AA Thought For The Day

[admin]

10/14

Foundation

"Taking this book down from our shelf
we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps.
Carefully reading the first five proposals
we ask if we have omitted anything,
for we are building an arch through which
we shall walk free at last.
Is our work solid so far?
Are the stones properly in place?
Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation?
Have we tried to make mortar without sand?"
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 75
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

This day I choose to spend in perfect peace.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations

[admin]

10/15

The Gift

"Perhaps there is a better way -- we think so.
For we are now on a different basis of trusting
and relying upon God.
We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves.
We are in the world to play the role He assigns.
Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us,
and humbly rely on Him,
does He enable us to match calamity with serenity."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 68
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

What I am is God's gift to me.
What I make of myself is my gift to Him.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T = God Is Forever There

[admin]

10/16

Great Reality
^*^*^*^*^
"Deep down in every man, woman, and child,
is the fundamental idea of God.
It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp,
by worship of other things,
but in some form or other it is there.
For faith in a Power greater than ourselves,
and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives,
are facts as old as man himself.
We finally saw that faith in some kind of God
was a part of our make-up,
just as much as the feeling we have for a friend.
Sometimes we had to search fearlessly,
but He was there.
He was as much a fact as we were.
We found the Great Reality deep down within us.
In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found.
It was so with us."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

God seldom becomes a reality until God becomes a necessity.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message

[admin]

10/17

Debits
^*^*^*^*^
"As we glance down the debit side of the day's ledger,
we should carefully examine our motives
in each thought or act that appears to be wrong.
In most cases our motives won't be hard to see and understand.
When prideful, angry, jealous, anxious, or fearful,
we acted accordingly, and that was that.
Here we need only recognize that we did act or think badly,
try to visualize how we might have done better,
and resolve with God's help to carry these lessons over into tomorrow,
making, of course, any amends still neglected."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 94
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Life is too short to be small.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O W N O W = Honest, Open-minded, Willing. No Other Way!

[admin]

10/18

Touchy
^*^*^*^*^
"Many of us have been so touchy
that even casual reference to spiritual things
make us bristle with antagonism.
This sort of thinking had to be abandoned.
Though some of us resisted,
we found no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings.
Faced with alcoholic destruction,
we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters
as we had tried to be on other questions.
In this respect alcohol was a great persuader.
It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness.
Sometimes this was a tedious process;
we hope no one else will prejudiced for as long as
some of us were."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 48
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The solution is simple.
The solution is spiritual.

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

[admin]

10/19

Solution
^*^*^*^*^
"The tremendous fact for every one of us
is that we have discovered a common solution.
We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree,
and upon which we can join in brotherly
and harmonious action.
This is the great news this book carries
to those who suffer from alcoholism."
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

[admin]

10/20

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 been found out that we cannot stand still
and look the other way.
The essence of all growth is a willingness
to change for the better
and then an unremitting willingness
to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails."
Bill W., July 1965
c.1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 115
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Not to change is not to adapt;
not to adapt is to become extinct.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday

[admin]

10/21

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.
Nearly all AA's have found, too, that unless they develop
much more of this precious quality
than may be required just for sobriety,
they still haven't much chance of becoming truly happy.
Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose,
or, in adversity, be able to summon the faith
that can meet any emergency."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 70
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I didn't learn humility with my head.
I learned humility with my heart.






*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T R U S T = Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions

[admin]

10/22

Amends
^*^*^*^*^
"This is a very large order.
It is a task which we may perform with increasing skill,
but we never really finish.
Learning how to live in the greatest peace, partnership,
and brotherhood with all men and women,
of whatever description,
is a moving and fascinating adventure.
Every AA has found that he can make little headway
in this new adventure of living until he first backtracks
and really makes an accurate and unsparing survey
of the human wreckage he has left in his wake."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 77
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes
and to make amends for them.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T I M E = Things I Must Earn

[admin]

10/23

Discipline
^*^*^*^*^
"Unless each AA member follows to the best of his ability
our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery,
he almost certainly signs his own death warrant.
His drunkenness and dissolution
are not penalties inflicted by people in authority;
they result from his personal disobedience
to spiritual principles. . .
Great suffering and great love are AA's disciplinarians;
we need no others."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 174
^*^*^*^*^

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R D S = Call your sponsor,
. Ask for help from your Higher Power,
. Read the Big Book,
. Do the Twelve Steps,
. Stay active in your group.

[admin]

10/24

Traditions
^*^*^*^*^
"The Twelve Traditions point straight at many of our
individual defects.
By implication they ask each of us to lay aside
pride and resentment.
They ask for personal as well as group sacrifice.
They ask us never to use the AA name in any quest
for personal power or distinction or money.
The Traditions guarantee the equality of all members
and the independence of all groups.
They show how we may best relate to each other
and to the world outside.
They indicate how we can best function in harmony
as a great whole."
c.1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 96
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change

[admin]

10/25

The Group
^*^*^*^*^
"Over the years, every conceivable deviation
from our Twelve Steps and Traditions have been tried.
That was sure to be, since we are so largely a band
of ego-driven individuals.
Children of chaos, we have defiantly played with
every brand of fire,
only to emerge unharmed and, we think, wiser.
These very deviations created a vast process
of trial and error, which, under the grace of God,
has brought us to where we stand today. . .
We saw that the group, exactly like the individual,
must eventually conform to whatever
tested principles would guarantee survival."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 146
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Working with alcoholics in committees
is like trying to herd cats.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A O S = Can't Handle Another Overwhelming Situation

[admin]

10/26

Concepts

^*^*^*^*^
"The word God still aroused a certain antipathy.
When the thought was expressed that there might be a God
personal to me this feeling was intensified.
I didn't like the idea. . .
My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea.
He said, 'Why don't you choose your own conception of God?'
That statement hit me hard.
It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow
I had lived and shivered many years.
I stood in the sunlight at last."
Bill W.,
c.1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

God seldom becomes a reality
until God becomes a necessity.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T = God Is Forever There

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

October 27, 2007

Elevator Ride



It was time to get off the elevator.
I didn't have to go all the way to the bottom.
It was the first time that I knew I was an alcoholic.
I had to stop drinking and work the program of AA for myself, and myself alone,
That was the last time I drank.
I got off the elevator and started on my way back up to happiness
and a life where I am learning to feel and deal with problems
without numbing myself. . .
I have found a new freedom, and I am amazed before I am halfway through.
The AA Grapevine, November 2007, p. 31



Thought to Ponder . . .

The express elevator to sobriety doesn't work -- please use the Steps.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps.

[admin]

Humility
^*^*^*^*^
"Moved by the spirit of anonymity,
we try to give up our natural desires
for personal distinction as AA members
both among fellow alcoholics and before
the general public.
As we lay aside these very human aspirations,
we believe that each of us takes part
in the weaving of a protective mantle
which covers our whole Society
and under which we may grow and work in unity.
We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity,
is the greatest safeguard
Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 187
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Humility is not thinking less of yourself,
but thinking of yourself less.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust

[admin]

10/28

Loneliness
^*^*^*^*^
"Almost without exception,
alcoholics are tortured by loneliness.
Even before our drinking got bad
and people began to cut us off,
nearly all of us suffered the feeling we didn't quite belong.
Either we were shy, and dared not draw near others,
or we were apt to be noisy good fellows
craving attention and companionship,
but never getting it -- at least to our way of thinking.
There was always that mysterious barrier
we could neither surmount nor understand. . .
That's one reason we loved alcohol too well.
It did let us act extemporaneously.
But even Bacchus boomeranged on us;
we were finally struck down and left
in terrified loneliness."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 57
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Isolation is a darkroom where we develop negatives.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H A L T = Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired

[admin]

10/29

Touchstones
^*^*^*^*^
"All AA progress can be reckoned in terms of just two words:
humility and responsibility.
Our whole spiritual development can be accurately
measured by our degree of adherence to these
magnificent standards.
Ever deepening humility,
accompanied by an ever greater willingness
to accept and act upon clear-cut obligations --
these are truly our touchstones
for all growth in the life of the spirit.
They hold up to us the very essence
of right being and right doing.
It is by them that we are enabled to find and to do God's will."
Bill W., Talk, 1965
c.1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 271
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The solution is simple.
The solution is spiritual.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R = Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery

[admin]

10/30

Principles
^*^*^*^*^
"Experience shows that few alcoholics
will long stay away from a group
just because they don't like the way it is run.
Most return and adjust themselves
to whatever conditions they must.
Some go to a different group, or form a new one.
In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes
that he cannot get well alone,
he will somehow find a way to get well and stay well
in the company of others."
Bill W., Letter, 1943
c.1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 312
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

It isn't difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill
- just add a little dirt.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H A L T = Honestly, Actively, Lovingly, Tolerant.

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

October 31, 2007

Step Ten

When I take my daily inventory, I know that I must stop judging others.
If I judge others, I am probably judging myself.
Whoever is upsetting me most is my best teacher.
I have much to learn from him or her, and in my heart,
I should thank that person.
c.1990 AAWS, Daily Reflections, p. 289
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

... and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

A A = Altered Attitudes.

[admin]

Trudging
^*^*^*^*^
"Abandon yourself to God as you understand God.
Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows.
Clear away the wreckage of your past.
Give freely of what you find and join us.
We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit,
and you will surely meet some of us as you
trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.
May God bless you and keep you -- until then."
c.1976AAWS, Alcohlics Anonymous, p. 164
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I didn't know how sick I was until I started getting better.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him

[admin]

11/1

Companionship
^*^*^*^*^
"Letting go of everything at once
was both painful and terrifying.
I could never have accomplished this alone.
It took the help, understanding and wonderful companionship that was given so freely to me by my 'ex-alkie' friends.
This and the program of recovery
embodied in the Twelve Steps . . .
Whole new vistas were opened up for me,
new avenues of experience to be explored,
and life began to take on color and interest."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 311
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

This is a great day to be sober, patient, tolerant,
kindly and loving.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other

[admin]

11/2

Oldtimers
^*^*^*^*^
"Many oldsters who have put our AA 'booze cure'
to severe but successful tests still find
they often lack emotional sobriety.
To attain this, we must develop real maturity and balance
(which is to say humility)
in our relations with ourselves, with our fellows,
and with God."
Bill W., AA Grapevine, January 1958
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 244
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program,
but our oldtimers are the arteries.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day

[admin]

11/3

Recovery

"Most emphatically we wish to say
that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems
in the light of our experience can recover,
provided he does not close his mind to spiritual concepts.
He can only be defeated by an attitude
of intolerance or belligerent denial.
We find that no one need have difficulty
with the spirituality of the program.
Willingness, honesty and open mindedness
are the essentials of recovery.
But these are indispensable"
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 570
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O = Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness

[admin]

November 3, 2007

Jay-walking

Our behavior is as absurd and incomprehensible with respect to the first drink
as that of an individual with a passion, say, for jay-walking.
He gets a thrill out of skipping in front of fast-moving vehicles. . .
Luck then deserts him and he is slightly injured several times in succession.
You would expect him, if he were normal, to cut it out.
Presently he is hit again and this time has a fractured skull. . .
He tells you he has decided to stop jay-walking for good,
but in a few weeks he breaks both legs.
c.2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 37-8
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

In AA, there is a wrench for every nut.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

N U T S = Not Using The Steps.

[admin]

11/4

Peace of Mind

"AA has taught me that I will have peace of mind
in exact proportion to the peace of mind
I bring into the lives of other people,
and it has taught me the true meaning of the admonition
'happy are ye who know these things and do them.'
For the only problems I have now are those I create
when I break out in a rash of self-will."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 551
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life
would be peace of mind.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P E A C E = Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.

[admin]

Convincing Evidence

My abuse of alcohol was the exterior manifestation
of a disease much more complex and consuming than simple drunkenness,
and similarly, my abstinence is the exterior manifestation
of a wellness much more rewarding than simple sobriety.
The most convincing evidence I have
is that Alcoholics Anonymous is working for me.
c.2003 The AA Grapevine, Inc., Thank You For Sharing, p. 181


Thought to Ponder . . .

I would rather go through life sober, believing I am an alcoholic,
than go through life drunk,
trying to convince myself that I am not.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

N E W = Nothing Else Worked.

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 5, 2007

Self-forgiveness

I was walking along a sand road
on the West Coast of Florida, when an answer came to me.
I suddenly said to myself,
"I want everybody whom I hate or fear,
everybody who has ever injured me, or whom I may have injured --
I want them all to be as happy as I want to be.
I want them to be happy right now, wherever they are."
And then I thought of a couple of people
and named them out loud.
It was as if a black bird flew suddenly out of my heart.
I felt a wonderful sense of peace,
and my eyes filled with tears. . .
I slowly stopped fearing these people . . .
I forgave them forever, and I slowly began to forgive myself.
This self-forgiveness brought new self-respect. . .
I didn't hate myself as I had.
"At Last No Longer Apart" -- Big Book Stories --Updated
c. 1967 The AA Grapevine, Inc., November 1967, Vol. 24 No. 6




Thought to Ponder . . .

Forgiveness of others is a gift to yourself.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

T G I F =Thank God I'm Forgiven.

[admin]

Service

"Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met,
troubles well accepted or solved with God's help,
the knowledge that at home or in the world outside
we are partners in a common effort,
the well-understood fact that in God's sight
all human beings are important,
the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return,
the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone
in self-constructed prisons,
the surety that we need no longer be square pegs
in round holes
but can fit and belong in God's scheme of things --
these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions
of right living
for which no amount of pomp and circumstance,
no heap of material possessions,
could possibly be substitutes."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Service is spirituality in action.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Helping Other People Every day

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 6, 2007

Easier, Softer Way

When I couldn't find an easier, softer way
I looked for the person with the magic wand,
the one person in AA who could make me all better, right now.
This was a frustrating task, and I finally realized that if I wanted this life,
I was going to have to do what the others had done.
No one made me drink, and no one was going to make me stay sober.
This program is for people who want it, not people who need it.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 315
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relaying A Message.

[admin]

Criticism

"Now and then all of us fall under heavy criticism.
When we are angered and hurt,
it's difficult not to retaliate in kind.
Yet we can restrain ourselves
and then probe ourselves,
asking whether our critics were really right.
If so, we can admit our defects to them.
This usually clears the air for mutual understanding. . .
Maybe a sense of humor can be our saving grace --
thus we can both forgive and forget."
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 184
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The best way to get even is to forget.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R = Son Of a Basket, Everything's Real

[admin]

11/7

Unshakable Foundation

There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer.
Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit.
But when they are logically related and interwoven,
the result is an unshakable foundation for life.
c. 1953 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 98
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

P U S H = Pray Until Something Happens.

[admin]

Possibility

"As soon as we admitted the possible existence
of a Creative Intelligence,
A Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of things,
we began to be possessed of a new sense
of power and direction,
provided we took other simple steps.
We found that God does not make too hard terms
for those who seek Him.
To us, the Realm of the Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive,
never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek.
It is open, we believe, to all men."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Take a walk with God. He will meet you at the Steps.
* * *

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him.

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 8, 2007

A New Dimension Beaten into complete defeat by alcohol,
confronted by the living proof of release,
and surrounded by those who can speak to us from the heart,
we have finally surrendered.
And then, paradoxically, we have found ourselves in a new dimension,
the real world of spirit and of faith.
Enough willingness, enough open-mindedness -- and there it is!
- Bill W., July 1960
c. 1988 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Language Of The Heart, p. 246


Thought to Ponder . . . A new world came into view.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . . K I S S = Keep It Simple; Surrender.

[admin]

Authority

"Many people wonder how AA can function
under such a seeming anarchy.
Other societies have to have law and force and sanction
and punishment, administered by authorized people.
Happily for us,
we found we need no human authority whatever.
We have two authorities which are far more effective.
One is benign, the other malign.
There is God, our Father, who very simply says,
'I am waiting for you to do my will.'
The other authority is named John Barleycorn,
and he says, 'You had better do God's will or I will kill you.'
And sometimes he does kill.
So, when all the chips are down,
we conform to God's will or perish.
At this level, the death sentence hangs over the AA member,
his group, and AA as a whole."
Bill W., St. Louis, July 1955
c. 1957AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 105
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
and the evidence of things not seen.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F I T = Faith, Intuition, Trust.

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 9, 2007

Spirituality

Spirituality is an awakening --
or is it all the loose ends woven together into a mellow fabric? . . .
It's patience in the face of stupidity.
It's feeling that you want to knock somebody's head off --
and walking away instead. . .
It's wearing dungarees that feel like a tuxedo.
It's wanting to go home, yet being there. . .
It's the awareness that survival is a savage fight between you and yourself.
It's a magnetic pull toward those who are down and out.
It's knowing that even the bad times are good. . .
The singular thing that is spirituality cannot be given to a fellowman
by word of mouth.
If every man is to have it, then every man must earn it,
in his own way, by his own hand, stamped by the seal of himself,
in his own individual right.
c. 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . ., pp. 5-6
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

Spirituality is the essence of being. It can shape reality.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

K I S S = Keeping It Simple, Spiritually.

[admin]

Growth
^*^*^*^*^
"It seems to me that the primary object
of any human being is to grow, as God intended,
that being the nature of all growing things.
Our search must be for what reality we can find,
which includes the best definition and feeling
of love that we can acquire.
If the capability of loving is in the human being,
then it must surely be in his Creator.
Theology helps me in that many of its concepts
cause me to believe that I live in a rational universe
under a loving God,
and that my own irrationality can be chipped away,
little by little.
This is, I suppose, the process of growth
for which we are intended."
Bill W., Letter, 1958
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 295
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

All you have to do to change your life is change your mind.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day

[admin]

November 10, 2007

Laughter

I began to see the miracles that happen only in AA.
People who would nearly crawl in the doors, sick and broken,
and who in a few weeks of meetings and not drinking one day at a time
would get their health back, find a little job and friends who really cared,
and then discover a God in their lives.
But the most compelling part of AA,
the part that made me want to try this sober thing, was the laughter,
the pure joy of the laughter that I heard only from sober alcoholics.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 333
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

Take time to laugh -- it is the music of the soul.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

T L C = Tears, Laughter, Caring.

[admin]

Today

"I realize that all I'm guaranteed in life is today.
The poorest person has no less
and the wealthiest has no more --
each of us has but one day.
What we do with it is our own business;
how we use it is up to us individually.
I feel that I have been restored to health and sanity
these past years not through my own efforts
nor as a result of anything I may have done,
but because I've come to believe
-- to really believe --
that alone I can do nothing.
That my own innate selfishness and stubbornness
are the evils which, if left unguarded,
can drive me to alcohol.
I have come to believe that my illness is spiritual
as well as physical and mental,
and I know that for help in the spiritual sphere
I have to turn to a Higher Power."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 473
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I can't have a better tomorrow
if I am thinking about yesterday all the time.

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

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 11, 2007

Awakening


"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.
c. 1984 AAWS, 'Pass It On,' p. 121
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.



Thought to Ponder . . .
A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.



AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Alive.

[admin]

Amends

"Though the variations were many,
my main theme was always 'How godawful I am!'
Just as I often exaggerated my modest attainments by pride,
so I exaggerated my defects through guilt.
I would race about, confessing all (and a great deal more)
to whoever would listen.
Believe it or not, I took this widespread exposure
of my sins to be great humility on my part,
and considered it a great spiritual asset and consolation!
But later on I realized at depth that
the great harms I had done others were not truly regretted.
These episodes were merely the basis for
storytelling and exhibitionism."
Bill W., AAGrapevine, June 1961
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 311
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Don't mess up an amends with an excuse.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O M E ? =
Willingness, Honesty, Open-mindedness, Must Exist

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 12, 2007

Prayer

The last big hurdle was closing the meeting with the Lord's Prayer.
As a Jew, I was uncomfortable with it
and decided to talk to my sponsor about it. So I said,
"The Lord's Prayer bothers me. I don't like closing with it."
"Oh," he said, "what's the problem?"
"Well, I'm Jewish and it's not a Jewish prayer."
"Well then," he said "say it in Jewish."
I said, "It would still be the Lord's Prayer."
"Right," he said. "Then say something else that you like.
Your Higher Power, whatever you call it, is helping you,
and you need to say thank you."
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous p. 406
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

Trying to pray is praying.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

H O P E = Hang On; Pray Every day.

[admin]

Practice

"God willing, we members of AA may never again
have to deal with drinking,
but we do have to deal with sobriety every day.
How do we do it?
By learning -- through practicing the Twelve Steps
and through sharing at meetings --
how to cope with the problems
that we looked to booze to solve, back in our drinking days."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 560
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

There's no elevator, you have to take the Steps.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 13, 2007

Paradox

When I face a fear, I am given courage;
when I support a brother or sister, my capacity to love myself is increased;
when I accept pain as part of the growing experience of life,
I realize a greater happiness;
when I look at my dark side, I am brought into new light;
when I accept my vulnerabilities and surrender to a Higher Power,
I am graced with unforeseen strength.
I stumbled through the doors of AA in disgrace, expecting nothing from life,
and I have been given hope and dignity.
Miraculously, the only way to keep the gifts of the program
is to pass them on.
c. 1990 AAWS, Daily Reflections, p. 62
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

We give it away to keep it.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

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

[admin]

Spiritual Life
^*^*^*^*^
"The spiritual life is not a theory.
We have to live it.
Unless one's family expresses a desire to live upon
spiritual principles
we think we ought not to urge them.
We should not talk incessantly to them about spiritual matters.
They will change in time.
Our behavior will convince them more than our words.
We must remember that ten or twenty years
of drunkenness would make a skeptic out of anyone."

Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 83, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Thought to Consider . . .

Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P A C E =Positive Attitudes Change Everything

[janbear]

November 14, 2007

Faith

We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way
by which faith can be acquired.
If what we have learned and felt and seen means anything at all,
it means that all of us, whatever our race, creed, or color
are the children of a living Creator
with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms
as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 28
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

Breathe in faith, breathe out fear.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)
An AA-related announcement:

Easy E. will celebrating his 65th sobriety birthday on Thursday,
November 15th, 2007. This is the most sobriety of any living, sober
alcoholic. Easy will take his chip at the end of the regular 6:00
p.m. meeting at Happy Hour group in Montgomery, AL on Thursday.
Everyone is invited.

Some AA friends thought that it would be great if AA members from
around the world wished Easy a happy birthday. If you would like to
send Easy a birthday card via snail mail, you may do so at the
following address:

Easy Edney
6318 Willow Glen Drive
Montgomery, AL 36117

A card will be particularly cherished, as Easy will be able to go
back and read them over and over, whereas he may have difficulty
remembering all the well-wishers he will see at the chip celebration.


November 15, 2007

Infallible Heartbeat

We need each other's experience, strength and hope,
regardless of age or length of sobriety.
The saving grace of God doesn't come like a bolt out of the blue.
It comes through, in, and from other suffering, as well as rescued,
souls like you and me.
I am happy to be part of a living and growing fellowship
with an infallible heartbeat.
Divine power is the pulse of AA, and it doesn't change,
no matter how errant and foolish we mortals be.
c. 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe. . ., p. 94
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . . I saw, I felt, I believed.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . . H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.

[admin]

Pain

"Though I still find it difficult to accept
today's pain and anxiety with any great degree of serenity
-- as those more advanced in the spiritual life
seem able to do --
I can give thanks for present pain nevertheless.
I find the willingness to do this
by contemplating the lessons learned from past suffering
-- lessons which have led to the 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., Grapevine, March 1962
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 266
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Joy isn't the absence of pain -- it's the presence of God.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
November 16, 2007
Step Eleven
Thanks to the Eleventh Step, I have had to discard from my mind
all the thoughts and beliefs that were once there.
I gave them up reluctantly.
I liked my old thoughts, even was proud of them.
I didn't want to believe in God,
but through AA I got to the point where I had to.
I didn't want to believe in prayer, but finally I had to.
Now I believe it to be the strongest force on earth -- if the quietest. . .
When I came into AA, if anyone had told me that I would some day
believe what I now believe, I think I would have shot him. . .
Now, as I look back, I realize that AA was teaching me spiritual values
without using religious words.


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 2), pp. 175-176, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
I would rather live my life as if there is a God
and die to find out there isn't,
than live my life as if there isn't
and die to find out there is.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

B O G G L E = Bad Or Good, God Loves Everyone.

[admin]

Meditation

"We liked AA all right,
and were quick to say that it had done miracles.
But we recoiled from meditation and prayer
as obstinately as the scientist who refused to perform
a certain experiment lest it prove his pet theory wrong.
Of course, we finally did experiment,
and when unexpected results followed, we felt different;
in fact we knew different;
and so were sold on meditation and prayer.
And that, we have found, can happen to anybody who tries.
It has been said that 'almost the only scoffers at prayer
are those who never tried it enough.' "
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Meditation means trusting the silence around me for a while,
as if it were an answer I had long sought.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
November 17, 2007
Fireworks
When we first go into AA we are firecrackers with short wicks
and when those short wicks get lighted with resentment or self-pity
or any of the things that cause us to go off on a tangent,
it doesn't take long before we explode.
The longer we go to meetings, the longer the wick becomes.
That may be why nothing happened when I almost had a little trouble. . .
I could see the trouble coming and was able to reach out
and snip the burning wick --
all because I had lots of AA meetings under my belt.


Reprinted from Thank You For Sharing, Page 61, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Meetings: a check-up from the neck up.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Altered Attitudes.

[admin]

Affirmation!

"Taking advantage of technological advances, for example,
AA members with computers
can participate in meetings online,
sharing with fellow alcoholics across the country
or around the world.
Fundamentally, though, the difference between
an electronic meeting and the home group around the corner
is only one of format.
In any meeting, anywhere, AA's share experience,
strength, and hope with each other,
in order to stay sober and help other alcoholics.
Modem-to-modem or face-to-face,
AA's speak the language of the heart
in all its power and simplicity."
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, Foreword to Fourth Edition, p. xxiv

^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

AA is where "we" make miracles.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Happy Our Program Exists.

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
November 18, 2007
Drastic Revisions
We find that our old attitudes toward our instincts
need to undergo drastic revisions.
Our desires for emotional security and wealth,
for personal prestige and power, for romance,
and for family satisfactions -- all these have to be tempered and redirected.
We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts
cannot be the sole end and aim of out lives.
If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse;
we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 114, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
If I don't change, my sobriety date will.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Attitude Adjustment.

[admin]

Prayer

"As the alcoholic goes along with his process of prayer,
he begins to add up the results.
If he persists, he will almost surely find more serenity,
more tolerance, less fear, and less anger.
He will acquire a quiet courage, the kind that doesn't strain him.
He can look at so-called failure and success
for what they really are.
Problems and calamity will begin to mean instruction,
rather than destruction.
He will feel freer and saner. . .
Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to happen.
Twisted relations with family and on the outside
will unaccountably improve."
Bill W., June 1958
c. 1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 241
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Trying to pray is praying.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Hang On; Pray Every day

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
November 19, 2007
Humility
The minute I figure I have got a perfectly clear pipeline to God,
I have become egotistical enough to get into real trouble.
Nobody can cause more needless grief than a power-driver
who thinks he has got it straight from God.


Reprinted from As Bill Sees It, Page 38, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

W I S D O M = When Into Self, Discover Our Motives.

[admin]

Commitment

"No matter how much one wishes to try,
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."
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 122
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

If you always do what you've always done,
you will always be where you've always been.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O W = Honest, Open, Willing

[admin]

November 20, 2007
Recharging

The simplicity of the AA program
teaches me that happiness isn't something I can "demand."
It comes upon me quietly, while I serve others.
In offering my hand to the newcomer 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 often the result of being too busy to be miserable.

Recovery Related Acronym
H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.

[admin]

Honesty

"I know the biggest word for me in AA is 'honesty.'
I don't believe this program would work for me
if I didn't get honest with myself about everything.
Honesty is the easiest word for me to understand
because it is the exact opposite of what I've been doing
all my life.
Therefore, it will be the hardest to work on.
But I will never be totally honest -- that would make me perfect,
and none of us can claim to be perfect.
Only God is.
If I work on it every day, it will be easier
to be honest with myself.
Then getting and staying honest with other people
will come automatically.
I know I will be grateful for a chance to make amends
to everybody I have hurt in the past."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 482
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Honest, Open, Positive, Environment

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
November 21, 2007
Giving Thanks
The idea is in the air that AA might adopt Thanksgiving week
as a time for meetings and meditation
on the Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. . .
The Twelve Traditions of AA 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 our attitudes toward power and prestige,
toward property and money. . .
They request that we maintain personal anonymity . . . as proof of the fact
that our Society intends to practice true humility.
What then could be more appropriate than to set aside
Thanksgiving week for discussion of the practical and spiritual values
to be discovered in our Traditions?
- Bill W., November 1949.


Reprinted from The Language of the Heart, pp. 95-96, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The Twelve Steps tell us how it works;
the Twelve Traditions tell us why it works.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

T R U S T = Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions.

[admin]

Unity

"The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous
is the most cherished quality our Society has.
Our lives, the lives of all to come,
depend squarely upon it.
We stay whole, or AA dies.
Without unity, the heart of AA would cease to beat;
our world arteries would no longer carry
the life-giving grace of God;
His gift to us would be spent aimlessly.
Back again in their caves, alcoholics would reproach us
and say, 'What a great thing AA might have been!' "
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 129
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T E A M = Together Everyone Achieves More

[admin]

November 22, 2007

A Thankful Heart

One exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings
and then for a right acceptance of the many gifts that are mine
-- both temporal and spiritual. . .
I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart
cannot entertain great conceits.
When brimming with gratitude,
one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love,
the finest emotion that we can ever know.
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 37
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

Refresh your spirit with everyday miracles.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

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

[admin]

Gratitude

"A complete change takes place in our approach to life.
Where we used to run from responsibility,
we find ourselves accepting it
with gratitude that we can successfully shoulder it.
Instead of wanting to escape some perplexing problem,
we experience a thrill of challenge
in the opportunity it affords for another application
of AA techniques,
and we find ourselves tackling it with surprising vigor."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 311-12
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

When brimming with gratitude,
one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love,
the finest emotion we can ever know.
Bill W., March 1962

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T H I N K = The Happiness I Never Knew

[admin]

November 23, 2007

Today

I realize that all I'm guaranteed in life is today.
The poorest person has no less and the wealthiest has no more
-- each of us has but one day.
I feel that I have been restored to health and sanity these past years
not through my own efforts nor as a result of anything I may have done,
but because I've come to believe -- to really believe -- that I alone can do nothing.
That my own innate selfishness and stubbornness are the evils which,
if left unguarded, can drive me to alcohol.
c. 2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 392
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

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


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?

[admin]

Faith

"We had seen spiritual release,
but liked to tell ourselves it wasn't true.
Actually we were fooling ourselves,
for deep down in every man, woman, and child,
is the fundamental idea of God.
It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp,
by worship of other things,
but in some form or other it is there.
For faith in a Power greater than ourselves,
and miraculous demonstrations
of that power in human lives,
are facts as old as man himself."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 55
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket,
then counting your blessings before they hatch.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 24, 2007

There Is A Solution

Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings
which the process required for its successful consummation.

But we saw that it really worked in others,
and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it.

When, therefore, we were approached by those
in whom the problem had been solved, there was nothing left but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.

We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . . While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . . K I S S = Keep It Simple; Surrender.

[admin]

Meetings

"A 'spiritual experience' to me meant attending meetings,
seeing a group of people,
all there for the purpose of helping each other;
hearing the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions
read at a meeting,
and hearing the Lord's Prayer, which in an AA meeting
has such great meaning --
'They will be done, not mine.'
A spiritual awakening soon came to mean
trying each day to be a little more thoughtful,
more considerate, a little more courteous to those
with whom I came in contact."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 381
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Seven days without a meeting makes one weak.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone

[admin]

November 25, 2007

Here-and-Now

We discover from our Serenity Prayer
that one of the things we cannot change is time.
The Here-and-Now is the only reality,
whereas in the unreal world of the drinking alcoholic
there was only yesterday-and-tomorrow.
The grace of sobriety lies in accepting the fact
that the past is nonexistent and the future lies only in the present.
c. 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . ., p. 113
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

When I live in the past, it costs me the present.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

S I T = Stay In Today.

[admin]

Vision

"Vision is, I think, the ability to make good estimates,
both for the immediate and for the more distant future.
Some might feel this sort of striving to be a sort of heresy,
because we AA's are constantly telling ourselves,
'One day at a time.'
But that valuable principle really refers to
our mental and emotional lives
and means chiefly that we are not to foolishly
repine over the past nor wishfully
day-dream about the future. . .
Vision is therefore the very essence of prudence,
an essential virtue if ever there was one.
Of course we shall often miscalculate the future
in whole or in part,
but that is better than to refuse to think at all."
Bill W., 1962
c. 1962AAWS, Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th printing, p. 40
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Right actions for the future
are the best apologies for wrong ones in the past.
* * *

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T I M E = Things I Must Earn

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 26, 2007

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 been our dearest possession
-- our ambitions and our illegitimate pride.
- Bill W., January 1955
c. 1988 The AA Grapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 210




Thought to Ponder . . .

Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

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

[admin]

Diagnosis

"We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic,
but you can quickly diagnose yourself.
Step over to the nearest barroom
and try some controlled drinking.
Try to drink and stop abruptly.
Try it more than once.
It will not take long for you to decide,
if you are honest with yourself about it.
It may be worth a bad case of jitters
if you get a full knowledge of your condition."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 31-2
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

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



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D E A D = Drinking Ends All Dreams

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 27, 2007

Shortcomings

Many shortcomings tempt me daily;
therefore, I also have daily opportunities to become aware of them.
In one form or another, many of my character defects appear daily:
self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful,
wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity. . .
It is only when I ask God for help, with complete abandon,
that I become willing -- and able-- to change.
c. 1990 AAWS, Daily Reflections, p. 15
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . . Learn to change, change to learn.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A A = Always Aware

[admin]

Forgive

"Just like you, I have often thought myself the victim
of what other people say and do.
Yet every time I confessed the sins of such people,
especially those whose sins did not correspond
exactly with my own,
I found that I only increased the total damage. . .
Under very trying circumstances,
I have had, again and again, to forgive others -- also myself.
Have you recently tried this?"
Bill W., Letter, 1946
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 268
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Life is an adventure in forgiveness.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E E L = Feel, Experience, Express, Let go

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 27, 2007

Shortcomings

Many shortcomings tempt me daily;
therefore, I also have daily opportunities to become aware of them.
In one form or another, many of my character defects appear daily:
self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful,
wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity. . .
It is only when I ask God for help, with complete abandon,
that I become willing -- and able-- to change.
c. 1990 AAWS, Daily Reflections, p. 15
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . . Learn to change, change to learn.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . . A A = Always Aware.

[admin]

Promises

"We are going to know a new freedom
and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past
nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity
and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone,
we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity
will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things
and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity
will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle
situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us
what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not.
They are being fulfilled among us --
sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
They will always materialize if we work for them."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 83-4
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The Promises are a result not a right.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

November 29, 2007

Humility

Perpetual quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble.
It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore;
to wonder at nothing that is done to me,
to feel nothing done against me.
It is to be at rest when nobody praises me,
and when I am blamed or despised,
it is to have a blessed home in myself
where I can go in and shut the door
and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace,
as in a deep sea of calmness,
when all around and about is seeming trouble.
- from a plaque on Dr. Bob's desk
c. 1980 AAWS, Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, p. 222
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

C H A N G E D = Choosing Humility Allows New Growth Each Day.

[admin]

A Friend

"We finally saw that faith in some kind of God
was a part of our make-up,
just as much as the feeling we have for a friend.
Sometimes we had to search fearlessly,
but He was there.
He was as much a fact as we were.
We found the Great Reality deep down within us.
In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found.
It was so with us."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Faith dares the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

[admin]

November 30, 2007

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 being 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 attitudes.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

The more accepting I am of myself, the more accepting I am of others.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

[admin]

Perfection

"Day by day, we try to move a little
toward God's perfection.
So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt
for failure to achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next.
Progress is our aim,
and His perfection is the beacon, light-years away,
that draws us on."
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 15
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Remember the 3 P's:
Perfectionism (leads to) Procrastination (leads to) Paralysis.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance.

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

December 1, 2007

The Gift

By accepting this sobriety gratefully, as a gift, and using it willingly,
I have become aware of other gifts available to me as a human being.
To get the benefits, I need only to ask and then use.
This is the crux of the program and the crux of living:
acceptance and action.
The gift of understanding has allowed the simple messages
from my parents, my teachers, and my church
to take on new meaning and soundness.
With the gift of serenity,
I am ready to accept what God permits to happen to me;
with the gift of courage, to take action to change the things I can
for the good of myself and others. . .
I have come to believe that the gift of sobriety
is what gives value and dignity to my life.
c. 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . ., p. 4
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

Sobriety is a gift, the price of which is eternal vigilance.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps.

[admin]

Action

"But the program of action, though entirely sensible,
was pretty drastic. It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions out of the window.
That was not easy.
But the moment I made up my mind to go through
with the process, I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition
was relieved, as in fact it proved to be.
Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles
would solve all my problems."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 42
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Never mistake motion for action.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

A C T I O N = Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

December 2, 2007

Listen

Trying to get into communication with and to help other people
is a recovery measure for us,
because it helps take us out of ourselves.
Trying to heal ourselves by helping others works,
even when it is an insincere gesture. Try it some time.
If you really listen to (not just hear) what is being said,
you may find the person talking has quietly slipped inside your head
and seems to be describing the landscape there.
c. 1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p. 85
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

Learn to listen; listen to learn.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

T L C = Tears, Laughter, Caring.

[admin]

Grandiosity

"In my teens, I had to be an athlete
because I was not an athlete.
I had to be a musician because I could not carry a tune.
I had to be first in everything
because in my perverse heart
I felt myself the least of God's creatures.
I could not accept my deep sense of inferiority,
and so I strove to become captain of the baseball team,
and I did learn to play the fiddle.
Lead I must -- or else.
This was the 'all or nothing' kind of demand
that later did me in."
- Bill W., AA Comes of Age, p. 53
©1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 214
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

We claim spiritual progress
rather than spiritual perfection.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
N U T S = Not Using The Steps.

[admin]

December 3, 2007

Scattered Pieces

I did not go to AA to quit drinking. I went to AA to learn the secret formula
called "How to Drink Like a Gentleman."
At the end of three months, I had not been given the secret formula,
but something happened: I did not get drunk,
nor did I quit going to meetings.
When I went to that first meeting, in fear and trepidation, I did not realize
that the people of AA would lead me out of the bondage of alcohol
and into the promised land of sobriety,
if I would simply stay away from the first drink. . .
And, eventually, AA would lead me back into the stream of life,
and I would pick up the scattered pieces that were the jigsaw puzzle of my life.
c. 1991 AAWS, Time To Start Living (pamphlet P-7), p. 26
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

The Three M's: Meeting makers make it.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

A A = Achieve Anything.

[admin]

Fear

"We have had a much keener look at ourselves
and those about us.
We have seen that we were prodded by
unreasonable fears and anxieties
into making a life business of winning fame, money,
and what we thought was leadership.
So false pride became the reverse side
of that ruinous coin marked 'Fear.'
We simply had to be Number One people
to cover up our deep-lying inferiorities."
©1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 123
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R = Frantic Efforts to Appear Recovered

[admin]

December 4, 2007

Insecurity

The most common symptoms of emotional insecurity
are worry, anger, self-pity, and depression.
These stem from causes which sometimes seem to be within us,
and at other times to come from without.
To take inventory in this respect
we ought to consider carefully all personal relationships
which bring continuous or recurring trouble.
It should be remembered that this kind of insecurity
may arise in any area where instincts are threatened.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 52
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

Worry is negative meditation.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

W A S P = Worry, Anger, Self-Pity.

[admin]

Rewards

"The rewards of sobriety are bountiful
and as progressive as the disease they counteract.
Certainly among these rewards for me
are release from the prison of uniqueness,
and the realization that participation in the AA way of life
is a blessing and a privilege beyond estimate --
a blessing to live a life free from the
pain and degradation of drinking
and filled with the joy of useful, sober living,
and a privilege to grow in sobriety one day at a time
and bring the message of hope as it was brought to me."
From the new Fourth Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous
AAGrapevine, December 2001, p. 47
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Sobriety is a choice and a treasure.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps.

[admin]

December 5, 2007

Red Flags

Many years later, although alcohol is not part of my life
and I no longer have the compulsion to drink,
it can still occur to me what a good drink tastes like
and what it can do for me,
from my stand-at-attention alcoholic taste buds
right down to my stretched out tingling toes.
As my sponsor used to point out, such thoughts are like red flags,
telling me that something is not right,
that I am stretched beyond my sober limit.
It's time to get back to basic AA and see what needs changing.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 396-7
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

Life is a steady drizzle of small things -- carry an umbrella.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

F E E L = Feel, Experience, Express, Let go.

[admin]

A New Notion

"The idea that religion and spirituality
were not one and the same was a new notion.
My sponsor asked that I merely remain open-minded
to the possibility that there was a Power greater than myself,
one of my own understanding.
He assured me that no person was going to impose
a belief system on me, that it was a personal matter.
Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe,
just maybe, there was something to this spiritual lifestyle.
Slowly, but surely, I realized there was indeed
a Power greater than myself,
and I soon found myself with a full-time God in my life
and following a spiritual path that didn't conflict
with my personal religious convictions."
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 287
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

God enters us through our wounds.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust

[admin]

December 6, 2007

The Perfect Gift

While the fact of my alcoholism is not a choice,
what I choose to do about it is.
I believe I was born an alcoholic, but, one day at a time,
I can choose to die sober.
The path I choose keeps me from the dark place that no man should know. . .
The God of my understanding sends me messages
to remind me of this gift, often in bits and pieces
and over days or weeks.
I have found that if I am open and if I am spiritually ready,
I can recognize the message before me and realize it is the perfect gift.
I am awed. It is just what I always wanted.
The AA Grapevine, December 2007, pp 20-21


Thought to Ponder . . .

What I am is Gods gift to me.
What I make of myself is my gift to Him.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

G I F T = God Is Forever There.

[admin]

A New Life

"Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening?
No, sobriety is only a bare beginning;
If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on.
As it does go on, we find that bit by bit
we can discard the old life -- the one that did not work --
for a new life that can and does work
under any conditions whatever."
Bill W., Grapevine, December 1957
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 8
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Action conquers fear.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change

[admin]

December 7, 2007

Uncertainty

We of AA now find ourselves in a world characterized
by destructive fears as never before in history.
But in it we nevertheless see great areas of faith
and tremendous aspirations toward justice and brotherhood.
Yet no prophet can presume to say whether the world outcome
will be blazing destruction or the beginning, under God's intention,
of the brightest era yet known to mankind.
I am sure we AAs well comprehend the scene.
In microcosm, we have experienced this identical state of terrifying uncertainty,
each in his own life.
In no sense pridefully, we AAs can say that we do not fear the world outcome,
whichever course it may take.
This is because we have been enabled to deeply feel and say,
"We shall fear no evil -- thy will, not ours, be done."
- Bill W/., January 1962
c. The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Language Of The Heart, p. 268


Thought to Ponder . . .

Breathe in faith, breathe out fear.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

F A I T H = Facing All, Intuitively Trusting Him.

[admin]

Serenity

"So, here I am, sober. Successful. Serene.
Just a few of the gifts of the program for surrendering,
suiting up, and showing up for life every day.
Good days and bad days, reality is a wild ride,
and I wouldn't miss it for the world.
I don't question how this program works.
I trust in my God, stay involved in AA service,
go to lots of meetings, work with others,
and practice the principles of the Steps
to the best of my willingness each day.
I don't know which of these keeps me sober,
and I'm not about to try to find out.
It's worked for quite a few days now,
so I think I'll try it again tomorrow."
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous (Fourth Edition), p. 337
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Serenity isn't freedom from the storm;
it is peace within the storm.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
K I S S = Keep It Simple; Surrender

[admin]

December 8, 2007

Holiday Blues

When we catch self-pity starting, we also can take action against it
with instant bookkeeping.
For every entry of misery on the debit side,
we find a blessings we can mark on the credit side. . .
We can use the same method to combat the holiday blues,
which are sung not only by alcoholics.
Christmas and New Year's, birthdays and anniversaries
throw many other people into the morass of self-pity. . .
Instead, we add up the other side of the ledger, in gratitude for health,
for loved ones who are around, and for our ability to give love,
now that we live in sobriety.
c.1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p. 58
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

The surest way to unhappiness is to concentrate only on ourselves.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

W I S D O M = When Into Self, Discover Our Motives.

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

December 9, 2007

The Ladder


No one who drank as I did wakes up on the edge of the abyss one morning
and says: Things look pretty scary;
I think I'd better stop drinking before I fall in.
I was convinced I could go as far as I wanted,
and then climb back out when it wasn't fun anymore.
What happened was, I found myself at the bottom of the canyon
thinking I'd never see the sun again.
AA didn't pull me out of that hole.
It did give me the tools of construct a ladder, with Twelve Steps.
c.2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 316
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.*



Thought to Ponder . . .

I stood in the sunlight at last.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety.

[admin]

Belonging

"Perhaps one of the greatest rewards
of meditation and prayer
is the sense of belonging that comes to us.
We no longer live in a completely hostile world.
We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless.
The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will,
the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love
as the real and eternal things in life,
we are no longer deeply disturbed
by all the seeming evidence to the contrary
that surrounds us in purely human affairs."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 105
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Veni, vidi, velcro ... I came, I saw, I stuck around.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Adventurers Anonymous

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

December 10, 2007

Homecoming

We must think deeply of all those sick ones still to come to AA.
As they try to make their return to faith and to life,
we want them to find everything in AA that we have found,
and yet more, if that be possible.
No care, no vigilance, no effort to preserve AA's constant effectiveness
and spiritual strength will ever be too great
to hold us in full readiness for the day of their homecoming.
c.1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 229
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

Let it begin with me.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

A A = Always Aware.

[admin]

Selfishness

"So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.
They arise out of ourselves,
and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot,
though he usually doesn't think so.
Above everything,
we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness.
We must, or it kills us!"
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The smallest package in the world
is an alcoholic all wrapped up in himself.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

December 11, 2007

Honesty

Honesty is the easiest word for me to understand
because it is the exact opposite of what I've been doing all my life.
Therefore, it will be the hardest to work on.
But I will never be totally honest -- that would make me perfect,
and none of us can claim to be perfect.
Only God is.
If I work on it every day, it will be easier to be honest with myself.
Then getting and staying honest with other people will come automatically.
I know I will be grateful for a chance to make amends
to everybody I have hurt in the past.
c.2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, pp. 400-401
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

Honesty isn't an event ... it's a process.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

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

[admin]

Show Business

"The first requirement is that we be convinced
that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success.
On that basis we are almost always in collision
with something or somebody,
even though our motives are good.
Most people try to live by self-propulsion.
Each person is like an actor
who wants to run the whole show;
is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet,
the scenery and the rest of the players in his own way.
If his arrangements would only stay put,
if only people would do as he wished,
the show would be great.
Everybody, including himself, would be pleased.
Life would be wonderful."
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 60-1
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
I can't do His will my way.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R I D E = Pretty Ridiculous Individual Directing Everything

[admin]

December 12, 2007

Self-restraint

Much of the political, economic, and religious life of the world
is dependent upon publicized leadership.
People who symbolize causes and ideas fill a deep human need.
We of AA do not question that
But we do have to soberly face the fact that being in the public eye
is hazardous, especially for us.
By temperament, nearly every one of us had been an irrepressible promoter,
and the prospect of a society composed of promoters was frightening.
Considering this explosive factor, we knew we had to exercise self-restraint.
c. 1953 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 181
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

RULE #62: "Don't take yourself too **** seriously."


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

A A = Altered Attitudes.

[admin]

Carrying the Message

"Alcoholics simply will not listen to a paid
twelfth-stepper.
Almost from the beginning,
we have been positive that face-to-face work
with the alcoholic who suffers could be based only
on the desire to help and be helped.
When an AA talks for money,
whether at a meeting or to a single newcomer,
it can have a very bad effect on him, too.
The money motive compromises him
and everything he says and does for his prospect.
This has always been so obvious
that only a very few AA's have ever worked the Twelfth Step
for a fee."
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 166
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . .

There is no materialism in AA -- just spirituality.

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

December 13, 2007

Bedevilments

We were having trouble with personal relationships,
we couldn't control our emotional natures,
we were prey to misery and depression, we couldn't make a living,
we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy,
we couldn't seem to be of real help to other people --
was not a basic solution to these bedevilments more important?
. . . Of course it was.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 52
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.




Thought to Ponder . . .

The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

S O L U T I O N S = Saving Our Lives Using The Inspiration Of Necessary Steps.

[admin]

Anger

It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed,
there is something wrong with us.
If somebody hurts us and we are sore,
we are in the wrong also.
But are there no exceptions to this rule?
What about "justifiable" anger?
If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad?
Can't we be properly angry with self-righteous folk?
For us of AA these are dangerous exceptions.
We have found that justified anger
ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it.
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 90
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Anger is the hot wind that extinguishes the light of reason.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A N G E R = Any No-Good Energy Rising

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AAOnline.net)

December 14, 2007

Acceptance

It is always worthwhile to consider how grossly that good word acceptance
can be misused.
It can be warped to justify nearly every brand of weakness, nonsense, and folly.
For instance, we can "accept" failure as a chronic condition,
forever without profit or remedy.
We can "accept" worldly success pridefully, as something of our own making.
We can also "accept" illness and death as evidence
of a hostile and godless universe.
With these twistings of acceptance, we AAs have had vast experience.
Hence we constantly try to remind ourselves
that these perversions of acceptance are just gimmicks for excuse-making:
a losing game at which we are, or at least have been,
the world's champions.
- Bill W., March 1962
c. 1988 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Language Of The Heart, p. 270




Thought to Ponder . . .

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

[admin]

Cordial Welcome

But life among Alcoholics Anonymous
is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals.
Cleaning up old scrapes,
helping to settle family differences,
explaining the disinherited son to his irate parents,
lending money and securing jobs for each other,
when justified -- these are everyday occurrences.
No one is too discredited or has sunk too low
to be welcomed cordially -- if he means business.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 161
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light.Â
Take off all your envies, jealousies,
unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together

[janbear]

December 15, 2007
"The God Stuff"
You'd think being spared the ravages of a terminal illness
that kills about eighty percent of those afflicted
-- a rate higher than a lot of cancers --
would be enough to drive that home. Not so with me in the beginning.
I was a "show me" kind of guy.
So my sponsor addressed my resistance to "the God stuff,"
not with prescription, but with fact.
"The central fact of your life right now," he said,
"is that on your own, you can't stay away from a drink, not even for one day."
I had to agree.
The evidence was overwhelming.


Reprinted from Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, November 2007, Page 53. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
God enters us through our wounds.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

G I F T = God Is Forever There.

[admin]

Pride

We scarcely need to be reminded that excessive guilt
or rebellion leads to spiritual poverty.
But it was a very long time before we knew
we could go even more broke on spiritual pride.
When we early AAs got our first glimmer
of how spiritually pride full we could be,
we coined this expression:
"Don't try to get too damned good by Thursday!"
That old-time admonition may look like another of those
handy alibis that can excuse us from trying our best.
Yet a closer view reveals just the contrary.
This is our AA way of warning against pride-blindness,
and the imaginary perfection's that we do not possess.
Bill W., June 1961
c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 255
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Pride without gratitude is arrogance.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R = Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery

[admin]

December 16, 2007

The Lesson

I spent most of my life worrying about myself,
thinking that I was unwanted, that I was unloved.
I've learned since being in AA that the more I worry about me loving you,
and the less I worry about you loving me, the happier I'll be.
I discovered a fellowship of human beings that I'd never seen before.
I learned how to have self-respect through work that AA gave me to do.
I learned how to be a friend. I learned how to go out and help other people
-- there was nowhere else I could have done that.
I have learned that the more I give, the more I will have;
the more I learn to give, the more I learn to live.
c. 2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 218
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

I have learned how a heart full of gratitude feels.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

[admin]

Belonging

There is no more aloneness, with that awful ache,
so deep in the heart of every alcoholic
that nothing, before, could ever reach it.
That ache is gone and never need return again.
Now there is a sense of belonging,
of being wanted and needed and loved.
In return for a bottle and a hangover,
we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 276
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 312


Thought to Consider . . .

Turn your wounds into wisdom.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations

[janbear]

Self-restraint
Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen.
We must avoid quick-tempered criticism and furious, power-driven argument.
The same goes for sulking or silent scorn.
These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness.
Our first job is to sidestep the traps.
When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves
to step back and think.
For we can neither think nor act to good purpose
until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 91, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Anger is the wind that blows out the light of reason.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Avoid Anger.

[admin]

Meetings

Through going to meetings and listening,
and occasionally speaking,
through doing Twelfth Step work,
whereby in helping others you are both the teacher
and the student,
by making many wonderful AA friends,
I have been taught all the things in life that are worth having.
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, (3rd Edition), p. 416
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Meetings: A checkup from the neck up

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together

[janbear]

December 18, 2007
Rewards
The rewards of sobriety are bountiful
and as progressive as the disease they counteract.
Certainly among these rewards for me
are release from the prison of uniqueness,
and the realization that participation in the AA way of life
is a blessing and a privilege beyond estimate
-- a blessing to live a life free from the pain and degradation of drinking
and filled with the joy of useful, sober living,
and a privilege to grow in sobriety one day at a time
and bring the message of hope as it was brought to me.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 451, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
I am unique, just like everyone else.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Always Awesome.

[admin]

Miracle

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone --
even alcohol.
For by this time sanity will have returned.
We will seldom be interested in liquor.
If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame.
We react sanely and normally,
and we will find that this has happened automatically.
We will see that our new attitude toward liquor
has been given us without any thought or effort on our part.
It just comes! That is the miracle of it.
c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 84-5
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Don't give up before the miracle happens.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O W = Honest, Open, Willing.

[janbear]

Unity
As sobriety means long life and happiness for the individual,
so does unity mean exactly the same thing to our Society as a whole.
United we live; disunited we shall perish.


Reprinted from As Bill Sees It, Page 229, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
There is no strength without unity.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[cassie]

AA Thought for the Day

December 20, 2007

A New Notion

The idea that religion and spirituality were not one and the same
was a new notion.
My sponsor asked that I merely remain open-minded to the possibility
that there was a Power greater than myself, one of my own understanding.
He assured me that no person was going to impose a belief system on me,
that it was a personal matter.
Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe,
there was something to this spiritual lifestyle.
Slowly, but surely, I realized that there was indeed a Power greater than myself,
and I soon found myself with a full-time God in my life
and following a spiritual path that didn't conflict
with my personal religious convictions.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 287, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
True religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

K I S S = Keeping It Simple, Spiritually

[admin]

December 21, 2007

Ecstasy

I know now that what is involved in taking the AA program entire,
as the early AA's gave it to us,
is not the prospect of turning into some sort of repulsive goody-goody.
It's the threat of being truly alive, aware, and even perhaps ecstatic.
I'm coming to believe that if I do not accept all of what this program offers
(demands?), but instead walk away from it
as somehow more than I bargained for, I might get drunk.
In other words, if I do not take AA's Twelve Steps seriously and in full,
I cannot expect to be "on the program."
c. 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . ., p. 118
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

Having a slip is not an option. Staying sober is the solution.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety.

[admin]

Freedom
^*^*^
"Through AA, we can experience freedom from self.
After all, it was self ( you, me ) that stood in our own way,
that ran the show and ran ourselves into bankruptcy,
that hurt the ones we loved.
All Twelve Steps of AA are designed to kill the old self
( deflate the old ego )
and build a new, free self."
©1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 459
^*^*^*^*^*

Thought to Consider . . .

Within our wonderful new world,
we have found freedom from our fatal obsession.

[admin]

December 22, 2007

Habits

Our drinking was connected with many habits -- big and little.
Some of them were thinking habits, or things we felt inside ourselves.
Others were doing habits -- things we did, actions we took.
In getting used to not drinking, we have found that we needed new habits
to take the place of those old ones. . .
After we spent a few months practicing these new, sober habits
or ways of acting and thinking,
they became almost second nature to most of us, as drinking used to be.
Not drinking has become natural and easy, not a long, dreary struggle.
c. 1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p. 1
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .
When I struggle, I sink. When I let go, I float


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

B A T H = Behavior, Attitude, Thinking, Habits.

[admin]

Let Go

If you have decided you want what we have
and are willing to go to any length to get it --
then you are ready to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked.
We thought we could find an easier, softer way.
But we could not.
With all the earnestness at our command,
we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start.
Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas
and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
Remember 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!
c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter

[admin]

December 23, 2007

Reality

Above all, we reject fantasizing and accept reality.
The more I drank, the more I fantasized everything.
I imagined getting even for hurts and rejections.
In my mind's eye I played and replayed scenes in which
I was plucked magically from the bar where I stood nursing a drink
and was instantly exalted to some position of power and prestige.
I lived in a dream world.
AA led me gently from this fantasizing to embrace reality with open arms.
And I found it beautiful!
For, at last, I was at peace with myself. And with others.
And with God.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 559
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

New ideals and new attitudes bring a new life.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

S O B E R = Son Of A Basket, Everything's Real.

[admin]

Letting Go

Letting go of everything at once
was both painful and terrifying.
I could never have accomplished this alone.
It took the help, understanding
and wonderful companionship
that was given so freely to me by my ex-alkie friends.
This and the program of recovery
embodied in the Twelve Steps.
In learning to practice these steps in my daily living,
I began to acquire faith and a philosophy to live by.
Whole new vistas were opened up for me,
new avenues of experience to be explored,
and life began to take on color and interest.
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 311
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 275
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

[janbear]

December 24, 2007
Transformation
When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening,
the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel,
and believe that which he could not do on his unaided strength
and resources alone.
He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere,
that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered.
In a very real sense he has been transformed,
because he has laid hold of a source of strength which, in one way or another,
he had hitherto denied himself.
He finds himself in possession of a degree of honesty, tolerance,
unselfishness, peace of mind, and love
of which he had thought himself quite incapable.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 106-107, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The greatest gift that can come to anyone is a spiritual awakening.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps.

[janbear]

Certainty

The great fact is just this, and nothing less:
That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences
which have revolutionized our whole attitude
toward life, toward our fellows, and toward God's universe.
The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty
that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives
in a way which is indeed miraculous.
He has commenced to accomplish those things for us
which we could never do by ourselves.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I stood in the sunlight at last.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.

[janbear]

December 25, 2007
The Precious Gift
May the Spirit of the season bless you with peace, serenity, love, and good will to all.
None of us can ever fathom the glories and uncharted regions of the universe.
But we can live on earth and love one another.
We can let the beginnings of concern, compassion, consideration,
and watch ourselves grow.
With the tools and guideposts of Alcoholics Anonymous,
we can learn a little of this precious gift
-- our gateway to human spirituality.


Reprinted from Came to Believe, Page 120, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Gratitude is the greatest of all virtues.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.

[admin]

Right Living

Service, gladly rendered,
obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted
or solved with God's help.
the knowledge that at home or in the world outside
we are partners in a common effort,
the well-understood fact that in God's sight
all human beings are important,
the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return,
the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone
in self-constructed prisons,
the surety that we need no longer be square pegs
in round holes but can fit and belong
in God's scheme of things --
these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions
of right living for which no amount of pomp
and circumstance,
no heap of material possessions,
could possibly be substitutes.
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.

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

[janbear]

December 26, 2007
Yesterdays
It took several years, but I learned to be grateful for my alcoholism
and the program of recovery it forced me into,
for all the things that happened to me and for me,
for a life today that transcends and far exceeds
anything I had previously known.
I could not have that today if I had not experienced all the yesterdays.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p.

Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 529, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

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


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[janbear]

Broad Highway

We can only clear the ground a bit.
If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice,
enables you to think honestly,
encourages you to search diligently within yourself,
then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway.
With this attitude you cannot fail.
The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you.
c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him.

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
December 27, 2007
Moderation
I did not know that it was physically impossible for me to drink moderately.
I did not know that my body's drinking machinery had worn out,
and that the parts had to be replaced.
I did not know that just one drink made it impossible for me
to control my behavior and conduct and my future drinking.
I did not know, in short, that I was powerless over alcohol.
My family and friends sensed or knew these things about me
long before I did.


Reprinted from Experience, Strength and Hope, Page 153, 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

A A = Always Aware.


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

[janbear]

Surrender

Such is the paradox of AA regeneration:
strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness,
the loss of one's old life
as a condition for finding a new one.
But we of AA do not have to understand that paradox;
we have only to be grateful for it.
Bill W.
c. 1957, 1985AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 46
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . . .

We surrender to win

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
K I S S = Keep It Simple, Surrender

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
December 28, 2007
Fictitious Thinking
There are a lot of people who don't like the weakness that is implied
in that word "surrender." . . .
People like to think they are strong characters
who can take care of their own destinies.
That is always fictitious thinking.
Everybody in this world is some kind of weakling,
and if he thinks he is not, then pride is his weakness,
and that is the greatest weakness of all.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, Page 266, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The ego seeks the destination; the soul seeks the journey.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

K I S S = Keep It Simple, Surrender.

[janbear]

/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Keynotes

We can try to stop making unreasonable demands
upon those we love.
We can show kindness where we had shown none.
With those we dislike we can begin to practice
justice and courtesy,
perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them.
Whenever we fail any of these people,
we can promptly admit it -- to ourselves always,
and to them also, when the admission would be helpful.
Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love
are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony
with practically anybody.
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 93
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Let us always love the best in others --
and never fear their worst.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
December 29, 2007
Hope
Hope is the key that unlocks the door of discouragement.
The program promises me that if I do not pick up the first drink today,
I will always have hope.
Having come to believe that I keep what I share,
every time I encourage, I receive courage.
It is with others that, with the grace of God and the Fellowship of AA,
I trudge the road of happy destiny.


Reprinted from Daily Reflections, Page 70, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.

[janbear]

Motives

We were depressed and complained we felt bad,
when in fact we were mainly asking
for sympathy and attention.
This odd trait of mind and emotion,
this perverse wish to hide a bad motive
underneath a good one,
permeates human affairs from top to bottom.
This subtle and elusive kind of self-righteousness
can underlie the smallest act or thought.
Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws
is the essence of character building and good living.
An honest regret for harms done,
a genuine gratitude for blessings received,
and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow
will be the permanent assets we shall seek.
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 94-5
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The best things in life aren't things.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
December 30, 2007
Super Bowl Sunday
To this day I am amazed at people who get sober before the holidays.
I couldn't even attempt it until after the Super Bowl.
One last blow-out party when I swore I wouldn't get drunk.
When I put alcohol into my body, I'd lose the ability to choose how much I drank,
and Super Bowl Sunday that year was no different.
I ended up on someone's couch instead of my own bed
and was sick to death all the next day at work. . .
There was no more denying that I was an alcoholic.
What an epiphany!


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 334, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
If you think you are an alcoholic, chances are you are.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[janbear]

Slip

"I had commenced to drink
as though the cocktails were ginger ale.
I now remembered what my alcoholic friends had told me,
how they prophesied that if I had an alcoholic mind,
the time and place would come --
I would drink again. . .
I knew from that moment that I had an alcoholic mind.
I saw that will power and self-knowledge
would not help in those strange mental blank spots. . .
I had never been able to understand people
who said that a problem had them hopelessly defeated.
I knew then. It was a crushing blow."
c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 41-2
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I have learned it's the first drink that gets me drunk.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S L I P = Sobriety Loses Its Priority

[janbear]

Rewards
Even the newest of newcomers finds undreamed rewards
as he tries to help his brother alcoholic,
the one who is even blinder than he.
This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing.
He does not expect his brother to pay him, or even to love him.
And then he discovers that by the divine paradox of this kind of giving
he has found his own reward,
whether his brother has yet received anything or not.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 109, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Give a lot.
Expect little.
Keep it simple.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Always Awesome.


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

[janbear]

Guidance

Walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress.
If you persist, remarkable things will happen.
When we look back, we realize the things which came to us
when we put ourselves in God's hands,
were better than anything we could have planned.
Follow the dictates of a Higher Power
and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world,
no matter what your present circumstances!
c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 100
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Look for the Good.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Adventurers Anonymous

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
January 1, 2008
A New Year
A New Year: 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes
-- a time to consider directions, goals, and actions.
I must make some plans to live a normal life,
but also I must live emotionally within a twenty-four-hour time frame,
for if I do, I don't have to make New Year's resolutions!
I can make every day a New Year's day!


Reprinted from Daily Reflections, Page 374, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Just for today, I choose not to drink.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[janbear]

Promises

We are going to know a new freedom
and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past
nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity
and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone,
we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity
will disappear.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity
will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle
situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us
what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises?
We think not.
They are being fulfilled among us --
sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
They will always materialize if we work for them.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 83-4
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

It works -- it really does.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations.

[janbear]

January 2, 2008
A New Life
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 proved ineffectual?
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.
When we could look, even temporarily,
at just a few new ideas different from our old ones,
we had already begun to make a sturdy start toward a happy, healthier new life.
It happened to thousands and thousands of us
who deeply believed it never could.


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


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

Thought to Ponder....
New ideals and new attitudes bring a new life.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Attitude Adjustment.

[janbear]

Faith

When I was driven to my knees by alcohol,
I was made ready to ask for the gift of faith.
And all was changed.
Never again, my pains and problems notwithstanding,
would I experience my former desolation.
I saw the universe to be lighted by God's love;
I was alone no more.
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 51
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around,
and faith looks up.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

[janbear]

January 3, 2008

Meetings
One of the commonest questions we get from non-alcoholic friends is
"You haven't had a drink in 'X' years,
so why do you still have to go to meetings?"
In my own case, it's true that I haven't had the slightest desire for a drink
in many years.
And the reason is that my continuing, regular attendance at AA meetings
and my effort "to practice these principles" in all my affairs
teach me how to live comfortably, productively, happily
-- without seeking these attributes in a bottle.


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 2), Page 85, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me
unless I go to meetings and share.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other.

[admin]

Joyous

We have been speaking to you of serious,
sometimes tragic things.
We have been dealing with alcohol in its worst aspects.
But we aren't a glum lot.
If newcomers could see no joy in our existence,
they wouldn't want it.
We absolutely insist on enjoying life.
We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state
of the nations,
nor do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders.
c. 1976, 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 132
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Laughter is the sound of recovery.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free

[janbear]

AA Thought for the Day
January 4, 2008
Willingness
When I am willing to do the right thing, I am rewarded with an inner peace
no amount of liquor could ever provide.
When I am unwilling to do the right thing, I become
restless, irritable, and discontent.
It is always my choice.
Through the Twelve Steps, I have been given the gift of choice.
I am no longer at the mercy of a disease that tells me the only answer is to drink.
If willingness is the key to unlock the gates of hell,
it is action that opens those doors so that we may walk freely among the living.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 317, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Willingness without action is fantasy.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[janbear]

Coping

God willing, we members of AA may never again
have to deal with drinking,
but we have to deal with sobriety every day.
How do we do it?
By learning -- through practicing the Twelve Steps
and through sharing at meetings -- how to cope with
the problems that we looked to booze to solve,
back in our drinking days. . .
We learn how to level out the emotional swings
that got us into trouble
both when we were up and when we were down.
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 160
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 558-9
^*^*^*^*^





Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.
* * *

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R D S =


. Call your sponsor,
. Ask for help from your Higher Power,
. Read the Big Book,
. Do the Twelve Steps,
. Stay active in your group.

[janbear]

January 5, 2008
Adolescence
Those adolescent urges that so many of us have for top approval,
perfect security, and perfect romance
-- urges quite appropriate to age seventeen -- prove to be
an impossible way of life when we are at age forty-seven or fifty-seven.
Since AA began, I've taken immense wallops in all these areas
because of my failure to grow up, emotionally and spiritually.
My God, how painful it is to keep demanding the impossible,
and how very painful to discover, finally,
that all along we have had the cart before the horse!
- Bill W., January 1958.


Reprinted from The Language of the Heart, Page 236, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
I have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[janbear]

Resentments

Few people have been more victimized by resentments
than have we alcoholics.
It mattered little whether our resentments
were justified or not.
A burst of temper could spoil a day,
and a well-nursed grudge could make us
miserably ineffective.
Nor were we ever skillful in separating
justified from unjustified anger.
As we saw it, our wrath was always justified.
Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people,
could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely.
These emotional "dry benders" often led
straight to the bottle.
Other kinds of disturbance -- jealousy, envy,
sef-pity, or hurt pride -- did the same thing.
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 90
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Anger is the hot wind that extinguishes the light of reason.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A L M = Can Anger Leave Me.

[janbear]

Humility
You get just a little sobriety, and you get just a little humility.
Not much, just a little.
Not the humility of sackcloth and ashes,
but the humility of a man who's glad he's alive and can serve.
You get just a little tolerance, not too much,
but just enough to sit and listen to the other guy.
Somewhere along the line, if you've forgotten how to pray,
you learn a little about that too. . .
And you realize that if you put all this together, you get a little humility,
a little tolerance, a little honesty, a little sincerity, a little prayer
-- and a lot of AA.


Reprinted from Experience, Strength and Hope, pp. 201-202, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

B O G G L E = Bad Or Good, God Loves Everyone.


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

[janbear]

Insecurity

The achievement of freedom from fear
is a lifetime undertaking,
one that can never be wholly completed.
When under heavy attack, acute illness,
or in other conditions of serious insecurity,
we shall all react, well or badly, as the case may be.
Only the vainglorious claim perfect freedom from fear,
though their very grandiosity is really rooted
in the fears they have temporarily forgotten.
Bill W., January 1962
c. 1988 AA Grapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 265
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

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




*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T R U S T = Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions

[janbear]

January 7, 2008
Demands
If we lean too heavily on people, they will sooner or later fail us,
for they are human, too, and cannot possibly meet our incessant demands.
In this way our insecurity grows and festers.
When we habitually try to manipulate others to our own willful desires,
they revolt and resist us heavily.
Then we develop hurt feelings, a sense of persecution,
and a desire to retaliate. . .
We have not once sought to be one in a family, to be a friend among friends,
to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society. . .
Of true brotherhood we had small comprehension.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 53, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light;
take off all your envy, jealousy, un-forgiveness, selfishness, and fear.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

F E A R = Frustration, Ego, Anxiety, Resentment.

[admin]

Sponsors

Every sponsor is necessarily a leader.
The stakes are huge.
A human life, and usually the happiness of a whole family,
hangs in the balance.
What the sponsor does and says,
how well he estimates the reactions of his prospects,
how well he times and makes his presentation,
how well he handles criticisms,
and how well he leads his prospect on
by personal spiritual example ...
well, these attributes of leadership
can make all the difference,
often the difference between life and death.
Thank God that Alcoholics Anonymous is blessed
with so much leadership in each and all of its great affairs!
Bill W., April 1959
c. 1988 AA Grapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 292
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor
is much like a ship without a rudder.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S P O N S O R =
Sober Person Offering Newcomer Support Of Recovery

[janbear]

January 8, 2008
Bankruptcy
Who cares to admit complete defeat? Practically no one, of course.
Every natural instinct cries out against the idea
of personal powerlessness.
It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds
into such an obsession for destructive drinking
that only an act of Providence can remove it from us.
No other kind of bankruptcy is like this one.
Alcohol, now become the rapacious creditor,
bleeds us of all self-sufficiency and all will to resist its demands.
Once this stark fact is accepted,
our bankruptcy as going human concerns is complete.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 21, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Take the first step in faith.
You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

K I S S = Keep It Simple, Surrender.

[admin]

Change

How many of us would presume to declare,
"Well, I'm sober, and I'm happy.
What more can I want, or do?
I'm fine the way I am."
We know that the price of such self-satisfaction
is an inevitable backslide,
punctuated at some point by a very rude awakening.
We have to grow or else deteriorate.
For us, the status quo can only be for today,
never for tomorrow.
Change we must; we cannot stand still.
Bill W., April 1961
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 25
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Backsliding begins when knee-bending stops.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A N G E = Can Help Attract New Gifts and Energy

[janbear]

January 9, 2008
Communication
From the beginning, communication in AA
has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes.
It has been unusual and sometimes unique.
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.
- Bill W., July 1960.


Reprinted from The Language of the Heart, Page 243, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
We need to share our problems to find our solutions.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other.

[admin]

Action

"Then they outlined the spiritual answer
and program of action
which a hundred of them had followed successfully.
Though I had been only a nominal churchman,
their proposals were not, intellectually, hard to swallow.
But the program of action, though entirely sensible,
was pretty drastic.
It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions
out of the window.
That was not easy.
But the moment I made up my mind
to go through with the process,
I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition
was relieved, as in fact it proved to be."
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 42
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Willingness without action is fantasy.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A C T I O N = Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

[janbear]

Independence
We have to stay sober no matter how life treats us,
no matter whether nonalcoholics appreciate our sobriety or not.
We have to keep our sobriety independent of everything else,
not entangled with any people,
and not hedged in by any cop-outs or conditions.
Over and over, we have found we cannot stay sober long
just for the sake of wife, husband, children, lover, parents,
other relative, or friend, nor for the sake of a job,
nor to please a boss (or doctor or judge or creditor)
-- not for anyone other than ourselves.


Reprinted from Living Sober, Page 64, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
I am worth staying sober for.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

N O W = No Other Way.

[admin]

Courage

I looked around me at people who seemed happy
and tried to analyze their happiness,
and it seemed to me that without exception
these people had something or somebody
they loved very much.
I didn't have the courage to love;
I was not even sure I had the capacity.
Fear of rejection and its ensuing pain were not to be risked . . .
c. 1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 546
(does not appear in 4th Edition)
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.

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

[janbear]

Results
Acceptance is the key to my relationship with God today.
I never just sit and do nothing while waiting for Him to tell me what to do.
I do whatever is in front of me to be done, and I leave the results up to Him;
however it turns out, that's God's will for me.
I must keep my magic magnifying mind on my acceptance
and off my expectations,
for my serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.
When I remember this, I can see I've never had it so good.
Thank God for AA!


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 420, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

[admin]

Defense

The alcoholic at certain times
has no effective mental defense against the first drink.
Except in a few rare cases,
neither he nor any other human being
can provide such a defense.
His defense must come from a Higher Power.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 43
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider
Alcohol ... cunning, baffling, powerful!


. . .
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R = Spirituality Over Booze Equals Recovery

[janbear]

Change
The world is changing constantly, and I am no longer afraid of this change.
I want to be a part of it and its new developments.
I have been shown, and fully believe today, that faith can move mountains.
I once encountered many blind alleys, but today,
as long as I have faith, my path is clear. . .
Whatever problems confront me, large or small, they can be solved wisely.
Or they can be solved my way. The choice is mine.


Reprinted from Came to Believe, Page 60, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
When I change what I believe, I change what I do.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything.


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

[janbear]

January 12, 2008
Change
The world is changing constantly, and I am no longer afraid of this change.
I want to be a part of it and its new developments.
I have been shown, and fully believe today, that faith can move mountains.
I once encountered many blind alleys, but today,
as long as I have faith, my path is clear. . .
Whatever problems confront me, large or small, they can be solved wisely.
Or they can be solved my way. The choice is mine.


Reprinted from Came to Believe, Page 60, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
When I change what I believe, I change what I do.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything.

[janbear]

Satisfaction

No satisfaction has been deeper
and no joy greater than in a Twelfth Step job well done.
To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder
as they move from darkness into light,
to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning,
to see whole families reassembled,
to see the alcoholic outcast received back
into his community in full citizenship,
and above all to watch these people awaken
to the presence of a loving God in their lives --
these things are the substance of what we receive
as we carry AA's message to the next alcoholic.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 110
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
I keep my sobriety by giving it away.






*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other

[janbear]

Lifting the Guilt
For weeks, I sat in the back of the rooms,
silent when others shared their experience, strength and hope.
I listened to their stories and found so many areas where we overlapped
-- not all of the deeds, but the feelings of remorse and hopelessness.
I learned that alcoholism isn't a sin, it's a disease.
That lifted the guilt I had felt.
I learned that I didn't have to stop drinking forever,
but just not pick up that first drink one day, one hour at a time.
I could manage that.
There was laughter in those rooms and sometimes tears, but always love,
and when I was able to let it in, that love helped me heal.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 344, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
When I share my story and remember the last days of my drinking,
I remember the desperation of selling the last pieces of my soul.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[janbear]

Unity

In many self-governing countries we are now seeing
the inroads of ignorance, apathy, and power-seeking
upon democratic systems.
Their spiritual resources of right purpose
and collective intelligence are waning.
Consequently, many a land has become so helpless
that the only answer is dictatorship.
Happily for us, there seems little prospect
of such a calamity in AA.
The life of each individual and of each group
is built around our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.
We very well know that the penalty for
extensive disobedience to these principles
is death for the individual and dissolution for the group.
An even greater force for AA's unity is in the compelling love
that we have for our fellow members and for the principles
upon which our lives today are founded.
Bill W.
c. 1962 AAWS, Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th printing, p. 8

^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
Only those who see the invisible
can accomplish the impossible.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message

[janbear]

January 15, 2008
Footprints of Hope
Going the whole route looked too hard -- until someone said to me,
"One step at a time."
So I looked ahead, along the path marked by the footprints of hope,
commitment, and action.
All around me were many happy, sober people who had walked that path. . .
They had some magic or information, secrets or power
which I lacked, but which might get me out of the fix I was in.
I had to believe what I saw: that some power wiser, stronger,
or greater than mine could restore me to health.


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 2), pp. 136-137, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible,
and achieves the impossible.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.

[janbear]

January 16, 2008
Time
I find that today builds into tomorrow.
I find that we don't just "get somewhere" -- we go there, one day at a time.
I find it a luxurious sensation to be sane.
And what is time to me now? It is a most precious asset.
I have the luxury of being able to cherish the memory of yesterday,
to live today with serenity, to wait for tomorrow.
I find great contentment in just knowing where I was and where I am.
And I am grateful; grateful for the existence of Alcoholics Anonymous;
grateful to my God for leading me to the doors of AA and to himself,
grateful for hope.
I am grateful for this minute. My eternity may be in it.


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 2), Page 21, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Life is an ongoing miracle.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

T I M E = This Is My Eternity.


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

[janbear]

Reminder

We constantly remind ourselves
we are no longer running the show,
humbly saying to ourselves many times each day
"Thy will be done."
We are then in much less danger of excitement,
fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions.
We become much more efficient.
We do not tire so easily,
for we are not burning up energy foolishly
as we did when we were trying to arrange life
to suit ourselves.
1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 87-8
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .
It works -- it really does.

[janbear]

Shortcomings
Many shortcomings tempt me daily;
therefore, I also have daily opportunities to become aware of them.
In one form or another, many of my character defects appear daily:
self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful,
wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity.
Attempting half measures to eliminate these defects
merely paralyzes my efforts to change.
It is only when I ask God for help, with complete abandon,
that I become willing -- and able -- to change.


Reprinted from Daily Reflections, Page 15, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Self-esteem doesn't need an audience.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[janbear]

Coping

God willing, we members of AA may never again
have to deal with drinking,
but we have to deal with sobriety every day.
How do we do it?
By learning -- through practicing the Twelve Steps
and through sharing at meetings --
how to cope with the problems
that we looked to booze to solve, back in our drinking days. . .
We learn how to level out the emotional swings
that got us into trouble
both when we were up and when we were down.
c. 1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 560
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 558
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me
unless I go to meetings and share.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together

[janbear]

Unity
The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality
our Society has.
Our lives, the lives of all to come, depend squarely upon it.
We stay whole, or AA dies.
Without unity, the heart of AA would cease to beat,
our world arteries would no longer carry the life-giving grace of God;
His gift to us would be spent aimlessly.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 129, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
There is no strength without unity.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

U S = United Spirits.

[janbear]

^*^*^*^*^
Housecleaning

If we skip this vital step [Step Five],
we may not overcome drinking.
Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves
certain facts about their lives.
Trying to avoid this humbling experience,
they have turned to easier methods.
Almost invariably they got drunk.
Having persevered with the rest of the program,
they wondered why they fell.
We think the reason is that they never completed
their housecleaning.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 72-3
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
There's no elevator, you have to take the Steps.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
N U T S = Not Using The Steps.

[admin]

January 19, 2008

Partnership

Bill's style was actively to seek support for his ideas,
while Dr. Bob would wait until support for a proposal
developed of its own momentum.
There are also some indications that Dr. Bob was the more effective sponsor.
There is certainly no denying that in the first few years,
AA grew more rapidly in Akron than it did in New York,
and there were those who attributed this success
to Dr. Bob's strong leadership. . .
In the end, each viewed himself as an instrument of the Higher Power
in the development of the Fellowship.
Perhaps it was their unique partnership that was the instrument.
c. 1984 AAWS, 'Pass It On',' p. 157
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.

[admin]

Choice

The fact is that most alcoholics,
for reasons yet obscure,
have lost the power of choice in drink.
Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent.
We are unable, at certain times,
to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force
the memory of the suffering and humiliation
of even a week or a month ago.
We are without defense against the first drink.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 24
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .
Just for today, I choose not to drink.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Absolute Abstinence

[admin]

January 20, 2008

Seeds of Victory

When alcohol took me over, my bar was my kitchen, my living room,
my bedroom, and the two laundry hampers.
At one time the admission that I was and am an alcoholic
meant shame, defeat, and failure to me.
But in the light of the new understanding I have found in AA,
I have been able to interpret that defeat and that failure and that shame
as seeds of victory.
Because it was only through feeling defeat and feeling failure,
the inability to cope with my life and with alcohol,
that I was able to surrender and accept the fact that I had this disease
and that I had to learn to live again without alcohol.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 295
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

I am worth staying sober for.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

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

[admin]

Communication

From the beginning,
communication in AA has been
no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes.
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.
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 195
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

Listening feeds the spirit.


*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other

[janbear]

Lifelong Friends
Near you, alcoholics are dying helplessly like people on a sinking ship.
If you live in a large place, there are hundreds.
High and low, rich and poor,
these are future fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Among them you will make lifelong friends.
You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties,
for you will escape disaster together and you will commence
shoulder to shoulder your common journey.
Then you will know what it means to give of yourself
that others may survive and rediscover life.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 152-153, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

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


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = All Accepted.

[janbear]

Illusion

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.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . . .

The two most dangerous words
in a recovering alcoholic's vocabulary are,
"I'm different."

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Absolute Abstinence

[admin]

January 22, 2008

First Things First

This is strictly a matter of survival for us.
We have learned that alcoholism is a killer disease,
leading to death in a large number of ways.
We prefer not to activate that disease by risking a drink. . .
When we view alcoholism as the life-or-death matter it is,
the answer is plain.
If we do not save our health -- our lives --
then certainly we will have no family, no job, and no friends.
If we value family, job, and friends,
we must first save our own lives in order to cherish all three.
c. 1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p. 32
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.


Thought to Ponder . . .

Keep your sobriety first to make it last.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

A A = Always Aware.

[admin]

Vigilance

Deliver us from temptation
must continue to be a prime ingredient of our every
attitude, practice, and prayer.
When things go well, we must never fall into the error
of believing that no great ill can possibly befall us.
Nor should we accuse ourselves of
"negative thinking" when we insist on facing
the destructive forces in and around us,
both realistically and effectively.
Vigilance will always be the price of survival.
Bill W., November 1960
c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, pp. 316-17
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

Adversity introduces us to ourselves

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*


P E A C E = Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.

[janbear]

Adventure
Where my life had been full of mental turmoil
there is now an ever-increasing depth of calmness.
Where there was a hit or miss attitude toward living
there is now new direction and force.
The approaches of man to God are many and varied.
My conception of God as Universal Mind
is after all but one man's approach to and concept of the Supreme Being.
To me it makes sense, opens up a fascinating field of endeavor
and is a challenge,
the acceptance of which can make of life the "Adventure Magnificent."


Reprinted from Experience, Strength and Hope, Page 134, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Adventurers Anonymous.

[janbear]

Tolerance

Finally, we begin to see that all people,
including ourselves,
are to some extent emotionally ill
as well as frequently wrong,
and then we approach true tolerance
and see what real love for our fellows actually means.
It will become more and more evident as we go forward
that it is pointless to become angry,
or to get hurt by people who, like us,
are suffering from the pains of growing up.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 92
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Honesty gets us sober, tolerance keeps us sober.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance

[janbear]

January 24, 2008
A Gentle Whisper
Tradition One tells me, "Our common welfare should come first. . ."
Not second or fourth or tenth, but first. Why?
Because "personal recovery depends on AA unity."
So I learn that after the Twelve Steps have been digested, my group, my AA,
comes first; not myself, you understand, but my AA group or groups.
My own recovery -- my most prized possession,
since it means life itself -- depends on my group's unity.
I am told how to stay well in Tradition One, and to my surprise,
it dawns on me that I have received the first gentle whisper
nudging me along the path of humility.


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 1), pp. 100-101, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The Twelve Steps tell us how it works;
the Twelve Traditions tell us why it works.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

T R U S T = Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions.

[janbear]

Belief
Here are thousands of men and women, worldly indeed.
They flatly declare that since they have come to believe
in a Power greater than themselves,
to take a certain attitude toward that Power,
and to do certain simple things,
there has been a revolutionary change
in their way of living and thinking.
In the face of collapse and despair,
in the face of the total failure of their human resources,
they found that a new power, peace, happiness,
and sense of direction flowed into them.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 50
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program.
But our old-timers are the arteries.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*




P R O G R A M = People Relying On God Relay A Message

[janbear]

Spiritual Progress
Walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress.
If you persist, remarkable things will happen.
When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us
when we put ourselves in God's hands
were better than anything we could have planned.
Follow the dictates of a Higher Power
and you will live in a new and wonderful world,
no matter what your present circumstances!


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 100, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
On this earthly journey, we trudge upon Heavenly paths.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

F A I T H = Further Adventures In Trusting Him.

[janbear]

Happiness
We're all after the same thing, and that's happiness.
We want peace of mind.
The trouble with us alcoholics was this:
We demanded that the world give us happiness and peace of mind
in just the particular way we wanted to get it -- by the alcohol route.
And we weren't successful.
But when we take time to find out some of the spiritual laws,
and familiarize ourselves with them, and put them into practice,
then we do get happiness and peace of mind. . . .
There seem to be some rules that we have to follow,
but happiness and peace of mind are always here, open and free to anyone.


Reprinted from Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, Page 308, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Happiness is not a station we arrive at; it's a way of traveling.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.

[janbear]

Prayer

"In AA we have found that the actual
good results of prayer are beyond question.
They are matters of knowledge and experience.
All those who have persisted have found
strength not ordinarily their own.
They have found wisdom beyond their
usual capability.
And they have increasingly found a peace of mind
which can stand firm in the face of
difficult circumstances."

Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 104
As Bill Sees It, p. 127





Thought to Consider . . .

Trying to pray is praying.





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

[janbear]

Reverse Your Shortcomings
You worry a lot about your past defects.
Don't, please, thrash around too long in guilt.
Learn what you can from past negative experiences, and move on.
Guilt is insidious and counterproductive.
You are a perfect child of God. It shines through in your sobriety.
I see it, and so do others. Make yourself see it. . .
No need to feel guilt; simply get rid of the thing you feel guilty about.
A wonderful way to do this is to reverse your shortcomings
by reaching out to another drunk. It works.


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 1), Page 86, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Remove the worry from your mind.
Remove the anger from your heart.
Give a lot.
Expect little.
Keep it simple.



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

Recovery Related Acronym

T G I F = Thank God I'm Forgiven.

[janbear]

Acceptance
When I am feeling depressed, I repeat to myself statements such as these:
"Pain is the touchstone of progress" . . . "Fear no evil." . . .
"This, too, will pass." . . . "This experience can be turned to benefit."
These fragments of prayer bring far more than mere comfort.
They keep me on the track of right acceptance;
they break up my compulsive themes of guilt, depression,
rebellion, and pride; and sometimes they endow me
with the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Page 148, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Unless I accept my virtues, I will be overwhelmed by my faults.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.


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

[janbear]

Thankfulness
I try to hold fast to the truth
that a full and thankful heart
cannot entertain great conceits.
When brimming with gratitude,
one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love,
the finest emotion that we can ever know.
Bill W., AAGrapevine, March 1962
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 37
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The peaks and valleys of my life
have become gentle rolling hills.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps

[janbear]

The Beacon
Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection.
So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt
for failure to achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next.
Progress is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon, light-years away,
that draws us on.


Reprinted from As Bill Sees It, Page 15, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

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


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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


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

[janbear]

Solution
If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were,
we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution.
We were in a position where life was becoming impossible,
and if we had passed into the region
from which there is no return through human aid,
we had but two alternatives:
One was to go on to the bitter end,
blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation
as best we could;
and the other, to accept spiritual help.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The solution is simple.
The solution is spiritual.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety.

[janbear]

Fellowship
Then I began to see the miracles that happen only in AA.
People who would nearly crawl in the doors, sick and broken,
and who in a few weeks of meetings and not drinking one day at a time
would get their health back, find a little job and friends who really cared,
and then discover a God in their lives.
But the most compelling part of AA,
the part that made me want to try this sober thing, was the laughter,
the pure joy of the laughter that I heard only from sober alcoholics.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 333, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

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


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

Recovery Related Acronym

H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.

[janbear]

Good Living
Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes,
and right action is the key to good living;
therefore the joy of good living
is the theme of AA's Twelfth Step.
With each passing day of our lives,
may every one of us sense more deeply
the inner meaning of AA's simple prayer:

God grant us the serenity to accept
the things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 125
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . . .

The joy is in the journey.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T H I N K = The Happiness I Never Knew

[janbear]

Divine Mystery
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 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 sit at a meeting until the bus of sanity comes by; then I climb aboard.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Always Awesome.

[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.
c. 1955 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, 2nd Edition, pp. 341-2
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust

[janbear]

Self-awareness
Growing self-awareness led me to more fully understand
the nature of my resentments and deep-rooted fears
and how they form in my mind.
It helped me get to the "stuff" behind the defects.
I began to think that the things I was angry at
were really diversions from a deeper pain that often troubled me,
and by getting into that, as opposed to covering it all up with violent language,
I was able to face my "causes and conditions" (Big Book, p. 64)
and work through them.
All of a sudden, I was once again experiencing that feeling
I had as a newcomer of having my heart opened up
and the contents exposed to the light.


Reprinted from Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, February 2008, Page 12. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
There is only one corner of the universe I can be certain of improving,
and that's my own self.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Always Aware.

[janbear]

Fear
Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing.
It seems to cause more trouble.
We reviewed our fears thoroughly.
We put them on paper,
even though we had no resentment in connection with them.
We asked ourselves why we had them.
Wasn't it because self-reliance failed us?
Self-reliance was good as far as it went,
but it didn't go far enough.
Some of us once had great self-confidence,
but it didn't fully solve the fear problem, or any other.
When it made us cocky, it was worse.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 67-8
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R = Forgetting Everything's All Right

[janbear]

The "If" Trap
Alcoholism respects no ifs.
It does not go away, not for a week, for a day, or even for an hour,
leaving us nonalcoholic and able to drink again on some special occasion
or for some extraordinary reason
-- not even if it is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, or if a big sorrow hits us,
or if it rains in Spain or the stars fall on Alabama.
Alcoholism is for us unconditional,
with no dispensations available at any price.


Reprinted from Living Sober, Page 63, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Altered Attitudes.

[admin]

Juggernaut
We who are alcoholics can consider ourselves
fortunate indeed.
Each of us has had his own near-fatal encounter
with the juggernaut of self-will,
and has suffered enough under its weight
to be willing to look for something better.
So it is by circumstance rather than by any virtue
that we have been driven to AA,
have admitted defeat,
have acquired the rudiments of faith,
and now want to make a decision
to turn our will and our lives over to a Higher Power.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 37-8
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

If faith without works is dead,
then willingness without action is fantasy.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O = Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness

[janbear]

Choice
At a certain point in the drinking of every alcoholic,
he passes into a state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking
is of absolutely no avail.
This tragic situation has already arrived in practically every case
long before it is suspected.
The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure,
have lost the power of choice in drink.
Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent. . .
We are without defense against the first drink.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 24, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Just for today, I choose not to drink.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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


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

[janbear]

Resentments
In AA we slowly learned that something had to be done
about our vengeful resentments, self-pity,
and unwarranted pride.
We had to see that every time we played the big shot,
we turned people against us.
We had to see that when we harbored grudges
and planned revenge for such defeats,
we were really beating ourselves with
the club of anger we had intended to use on others.
We learned that if we were seriously disturbed,
our first need was to quiet that disturbance,
regardless of who or what we thought caused it.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 47
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

Resentment is like acid,
eating away at the vessel it is stored in.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A L M = Can Anger Leave Me?

[janbear]

Shoelaces
Trusting God has transformed my life.
I used to think that God's will was about which shoelace to tie first,
or what job to apply for.
Today, I think God's will, simply put, is to love God
and all of his creation to the best of my ability.
To the extent that I honestly do this,
I discover that I am useful, happy, joyous, and free
-- and the jobs and the shoelaces work themselves out.


Reprinted from Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, February 2008, Page 43. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Trust God. Clean house. Help others.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

T R U S T = Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions

[janbear]

/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Humility
Every newcomer in AA is told, and soon realizes for himself,
that his humble admission of powerlessness
over alcohol is his first step toward liberation
from its paralyzing grip.
So it is that we first see humility as a necessity.
But this is the barest beginning. . .
A whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness
cannot be set in reverse all at once.
Rebellion dogs our every step at first.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 72-3
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .
Many people haven't even a nodding acquaintance
with humility as a way of life.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T R U S T = Teaching Recovery Using Steps and Traditions

[janbear]

Love
Love will teach us values in life.
It shows us that the things that count are never held in the hand
but always in the heart.
And people who are loving always live in the now.
They cannot afford to live in the past or project into tomorrow.
People who love laugh more and believe that a day without laughter
is a lost day.
Love is the cement for the unity we need in AA.
It joins the power of the mind and the heart for emotional growth. . .
The love we find in AA is always warm, never cold.
It is firm, not loose.
Companionship is a result of love.
And love cannot be taught but is developed naturally.


Reprinted from The Best of the Grapevine (Vol. 3), Page 297, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Love that is unseen is eternal.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

T L C = Tears, Laughter, Caring

[janbear]

Faith
People of faith have a logical idea
of what life is all about.
Actually, we used to have no reasonable
conception whatever.
We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting
spiritual beliefs and practices
when we might have observed that many
spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors and creeds
were demonstrating a degree of stability,
happiness and usefulness
which we should have sought ourselves.
c. 2002 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 49
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Feed your faith and starve your doubt.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.

[janbear]

Fear
We of AA now find ourselves living in a world characterized
by destructive fears as never before in history.
But in it we nevertheless see great areas of faith
and tremendous aspirations toward justice and brotherhood.
Yet no prophet can presume to say whether the world outcome
will be blazing destruction or the beginning, under God's intention,
of the brightest era yet known to mankind . . .
In no sense pridefully, we AAs can say that we do not fear the world outcome,
whichever course it may take.
This is because we have been enabled to deeply feel and say,
"We shall fear no evil -- thy will, not ours, be done."


Reprinted from The Language of the Heart, Page 268, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Breathe in faith, breathe out fear.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

F A I T H = Fear And Insecurity? Trust Him!

[janbear]

Money Matters
Money gradually became our servant
and not our master.
It became a means of exchanging love and service
with those about us.
When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot,
then we found we could live at peace with ourselves
and show others who still suffered the same fears
that they could get over them, too.
We found that freedom from fear was
more important than freedom from want.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 122
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

It's more important to feel happy about who I am
than who I think I should be.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything.

[janbear]

Stepladder
No one who drank as I did wakes up on the edge of the abyss one morning
and says: Things look pretty scary;
I think I'd better stop drinking before I fall in.
I was convinced I could go as far as I wanted,
and then climb back out when it wasn't fun anymore.
What happened was, I found myself at the bottom of the canyon
thinking I'd never see the sun again.
AA didn't pull me out of that hole.
It did give me the tools to construct a ladder, with Twelve Steps.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 316, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The distance is nothing;
it is only the first step toward it that is difficult.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps.

[janbear]

Language of the Heart

From the beginning,
communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission
of helpful ideas and attitudes.
It has been unusual and sometimes unique.
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.
Bill W., July 1960
c. 1988 AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 243
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Walk softly and carry a Big Book.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S O B E R = Simply Observe Bill's Exemplary Recovery.

[janbear]

First Choice
The compulsion among most of us to survive and grow
soon becomes far stronger than the temptation to drink
or to misbehave.
Literally, we must "do or die." So we make the choice to live.
This, in turn, means the choice of AA principles, practices, and attitudes
that can salvage us from total disaster by insuring our sobriety.
This is our first and critical choice. . .
Plainly enough, this first choice is far more a necessity
than it is an act of virtue.
- Bill W., May 1960.


Reprinted from The Language of the Heart, pp. 301-302, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
I am worth staying sober for.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Accountable Actions.

[janbear]

Vigilance

Now that we're in AA and sober,
and winning back the esteem of our friends
and business associates,
we find that we still need to exercise special vigilance.
As an insurance against "big-shot-ism"
we can often check ourselves by remembering
we are today sober only by the grace of God
and that any success we may be having
is far more His success than ours.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 92
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Always remember you're unique ... just like everyone else.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H A L T = Honestly, Actively, Lovingly, Tolerant.

[janbear]

Powerlessness
I tell the newcomer that for some people, "not drinking" seems to work.
I tell him that, in my case, I don't have a clue how to "not drink"
-- I am powerless over King Alcohol
and cannot will myself away from the first drink
any more than I can hold my breath for twenty-four hours.
However, there is one who has all power,
and I can avail myself of his protection and care by taking some action. . .
I will never overcome alcoholism, but I can take action to be free of it.


Reprinted from Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, January 2008, pp. 21-22. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The first drink has the last say.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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


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

[janbear]

Martyrdom
Self-pity is one of the most unhappy
and consuming defects that we know.
It is a bar to all spiritual progress
and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows
because of its inordinate demands for attention
and sympathy.
It is a maudlin form of martyrdom;
which we can ill afford.
Bill W., Letter, 1966
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 238
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Poor me! Poor me! Pour me a drink.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
N U T S = Not Using The Steps

[janbear]

Prideful Balloons
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. . .
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.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 29-30, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Many people haven't even a nodding acquaintance
with humility as a way of life.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

P R I D E = Personal Recovery Involves Deflating Ego.

[janbear]

Let Go
If you have decided you want what we have
and are willing to go to any length to get it --
then you are ready to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked.
We thought we could find an easier, softer way.
But we could not.
With all the earnestness at our command,
we beg of you to be fearless and thorough
from the very start.
Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas
and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

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





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps

[janbear]

'Something'
To me, there is no "spiritual side" to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous;
the entire program is spiritual.
In my view, some of the evidences of a spiritual awakening are:
maturity; an end to habitual hatred; the ability to love and to be loved in return;
the ability to believe, even without understanding,
that Something lets the sun rise in the morning and set at night,
makes the leaves come out in the spring and drop off in the fall,
and gives the birds song.
Why not let this Something be God?


Reprinted from Came to Believe, Page 48, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The stillness of God speaks louder than a choir of voices.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

G I F T = God Is Forever There.

[janbear]

Miracles
Since these things have happened among us,
they can happen with you.
Should you wish them above all else,
and be willing to make use of our experience,
we are sure they will come.
The age of miracles is still with us.
Our own recovery proves that!
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 153
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Don't give up before the miracle happens.




*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E =3D Happy Our Program Exists

[janbear]

Selfishness
Selfishness -- self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
Driven by a hundred forms of fear, 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.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 62, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The smallest package in the world
is an alcoholic all wrapped up in himself.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Attitude Adjustment.

[janbear]

Faith
We had seen spiritual release,
but liked to tell ourselves it wasn't true.
Actually, we were fooling ourselves,
for deep down in every man, woman, and child,
is the fundamental idea of God.
It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp,
by worship of other things,
but in some form or other it is there.
For faith in a Power greater than ourselves,
and miraculous demonstrations of that power
in human lives,
are facts as old as man himself.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

We found the Great Reality deep down within us.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F A I T H = Found Always In Trusting Him.

[janbear]

/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Carry the Message
Taking advantage of technological advances,
AA members with computers
can participate in meetings online,
sharing with fellow alcoholics across the country
or around the world.
Fundamentally, though, the difference
between an electronic meeting
and the home group around the corner
is only one of format.
In any meeting, anywhere, AA's share experience,
strength, and hope with each other,
in order to stay sober and help other alcoholics.
Modem-to-modem or face-to-face,
AA's speak the language of the heart
in all its power and simplicity.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, Foreword to Fourth Edition, p. xxiv
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

We in AA don't carry the alcoholic;
we carry the message.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering, Together.
* * *
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart

[janbear]

Substitution


You say, "Yes, I'm willing.
But am I to be consigned to a life where I shall be stupid, boring and glum,
like some righteous people I see?
I know I must get along without liquor, but how can I?
Have you a sufficient substitute?"
Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that.
It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous.
There, you will find release from care, boredom and worry.
Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last.
The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead.
Thus we find the fellowship, and so will you.

c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 152
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.



Thought to Ponder . . .
Every recovery from alcoholism began with one sober hour.



AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.</B>

[janbear]

Harmony
The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many,
and continue to fear or hate anybody,
has to be abandoned, if only a little at a time.
We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love.
We can show kindness where we had shown none.
With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy,
perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them...
Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes
by which we can come into harmony with practically anybody.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 92-93, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Let us always love the best in others -- and never fear their worst.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

B O G G L E = Bad Or Good, God Loves Everyone.

[janbear]

Results
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.
c. 2001AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

God seldom becomes a reality
until God becomes a necessity.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T = God Is Forever There

[janbear]

Inventory
The moral inventory is a cool examination
of the damages that occurred to us during life
and a sincere effort to look at them in a true perspective.
This has the effect of taking the ground glass out of us,
the emotional substance that still cuts and inhibits.


Reprinted from As Bill Sees It, Page 140, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Trust God. Clean house. Help others.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

W I S D O M = When Into Self, Discover Our Motives.

[janbear]

Children of Chaos
Over the years, every conceivable deviation
from our Twelve Steps and Traditions has been tried.
That was sure to be,
since we are largely a band of ego-driven individuals.
Children of chaos, we have definitely played
with every brand of fire,
only to emerge unharmed and, we think, wiser.
These very deviations created a vast process
of trial and error which, under the grace of God,
has brought us to where we stand today.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 146
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Once we clear a hurdle, it doesn't seem so high





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C H A O S = Can't Handle Another Overwhelming Situation

[janbear]

Principles
Unless each AA member follows to the best of his ability
our suggested Twelve Steps of recovery,
he almost certainly signs his own death warrant.
Drunkenness and disintegration are not penalties inflicted by people in authority;
they are results of personal disobedience to spiritual principles.
We must obey certain principles, or we die.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, Page 119, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The problem with alcoholism is that people die.
And it's not always the alcoholic.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety.


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

[janbear]

Cheerfulness
But we aren't a glum lot. . .
We absolutely insist on enjoying life. . .
So we think cheerfulness and laughter
make for usefulness.
Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we
burst into merriment over a seemingly tragic
experience out of the past.
But why shouldn't we laugh?
We have recovered,
and have been given the power to help others.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 132
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Laughter is the sound of recovery.





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

[janbear]

Communication
We realize now that we were excessively self-centered,
chiefly concerned about our feelings, our problems,
other people's reactions to us, and our own past and future.
Therefore, trying to get into communication with and to help other people
is a recovery measure for us, because it takes us out of ourselves.
Trying to heal ourselves by helping others works,
even when it is an insincere gesture.
Try it some time.


Reprinted from Living Sober, Page 85, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
I keep my sobriety by giving it away.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.

[janbear]

^*^*^*^*^
A New Life
Life will take on a new meaning.
To watch people recover, to see them help others,
to watch loneliness vanish,
to see a fellowship grow up about you,
to have a host of friends --
this is an experience you must not miss.
We know you will not want to miss it.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Break out of your shell and join us!





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E E L = Feel, Experience, Express, Let go

[janbear]

A Full and Happy Life
When I first came to this Fellowship,
I had lost my health and sanity, my friends, much of my family,
my self-respect, and my God.
In the years since, all of these have been restored to me.
I no longer wish for death or stare at myself in the mirror with loathing.
I have come to terms with my Higher Power;
after more than a dozen years in the AA Fellowship,
I was able to join a religious group and have now become active
in the organization.
I have a full and happy life, with friends and loving family.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 368, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
New ideals and new attitudes bring a new life.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Achieve Anything.

[janbear]

AA Unity
Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety,
never yet has this Fellowship had to struggle
for lost unity.
Consequently, we sometimes take this one great gift
for granted.
We forget that, should we lose our unity,
the millions of alcoholics who still "do not know"
might never get their chance.
Bill W., Letter, 1949
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 297
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

We can make a difference.
Without you, there is no 'we.'

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A's - R - U S = Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Unity Service

[janbear]

Irrationality
Few indeed are the practicing alcoholics
who have any idea how irrational they are, or seeing their irrationality,
can bear to face it.
Some will be willing to term themselves "problem drinkers,"
but cannot endure the suggestion that they are in fact mentally ill.
They are abetted in this blindness by a world which does not understand
the difference between sane drinking and alcoholism.
"Sanity" is defined as "soundness of mind."
Yet no alcoholic, soberly analyzing his destructive behavior,
whether the destruction fell on the dining-room furniture
or his own moral fiber,
can claim "soundness of mind" for himself.


Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 32-33, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Many things can be preserved with alcohol. Dignity is not one of them.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Accountable Actions.

[admin]

Entirely Ready
It is plain for everybody to see that each sober AA member
has been granted a release from this very obstinate
and fatal obsession.
So in a very complete and literal way,
all AA's have "become entirely ready"
to have God remove the mania for alcohol from their lives.
And God has proceeded to do just that.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 64
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

I stood in the sunlight at last.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

[janbear]

February 20, 2008
Cafeteria Style
It is good to remember the temptation in a cafeteria
to pick up nothing but a lot of desserts or starches or salads
or some other food we particularly like.
It serves as an important reminder to us to keep a balance in our lives.
In recovering from alcoholism,
we found that we needed a balanced diet of ideas,
even if some of them did not look, at first, as enjoyable as others.
Like good food, good ideas did us no good
unless we made intelligent use of them.


Reprinted from Living Sober, pp. 2-3, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Keep an open mind.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

[admin]

Control
At a certain point in the drinking of every alcoholic,
he passes into a state where
the most powerful desire to stop drinking
is of absolutely no avail.
This tragic situation has already arrived
in practically every case long before it is suspected.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 24
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

When a person tries to control their drinking
they have already lost control.



*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O W N O W = Honest Open-minded, Willing. No Other Way!

[janbear]

Coming to Believe
In shame and despair, I went to my first AA meeting.
By some minor miracle, I was able to suspend opinion, analysis,
judgment, and criticism, and instead to listen and hear.
I heard someone say that AA works for those who work it,
those who put action into the program.
For me, at that time, action consisted of simply showing up at an AA meeting
and following the suggestions I heard.
I heard that I should forget about yesterday and tomorrow
and instead concentrate on today
and staying away from the first drink today -- now.
I tried it, and it worked.
The first step in the process of "coming to believe" had been taken.


Reprinted from Came to Believe, Page 42, 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]

Steps & Traditions
AA's Twelve Steps are a group of principles,
spiritual in their nature, which, if practiced as a way of life,
can expel the obsession to drink
and enable the sufferer to become
happily and usefully whole.
AA's Twelve Traditions apply to the life
of the Fellowship itself.
They outline the means by which AA maintains its unity
and relates itself to the world about it,
the way it lives and grows.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 15
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The Steps protect me from myself;
the Traditions protect AA from me.

[janbear]

Silent Revolution
Gradually, in a manner I cannot explain,
I began to re-examine the beliefs I had thought beyond criticism.
Almost imperceptibly my whole attitude toward life
underwent a silent revolution.
I lost many worries and gained confidence.
I found myself saying and thinking things that a short time ago
I would have condemned as platitudes!
A belief in the basic spirituality of life has grown
and with it belief in a supreme and guiding power for good.


Reprinted from Experience, Strength and Hope, Page 107, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The power within me is far greater than any fear before me.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Altered Attitudes.

[janbear]

Acceptance
Our very first problem is to accept
our present circumstances as they are,
ourselves as we are, and the people about us as we are.
This is to adopt a realistic humility
without which no genuine advance can even begin.
Again and again, we shall need to return
to that unflattering point of departure.
This is an exercise in acceptance
that we can profitably practice every day of our lives.
Bill W., AAGrapevine, March 1962
c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 44
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change

[janbear]

Daily Reprieve
It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels.
We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe.
We are not cured of alcoholism.
What we really have is a daily reprieve
contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.
Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will
into all our activities
"How can I best serve Thee -- Thy will (not mine) be done."
These are thoughts which must go with us constantly.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 85, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Always Aware.

[janbear]

Hope
He had lain awake all night.
Down in the pit of his depression,
new hope had suddenly been born.
The thought flashed through his mind,
"If they can do it, I can do it!"
Over and over he said this to himself.
Finally, out of his hope, there burst conviction.
Now he was sure. Then came a great joy.
At length peace stole over him, and he slept.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 189
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible,
and achieves the impossible.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter

[janbear]

Fantasy
Above all, we reject fantasizing and accept reality.
The more I drank, the more I fantasized everything.
I imagined getting even for hurts and rejections.
In my mind's eye, I played and replayed scenes
in which I was plucked magically from the bar where I stood nursing a drink
and was instantly exalted to some position of power and prestige.
I lived in a dream world.
AA led me gently from this fantasizing to embrace reality with open arms.
And I found it beautiful!
For, at last, I was at peace with myself. And with others.
And with God.


Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 559, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The hardest thing in life is letting go of what you thought was real.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

B E S T = Been Enjoying Sobriety Today?

[janbear]

Resentment
Resentment is the "number one" offender.
It destroys more alcoholics than anything else.
From it stem all forms of spiritual disease,
for we have been not only mentally and physically ill,
we have been spiritually sick.
When the spiritual malady is overcome,
we straighten our mentally and physically.
In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper.
We listed people, institutions or principles
with whom we were angry.
We asked ourselves why we were angry.
In most cases it was found that our self-esteem,
our pocketbooks, our ambitions,
our personal relationships (including sex)
were hurt or threatened.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 64-5
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Resentment is like taking poison
and waiting for the other person to die.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything.

[janbear]

Honesty
The problem of honesty touches nearly every aspect of our lives.
There are, for example, the widespread and amazing phenomena
of self-deception.
There are those rather dreadful brands of reckless truth-telling,
which are so often lacking in prudence and love.
Then there are those countless life situations
in which nothing less than utter honesty will do,
no matter how sorely we may be tempted by the fear and pride
that would reduce us to half-truths or inexcusable denials.
- Bill W., August 1961.


Reprinted from The Language of the Heart, pp. 259-260, from the Grapevine. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
The deception of others is nearly always rooted
in the deception of ourselves.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

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

[janbear]

Powerlessness
Who cares to admit complete defeat?
Practically no one, of course.
Every natural instinct cries out against the idea
of personal powerlessness.
It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand,
we have warped our minds into such an obsession
for destructive drinking
that only an act of Providence can remove it from us.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 21
^*^*^*^*^
Thought to Consider . . .

We surrender to win.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust.

[janbear]

Self-restraint
We enjoy certain advantages
which should make our task of self-restraint relatively easy.
There is no really good reason for anyone to object
if a great many drunks get sober.
Nearly everyone can agree that this is a good thing.
If, in the process, we are forced to develop a certain amount of honesty,
humility, and tolerance, who is going to kick about that?
- Bill W.,1962.


Reprinted from Twelve Concepts for World Service, Page 69, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Look for the good.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

A A = Accountable Actions.

[janbear]

Neighbors
Near you, alcoholics are dying helplessly
like people in a sinking ship.
If you live in a large place, there are hundreds.
High and low, rich and poor,
these are future fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Among them you will make lifelong friends.
You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties,
for you will escape disaster together
and you will commence shoulder to shoulder
your common journey.
Then you will know what it means to give of yourself
that others may survive and rediscover life.
You will learn the full meaning of
"Love Thy neighbor as thyself."
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 152-3
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Sobriety is a journey, not a destination.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
T E A M = Together Everyone Achieves More.

[janbear]

Action
My sponsor also told me,
"You must work the Steps badly before you work them well."
He showed me that if I actually worked the Twelve Steps,
rather than thought about working them, my life would get better.
I realized that the key word here is "work."
I had to stop being a perfectionist and focus on progress.
This allowed me to accept my flaws and move into a life of active service,
in spite of them.


Reprinted from Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, March 2008, Page 7. Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Right action promotes right thinking
quicker than right thinking promotes right action.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

W O R K = What Our Recovery Knows.

[janbear]

Foundation
There is a direct linkage among self-examination,
meditation, and prayer.
Taken separately, these practices can bring
much relief and benefit.
but when they are logically related and interwoven,
the result is an unshakable foundation for life.
c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 98
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

Prayer is asking a question.
Meditation is listening for the answer.





*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer.

[janbear]

February 28, 2008
Setbacks
Some of us go back to drinking a time or so
before we get a foothold on sobriety.
If that happens to you, don't despair.
Many of us have done this and have finally come through to successful sobriety.
Try to remember that alcoholism is an extremely serious human condition,
and that relapses are as possible in this ailment as in others.
Recovery can still follow.


Reprinted from Living Sober, Page 86, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.


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

Thought to Ponder....
Don't give up before the miracle happens.


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

Recovery Related Acronym

S L I P = Sobriety Loses Its Priority.

[janbear]

Meetings
A "spiritual experience" to me meant attending meetings,
seeing a group of people,
all there for the purpose of helping each other;
hearing the Twelve Steps
and the Twelve Traditions read at a meeting,
and hearing the Lord's Prayer,
which in an AA meeting has such great meaning --
"Thy will be done, not mine."
A spiritual awakening soon came to mean
trying each day to be a little more thoughtful,
more considerate, a little more courteous
to those with whom I came in contact.
c. 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 381
c. 2001, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 356
^*^*^*^*^

Thought to Consider . . .

The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me
unless I go to meetings and share.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other.