AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 19, 2022 A New Life We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, "a design for living" that really works. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) p. 28 Thought to Ponder The Twelve Steps — a manuscript for rational living. AA-related 'Alconym' A A  =   Alcoholic's ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 18, 2022 Root of Our Troubles Selfishness—self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt. So our troubles, we think, are bas ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 17, 2022 Essential Requirements Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements. Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid. It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Bill's Story) pp. 13 - 14 Thought to Ponder While it isn't always easy, if I keep it si ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 16, 2022 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Prayer In A.A. we have found that the actual good results of prayer are beyond question. They are matters of knowledge and experience. All those who have persisted have found strength not ordinarily their own. They have found wisdom beyond their usual capability. And they have increasingly found a peace of mind which can stand firm in the face of difficult circumstances. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Eleven) p. 104 ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 15, 2022 Amends Above all, we should try to be absolutely sure that we are not delaying because we are afraid. For the readiness to take the full consequences of our past acts, and to take responsibility for the well-being of others at the same time, is the very spirit of Step Nine. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Nine) p. 87 Thought to Ponder It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them. AA-related 'Alconym' ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 14, 2022 Daily Ups and Downs The quick inventory is aimed at our daily ups and downs, especially those where people or new events throw us off balance and tempt us to make mistakes. In all these situations we need self-restraint, honest analysis of what is involved, a willingness to admit when the fault is ours, and an equal willingness to forgive when the fault is elsewhere. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 91 Thought to Ponder Nothing pays o ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 13, 2022 Liberation and Strength No other kind of bankruptcy is like this one. Alcohol, now become the rapacious creditor, bleeds us of all self-sufficiency and all will to resist its demands. Once this stark fact is accepted, our bankruptcy as going human concerns is complete. But upon entering AA we soon take quite another view of this absolute humiliation. We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and stre ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 12, 2022 Faith Means Courage We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 68 Thought to Ponder Fear is not ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 11, 2022 Self-Knowledge But the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self-knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it has been revealed to us out of bitter experience. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholism) p. 39 Thought to Ponder Pride in my intelligence blinded me to how much I did not know. AA-related 'A ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 10, 2022 Resentments We saw that these resentments must be mastered, but how? We could not wish them away any more than alcohol. This was our course: We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick. Though we did not like their symptoms and the way these disturbed us, they, like ourselves, were sick too. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) pp. 66 - 67 Thought to Ponder Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other perso ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 9, 2022 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Revolutionary Change They flatly declare that since they have come to believe in a Power greater than themselves, to take a certain attitude toward that Power, and to do certain simple things, there has been a revolutionary change in their way of living and thinking. In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of directi ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 8, 2022 Great Obsession The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death. We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholism) p. 30 Thought to Ponder When we try to control ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 7, 2022 Our Mistakes Putting out of our minds the wrongs others had done, we resolutely looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking and frightened? Though a situation had not been entirely our fault, we tried to disregard the other person involved entirely. Where were we to blame? The inventory was ours, not the other man’s. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 67 Thought to Ponder The first step in overcoming mistakes is ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 6, 2022 No Respecter How can a person with a fine family, an attractive home, an excellent position, and high standing in an important city become an alcoholic? As I later found out through Alcoholics Anonymous, alcohol is no respecter of economic status, social and business standing, or intelligence. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (It Might Have Been Worse) p. 348 Thought to Ponder I would rather go through life sober, believing I am an alcoholic, than go through life ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) January 5, 2022 Futility and Unhappiness It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found that it is fatal. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 66 Thought to Ponder We a ...Continue Reading