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Freefly
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966 Posts |
 Posted - 03/26/2009 : 08:23:02 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 26, 2009
Step Five
"Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."
One reason that Step Five is so effective is that what happens
is not only the opening to another human being,
but the laying of pride in the dust
by letting someone else know the depth and desperation of our need.
Thought to Ponder . . .
I stood in the sunlight at last.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Always Aware.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2009 : 07:54:19 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 27, 2009
A Thirst for AA
When he asked if I could stop drinking just for today,
I replied, "Of course, I can -- even a moron could to that,
and I can always drink tomorrow."
I'm grateful that my sponsor kept it simple for just twenty-four hours at a time.
By the time I figured out that tomorrow's drink was not going to come,
I didn't want it -- I had developed a thirst for AA.
- Anonymous
Thought to Ponder . . .
If I don't drink today, I have the hope of a tomorrow.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
One Day At A Time.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2009 : 07:27:25 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 28, 2009
Belonging
They say that alcoholism is a disease of isolation,
and for me, that was very true.
I was filled with fear of the outside world.
When I joined AA, I was relieved to find a supportive family
and a life I rejoice in -- one day at a time.
- Anonymous
Thought to Ponder . . .
Isolation is a darkroom for developing negatives.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Comforting And Reassuring Each other.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
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800 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2009 : 06:03:23 AM
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March 29, 2009
“We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable.”
It doesn’t matter what or how much we used. In Narcotics Anonymous staying clean has to come first. We realize that we cannot use drugs and live. When we admit our powerlessness and our inability to manage our own lives, we open the door to recovery. No one could convince us that we were addicts. It is an admission that we have to make for ourselves. When some of us have doubts, we ask ourselves this question: “Can I control my use of any form of mind or mood-altering chemicals?”
Powerless means using drugs against our will. Control is impossible. If we can’t stop using, how can we tell ourselves we are in control?
Addiction is a physical, mental and spiritual disease that affects every area of our lives. The physical aspect of our disease is the compulsive use of the drugs: the inability to stop using once we have started. The mental aspect of our disease is the obsession, or over powering desire to use, even when we are destroying our lives. The spiritual part of our disease is our total self-centeredness. We felt that we could stop whenever we wanted to, despite all evidence to the contrary. Denial, substitution, embarrassment, dereliction, degradation, isolation and loss of control are all results of our disease. Our disease is progressive, incurable and fatal. Most of us are relieve to find out we have a disease instead of a moral deficiency.
We are not responsible for our disease, but we are responsible for our recovery. Most of us have tried to stop using on our own, but we were unable to live with or without drugs. Eventually we realized that we were powerless over our addiction.
Until we let go of our reservations, no matter what they are, the foundation of our recovery is in danger. Reservations rob us of the benefits that this program has to offer. In ridding ourselves of all reservations, we surrender. Then, and only then, can we be helped to recover from the disease of addiction.
We Begin by asking for help. The foundation of our program is the admission that we, of ourselves, do not have power over addiction. When we can accept this fact, we have completed the first part of Step One.
A second admission must be made before our foundation is complete. If we stop here, we will know only half the truth. We are great ones for manipulating the truth. “If we can’t control our addiction, how can we control our lives?” We felt miserable without drugs, and our lives were unmanageable.
Unemployability, dereliction and destruction are easily seen as characteristics of an unmanageable life. Our families generally are disappointed, baffled and confused by our actions and often desert or disown us.
We have found that we had no choice except to completely change our old ways of thinking or go back to using. When we give it our best, it works for us as it has worked for others. When we could no longer stand our old ways, we began to change. From that day forward, we began to see that every clean day is a successful day, no matter what happens. Surrender means not having to fight anymore. We accept our addiction and life the way it is. We become willing to do whatever is necessary to stay clean, even the things we don’t like doing.
- Anonymous
Being clean and working this step, we are released from our chains. However, none of the steps work by magic. We do not just say the words of this step; we learn to live them. We see for ourselves that the program has something to offer us.
Surrender!!!!!!!
It’s not where we were that counts, but where we are going.......... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2009 : 10:32:44 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 29, 2009
Discipline
Instead of holding on, I was told to let go.
Instead of using self-control, I was encouraged to turn my life and my will
over to a God of my own understanding.
I'm beginning to understand.
The renewal of discipline is a process that I must set in motion every day.
AA is teaching me to wade through grief, and to take steps of joy
through this powerful gift.
- Anonymous
Thought to Ponder . . .
The more I let go, the more powerful I feel.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
No Other Way.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2009 : 10:02:07 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 30, 2009
New Beginnings
Every morning offers to us all the chance for a new beginning.
Without our beautiful program, there could be no new beginnings for me.
How grateful I am we need never graduate from AA.
- Anonymous
Thought to Ponder . . .
There are no endings -- only new beginnings.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Accept, Begin, Continue.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2009 : 8:40:08 PM
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March 30, 2009
Highway to Humility
I’m sure, for instance, that I ought to seek out the finest definition of humility that is possible for me to envision. This definition doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect--I am only asked to try. Suppose I choose one like this: “Perfect humility would be a state of complete freedom from myself, freedom from all the claims that my defects of character now lay so heavily upon me. Perfect humility would be a full willingness, in all times and places, to find and do the will of God.”
When I meditate upon such a vision, I need not be dismayed because I shall never attain it, nor need I swell with presumption that one of these days its virtues shall all be mine.
I only need to dwell on the vision itself, letting it grow and ever more fill my heart. This done, I can compare it with my last-taken personal inventory. Then I get a sane and healthy idea of where I actually stand on the Highway to Humility. I see that my journey toward God has scarce begun. As I thus get down to my right size and stature, my self-concern and importance become amusing. Then faith grows that I do have a place on this Highway; that I can advance upon it with deepening peace and confidence. Once more I know that God is good; that I need fear no evil. This is a great gift, this knowledge that I do have a destiny.
---Guess who from Guess where---
Perfect humility, a state of complete freedom from myself.
As I continue to contemplate God’s perfection, I discover still another joy. As a child, hearing my first symphony, I was lifted up into its indescribable harmony, though I knew little of how or whence it came. So today, when I listen for God’s music of the spheres, I can now and again hear those divine cords by which I am told that the great composer loves me -- and that I love him.
"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 - 03/31/2009 : 06:34:27 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 31, 2009
Making Amends
I don't believe I need apologize for being human;
rather, I simply need to acknowledge that I was at fault
and humbly ask to be pardoned.
I do not need to make amends on my hands and knees;
I need to walk tall, without false pride.
They, too, may have been at fault,
but I am neither their God nor their conscience.
I am responsible only for myself.
- Anonymous
Thought to Ponder . . .
It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes
and to make amends for them.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2009 : 09:01:57 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
1, 2009
Showing Up
Showing up for AA Meetings is what it is all about.
If I don't show up, I can't learn. I am good at isolating with the result
that I lived in my own pitiful, painful world apart from others.
It's not a way I choose to live today.
if I don't "show up" when Fear comes knocking,
then I won't have a way to walk through it and come out the other side.
Many times I have needed to do just that,
and have had some tremendous revelations as a result.
None of them would have been possible if I hadn't "showed up."
- Anonymous
Thought to Ponder . . .
The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me
unless I go to meetings and share.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Tears, Laughter, Caring.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2009 : 09:43:38 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
April 2, 2009
Powerlessness
Step One: "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable.
We perceive that only through utter defeat
are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength.
Our admissions of powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock
upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 21
Thought to Ponder . . .
We surrender to win.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
eep t imple, urrender
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2009 : 06:50:38 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
April 3, 2009
Wanting Sobriety
It was a great relief to know I didn't have to drink any more.
I was told that I must want sobriety for my own sake,
and I am convinced this is true.
There may be many reasons that bring one to AA for the first time,
but the lasting one must be to want sobriety
and the AA way of living for oneself.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 354-55
Thought to Ponder . . .
New ideals and new attitudes bring a new life.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Accept, Begin, Continue.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2009 : 07:43:02 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
April 4, 2009
Forgiving
If we are sorry for what we have done,
and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things,
we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson.
If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others,
we are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing.
These are facts out of our experience.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 70
Thought to Ponder . . .
The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
For All I Trust Him.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 1:56:33 PM
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AA Thought for the Day
April 5, 2009
Tonic
I needed to be other. That's why I drank. I still need to be other.
Having tried the toxic way of drugs and excess,
let me try the "tonic" way of the Steps, the way of health and joy.
The Steps are the specific medicine for the thing that's wrong
(or right -- it doesn't matter) with me: alcoholism.
They are the way to be other -- and sane into the bargain.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 118
Thought to Ponder . . .
I am unique, just like everyone else.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Solutions Through Each Positive Step.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 9:37:20 PM
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April 5, 2009........................................We Do Recover
Although “Politics makes strange bedfellows,” as the old saying goes, addiction makes us one of a kind. Our personal stories may vary in individual pattern but in the end we all have the same thing in common. This common illness or disorder is addiction. We know well the two things that make up true addiction: obsession and compulsion. Obsession – that fixed idea that takes us back time and time again to our particular drug, or some substitute, to recapture the ease and comfort we once knew.
Compulsion – once having started the process with one fix, one pill, or one drink we cannot stop through or own power of will. Because of our physical sensitivity to drugs, we are completely in the grip of a destructive power greater than ourselves.
When at the end of the road we find that we can no longer function as a human being, either with or without drugs, we all face the same dilemma. What is there left to do? There seems to be this alternative: either go on as best we can to the bitter ends – jails, institutions or death – or find a new way to live. In years gone by, very few addicts ever had this last choice. Those who are addicted today are more fortunate. For the first time in man’s entire history, a simple way has been proving itself in the lives of many addicts. It is available to us all. This is a simple spiritual – not religious – program, know as Narcotics Anonymous.
As long as there have been people, addiction has existed. For us, addiction is an obsession to us the drugs that are destroying us, followed by a compulsion that forces us to continue. Complete abstinence is the foundation for our new way of life.
Most addicts resist recovery, and the program we share with them interferes with their using. If newcomers tell us that they can continue to use drugs in any form and suffer no ill effects, there are two ways we can look at it. The first possibility is that they are not addicts. The other is that their disease has not become apparent to them and that they are still denying their addiction. Addiction and withdrawal distort rational thought, and newcomers usually focus on difference rather than similarities. They look for ways to disprove the evidence of addiction or disqualify themselves from recovery.
Many of us did the same thing when we were new, so when we work with others we try not to do or say anything that will give them the excuse to continue using. We know that honesty and empathy are essential. Complete surrender is the key to recovery, and total abstinence is the only thing that has ever worked for us. In our experience, no addict who has completely surrendered to this program has ever failed to find recovery.
We learn that conflicts are a part of reality, and we learn new ways to resolve them instead of running from them.
We can stay clean and enjoy life, if we remember to live “Just for Today.”
We are not responsible for our disease, only for our recovery. As we begin to apply what we have learned, our lives begin to change for the better. We seek help from addicts who are enjoying lives free from the obsession to use drugs. We do not have to understand this program for it to work. All we have to do is to follow direction.
We get relief through the Twelve Steps, which are essential to the recovery process, because they are a new, spiritual way of life that allows us to participate in our own recovery.
From the first day, the Twelve Steps become a part of our lives. At first, we may be filled with negativity, and only allow the First Step to take hold. Later, we have less fear and can use these tools more fully and to our greater advantage. We realize that old feelings and fears are symptoms of our disease. Real freedom is now possible.
As we recover, we gain a new outlook on being clean. We enjoy a feeling of release and freedom from the desire to use. We find that everyone we meet eventually has something to offer. We become able to receive as well as to give. Life can become a new adventure for us. We come to know a new happiness, joy and freedom.
There is no model of the recovering addict. When the drugs go and addict works the program, wonderful things happen. Lost dreams awaken and new possibilities arise. Our willingness to grow spiritually keeps us buoyant. When we take the actions indicated in the steps, the results are a change in our personality. It is our actions that are important. We leave the results to our Higher Power.
We know that we are powerless over a disease that is incurable, progressive and fatal. If not arrested, it gets worse until we die. We cannot deal with the obsession and compulsion. The only alternative is to stop using and start learning how to live. When we are willing to follow this course of action and take advantage of the help available to us, a whole new life is possible. In this way, we do recover.
Today, secure in the love of the Fellowship, we can finally look another human being in the eye and be grateful for who we are.
NA Book Pages 84-89 “We Do Recover”
My NA home group is a book meeting. We meet every Thursday and we read a chapter out of the blue NA book each week. This is what I highlighted in my book, which was most of the chapter, from last week. I recommend this chapter to everyone reading this post!!!! I did leave out some and the more you read this, the more you will get out of this chapter. Each time I read this I see something new. I would recommend reading this chapter a couple of times. It may just save your life. Hope I didn't drive you all crazy with my highlighting......:)
“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!”
“To open your heart means risking it all – to experience great joy and profound sorrow.”
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.”
“Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness that most frightens us.”
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Edited by - Pamela7030 on 04/05/2009 9:42:50 PM |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2009 : 11:24:40 AM
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April 6, 2009
"Learning to live life one day at a time...."
My girlfriend went into her office a couple hours late today because of an early doctor's appointment and found that 14 people in her department had been laid off that morning. I'm home recovering from a gallbladder operation and may need an additional three surgeries - painful ones at that - for other things. It's easy to get overwhelmed with what's going on in the world and in our lives, and that's when I remember that I can get through anything as long as I take it one day at a time.
It didn't always used to be like this. Before I had the tools of the program, even the smallest things would overwhelm me. I constantly lived in a state of anxiety and when something did happen, panic wasn't far behind. I have a mind that is good at painting dark scenarios, and I have lived each imagined one to its bitter end. My life used to be pretty unmanageable.
One of the gifts of recovery has been learning to live in the present. When I can keep my mind in the same place as my feet, then I always find I'm alright. I'm taken care of; I have everything I need; I'm safe, and I can even find things to be grateful for. Once I focus my attention on what is happening now, I can even experience the peace and joy in my life that is always present when I acknowledge them.
And it all comes from learning to live one day at a time.
“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!”
“To open your heart means risking it all – to experience great joy and profound sorrow.”
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.”
“Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness that most frightens us.”
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