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Pamela7030
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800 Posts |
 Posted - 01/26/2009 : 06:27:21 AM
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January 26, 2009
STEP THREE
“We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him:
As addicts, we turned our will and our lives over many times to a destructive power. Our will and our lives were controlled by drugs. We were trapped by our need for instant gratification that drugs gave us. During that time, our total being - body, mind and spirit - was dominated by drugs. For a time, it was pleasurable, then the euphoria began to wear off and we saw the ugly side of addiction. We found that the higher our drugs took us, the lower they brought us. We faced two choices: either we suffered the pain of withdrawal or took more drugs.
For us all, the day came when there was no longer a choice; we had to use. Having given our will and lives to our addiction, in utter desperation, we looked for another way. In Narcotics Anonymous, we decided to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him. This is a giant step. We don’t have to be religious; anyone can take this step. All that is required is willingness. All that is essential is that we open the door to a Power greater than ourselves.
Or concept of God comes not from dogma but from what we believe and from what works for us. Many of us understand God to be simply what ever force keeps us clean. The right to a God of your understanding is total and without any catches. Because we have this right, it is necessary to be honest about our belief if we are to grow spiritually.
We found that all we need to do was try. When we gave our best effort, the program worked for us as it has worked for countless others. The Third Step does not say, “We turned our will and our lives over to the care of God.” It says, “We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” We made the decision; it was not made for us by the drugs, our families, a probation officer, judge, therapist or doctor. We made it! For the first time since the first high, we have made a decision for ourselves.
The word decision implies action. This decision is based on faith. We have only to believe that the miracle that we see working in the lives of clean addicts can happen to any addict with the desire to change. We simply realize there is a force for spiritual growth that can help us become more tolerant, patient, and useful in helping others. Many of us have said, “Take my will and my life. Guide me in my recovery. Show me how to live.”
The relief of “letting go and letting God” helps us develop a life that is worth living.
Surrendering to the will of our Higher Power gets easier with daily practice. When we honestly try, it works. Many of us start our day with a simply request for guidance from our Higher Power.
Although we know that “turning it over” works, we may still take our will and life back. We may even get angry because God permits it. At times during our recovery, the decision to ask for God’s help is our greatest source of strength and courage. We cannot make this decision often enough. We surrender quietly, and let the God of our understanding take care of us.
At first, our heads reeled with the questions: “What will happen when I turn my life over? Will I become perfect?” We may have been more realistic than this. Some of us had to turn to an experienced N.A. member and ask, “What was it like for you?” The answer will vary from member to member. Most of us feel open-mindedness, willingness and surrender are the keys to this step.
We have surrendered our will and our lives to the care of a Power greater than ourselves. If we are thorough and sincere, we will notice a change for the better. Our fears are lessened, and faith begins to grow as we learn the true meaning of surrender. We are no longer fighting fear, anger, guilt, self-pity or depression. We realize that the Power that brought us to this program is still with us and will continue to guide us if we allow it. We are slowly beginning to lose the paralyzing fear of hopelessness. The proof of this step is shown in the way we live.
We have come to enjoy living clean and want more of the good things that the N.A. Fellowship holds for us. We know now that we cannot pause in our spiritual program; we want all that we can get.
We are now ready for our first honest self-appraisal, and we begin with Step Four.
© 2003 NAWSO, Basic Text of Narcotics Anonymous, Fifth Edition, Pages, 24-26
with permission form Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2009 : 06:27:01 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
January 27, 2009
Miracle
I was spiritually bankrupt long before AA entered my life
and long before alcoholism took over like a parasite under my skin.
I had nothing, no faith at all to cling to.
I had no faith in man, because along with my drinking I had lost faith in myself.
I trusted no one, for others were but a mere reflection of my own self,
and I could not trust me. I got sober in AA, and, like a miracle,
the warm flood of reality I had feared for so long flowed over me,
and I was no longer afraid. . .
With the tools and guideposts of AA, we can learn a little more of this precious gift
-- our gateway to human spirituality.
©1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . ., pp. 118-120
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Don't give up before the miracle happens.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Try Relying Upon Steps and Traditions.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2009 : 08:24:31 AM
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January 27, 2009........................................Learning How To Live Again!
“We learn new ways to live. We are no longer limited to our old ideas.”
Basic Text, p. 54
We may or may not have been taught right from wrong and other basics of life as children. No matter, by the time we found recovery, most of us had only the vaguest idea of how to live. Our isolation from the rest of society had caused us to ignore basic human responsibilities and develop bizarre survival skills to cope with the world we lived in.
Some of us didn’t know how to tell the truth; others were so frank we wounded everyone we talked to. Some of us couldn’t cope with the simplest of personal problems, while others attempted solving the problems of the whole world. Some of us never got angry, even when receiving unfair treatment; others busily lodged complaints against everyone and everything.
Whatever our problems, no matter how extreme, we all have a chance in Narcotics Anonymous to learn how to live anew. Perhaps we need to learn kindness and how to care about others. Perhaps we need to accept personal responsibilities. Or maybe we need to overcome fear and take some risks. We can be certain of one thing: Each day, simply by living life, we’ll learn something new.
Just For Today: I know more about how to live than I did yesterday, but not as much as I’ll know tomorrow. Today, I’ll learn something new.
© 1991 NA World Services Inc.
Just For Today, Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts, p 27
"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 - 01/28/2009 : 08:44:46 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
January 28, 2009
Fellowship
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 to miss.
We know you will not want to miss it.
©2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Life is an ongoing miracle.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Always Awesome.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2009 : 10:04:31 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
January 29, 2009
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
exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake.
Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober;
unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.
I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world
as on what needs to be changed in me and my attitude.
© 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' . . .
Acceptance, Belief, Change.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 08:10:08 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
January 30, 2009
The 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
©1988 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Language of the Heart, p. 243
Thought to Ponder . . .
The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me
unless I go to meetings and share.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 07:27:54 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
January 31, 2009
Possibilities
I have come to believe that hard times are not just meaningless suffering
and that something good might turn up at any moment.
That's a big change for someone who used to come to in the morning
feeling sentenced to another day of life.
When I wake up today, there are lots of possibilities.
I can hardly wait to see what's going to happen next.
I keep coming back because it works.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 374
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Once we clear a hurdle, it doesn't seem so high.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
The Happiness I Never Knew.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2009 : 09:23:24 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
01, 2009
Vulnerability
Our drinking lives left our emotional selves pinched, scraped, bent, and bruised,
if not pretty firmly warped.
So, as our experience shows, the first nondrinking days
are likely to be periods of great emotional vulnerability.
Is this an extended pharmacological effect of the drinking?
Is it a natural state for anyone recuperating from a long and extended illness?
Or does it indicate a deep flaw in the personality?
The answer doesn't matter at first.
Whatever the cause, the condition is one we have to watch out for,
because it can tempt us to drink faster than the eye, head, or heart can realize.
© 1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p. 61
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Once we understand ourselves, the rest of living falls in line.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Always Aware.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 02/02/2009 : 05:45:23 AM
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February 2, 2009
Humility
Today I think I can trace a clear linkage between my guilt and my pride. Both of them were certainly attention-getters. In pride I could say, “Look at me, I am wonderful.” In guilt I would moan, “I’m awful.” Therefore guilt is really the reverse side of the coin of pride. Guilt aims at self-destruction, and pride aims at the destruction of others.
This is why I see humility for today as that safe and secure stance midway between these violent emotional extremes. It is a quiet place where I can keep enough perspective, and enough balance, to take my next small step up the clearly marked road that points toward eternal values.
Bill W. original © 1959
© 1990 The AA Grapevine, Inc, The Best of Bill, Reflections on Faith, Fear, Honesty, Humility, and Love., p 47.
"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 - 02/02/2009 : 10:56:41 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 2, 2009
Release
A belief in the basic spirituality of life has grown
and with it belief in a supreme and guiding power for good.
In the process of this change I can recognize
two immensely significant steps for me.
The first step I took when I admitted to myself for the first time
that all my previous thinking might be wrong.
The second step came when I first consciously wished to believe.
As a result of this experience I am convinced that to seek is to find,
to ask is to be given.
The day never passes that I do not silently cry out in thankfulness,
not merely for my release from alcohol,
but even more for a change that has given life new meaning, dignity, and beauty.
© 1939 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous [First Edition], pp. 355-6
Thought to Ponder . . .
When I change what I believe, I change what I do.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Acceptance, Belief, Change.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2009 : 09:02:14 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 3, 2009
No Reservation
Most of us have believed that if we remained sober for a long stretch,
we could thereafter drink normally. . .
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.
©1939 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous [First Edition], p. 33
Thought to Ponder . . .
If we want to quit drinking, we are going to have to quit drinking.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
No Other Way.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2009 : 09:24:00 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 4, 2009
An Answer
If you think you are an atheist, an agnostic, a skeptic,
or have any other form of intellectual pride
which keeps you from accepting what is in this book, I feel sorry for you.
If you still think you are strong enough to beat the game alone, that is your affair.
But if you really and truly want to quit drinking liquor for good and all,
and sincerely feel that you must have some help,
we know that we have an answer for you.
It never fails if you go about it with one half the zeal
you have been in the habit of showing when getting another drink.
Alcoholics Anonymous [First Edition], p. 193
Thought to Ponder . . .
Joy is in knowing there is an answer.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Answer Available.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2009 : 08:05:23 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 5, 2009
Philosophy
For me, AA is a synthesis of all the philosophy I've ever read,
all of the positive, good philosophy, all of it based on love.
I have seen that there is only one law, the law of love,
and there are only two sins:
the first is to interfere with the growth of another human being,
and the second is to interfere with one's own growth.
Alcoholics Anonymous [Second Edition], p. 551
Thought to Ponder . . .
I cannot add to the peace and good will of the world
if I fail to create an atmosphere of harmony and love right where I live and work.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
One Day At A Time.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2009 : 4:34:19 PM
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February 5, 2009
"My sanity today is directly proportional to my honesty."
Before recovery it was hard to keep my story straight. As my drinking and using increased, my omissions turned into half-truths, and these turned into little white lies. After a while I couldn't recognize the truth anymore and as I became disconnected from people and myself, my very reality changed and my sanity disappeared.
As I began to get sober, I started in on the overwhelming task of unraveling the massive knot of lies, stories and deceptive behavior I had engaged in. I felt shame, anger, and remorse as I painfully made my way back to the true self that had been buried beneath the disease of alcoholism.
The road back to sanity began with the words "rigorous honesty." Although seemingly straight forward, the challenge I had was in coming to believe that of myself I was enough, and that if I spoke my truth I would be accepted. The miracle is that the truth actually did set me free, and today the more honest I am, the more peaceful and serene I become.
Today, my sanity truly is directly proportional to my honesty.
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 - 02/06/2009 : 09:49:57 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 6, 2009
Usefulness
We hear a lot in meetings that a grateful alcoholic doesn't get drunk.
What I have found, though, reaches far beyond feeling grateful,
and that is feeling useful.
I believe that when I am grateful, It is usually for what I have been given.
However, when I am useful, it is for what I am able to give.
If nothing else, the program of AA has offered me the ability to be useful.
And for that, I am eternally grateful.
AA Grapevine, February 2009, Vol. 65 No. 9, p. 53
Thought to Ponder . . .
To be sensitive is to feel the thoughts and hearts of others
as only you would want yours felt.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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