~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~
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( \(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Traditions
"The
Twelve Traditions point straight at many of our individual defects. By
implication they ask each of us to lay aside pride and resentments.
They ask for personal as well as group sacrifice. They ask us never to
use the A.A. 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 ourselves to each other and to the world outside."
Bill W.,
1967 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 96
Thought to Consider . . .
If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
P U S H
Pray
Until Something
Happens
*~*^Just For Today!^*~*
Core
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"On many a day I felt like throwing the book out the window. I
was in this anything-but-spiritual mood on the night when the Twelve
Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous were written. I was sore and tired clear
through. I lay in bed at 182 Clinton Street with pencil in hand and with
a tablet of scratch paper on my knee. I could not get my mind on the
job, much less put my heart in it. But here was one of those things that
had to be done. Slowly my mind came into some kind of focus.
Since
Ebby's visit to me in the fall of 1934 we had gradually evolved what we
called 'the word-of-mouth program.' Most of the basic ideas had come
from the Oxford Groups, William James, and Dr. Silkworth."
2001 AAWS, Inc.
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 160
*^Daily Reflections^*
WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH
It is a design for living that works in rough going.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 15
When
I came to A.A., I realized that A.A. worked wonderfully to help keep me
sober. But could it work on real life problems, not concerned with
drinking? I had my doubts. After being sober for more than two years I
got my answer. I lost my job, developed physical problems, my diabetic
father lost a leg, and someone I loved left me for another - and all
of this happened during a two-week period. Reality crashed in, yet A.A.
was there to support, comfort, and strengthen me. The principles I had
learned during my early days of sobriety became a mainstay of my life
for not only did I come through, but I never stopped being able to help
newcomers. A.A. taught me not to be overwhelmed, but rather to accept
and understand my life as it unfolded.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*
"Success" in Twelfth-Stepping
"We
now see that in twelfth-stepping the immediate results are not so
important. Some people start out working with others and have immediate
success. They are likely to get cocky. Those of us who are not so
successful at first get depressed. As a matter of fact, the successful
worker differs from the unsuccessful only in being lucky about his
prospects. He simply hits newcomers who are ready and able to stop at
once. Given the same prospects, the seemingly unsuccessful person would
have produced almost the same results. You have to work on a lot of
newcomers before the law of averages commences to assert itself."
<<< >>>
All
true communication must be founded on mutual need. We saw that each
sponsor would have to admit humbly his own needs as clearly as those of
his prospect.
1. LETTER, 1942
2. A.A. TODAY, P. 10
*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*
"My
old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but I would not exchange
its best moments for the worst I have now. I would not go back to it
even if I could."
Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition
More About Alcoholism, pg. 43
*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
In A.A. we have to learn that drink is our greatest enemy. Although we used to think that liquor was our friend, the time
came when it turned against us and became our enemy. We don't know just
when this happened, but we know that it did because we began to get into
trouble - jails and hospitals. We realize now that liquor is our enemy.
Is it still my main business to keep sober?
Meditation for the Day
It
is not your circumstances that need altering so much as yourself. After
you have changed, conditions will naturally change. Spare no effort to
become all that God would have you become. Follow every good leading of
your conscience. Take each day with no backward look. Face the day's
problems with God, and seek God's help and guidance as to what you
should do in every situation that may arise. Never look back. Never
leave until tomorrow the thing that you are guided to do today.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that God will help me to become all that He would have me be. I pray that I may face today's problem as with good grace.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012