CyberRecovery

Aloha. I live in Hawaii and our recovery rocks out here. Liz:mrgreen:

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

"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 . . .

"Many alcoholics are enthusiasts. They run to extremes.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
DENIAL
Don't Even Notice I Am Lying






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Cooperation
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In 1949 the American Psychiatric Association did exactly the same thing [recognizing A.A. as a valid aid for alcoholics]. I [Bill W.] read a paper at its annual meeting in Montreal. I wound up by describing the spiritual experience as we understand it in A.A. As I read, I doubted if even a handful of the audience could possibly agree with the views expressed in my paper. To my astonishment there was a sustained round of applause. But this was not at all a tribute to me or to the contents of my paper; it was instead a tribute to Alcoholics Anonymous, a tribute to a way of life which had worked for alcoholics when other approaches had failed. This generous response was evidence that our friends the psychiatrists were being much more tolerant of us than we had been of them. If we ourselves became more open-minded, then far greater co-operation with this profession would be assured.

"The Association promptly confirmed the view of its members in Montreal. My paper was carried in the American Journal of Psychiatry and we were permitted to reprint it in a pamphlet, now entitled Alcoholism the Illness.* Our standing with the psychiatric profession has increased greatly since that time.

"*Later retitled Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W., this pamphlet also includes Bill's paper before the Medical Society of the State of New York"

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 205





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

"Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to
find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and
direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal
consequences may be."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 79~





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Misc. AA Literature - Quote




Day[Whose Responsibility?

'An A.A. group, as such, cannot take on all the personal problems of its members, let alone those of nonalcoholics in the world around us. The A.A. group is not, for example, a mediator of domestic problems, nor does it furnish personal financial aid to anyone.
'Though a member may sometimes be helped in such matters by his friends in A.A., the primary responsibility for the solutions of all his problems of living and growing rests squarely upon the individual himself. Should an A.A. group attempt this sort of help, its effectiveness and energies would be hopelessly dissapated.
'This is why sobriety -- freedom from alcohol -- through the teaching and practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, is the sole purpose of the group. If we don't stick to this cardinal principle, we shall almost certainly collapse. And if we collapse we cannot help anyone.'

Letter, 1966






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Member Submitted Quote



We're sick people trying to get better, not bad people trying to be good.






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12 x 12 Quote


"Now we come to another kind of problem: the intellectually self-
sufficient man or woman. To these, many AA's can say, 'Yes, we were
like you...far too smart for our own good. We loved to have people
call us precocious. We used our education to blow ourselves up into
prideful balloons, though we were careful to hide this from others.
Secretly, we felt we could float above the rest of the folks on our
brainpower alone. Scientific progress told us there was nothing man
couldn't do. Knowledge was all-powerful. Intellect could conquer
nature. Since we were brighter than most folks (so we thought), the
spoils of victory would be ours for the thinking. The god of
intellect displaced the God of our fathers. But again John Barleycorn
had other ideas. We who had won so handsomely in a walk turned into
all-time losers. We saw that we had to reconsider or die. We found
many in AA who once thought as we did. They helped us to get down to
our right size. By their example they showed us that humility and
intellect could be compatible, provided we placed humility first. We
we began to do that, we received the gift of faith, a faith which
works. This faith is for you, too.'" (Twelve and Twelve, Step Two,
pg. 29)

I need help daily I need somebody to help me work the steps of NA. Anybody that has a while of sobriety that could help. Maybe talk daily any advice at all would help. I feel lost!

Cut and paste
Movie: Story of the Basic Text
283 Mb - Be patient during download

Movie: Story of the Basic Text
283 Mb - Be patient during download

I'm an old comer, but slow learner. I've been trying to stay clean since 1991:5:. I've given my self to God and know he will show me the way. LET GO AND LeT GOD.

Have faith in God and you shall receive the power to resist temptation to Alcohol and drugs. ":29:God will not give you more tha you can handle"

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

"Who can render an account of all the miseries that have once been ours, and who can estimate the release and joy that the later years have brought to us? Who could possibly tell the vast consequences of what God's work through AA had already set in motion?

"Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pp. 44-5
As Bill Sees It, p. 163

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*~*~*
PUSH
Pray Until Something Happens





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Power
From "Listening to the Wind":
"Alcohol was only a symptom of much deeper problems of dishonesty and denial. Now it was a matter of coming to grips with a Power greater than myself. That was very hard for me. How could all these white people even begin to think they could understand me? So they brought a sober Indian woman up to work with me for a day. That was a very powerful day. That Indian woman cut me no slack at all. I will never forget her. She convinced me I was not unique. She said these white folks were the best thing that ever happened to me.

"Where would you be without them?" she asked. "What are the alternatives? You got any better ideas for yourself? How many Indians do you know who are going to help you sober up?" At the time, I couldn't think of any. I surrendered behind the tears of no answers and decided to do it their way. I found the Power greater than myself to be the magic above the heads of the people in the meetings. I chose to call that magic Great Spirit."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 467






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

Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful!
Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all
power that One is God. May you find Him now!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 58~





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Misc. AA Literature - Quote




Clearing a Channel

During the day, we can pause where situations must be met and decisions made, and renew the simple request 'Thy will, not mine, be done.'
If at these points our emotional disturbances happens to be great, we will more surely keep our balance provided we remember, and repeat to ourselves, a particular prayer or phrase that has appealed to us in our reading or meditations. Just saying it over and over will often enable us to clear a channel choked up with anger, fear, frustration, or misunderstanding, and permit us to return to the surest help of all -- our search for God's will, not our own, in the moment of stress.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 102-103





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12 x 12 Quote


It is significant, now that almost no AA in our Fellowship breaks
anonymity at the public level, that nearly all these fears have
subsided. We see that we have no right or need to discourage AA's who
wish to work as individuals in these wider fields. It would be
actually antisocial were we to forbid them. We cannot declare AA such
a closed corporation that we keep our knowledge and experience top
secret. If an AA member acting as a citizen can become a better
researcher, educator, personnel officer, then why not? Everybody
gains, and we have lost nothing. True, some of the projects to which
AA's have attached themselves have been ill-conceived, but that makes
not the slightest difference with the principle involved." (Twelve
and Twelve, Tradition Eight, pg. 171)

How Fights Start


My wife sat down on the settee next to me as I was flipping channels.
She asked, 'What's on TV?'

I said, 'Dust.'

And then the fight started...


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My wife and I were watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" while we
were in bed. I turned to her and said, "Do you want to have sex?"

"No," she answered.

I then said, "Is that your final answer?"

She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, "Yes."

So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."

And then the fight started....


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Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and
slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van, and
proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing
50 mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and
discovered that the weather would be bad all day.

I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into
bed. I cuddled up to my wife's back, now with a different anticipation,
and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible."

My loving wife of 5 years replied, "Can you believe my stupid husband is
out fishing in that?"

And that's how the fight started...


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I rear-ended a car this morning.. So, there we were alongside the road
and slowly the other driver got out of his car. You know how sometimes
you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny? Yeah,
well I couldn't believe it.... He was a DWARF!!! He stormed over to my
car, looked up at me, and shouted, "I AM NOT HAPPY!!!"

So, I looked down at him and said, "Well, then which one are you?"

And then the fight started.....


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My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary.
She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3
seconds.'

I bought her a bathroom scale.

And then the fight started...


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When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her some place
expensive... so, I took her to a petrol station.

And then the fight started...


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After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social
Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's License
to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my
wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have
to go home and come back later.

The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'. So I opened my shirt revealing my
curly silver hair. She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof
enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application.

When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the
Social Security office..

She said, 'You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten
disability, too.'

And then the fight started...


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My wife and I were sitting at a table at my school reunion, and I kept
staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a
nearby table.

My wife asked, 'Do you know her?'

'Yes,' I sighed, 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to
drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she
hasn't been sober since.'

'My God!' says my wife, 'who would think a person could go on
celebrating that long?'

And then the fight started...


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I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason took my
order first. "I'll have the steak, medium rare, please."

He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?""

Nah, she can order for herself."

And then the fight started....


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A woman was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror. She was not
happy with what she saw and said to her husband, "I feel horrible; I
look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.'

The husband replied, 'Your eyesight's **** near perfect.'

And then the fight started.....

No more games. I'm done, finished. My husband has taken on the responsibility of trying to control this for too long, which I actually resented bc why shouldn't I be able to do what I want to do. Had an MD appt. My bp was still really high despite everything I have tried. I told her I wanted to cut out alcohol as a last natural resort before medication. While I didnt put it on paper, when she asked how much and what I drank... I was honest... anywhere from 5-8 per day... most days... vodka and wine. She told me that even if she prescribed medication for bp, that sort of alcohol consumption would counteract most of the effects.

My mom brought up jokingly (or so I thought) on my past 2 trips home that she is glad my brother and I never got into drugs "even though (her) daughter may be an alcoholic"...I thought she was just joking about this... So I decided to let my mom in on this problem/drs. appt (though I didn't tell her how much I drank) and she started uncontrollably crying. She said she had been so worried about my drinking that she had been praying about it for almost a year and asked my brother not to make me any more wine bc she was afraid it would kill me. I asked why she didnt mention it and she said she had on many occasions and the next time I came home she was going to confront it. She went on to say (which I never knew) that my grandfather (father's side) was an alcoholic as is my uncle (father's brother) and she was afraid there was some predisposition to it and that she started to see it happening to me. She couldn't stop crying. Longer story short... this broke my heart. I had no clue how bad I was hurting her.

I also was honest with my husband about my mom's response and he said.... "so my concern was warranted" Anyway, as soon as I walked through the door, I dumped the vodka... probably 1/5 of the 1.75L bottle. Onward! ;)

I've recently come to the realization that my husband very likely is an alcoholic. We have talked about his drinking multiple times and his response is "I like beer." He doesn't seem to show remorse at how unhappy I am when he drinks. Usually after we have a big talk about his drinking he improves for a few days and then goes back to his old ways.

I have left him 2 times but always return back to him and I don't understand why I do this. I have two small children and I don't want them to grow up with this kind of man but I want desperately for them to have their father.

I recently asked my husband if he would consider some counseling and he avoided the question and told me that he thinks I need to get out more like it's my fault that he drinks as much as he does.

I'm embarressed by him when he drinks and I'm afraid to go out with him because he gets drunk and acts dumb. He has never been physically abusive but he has been emotionally abusive towards me. Help! I don't know what to do!:2:

I think it is time for me to go to another meeting. It seems as if life has just got crazy lately and the stress is whoopin my rear. I know when I go to a meeting, I kinda feel safe, like the fortress of solitude or something. It just brightens my day. When I go, I don't know why, I just don't think about all the stuff that is worrying me.

Not to bring anyone down, as I know it is Friday, so lets hear it for the Friday happiness! :)

Shane

Hello. I just joined the forum because I am an alcoholic and I need help. But I am also a successful... uhh... Smoke quitter? Haha. I used to smoke over 2 packs a day. I quite and have been smoke-free for 5 years.

Maybe by helping others with quitting their cigarettes, it will help me get a handle on my alcohol problem. That's my hope anyway.

Hello. I drink too much, too often, and am having trouble quitting.

I used to smoke over two packs of cigarettes a day for a long time. But I can confidently say I have successfully quit smoking. I have not smoked for 5 years now.

I am looking for a place to find support. Also I am hoping maybe I can help people who are having a hard time quitting smoking, and that might help me kick the bottle.

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

"Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate between changes for worse and changes for better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent in an individual, in a group, or in AA as a whole, it has long since been found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way.

"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, July 1965 As Bill Sees It, p. 115

Thought to Consider . . .

There is no progress without change.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
CHANGE
Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday





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Independence
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
"'If I keep on turning my life and my will over to the care of Something or Somebody else, what will become of me? I'll look like the hole in the doughnut.' This, of course, is the process by which instinct and logic always seek to bolster egotism, and so frustrate spiritual development. The trouble is that this kind of thinking takes no real account of the facts. And the facts seem to be these: The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are. Therefore dependence, as A.A. practices it, is really a means to gaining true independence of the spirit."

1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 36






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

"When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could
not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that
either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He
isn't."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~





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Misc. AA Literature - Quote




R.S.V.P. - Yes or No?

Usually, we do not avoid a place where there is drinking - if we have a legitimate reason for being there. That includes bars, night clubs, dances, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary parties.
You will note that we made an important qualification. Therefore, ask yourself, 'Have I any good social, business, or personal reason for going to this place? Or am I expecting to steal a little vicarious pleasure from the atmosphere?' Then go or stay away, whichever seems better. But be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it.
If you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead!
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 101-102
Copyright1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.







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Member Submitted Quote



Never say Never and Always stay away from Always ( Jim )






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12 x 12 Quote

"Then came the opposition. They pointed out that the Foundation board
already knew of a total of half a million dollars set aside for AA in
the wills of people still alive. Heaven only knew how much there was
we hadn't heard about. If outside donations weren't declined,
absolutely cut off, then the Foundation would one day become rich.
Moreover, at the slightest intimation to the general public from our
trustees that we needed money, we could become immensely rich.
Compared to this prospect, the ten thousand dollars under
consideration wasn't much, but like the alcoholic's first drink it
would, if taken, inevitably set up a disastrous chain reaction. Where
would that land us? Whoever pays the piper is apt to call the tune,
and if the AA Foundation obtained money from outside sources, its
trustees might be tempted to run things without reference to the
wishes of AA as a whole. Relieved of responsibility, every alcoholic
would shrug and say, 'Oh, the Foundation is wealthy...why should I
bother?' The pressure of that fat treasury would surely tempt the
board to invent all kinds of schemes to do good with such funds, and
so divert AA from its primary purpose. The moment that happened, our
Fellowship's confidence would be shaken. The board would be isolated,
and would fall under heavy attack of criticism from both AA and the
public. These were the possibilities, pro and con." (Twelve and
Twelve, Tradition Seven, pg. 164)

Prayers Used In Narcotics Anonymous


The Serenity Prayer

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."


Narcotics Anonymous - Little White Booklet


The We Version Of The Serenity Prayer

"God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."


The Third Step Prayer

" Take my will and my life. Guide me in my recovery. Show me how to live."


The Recovery Prayer

"We cannot change the nature of the addict or addiction. We can help to change the old lie "Once an addict, always an addict," by striving to make recovery more available. God, help us to remember this difference."


The Literature Prayer

"GOD, grant us knowledge that we may write according to Your Divine precepts. Instill in us a sense of Your purpose. Make us servants of Your will and grant us a bond of selflessness, that this may truly be Your work, not ours-in order that no addict, anywhere, need die from the horrors of addiction."


The Just For Today Prayer

JUST FOR TODAY my thoughts will be on my recovery, living and enjoying life without the use of drugs.

JUST FOR TODAY I will have faith in someone in N.A. Who believes in me and wants to help me in my recovery.

JUST FOR TODAY I will have a program. I will try to follow it to the best of my ability.

JUST FOR TODAY through N.A. I will try to get a better perspective on my life.

JUST FOR TODAY I will be unafraid, my thoughts will be on my new associations, people who are not using and who have found a new way of life. So long as I follow that way, I have nothing to fear.


A Modified Version Of The Literature Prayer For Service

"GOD, grant us knowledge that we may Serve according to Your Divine precepts. Instill in us a sense of Your purpose. Make us servants of Your will and grant us a bond of selflessness, that this may truly be Your work, not ours-in order that no addict, anywhere, need die from the horrors of addiction."


The Trust Prayer


"Higher Power, I've learned to trust your guidance, yet I still have my own ideas about how I want to live my life. Let me share those ideas with you, and then let me clearly understand your will for me. In the end, let your will, not mine, be done."


Just For Today December 4 p354


The Gratitude Prayer


"I've recovered something I never had, something I never imagined possible: the life of a recovering addict. Thank you, Higher Power, in more than words can say."


Just For Today January 7


The Self-Acceptance Prayer

"Higher Power, help me live in accordance with spiritual principles. Only then can I approve of myself."

Just For Today April 13


The Learning Prayer


"Mistakes aren't tragedies. But please, Higher Power, help me learn from them! "


Just For Today may 14


The Acceptance Prayer

"Higher Power, grant me the wisdom to know the difference between what can be changed and what I must accept. Please help me gratefully accept the life I've been given."

Just For Today June 16


The Patience Prayer

"Higher Power, help me discover what's most important in my life. Help me learn patience, so that I can devote my resources to the important things."

Just For Today July 12


The Selfless Service Prayer

"Higher Power, help me serve other people, not demand that they serve me."

Just For Today August 13


The Flexibility Prayer


"Higher Power, help me bend with life's wind and glory in its passing. Free me from rigidity."


Just For Today September 11


The powerlessness Prayer

"God, I admit my powerlessness and the unmanageable of my life. Help me live with others as an equal, dependent upon you for direction and strength."

Just For Today October 12

Long ago, there was a saying that helped members of Narcotics Anonymous deal with the various elements that try to intrude on our way of life. When the business concerns of N.A., or the committees that we form to serve us began to get caught up in themselves, we would say, "All else is not N.A."


This handy phrase helped us keep things straight. It didn't mean we weren't grateful to those who served us. It didn't mean we have an attitude towards anyone or anything not N.A. It did mean we don't like bosses. It meant N.A. members set up and were responsible for the meetings of Narcotics Anonymous in the various places where our meetings are held. It strengthened us and made us aware of our spiritual responsibilities. It kept us from feeling betrayed so badly when some of our servants get out of hand. Our trusted servants were responsible to serve us, not to control our actions or manipulate the information we were allowed to receive through service publications.


The phrase "All else is not N.A." helped us focus on the spiritual facts of the program instead of the arrangements and activities of those who act on our behalf sometimes. It is easy for us to get things like this turned around.


When our Basic Text was written, this line was included under the Traditions. It was later the subject of some discussion as a result of a few members in world services who didn't agree with the line and were in a position to exclude it from the material.


That was OK for then but now ten long hard years have passed and many members still see N.A. as a spiritual, not religious program of recovery from addiction. Not just from drug addiction or addiction to narcotics as our name would imply. We have grown. Many, if not all members, have realized for some time that once the chemicals are taken out of the picture, our addiction stands intact and ready to deal with us if we do not find a way to deal with successfully.


Our need for spiritual integrity will always be great. Emptiness seems to result whenever we try to place something other than our spiritual yearnings and experiences in the center of our programs.


N.A. is not a business. We have some needs and functions that may involve collecting and disbursing sums of money to get


literature printed or to put on a convention. This is a scaled up model of what we experience in our groups. Never should our coffee chair feel more important than our members who come to care and share the N.A. way of life with one another.


Trusted servants serve our group and fellowship needs at many levels. They are enjoined to avoid the error of thinking themselves governors, rulers or directors. This would be untrue and create problems. Our trusted servants have to keep faith with the members they serve. Other goals must never come ahead of carrying our message to those who come to N.A. seeking recovery. There can be no more important persons than these for us.


Those of us who are clean and reached a level of gratitude serve only to balance the scales with those who helped us. We help others in our turn and do for others what was done for us. Further, many of us believe that helping others is the key to our ongoing recovery and part of the reason we were able to escape the clutches of active addiction.


It is easy to slip back into spiritual laziness and let others deal with the things we cannot. "Can not" may be "will not." "Will not" can lead to big trouble if we expect spiritual growth. One of the greatest verities for us is that abstinence alone is not enough to keep us clean. Spiritual growth, a sense of emotional health, the ability to tolerate increases in our honesty and the alleviation of our obsessions and compulsions is fundamental to recovery. The hole in the gut must be filled.


Confusing spirituality with morality would put us in the category of churches and other institutions that seek to promote goodwill, health and well being among people in a variety of ways. There is nothing wrong with these efforts. It is just that we are not a business and we are not a church. Worldly concerns are not the source of our disease.


For our spiritual fellowship to survive, we need to look long and hard at our goals and our resources. If we promise to share freely that which we were freely given, we can hope to live up to it. If we promise to provide recovery and various levels of assistance to addicts seeking recovery, we have crossed a line and risk spiritual bankruptcy. You can't bankrupt God. Spirituality is shared human experience of what goes beyond the world and fills the needs we have for a sense of comfort and well being. Once we learn to apply spiritual principles in a practical way, our lives improve dramatically.


It is true that not everyone can do this with equal results. What is right for one may be wrong for another. We can't predict outcomes. We can say that for those of us who have given this program our best, we have been surprised and amazed. Our actions and commitment to recovery reflect our gratitude.

I struggle everyday, I have went through on the verge of losing my kids for good, realizing how big of a problem I have, and still slip. I went to rehab and am attending classes, I have a hard time only getting to see my kids once a week for an hour. They are both under 3. I realize stress triggers me, but everyday life causes stress. I get so overwhelmed. What can I do more of I do not want to lose my babies. My fience does not use but he has sad to suffer just as much if not more than me. My mother uses with me and I have to get her out of my life to get my kids back, but she is my mother. I love her even tho she did not mother me right. Anybody have any advice?

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

"As the doubter tries the process of prayer,he should begin to add up the results.If he persists, he will surely find more serenity,more tolerance, less fear, and less anger.He will acquire a quiet courage,the kind that isn't tension-ridden.He can look at 'failure' and 'success'for what these really are.Problems and calamity will begin to mean his instruction,instead of his destruction.Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to happen.

"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, June 1958As Bill Sees It, p. 321

Thought to Consider . . .

Trying to pray is praying.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
BS
Before Sobriety






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


Self-Care
From "To Wives":
"Be determined that your husband's [or other loved one's] drinking is not going to spoil your relations with your children or your friends. They need your companionship and your help. It is possible to have a full and useful life, though your husband continues to drink. We know women who are unafraid, even happy under these conditions. Do not set your heart on reforming your husband. You may be unable to do so, no matter how hard you try."

2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 111





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

"On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We
consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to
direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-
pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we
can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God
gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much
higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~





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Misc. AA Literature - Quote




Only God Is Unchanging

'Change is the characteristic of all growth. From drinking to sobriety, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to serenity, from hate to love, from childish dependence to adult responsibility - all this and infinitely more represent change for the better.
'Such changes are accomplished by a belief in and a practice of sound principles. Here we must needs discard bad or ineffective principles in favor of good ones that work. Even good principles can sometimes be displaced by the discovery of still better ones.
'Only God is unchanging; only He has all the truth there is.
LETTER, 1966
Copyright1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.





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Member Submitted Quote



If you're paining...you're gaining; If you're feeling.. you're healing. ( Moodydeb )





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12 x 12 Quote


"'Nevertheless,' we pointed out, 'you still have a legal right to take
this job.' 'I know that,' he said. 'But this is no time for legalities.
Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, and it comes first. I certainly
won't be the guy to land AA in big-time trouble, and this would really
do it!' Concerning endorsements, our friend had said it all. We saw as
never before that we could not lend the AA name to any cause other than
our own." (Twelve and Twelve, Tradition Six, pg. 158)

Hi Mike, Can you tell me the spiritual principles of each of the 12 steps. Thanks.
Bobby

My name is Bubba and im an Addict....

i am 23 years old, and a recovering Drug Addict, i have been SOBER for 23 months thanks to the 12 steps of AA and GOD... nxt month will be 2 years!!

i recently had a BABY BOY, he is a little over 3 months old and he is my life!!

i wanted to stopped smoking cigarets for quite some time but never really gave it any effort.... on March 3rd i decided to stop smoking, with some help from Nicotine Lozengers which work great for cravings.... the first week for me was the hardest!!! but from my past experience with quitting other drugs i knew that it was going to get better in time! i am using what i learned in AA to help me stay smoke free a day at a time, by waking up in the morning and asking god to help me to stay free from ciggaretts for today, and thanking him at night... and i must say 2 weeks later it has gotten better, i don't crave it nearly as much, except for after i eat a big meal or sometimes when im driving... which i chew a lot of gum and eat a lot of sunflower seeds!, and every week that i succeed at not smoking im putting $40 into my savings account, bc a pack a day is anywhere from 5-6 bucks, sometimes more, so i spent around that a week roughly. which means i can save 160 a month! i didn't really realize how much i was spending, nor did i care!!! now when i think about smoking i think about flushing money down the TOILET! and honestly id rather put the money into my SAVINGS ACCOUNT, than my lungs!!!... i have faith that i can continue to be smoke free with the help of GOD of course :)