AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy aa-alive.net)

November 9, 2025
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Hitting Bottom
Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first? The answer
is that few people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless
they have hit bottom. For practicing A.A.'s remaining eleven Steps means
the adoption of attitudes and actions that almost no alcoholic who is still
drinking can dream of taking.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step One) p. 24
 

Thought to Ponder
You know you have hit bottom when you stop digging.
 

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A  =  Answer Available.
 

A Member Shares:
I'm Larry and I'm an alcoholic. I was court ordered into AA as a result of a 2nd offense DUI. I didn't get any spiritual jab in the ass or moment of clarity that made me reach out for help. I felt like it was a sentence and I pretty much treated it accordingly. I did know I was in pretty deep trouble. My marriage was failing, I was losing my drivers license which was costing me a good union carpenters income. I was aware of a problem. I just didn't see AA as a solution. So I just went to stay out of jail basically. After my court order I kept going because it would look good to the drivers license bureau. I really wanted my license back. So I kept going and eventually parts of it here and there began to reach me. But I really hadn't surrendered to anything. Eventually I lost my marriage and went broke. I began a new career which was a total change for me. Living at sea for several months out of the year. A lot of me didn't change much at all. Especially the taste I had in women. I kept going for women that weren't good for me or me good for them. I began to feel very alone and that was a quick fix for me. But they never lasted. And one day that all came crashing down. I was over 5 years sober but no growth. Still chasing immature fantasies. And there I sat one day. All alone in my house with tears running down my face. Finally aware that I had absolutely no control over myself or my actions. So I reached out to some men I knew from AA. Most of them told me not to worry about it. I was single, had my finances going back in the right direction and didn't need to answer to anyone or feel guilty about where I was. I didn't want to hear that anymore. That was my false front they were seeing. I finally hit upon a guy that heard me out and said he would guide me through the steps properly. But he made it clear he was an AA sponsor and not a relationship counselor. I didn't hit my bottom by drinking. I hit my bottom five years sober. And I'm just grateful that I had been exposed to AA long enough to know where to turn when I finally fell.
 

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