~A.A.
Thoughts
For
The
Day~
^*^*^*^*^
(\ ~~ /)
( \(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/ AA \
^*^*^*^*^
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 A.A., 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
*~*^Just
For
Today!^*~*
Self-concern
From "Selfish?"
"Some
A.A. speakers say,
'A.A. is a selfish program.' The word 'selfish' ordinarily implies that
one is acquisitive, demanding, and thoughtless of the welfare of others.
Of course, the A.A. way of life does not at all imply such undesirable
traits.
If we cannot or will not
achieve sobriety, then we become truly lost, right in the here and now.
Therefore, our own recovery and spiritual growth have to come first - a right
and necessary kind of self-concern."
c. 1967, As Bill Sees It,
page 81
*^Daily
Reflections^*
RESCUED BY SURRENDERING
Characteristic of the so-called typical alcoholic is a narcissistic
egocentric core, dominated by feelings of omnipotence, intent on maintaining at
all costs its inner integrity . . . Inwardly the
alcoholic brooks no control from man or God. He, the alcoholic, is and must be
the master of his destiny. He will fight to the end to preserve that
position.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 311
The great mystery is: "Why do some of us die alcoholic
deaths, fighting to preserve the 'independence' of our ego, while others seem to
sober up effortlessly in A.A.?" Help from a Higher Power, the gift of
sobriety, came to me when an otherwise unexplained desire to stop drinking
coincided with my willingness to accept the suggestions of the men and women of
A.A. I had to surrender, for only by reaching out to God and my fellows
could I be rescued.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES,
INC.
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
All or Nothing?
Acceptance and faith are capable of
producing 100 per cent sobriety. In fact, they usually do; and they must, else
we could have no life at all. But the moment we carry these attitudes into our
emotional problems, we find that only relative results are possible. Nobody can,
for example, become completely free from fear, anger, and pride. Hence, in
this life we shall attain nothing like perfect humility and love. So we shall
have to settle, respecting most of our problems, for a very gradual progress,
punctuated sometimes by very heavy setbacks. Our oldtime attitude of "all or
nothing" will have to be
abandoned.
GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962
*~*^Big
Book
Quote^*~*
"The alcoholic may
find it hard to re-establish friendly relations with his children. Their
young minds were impressionable while he was drinking. Without saying so,
they may cordially hate him for what he has done to them and to their mother.
The children are sometimes dominated by a pathetic hardness and cynicism.
They cannot seem to forgive and forget. This may hang on for months, long
after their mother has accepted dad's new way of living and
thinking.
In time they will see that he is a new man and in their own way
they will let him know it."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition
The
Family Afterward, pg.
134
*^Twenty
Four
Hours A
Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
We got a
kick out of the first few drinks, before we got stupefied by alcohol. For a
while, the world seemed to look brighter. But how about the letdown, the
terrible depression that comes the morning after? In A.A., we get a real kick;
not a false feeling of exhilaration, but a real feeling of satisfaction with
ourselves, self-respect, and a feeling of friendliness toward the world. We got
a sort of pleasure from drinking. For a while we thought we were happy. But it's
only an illusion. The hangover the next day is the opposite of pleasure. In AA.,
am I getting real pleasure and serenity and peace?
Meditation for the Day
I will practice love, because lack of love
will block the way. I will try to see good in all people, those I like and also
those who fret me and go against the grain. They are all children of God. I will
try to give love; otherwise, how can I dwell in God's spirit whence nothing
unloving can come? I will try to get along with all people, because the more
love I give away, the more I will have.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may do all I can to love
others, in spite of their many faults. I pray that as I love, so will I be
loved.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN
55012