AA Thought For The Day

[janbear]

The Pilgrim
"For the first time, I felt that I really belonged.
I knew that I was loved and could love in return.
I thanked my God, who had given me a glimpse of His absolute self.
Even though a pilgrim upon an uncertain highway,
I need be concerned no more, for I had glimpsed the great beyond."
Bill Wilson had just had his 39th birthday,
and he still had half his life ahead of him.
He always said that after that experience,
he never again doubted the existence of God.
He never took another drink.


Reprinted from Pass It On, Page 121, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
May the road always lead where you need to be.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Adventurers Anonymous.

[janbear]

Self-appraisal
^*^*^
"I used to be a champ at unrealistic self-appraisal.
I wanted to look only at the part of my life
which seemed good.
Then I would greatly exaggerate whatever virtues
I supposed I had attained.
Next I would congratulate myself on the grand job
I was doing.
So my unconscious self-deception never failed
to turn my few good assets into serious liabilities.
This astonishing process was always a pleasant one. . .
I was falling straight back
into the pattern of my drinking days. . .
I shall forever regret the damage I did to people around me.
Indeed, I still tremble when I realize
what I might have done to AA and to its future."
Bill W., June 1961
(c)1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, pp. 256-7
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Altered Attitudes

[janbear]

Sponsorship
A sponsor is simply a sober alcoholic who can help solve only one problem:
how to stay sober.
And the sponsor has only one tool to use -- personal experience,
not scientific wisdom.
Sponsors have been there, and they often have more concern, hope,
compassion, and confidence for us than we have for ourselves.
They certainly have had more experience.
Remembering their own condition, they reach out to help, not down.


Reprinted from Living Sober, Page 27, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Don't look for a sponsor, listen for one.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience.

[janbear]

Selfishness
Selfishness, self-centeredness!
That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
Driven by a hundred forms of fear,
self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity,
we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.
Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation,
but we invariably find that at some time in the past
we have made decisions based on self
which later placed us in a position to be hurt.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Swallowing your pride will not get you drunk.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Altered Attitudes

[janbear]

Willingness
Practicing Step Three is like the opening of a door
which to all appearances is still closed and locked.
All we need is a key, and the decision to swing the door open.
There is only one key, and it is called willingness.
Once unlocked by willingness, the door opens almost of itself,
and looking through it, we shall see a pathway beside which is an inscription.
It reads: "This is the way to a faith that works."


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 34, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
and we never even know we have the key.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

W H O = Willingness, Honesty, Open-mindedness.

[janbear]

Why Worry?
^*^*^
"There are many short phrases and expressions in AA
which make sound sense.
'First Things First': solving our immediate problems
before we try to solve all the others . . .
'Easy Does it.' Relax a little.
Try for inner contentment. No one individual
can carry all the burdens of the world.
Everyone has problems. Getting drunk won't solve them.
'Twenty-four hours a day.'
Today is the day. Doing our best,
living each day to the fullest is the art of living.
Yesterday is gone, and we don't know whether
we will be here tomorrow.
If we do a good job of living today,
and if tomorrow comes for us,
then the chances are we will do a good job when it arrives -
so why worry about it?"
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 382
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

Every day is a gift.
That is why we call it the present.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S I T = Stay In Today

[janbear]

Fundamentals
The Twelve Steps of our AA program are not crammed down anybody's throat.
They are not sustained by any human authority.
Yet we powerfully unite around them because the truth they contain
has saved our lives, has opened the door to a new world.
Our experience tells us these universal truths work.
The anarchy of the individual yields to their persuasion.
He sobers up and is led, little by little,
to complete agreement with our simple fundamentals.
- Bill W., September 1945.


Reprinted from The Language of the Heart, Page 8, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
The Program was a dazzling gem being dangled before my eyes.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem, Sober.

[janbear]

Meetings

"We have also found that going to meetings is not something to
be done only when we feel the temptation to drink. We often
get more good from the meetings by attending them when we
feel fine and haven't so much as thought of drinking. And
even a meeting which is not totally, instantly satisfying, is
better than no meeting at all.

"Living Sober, p. 81
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ALCOHOLICS
A Life Centered On Helping Others Live In Complete Sobriety





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?

[janbear]

Acceptance
And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.
When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing,
or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me,
and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing,
or situation as exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake.
Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober;
unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.
I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world
as on what needs to be changed in me and my attitude.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 417, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Acknowledge Acceptance.

[janbear]

Motives

"Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk? Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and our motives. If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink.

"Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 70

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

TRUST Try Relying Upon The Steps

[janbear]

Decision
Even when I described myself as agnostic,
I thought maybe something was watching out for me.
My friend asked, "Isn't it about time you made a decision?"
I knew where to look in the Big Book, and had been careful to avoid it until then.
I turned to the Third Step Prayer and quietly read it to her over the phone.
Nothing happened. I didn't expect anything to happen.
Then, for some reason, I turned back to the words,
"No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence
to these principles." They echoed in my mind.
Something happened. A barrier collapsed.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 373, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Once we clear a hurdle, it doesn't seem so high.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[janbear]

Self-will

"No matter how one wishes to try, exactly how can he turn his own will and his own life over to the care of whatever God he thinks there is? A beginning, even the smallest, is all that is needed. Once we have placed the key of willingness in the lock and have the door ever so slightly open, we find that we can always open it some more. Though self-will may slam it shut again, as it frequently does, it will always respond the moment we again pick up the key of willingness.

"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 35As Bill Sees It, p. 35





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
EDI not DIE Easy Does It not Does It Easy

[janbear]

Philosophy
For me, AA is a synthesis of all the philosophy I've ever read,
all of the positive, good philosophy, all of it based on love.
I have seen that there is only one law, the law of love,
and there are only two sins;
the first is to interfere with the growth of another human being,
and the second is to interfere with one's own growth.


Reprinted from Experience, Strength and Hope, Page 431, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

O D A A T = One Day At A Time.

[janbear]

Lessons

"I find the willingness to give thanks by contemplatingthe lessons learned from past suffering--lessons which have led to blessings I now enjoy.I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism,the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride,have often led me to God's grace,and so to a new freedom.
"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, March 1962As Bill Sees It, p. 266

Thought to Consider . . .

Remember that we deal with alcohol --
cunning, baffling, powerful!

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
TRUST
Try Relying Upon The Steps

[janbear]

Surrender
On the face of it, surrendering certainly does not seem like winning.
But it is in AA
Only after we have come to the end of our rope,
hit a stone wall in some aspect of our lives beyond which we can go no further;
only when we hit "bottom" in despair and surrender,
can we accomplish sobriety which we could never accomplish before.
We must, and we do, surrender in order to win.


Reprinted from Experience, Strength and Hope, pp. 155-156, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Life didn't end when I got sober -- it started.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

K I S S = Keep It Simple; Surrender.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[janbear]

Obsession

"Under the lash of alcoholism, we are driven to AA, and there we discover the fatal nature of our situation. Then, and only then, do we become as open-minded and as willing to listen as the dying can be. We stand ready to do anything which will lift the merciless obsession from us.




Thought to Consider . . .

The best things in life aren't things.






*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
NUTS Not Using The Steps

[janbear]

Keeping It
We GIVE AWAY TO KEEP.
That seems absurd and untrue. How can you keep anything if you give it away?
But in order to keep whatever it is we get in AA,
we must go about giving it away to others, for no fees or rewards of any kind.
When we cannot afford to give away what we have received so freely in AA,
we had better get ready for our next "drunk."
It will happen every time.
We've got to continue to give it away in order to keep it.


Reprinted from Experience, Strength and Hope, Page 156, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
We surrender to win; we give away to keep;
we suffer to get well; we die to live.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

T H I N K = Thank Heavens I Now Know.

[janbear]

Inventory

"We continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to look for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear."

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 84

Thought to Consider . . .

When I am too busy to pray - I am just too busy.





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

[janbear]

Came to Believe
Step Two gently and very gradually began to infiltrate my life.
I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day
I came to believe in a Power greater than myself,
but I certainly have that belief now.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 27, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
I came; I came to; I came to believe.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
March 10, 2008
Principles
One of the most fundamental things I have learned
is to pass on our message to other alcoholics.
That means I must think more about others than about myself.
The most important thing is to practice these principles in all my affairs.
In my opinion, that is what Alcoholics Anonymous is all about.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 199, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Let it begin with me.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

H O P E = Helping Other People Every day.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[admin]

Life on Life's Terms

"For years, I was sure the worst thing that could happen to a nice guy like me would be that I would turn out to be an alcoholic. Today, I find it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. This proves I don't know what's good for me. And if I don't know what's good for me, then I don't know what's good or bad for you or for anyone. So I'm better off if I don't give advice, don't figure I know what's best, and just accept life on life's terms, as it is today--especially my own life, as it actually is. Before AA, I judged myself by my intentions, while the world was judging me by my actions.

"Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 449-50


Thought to Consider . . .

I am liberated from dreaming the impossible dream
and free, finally, to start living the possible dream.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

TRUST Try Relying Upon the Steps and Traditions

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
March 11, 2008
One Man Was Lonely
As I see it, the ever-growing, multiplying, and compounding miracle of AA
is that because one man was lonely, afraid, and sick in a strange city,
I need never to be alone again in a strange city.
Because he sought out a physician for his own incurable disease
and arrested it by helping to heal the physician, there is great hope for me.
Because one man -- greatly gifted by his Higher Power --
failed to live up to the expectations of the crowd,
never scaled the heights of social, financial, or professional worlds,
and never made headlines or created empires, but chose instead
to share his private spiritual awakening with other sufferers,
I have a life to live and share.


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 2), Page 255, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
I'm not alone anymore.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.

[janbear]

March 12, 2008
Inner Resource
Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference
long before he is himself.
He finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration
in his reaction to life; that such a change
could hardly have been brought about by himself alone.
With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped
an unsuspected inner resource
which they presently identify with their own conception
of a Power greater then themselves.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, pp.567-568, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

W H O = Willingness, Honesty, Open-mindedness.

[admin]

Fear

"Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied drives us to covet the possessions of others, to lust for sex and power, to become angry when our instinctive demands are threatened, to be envious when the ambitions of others seem to be realized while ours are not. These fears are the termites that cease lessly devour the foundations of whatever sort of life we try to build.

"Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 49
Thought to Consider . . .

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the action in spite of the fear.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

ANONYMOUS
Actions Not Our Names Yield Maintenance Of Unity & Service

[janbear]

Happiness
The simplicity of the AA program teaches me
that happiness isn't something I can "demand."
It comes on me quietly, while I serve others.
In offering my hand to the newcomers or to someone who has relapsed,
I find that my own sobriety has been recharged
with indescribable gratitude and happiness.


Reprinted from Daily Reflections, Page 25, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Happiness is part of the journey, not some distant destination.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.

[admin]

Spiritual Growth

"When we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God. Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him. If we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conception, however limited it was."

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 47



Thought to Consider . . .

Spirituality is the ability to get our minds off ourselves.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
WISDOM
When Into Self, Discover Our Motives

[janbear]

Responsibility
As a recovering alcoholic, I need only have two concerns.
The first is to maintain my sobriety on a daily basis
and to practice the program of AA one day at a time.
The second is to ensure that what was here yesterday will be here tomorrow
for the next alcoholic who walks through the doors of this Fellowship,
And for that I am responsible.


Reprinted from Thank You For Sharing, Page 101, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

F E L L O W S H I P = Faith, Empathy, Learning, Love, Openness, Wisdom, Self-worth, Hope, Identification, People.

[janbear]

Humility

"The attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of AA's Twelve Steps. For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all.

"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 70

Thought to Consider . . .

As I thus get down to my right size and stature,
my self-concern and importance become amusing.

Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, June 1961
As Bill Sees It, p. 106




*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
FEAR
False Expectations Appearing Real

[janbear]

Resolve
It never occurred to me that I couldn't stop.
Every day I concocted some new method of staying sober.
If I wear this shirt, I won't drink.
If I'm with this person, or in this place, I won't drink. It didn't work.
Every morning I woke up with a new resolve to stay sober.
With few exceptions, by noon I was so messed up
I couldn't tell you my name.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 312, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
When we try to control our drinking, we have already lost control.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

D E N I A L = Don't Even Notice I Am Lying.

[janbear]

Procrastination

"After a preliminary trial at making amends, we may enjoy such a sense of relief that we conclude our task is finished. We will want to rest on our laurels. The temptation to skip the more humiliating and dreaded meetings that still remain may be great. We may just procrastinate, telling ourselves the time is not yet, when in reality we have already passed up many a fine chance to right a serious wrong. Let's not talk prudence while practicing evasion.




"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 85

Thought to Consider . . .

Procrastination is really sloth in five syllables.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 67

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ISM
I Sponsor Myself

[janbear]

Deception
I need to remember each day that deceiving myself about myself
is setting myself up for failure or disappointment in life and in AA.
A close, honest relationship with a Higher Power
is the only solid foundation I've found for honesty with self and with others.


Reprinted from Daily Reflections, Page 117, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
I cannot mend if I bend the truth.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.

[janbear]

Honesty

"Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.

"Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58

Thought to Consider . . .

Half measures availed us nothing.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
HOW
Honest, Open-minded and Willing

[janbear]

Willingness
"You think you are hopeless, don't you?" "I know it," I reply. . .
Then he asks me if I believe in a power greater than myself,
whether I call that power God, Allah, Confucius, Prime Cause,
Divine Mind, or any other name.
I told him I believe in electricity and other forces of nature,
but as for a God, if there is one, He has never done anything for me.
Then he asks if I am willing to right all the wrongs I have ever done to anyone . . .
. . . in order to get rid of the drink problem?
"I'll do anything," I reply. "Then all of your troubles are over," says the man.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 214, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Hope is the key that unlocks the door of discouragement.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[janbear]

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

[janbear]

Time
Now is the time, the only time there is.
And if we are not kind to ourselves right now,
we certainly cannot rightfully expect respect or consideration from others.
We have found we can enjoy, sober, every good thing
we enjoyed while drinking -- and many, many more.
It takes a little practice, but the rewards more than make up for the effort.
To do so is not selfish, but self-protective.
Unless we cherish our own recovery, we cannot survive to become unselfish,
ethical, and socially responsible people.


Reprinted from Living Sober, Page 42, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Time is a gift, not a threat.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

T I M E = This I Must Earn.

[janbear]

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

[janbear]

Rights
I realized for the first time that as a practicing alcoholic, I had no rights.
Society can do anything it chooses to do with me when I am drunk,
and I can't lift a finger to stop it,
for I forfeit my rights through the simple expedient of becoming a menace
to myself and to the people around me.
With deep shame came the knowledge too that I had lived
with no sense of social obligation
nor had I known the meaning of moral responsibility to my fellow men.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 549, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
In the depth of winter I finally learned
that there was in me an invincible summer.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.

[janbear]

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

[janbear]

March 20, 2008
Stop Starting
I remember telling a friend years ago that I didn't have a drinking problem,
I had a stopping problem.
We laughed. It was true, but there was something else going on,
something that never occurred to me until I came to AA.
I didn't just have a stopping problem. I had a starting problem too.
No matter how often I stopped, I always started drinking again.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, pp.372-373, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
If you want to quit drinking, you are going to have to quit drinking.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Absolute Abstinence.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[janbear]

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

[janbear]

An Opportunity
We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.
We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears,
though it once was just that for many of us.
But it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn't do it.
Avoid, then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes,
cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 133, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Happiness and peace of mind are always here, open and free to anyone.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.

[janbear]

Rationalization

"There are cases where our ancient enemy, rationalization, has stepped in and has justified conduct which was really wrong. The temptation here is to imagine that we had good motives and reasons when we really didn't. We 'constructively criticized' someone who needed it, when our real motive was to win a useless argument. We sometimes hurt those we love because they' need to be taught a lesson, 'when we really want to punish. This perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one, permeates human affairs from top to bottom.

"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 94

Thought to Consider . . .

Recognizing someone else's human dignity cannot cost you your own.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
PUSH
Pray Until Something Happens

[janbear]

Memories
My memories no longer fill me with shame and remorse.
On the contrary, they fill me with gratitude and joy.
My whole story is a sort of divine mystery to me.
I don't know how an intelligent human being
ever could have got into such a mess,
and the more firmly established in sanity I become,
the more amazed I am that I ever got out of the mess.


Reprinted from Came to Believe, pp. 98-99, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Always Aware.

[janbear]

Tolerance

"Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober,
but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.
In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes
that he can't get well alone,
he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well
in the company of others.
It has been that way from the beginning of AA
and probably always will be so."
Bill W., Letter, 1943
As Bill Sees It, p. 312

Thought to Consider . . .

Together we can do what we could never do alone.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
TIME
Things I Must Earn

[janbear]

Living Sober
But we finally asked ourselves:
Wouldn't it be more intelligent to seek out
and tap a strength greater than our own than to persist in our futile solo efforts,
after they had time and again been proved ineffective?
We still don't think it is very smart to keep trying to see in the dark
if you can simply switch on a lamp and use its light.
We didn't get sober entirely on our own. . .
And the full enjoyment of living sober isn't a one-person job, either.


Reprinted from Living Sober, Page 73, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Sobriety is a journey, not a destination.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Achieve Anything.

[janbear]

Isolating

"The less people tolerated us,
the more we withdrew from society,
from life itself.
As we became subjects of King Alcohol,
shivering denizens of his mad realm,
the chilling vapor that is loneliness settled down.
It thickened, ever becoming blacker.
Unhappy drinkers who read this page will understand."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 151

Thought to Consider . . .

Losers make promises;
winners make commitments.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

KISS
Keep It Simple, Surrender

[janbear]

Perfection
I have shortcomings and defects of character.
I never have been and never can be perfect.
As that realization became a part of me -- and it took time --
it brought me one of the greatest of the many blessings
that have come to me from AA.
I learned to accept myself as a fallible human being.
I do not have to strive for perfection. Mistakes are permissible.
I have the right to be wrong.
And what a comfort that thought is to me, as I make my bemused way through life,
one foot in a bucket, pushing on doors marked "Pull."


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 2), pp. 167-168, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Give me the courage to be imperfect.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

S L I P = So Long! I'm Perfect.

[janbear]

^*^*^*^*^
Traditions

"The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
are a distillate of our experience of living and working together.
They apply the spirit of the Twelve recovery Steps
to our group life and security.
They deal with the world outside and with each other;
they state our attitudes toward power and prestige,
toward property and money.
They would save us from tempting alliances
and major controversies;
they would elevate principles far above personal ambitions.
And as a token of this last, they request that we
maintain personal anonymity before the open public
as a protection to AA and as proof of the fact that
our society intends to practice true humility."
Bill W., The Language of the Heart, p. 96

Thought to Consider . . .

The reason they are called Principles is
because they always work.
If they didn't always work we'd just call them "good ideas."

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
WILLING

When I Live Life, I Need God

[janbear]

Sacrifices
At the beginning we sacrificed alcohol. We had to, or it would have killed us.
But we couldn't get rid of alcohol unless we made other sacrifices.
Big-shotism and phony thinking had to go.
We had to toss self-justification, self-pity, and anger right out the window.
We had to quit the crazy contest for personal prestige and big bank balances.
We had to take personal responsibility for our sorry state
and quit blaming others for it.
Were these sacrifices? Yes, they were.
To gain enough humility and self-respect to stay alive at all
we had to give up what had really been our dearest possession --
our ambitions and our illegitimate pride.


Reprinted from The Language of the Heart, Page 210, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought to Ponder....
Get a grip on letting go.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recovery Related Acronym

H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.

[janbear]

"There are those in AA whom we call 'destructive' critics.
They power-drive, they are 'politickers,'
they make accusations to gain their ends--
all for the good of AA, of course!
We ought to listen carefully to what they say.
Sometimes they are telling the whole truth;
at other times, a little truth.
If they are talking nonsense, we can ignore it,
or else try to persuade them.
There are few better means of self-survey
and of developing patience than the workouts
these usually well-meaning but erratic members
so often afford us."

Bill W., Twelve Concepts for World Service, p. 40
As Bill Sees It, p. 215

Thought to Consider . . .

Every problem arrives bearing a gift in its hands.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
GIFTS

Getting It From The Steps