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Freefly
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966 Posts |
 Posted - 02/25/2010 : 07:40:06 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 25, 2010
The Listener
It finally became obvious to me
that the God I thought had judged and damned me
had done nothing of the sort.
He had been listening, and in His own good time His answer came.
His answer was threefold: the opportunity for a life of sobriety;
Twelve Steps to practice, in order to attain and maintain that life of sobriety;
fellowship within the program, ever ready to sustain and help me
each twenty-four-hour day.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 11
Thought to Ponder . . .
Take a walk with God. He will meet you at the Steps.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Good Orderly Direction.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
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800 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 08:14:18 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 25, 2K10
Liquor ceased to be a luxury; it became a necessity. “Bathtub” gin, two bottles a day, and often three, got to be routine. Sometimes a small deal would net a few hundred dollars, and I would pay my bills at the bars and delicatessens. This went on endlessly, and I began to waken very early in the morning shaking violently. A tumbler full of gin followed by half a dozen bottles of beer would be required if I were to eat any breakfast. Nevertheless, I still thought I could control the situation, and there were periods of sobriety which renewed my wife’s hope.
Gradually things got worse. The house was taken over by the mortgage holder, my mother-in-law died, my wife and father-in-law became ill.
I woke up. This had to be stopped. I saw I could not take so much as one drink. I was through forever. Before then, I had written lots of sweet promises, but my wife happily observed that this time I meant business. And so I did.
Shortly afterward I came home drunk. There had been no fight. Where had been my high resolve? I simply didn’t know. It hadn’t even come to mind. Someone had pushed a drink my way, and I had taken it. Was I crazy?
Near the end of November, I sat drinking in my kitchen. With a certain satisfaction I reflected there was enough gin concealed bout the house to carry me though that night and the next day. My wife was at work. I wondered whether I dared hide a full bottle of gin near the head of our bed. I would need it before daylight.
My musing was interrupted by the telephone. The cheery voice of an old school friend asked if he might come over. He was sober. It was years since I could remember his coming to New York in that condition. I was amazed. Rumor had it that he had been committed for alcoholic insanity. I wondered how he had escaped. Of course he would have dinner, and then I could drink openly with him. Unmindful of his welfare, I thought only of recapturing the spirit of other days. There was that time we had chartered and airplane to complete a jag! His coming was an oasis in this dreary desert of futility. The very thing – an oasis! Drinkers are like that.
The door opened and he stood there, fresh-skinned and glowing. There was something about his eyes. He was inexplicably different. What had happened?
Alcoholics Anonymous, pp 5-9
“Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!” |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 02/27/2010 : 07:40:40 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 27, 2010
Humility
Perpetual quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble.
It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore;
to wonder at nothing that is done against me.
It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised,
it is to have a blessed home in myself where I can go and shut the door
and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace, as in a deep sea of calmness,
when all around and about is seeming trouble.
- Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, p. 222
Thought to Ponder . . .
Humility is not a station we arrive at; it's a way of traveling.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Altered Attitudes.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
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800 Posts |
Posted - 02/27/2010 : 08:46:23 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 27, 2K10
It was discovered that when on alcoholic had planted in the mind of another the true nature of this malady, that person could never be the same again. Following every spree, he would say to himself, “Maybe those AA’s were right,” After a few such experiences, often before the onset of extreme difficulties, he would return to us convinced.
<< << << >> >> >>
In the first years, those of us who sobered up in AA had been grim and utterly hopeless cases. But then we began to have success with milder alcoholics and even some potential alcoholics. Younger folks appeared. Lots of people turned up who still had jobs, homes, health, and even good social standing.
Of course, it was necessary for these newcomers to hit bottom emotionally. But they did not have to hit every possible bottom in order to admit that they were licked.
Twelve and Twelve, pp, 23-24
AA Comes of Age, p. 199
As Bill Sees It, p, 209
“Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!” |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2010 : 09:10:57 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
February 28, 2010
Truth
Truth liberates. Truth heals.
Truth unlocks the door to the glory of reality,
and gives us the means to live in harmony with reality.
In turn, it asks only that we surrender all lies and illusions and love what is.
Why do we wait so long?
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1], p. 138
Thought to Ponder . . .
Truth is to inner space what sunshine is to a garden.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2010 : 08:01:24 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 1, 2K10
Henry Ford once made a wise remark to the effect that experience is
the thing of supreme value in life. That is true only if one is
willing to turn the past to good account. We grow by our willingness
to face and rectify errors and convert them into assets. The
alcoholic's past thus becomes the principal asset of the family
and frequently it is almost the only one!
Alcoholics Anonymous, p, 124
“Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!” |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2010 : 05:32:02 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 2, 2010
Forgiveness
In many instances we are really dealing with fellow sufferers,
people whose woes we have increased.
If we are now about to ask forgiveness for ourselves,
why shouldn't we start out by forgiving them, one and all?
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 78
Thought to Ponder . . .
Forgiveness is the final form of love.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Thank God I'm Forgiven.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
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800 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2010 : 6:28:05 PM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 2, 2K10
"If you stay on the train long enough, the scenery will change."
Whenever I talk to a newcomer, I remember the insanity of early recovery. I used to talk in endless circles about my problems and about the people, places and things responsible for them. I went on and on about how I could never stop drinking, and I was convinced the program wouldn't work for me. I didn't believe it when people told me, "This too shall pass," but I was out of options so I kept showing up hoping they were right...
It took many months of staying sober and working the program, but things did begin to change. I began feeling better physically, my head cleared, and I became open to a new way of living. As I took different actions, I got different results and after a while my life improved. More importantly, I developed the perspective of recovery, and I learned, first hand, that things do change as long as I'm willing to change first.
Today I know that I can only keep changing and keep growing if I stay on the train of recovery. No matter what the scenery looks like today - and sometimes it's not so pretty! - as long as I continue to grow along spiritual lines, I know that it will change and things will get better. This has been my consistent and enduring experience, and I now live by and trust in the knowledge that:
If you stay on the train long enough, the scenery will definitely change.
wordsofwisdom.com
“Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!” |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2010 : 07:52:41 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 3, 2010
Complacency
God didn't give me this gift of sobriety to sit in a rocking chair,
imagining myself as some wise old woman who has arrived somewhere.
There is no easier, softer way. To bring the great escape act into sobriety
is to travel with a companion the led me to despair long ago.
The teaching I receive in AA about courage and love
helps me to continue to grapple with the challenges of life
as they are given to me,
one day at a time.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], p. 320
Thought to Ponder . . .
Life is a steady drizzle of small things -- carry an umbrella.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
One Day At A Time.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2010 : 6:40:18 PM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 3, 2K10
An illness of this sort—and we have come to believe it an
illness—involves those about us in a way no other human sickness
can.
If a person has cancer all are sorry for him and no one is angry or
hurt. But not so with the alcoholic illness, for with it there goes
annihilation of all the things worth while in life.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p, 18
We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A
much more important demonstration of our principles lies before
us in our respective homes, occupations and affairs.
“Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!” |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2010 : 05:35:59 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 4, 2010
Suggestions
I remember my sponsor's answer
when I told him that the Steps were "suggested."
He replied that they are "suggested" in the same way that,
if you were to jump out of an airplane with a parachute,
it is "suggested" that you pull the ripcord to save your life.
- Daily Reflections, p. 344
Thought to Ponder . . .
The hardest thing in life is letting go of what you thought was real.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Solutions Through Each Positive Step.
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 - 03/04/2010 : 09:00:30 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 4, 2K10
Hope
Do not be discouraged.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p, 60
Few experiences are of less value to me than fast sobriety. Too many
times discouragement has been the bonus for unrealistic expectations,
not to mention self-pity or fatigue from my wanting to change the world
by the weekend. Discouragement is a warning signal that I may have
wandered across the God line. The secret of fulfilling my potential is in
acknowledging my limitations and believing that time is a gift, not a threat.
Hope is the key that unlocks the door of discouragement. The program
promises me that if I do not pick up the first drink today, I will always have
hope. Having come to believe that I keep what I share, every time I
encourage, I receive courage. It is with others that, with the grace of God
and the Fellowship of AA, I trudge the road of happy destiny. May I always
remember that the power within me is far greater than any fear before me.
May I always have patience, for I am on the right road.
Daily Reflections, P, 70
No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence
to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow
along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We
claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
“Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!” |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2010 : 05:13:35 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 5, 2010
Happiness
We're all after the same thing, and that's happiness.
We want peace of mind.
The trouble with us alcoholics was this:
We demanded that the world give us happiness and peace of mind
in just the particular way we wanted to get it -- by the alcohol route.
And we weren't successful.
- Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, p. 308
Thought to Ponder . . .
Happiness and peace of mind are always here, open and free to anyone.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
The Happiness I Never Knew.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Freefly
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966 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2010 : 06:59:46 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 6, 2010
Survival
We have found we can enjoy, sober,
every good thing we enjoyed while drinking -- and many, many more.
It takes a little practice, but the rewards more than make up for the effort.
To do so is not selfish, but self-protective.
Unless we cherish our own recovery,
we cannot survive to become unselfish,
ethical, and socially responsible people.
- Living Sober, p. 42
Thought to Ponder . . .
The road to recovery is always under construction.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness
Day by Day is the only way.... |
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Pamela7030
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800 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2010 : 08:38:20 AM
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AA Thought for the Day
March 7, 2K10
Overcoming Self-Will
So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise
out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will
run riot, though he usually doesn’t think so. Above everything, we
alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us!
Alcoholics Anonymous, p, 62
First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn’t work.
“Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!” |
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