the help of God, that
I am never helpless when He is with me. If I have faith, I need never
be “helpless and hopeless.”
Today I Will Remember
Despair is the absence of Faith.
**************************************************
***********
One More Day
Troubles, like babies, grow larger by
nursing.
– Lady Holland
The more we allow ourselves to fret
about our troubles, the larger they appear to grow. Soon they are blown
out of proportion.
Perhaps we need to set some time aside
each day specifically for worrying. It’s much easier to put our
worrisome thoughts out of our minds if we know that we will deal with
them at a certain time every day. This “worry time” will also give us
the chance to decide whether we have any control over these problems or
whether we should just let them go. None of us is without problems, and
if we address them with some serious thinking time each day, we should
be able to free our minds for some of the more important things in our
lives — like personal growth and development of values.
I will strike a happy balance between
worries and joys.
************************************
Food For Thought
Communicating
If we do not tell people what is troubling us, they cannot help. We
have sometimes been too proud or too shy to let others know what we
were feeling. Rather than trying to communicate with those close to us,
we ate. Eating instead of communicating further increased our isolation
and unhappiness.
Exposing our feelings makes us vulnerable, and we often fear that we
will be hurt or rejected. We may be trying to preserve a false image of
ourselves as self-sufficient and free of problems. Whatever the reasons
for our unwillingness to communicate, we are cheating ourselves. By
"clamming up," we cut ourselves off from the care and support of those
who love us.
Honest sharing between individuals opens the way for growth and change.
By expressing our thoughts and feelings out loud to another person, we
become better able to understand and deal with whatever is bothering
us. More important, we deepen our relationships with family and friends
when we are willing to communicate on a meaningful level.
Give me courage to communicate.
*****************************************
One Day At A Time
EXPECTATIONS
“The best thing about the future
is that it only comes one day at a
time."
Abraham Lincoln
Being a rational, logical person I
have always worked from the premise that If I did something then the
following would be the outcome and maybe in the scientific world that
may have been true. But in the real world of relationships and people
it certainly doesn't work like that as I have discovered since coming
into program. As it says in the Big Book "serenity is inversely
proportional to one's expectations" and I know now how true this is.
Just recently after having set a
boundary with my son I was expecting all sorts of repercussions and
imagined him trying to talk me out of my decision and the result was
that I lost my serenity and became really anxious. Of course the truth
was nowhere like I had imagined and the situation ended very
differently from what I had expected. This was a lesson to me once
again that things don't turn out the way we expect them to but the way
they are meant to.
One day at a time...
When I let go of any expectations I
have of how a situation is going to turn out, I get to keep my serenity
and the situation turns out the way it's supposed to.
~ Sharon S.
*****************************************
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
We needed to ask ourselves but one
short question. 'Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe,
that there is a Power greater than myself?' As soon as a man can say
that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure
him that he is on his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that
upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual
structure can be built. - Pg. 47 - We Agnostics
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Regaining the natural habit of
sleeping takes time. If you are tired right now from lack of sleep, it
is normal. As long as you don't 'take' anything for it, you will be OK.
Rest, pray, and know that it won't always be so difficult.
Give me a quiet spirit to meet the
times when I don't have all the sleep I think I need.
Fear
Today, I allow myself to experience my
fears as fears. I don't need to let them control and color the
circumstances of my life. They are real, and it is understandable that
I have them. Healing can mobilize my deep fears, they come up more
intensely than normal. But this is a part of my process, and growth and
healing aren't neat and tidy. When I am very afraid, I will comfort
myself or seek comfort from someone else. I will understand that even
though I fear the worst, the worst will not necessarily happen. My
feelings feel very powerful inside me, but they are not facts. I can
survive my fears and understand that they will pass.
I have compassion for the fearful part
of me.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
If God is your co-pilot, switch seats!
(Anonymous Sage) There is something special waiting for you to do today
that won't get done if you are flying around doing your own thing.
When I let my Higher Power pilot my
life, I know that inspiration will guide my actions and that 'special
something' will get done.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
You are less likely to fall into
temptation if you don't walk along the edge.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I feel my entire body energized
by my powerful positive, thoughts. I feel alive and full of joy as I
feed myself with loving and positive energy.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
The first drink I ever had I realized
what my problem was: I had an alcohol deficiency. - Trip S.
*****************************************
AA Thought for the Day
May 6
Communication
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.
- The Language Of The Heart, p. 243
Thought to Ponder . . .
Modem-to-modem or face-to-face,
AA's speak the language of the heart.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
E S H = Experience, Strength and Hope.
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
Control
"Most of us have been unwilling to
admit
we were real alcoholics.
No person likes to think he is bodily
and mentally
different from his fellows.
Therefore, it is not surprising
that our drinking careers have been
characterized
by countless vain attempts to prove
we could drink like other people.
The idea that somehow, someday he will
control
and enjoy his drinking is the great
obsession
of every abnormal drinker.
The persistence of this illusion is
astonishing.
Many pursue it into the gates of
insanity or death."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30
Thought to Consider . . .
When a person tries to control their
drinking
they have already lost control.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
STEPS
Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Honesty
From "Our Survival:"
"The HONESTY expressed by the members
of A.A. in meetings has the power to open my mind. Nothing can block
the
flow of energy that HONESTY carries
with it. The only obstacle to this flow of energy is inebriation, but
even then, no
one will find a closed door if he or
she has left and chooses to return. Once he or she has received the
gift of sobriety,
each A.A. member is challenged on a
daily basis to accept a program of HONESTY."
1990, Daily Reflections, page 311
*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
It doesn't matter who or what God is
if I can just remember it's not me!"
Ranchester, Wyo., May 2012
"Sunsets -- Not My Idea,"
AA Grapevine
~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve
Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*
"We found that as soon as we were able
to lay aside prejudice and
express even a willingness to believe
in a Power greater than
ourselves, we commenced to get
results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or
comprehend that
Power, which is God."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We
Agnostics, pg. 46~
"Neither could we reduce our
self-centeredness much by wishing or
trying on our own power. We had to
have God's help."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How
It Works, pg. 62
Step Four is our vigorous and
painstaking effort to discover what these liabilities in each of us
have been, and are.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.
42
Misc. AA Literature - Quote
'Admitted to God . . . '
Provided you hold back nothing in
taking the Fifth Step, your sense of relief will mount from minute to
minute. The
dammed-up emotions of years break out
of their confinement, and miraculously vanish as soon as they are
exposed.
As the pain subsides, a healing
tranquility takes its place. And when humility and serenity are so
combined, something
else of great moment is apt to occur.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 62
Prayer For The Day: Dear Father, I thank you for helping me
when I need it most. I pray you help me help others when they are in
need.