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Pamela7030
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800 Posts |
 Posted - 10/16/2008 : 07:41:27 AM
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Thursday, October 16, 2008.................Chapter One, Who Is An Addict? (Continued)
Pages 7 & 8, Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text
Some of us first saw the effects of addiction on the people closest to us. We were very dependent on them to carry us through life. We felt angry, disappointed and hurt when they found other interest, friends and loved ones. We regretted the past, dreaded the future, and weren’t too thrilled about the present. After years of searching, we were more unhappy and less satisfied than when it all began.
Our addiction enslaved us. We were prisoners of our own mind and were condemned by our own guilt. We gave up the hope that we would ever stop using drugs. Our attempts to stay clean always failed, causing us pain and misery.
As addicts, we have an incurable disease called addiction. The disease is chronic, progressive and fatal. However, it is a treatable disease. We feel that each individual has to answer the question, “Am I an addict?” How we got the disease is of no immediate importance to us. We are concerned with recovery.
We begin to treat our addiction by not using. Many of us sought answers but failed to find any workable solution until we found each other. Once we identify ourselves as addicts, help becomes possible. We can see a little of ourselves in every addict and see a little of them in us. This insight lets us help one another. Our future seemed hopeless until we found clean addicts who were willing to share with us. Denial of our addiction kept us sick, but our honest admission of addiction enabled us to stop using. The people of Narcotic Anonymous told us that they were recovering addicts who had learned to live without drugs. If they could do it, so could we.
The only alternatives to recovery are jails, institutions, dereliction and death. Unfortunately, our disease makes us deny our addiction. If you are an addict, you can find a new way of life through the N.A. Program. We have become very grateful in the course of our recovery. Through abstinence and through working the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous, our lives have become useful.
We realize that we are never cured, and that we carry the disease within us for the rest of our lives. We have a disease, but we do recover. Each day we are given another chance. We are convinced that there is only one way for us to live, and that is the N.A. way.
From the Basic Text of Narcotics Anonymous, Fifth Edition,
Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Chatsworth, California
(End of Chapter One)
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2008 : 10:59:33 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 16, 2008
Perspective
To see how erratic emotions victimized us often took a long time.
We could perceive them quickly in others, but only slowly in ourselves.
First of all, we had to admit that we had many of these defects,
even though such disclosures were painful and humiliating. . .
We had to drop the word "blame" from our speech and thought.
But once over the first two or three high hurdles,
the course ahead began to look easier.
For we had started to get perspective on ourselves,
which is another way of saying that we were gaining in humility.
© 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 47-48
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Your perspective will change your perception.
Your perception will change your experience.
Your experience IS your life.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Attitude Adjustment.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2008 : 07:14:22 AM
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Saturday, October 18, 2008
"The difference between me and God is that God doesn't want to be me."
I can't tell you how many times I've tried to arrange all of life to suit my needs. I've planned and schemed, worked and manipulated, hoped and dreamed, and then manipulated some more all in an attempt to get the world to behave the way I wanted it to. When my sponsor told me I was trying to play God, I took it as a compliment and secretly thought I was doing a pretty good job at it.
When I started working the program, I began looking more closely at my behavior and at the consequences of my unchecked ambition and ego. I had hurt a lot of people, including myself, and I was forced to admit that my way wasn't the right way after all. Once I surrendered to this, I became right-sized, and I began to let God assume His proper role in my life.
Today, it's a relief not to have to play God. It's so much easier to suit up and show up, and to let God determine what results are the best for all concerned. Today I pray to be relieved of the bondage of self, and I know the more I can get out of the way, the more good God can do in and through my life.
Today the difference between me and God is real clear.
From the web site Wisdom of The Rooms
www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2008 : 09:23:54 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 18, 2008
Compensation
As arrested alcoholics, we must have a program for living
that allows for limitless expansion.
Keeping one foot in front of the other is essential for maintaining our arrestment.
Others may idle in a retrogressive groove without too much danger,
but retrogression can spell death for us.
However, this isn't as rough as it sounds, as we do become grateful
for the necessity that makes us toe the line,
and we find that we are compensated for a consistent effort
by the countless dividends we receive.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 275
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
I am responsible for the effort -- not the outcome.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Surrender, Willingness, Action, Trust.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2008 : 08:46:56 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 19, 2008
Self-restraint
One unkind tirade or one willful snap judgement
can ruin our relation with another person for a whole day,
or maybe a whole year.
Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen.
We must avoid quick-tempered criticism and furious, power-driven argument.
These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness.
Our first job is to sidestep the traps.
© 1953 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 91
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
If I am upset, I am the problem.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Avoid Anger.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2008 : 08:17:16 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 20, 2008
Unchangeable
We try never to lose sight of the unchangeable fact of our alcoholism,
but we learn not to brood or feel sorry for ourselves
or talk about it all the time.
We accept it as a characteristic of our body --
like our height or our need for glasses, or like any allergies we may have.
Then we can figure out how to live comfortably -- not bitterly --
with that knowledge as long as we start out by simply avoiding
that first drink (remember?) just for today.
© 1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p. 9
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
There is only one corner of the universe I can be certain of improving,
and that's my own self.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Just For Today.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2008 : 10:41:32 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 21, 2008
Truth
We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again:
"Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic."
Commencing to drink after a period of sobriety,
we are in a short time as bad as ever.
If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind,
nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 33
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
If we want to quit drinking, we're going to have to quit drinking.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Absolute Abstinence.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2008 : 09:47:22 AM
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Thought for the Day
October 22, 2008
Uniqueness
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.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 451
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
I am unique, just like everyone else.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Acceptance, Belief, Change.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2008 : 07:56:51 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 23, 2008
Happiness
Happiness to me is fulfillment, the satisfaction gained from knowing
that you did the best your honestly evaluated limitations would permit
-- in all phases of living.
Happiness is gratitude for the miracle
which granted another go-around at a life once abandoned.
Happiness is growing up. It is learning to recognize all the things you really have.
Happiness is for experiencing, as well as remembering.
© 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . ., p. 112
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Happiness is part of the journey, not some distant destination.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Happy, Joyous, Free.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2008 : 10:21:25 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 26, 2008
Egotism
As I thus get down to my right size and stature,
my self-concern and importance become amusing.
- Bill W., June 1961
© 1988 The AA Grapevine Inc., The Language Of The Heart, p. 259
Thought to Ponder . . .
The smallest package in the world is an alcoholic all wrapped up in himself.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
P R I D E =
Personal Recovery Involves Deflating Ego.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2008 : 07:54:44 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 27, 2008
Action
If you really want to get into action,
and you have already taken Steps One, Two, and Three,
and you honestly know that you should do Step Four,
but you keep putting it off the way I did, I suggest that you get moving right now.
Open the Big Book and start at the bottom of page 63:
"We launched out on a course of vigorous action."
For those who say, "Oh, I've taken the Steps": turn to page 88, where it says,
"But this is not all. There is action and more action."
For me, that's what this program is all about. That's the magic word -- action!
© 1980 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1], p. 140
Thought to Ponder . . .
Never mistake motion for action.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Accountable Actions.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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| Information in this forum is not monitored or provided by a medical professional. The information reflects member opinions only. Do not act on advice from these forums without first consulting a qualified medical professional. All content is copyrighted and protected by Aelius Group. |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2008 : 11:18:30 AM
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Monday, October 27, 2008
"I may not be much, but I'm all I think about."
If I add up all the time I spend thinking about myself - at least 70% of the time I'm thinking (usually worrying) about my future, 20% of the time I'm thinking about my past (usually wishing I had made different choices), and about 10% of the time thinking about what I should do next - it's easy to see why I don't have time for others. I'm busy!
The paradox, though, is that all this self-centeredness isn't driven by a big ego or high sense of self. Rather, it's the low self-esteem of alcoholism that fuels my thoughts, and it's why most of my thinking is negative and self defeating. Self-loathing is a core characteristic of this disease and when combined with self-obsession, it becomes a depressingly deadly combination.
Thank God there is a way out. I was taught early on that self-centeredness is the root of my trouble, and that true recovery comes from thinking about and working with others. I've found that when I'm focused on you, I'm not thinking about me, and that's the only time I begin feeling better about myself.
And when I feel better about myself, it's easier to think more about others.
From the web site Wisdom of The Rooms
www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2008 : 08:24:53 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
October 29, 2008
Gratitude
Most importantly, I know who I am.
I know my goals, dreams, values and boundaries,
and I know how to protect, nurture, and validate them,
Those are the true rewards of sobriety,
and they're what I was looking for all the time.
I am so grateful that my Higher Power stepped in to show me the way to the truth.
I pray every day that I never turn my back on it.
I came to AA in order to stop drinking, but what I received in return was my life.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 327
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
I stood in the sunlight at last.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Getting It From The Steps.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2008 : 5:18:51 PM
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Friday, October 31, 20008
"You may be the only Big Book anyone ever reads."
As I was leaving a meeting at a church near my home the other night, I saw one of our members bring his cigarette onto the church parking lot (smoking is not allowed on church property), and then throw it on the ground as he got into his car and drove away. This made me angry as I thought about how this would reflect on the rest of us, and I wondered how he could be so self-centered and insensitive.
About a week later, I found myself at my bank dealing with an online banking error. I was resentful I had to take the time out of my day, indignant they hadn't been able to fix it over the phone, and generally a pain in the ass to the guy who was trying to help me. After he resolved the issue and I calmed down, I thought about the kind of example I was setting and quickly made amends to him for my behavior.
On the way home, I thought about step twelve and the importance of practicing these principles in all our affairs. I realized how easy it is for me to still be self-centered and insensitive and how the twelfth step helps me guard against these character defects. I also realized that I have a responsibility to the program because I am an example of us all.
Today I work the twelfth step because I know that I may be the only Big Book anyone ever reads.
From the web site Wisdom of The Rooms
www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2008 : 08:26:51 AM
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Sorry had a computer crash we are back.
AA Thought for the Day
November 3, 2008
Open Door
Growth and understanding came slowly, but they came steadily.
And finally, I could feel gratitude for my sobriety -- for the saving grace of God.
Now I feel totally free, because I know the truth about myself.
I learned about people in AA,
and this brought me to an understanding of myself.
I know that spiritual growth is a great, wide, beautiful thing
and that I have only stepped up to the open door.
© 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . ., p. 94
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional,
growing spiritually is up to you.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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