AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) May 4, 2022 Avoiding Amends The temptation to skip the more humiliating and dreaded meetings that still remain may be great. We will often manufacture plausible excuses for dodging these issues entirely. Or we may just procrastinate, telling ourselves the time is not yet, when in reality we have already passed up many a fine chance to right a serious wrong. Let's not talk prudence while practicing evasion. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Nine) p. 85 Thought ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) May 3, 2022 Continue Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code. - ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) May 2, 2022 Miracles It may seem incredible that these men are to become happy, respected, and useful once more. How can they rise out of such misery, bad repute and hopelessness? The practical answer is that since these things have happened among us, they can happen with you. Should you wish them above all else, and be willing to make use of our experience, we are sure they will come. The age of miracles is still with us. Our own recovery proves that! - Alcoholics Anony ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) May 1, 2022 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Selfishness—self-centeredness! 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! God makes that possible. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. - Alcoholics Anonymous, ( ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 30, 2022 Simple Request We ask simply that throughout the day God place in us the best understanding of His will that we can have for that day, and that we be given the grace by which we may carry it out. As the day goes on, we can pause where situations must be met and decisions made, and renew the simple request: "Thy will, not mine, be done." - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Eleven) pp. 102 - 103 Thought to Ponder I can't do His will my way ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 29, 2022 The Right Track Human beings are never quite alike, so each of us, when making an inventory, will need to determine what his individual character defects are. Having found the shoes that fit, he ought to step into them and walk with new confidence that he is at last on the right track. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) p. 48 Thought to Ponder Clear vision for tomorrow comes only after a real look at yesterday. AA-related 'Alconym' A G O & ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 28, 2022 Forgiveness We've repeatedly strained the patience of our best friends to a snapping point, and have brought out the very worst in those who didn't think much of us to begin with. 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, (Step Eight) p. 78 Thought t ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 27, 2022 Fears We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We put them on paper, even though we had no resentment in connection with them. We asked ourselves why we had them. Wasn't it because self-reliance failed us? Self-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didn’t go far enough. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 68 Thought to Ponder A fear faced is a fear erased. AA-related 'Alconym' F E A R  =   Face Everything And Recover. Thanks to all of you ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 26, 2022 If He Means Business No one is too discredited or has sunk too low to be welcomed cordially—if he means business. Social distinctions, petty rivalries and jealousies—these are laughed out of countenance. Being wrecked in the same vessel, being restored and united under one God, with hearts and minds attuned to the welfare of others, the things which matter so much to some people no longer signify much to them. How could they? - Alcoholics Anonymous, (A Vis ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 25, 2022 Lessons for Living Almost any experienced A.A. will tell how his affairs have taken remarkable and unexpected turns for the better as he tried to improve his conscious contact with God. He will also report that ut of every season of grief or suffering, when the hand of God seemed heavy or even unjust, new lessons for living were learned, new resources of courage were uncovered, and that finally, inescapably, the conviction came that God does "move in ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 24, 2022 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Step Five The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking. Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives. Trying to avoid this humbling experience, they have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably they got drunk. Having persevered with the rest of the program, they wondered why they fell. We think the reason is that they never completed their housecl ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 23, 2022 Step Three We thought well before taking this step making sure we were ready; that we could at last abandon ourselves utterly to Him. We found it very desirable to take this spiritual step with an understanding person, such as our wife, best friend, or spiritual adviser. But it is better to meet God alone than with one who might misunderstand. The wording was, of course, quite optional so long as we expressed the idea, voicing it without reservation. This ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 22, 2022 More Action Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 85 Thought to Ponder Faith is mighty. Acti ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 21, 2022 Clean House The fact was we really hadn't cleaned house so that the grace of God could enter us and expel the obsession. In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves, made amends to those we had harmed, or freely given to any other human being without any demand for reward. We had not even prayed rightly. We had always said, "Grant me my wishes" instead of "Thy will be done." - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 20, 2022 Anger If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 66 Thought to Ponder Anger rules nothing except itself. AA-related 'Alconym' A A  =   Avoid Anger. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message. Gr ...Continue Reading