*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 6, 2019* *Spiritual Matters* Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness. Sometimes this was a tedious process; we hope no one else will be prejudiced for as long as some of us were.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 48 Thought to Ponder The ultimate defense against the fi ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) May 5, 2019 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ *Bondage of Self* We were now at Step Three. Many of us said to our Maker, as we understood Him: "God, I offer myself to Thee—to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!"  - Alcoholics Anony ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 4, 2019* *Building an Arch* Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. Is our work solid so far? Are the stones properly in place? Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation? Have we tried to make mortar without sand? If we can answer to our satisfaction, we then look at Step Six.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) pp. 75 - 76 Though ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 3, 2019* *Pocket Our Pride* We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character, every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 75 Thought to Ponder Swallowing my pride will not get me drunk. AA-rela ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 2, 2019* *Step Five* Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. This is perhaps difficult—especially discussing our defects with another person. We think we have done well enough in admitting these things to ourselves. There is doubt about that. In actual practice, we usually find a solitary self-appraisal insufficient. Many of us thought it necessary to go much further.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 1, 2019* *Tradition One* "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity." Eventually, of course, we cooperate because we really wish to; we see that without substantial unity there can be no A.A., and that without A.A. there can be little lasting recovery for anyone. We gladly set aside personal ambitions whenever these might harm A.A. We humbly confess that we are but "a small part of a great whole."  - ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 30, 2019* *Alcoholic Or Not?* We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself. Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholi ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 29, 2019* *The Right Thing* When I am willing to do the right thing, I am rewarded with an inner peace no amount of liquor could ever provide. When I am unwilling to do the right thing, I become restless, irritable, and discontent. It is always my choice. Through the Twelve Steps, I have been granted the gift of choice. I am no longer at the mercy of a disease that tells me the only answer is to drink.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (My Chance to Live) p. 317 T ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) April 28, 2019 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ *Quit Playing God* He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom. When we sincerely took such a position, all sorts of remarkable things followed. We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 27, 2019* *Pride In Reverse* As we morbidly pursue this melancholy activity, we may sink to such a point of despair that nothing but oblivion looks possible as a solution. Here, of course, we have lost all perspective, and therefore all genuine humility. For this is pride in reverse. This is not a moral inventory at all; it is the very process by which the depressive has so often been led to the bottle and extinction.  - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 26, 2019* *Pride* For pride, leading to self-justification, and always spurred by conscious or unconscious fears, is the basic breeder of most human difficulties, the chief block to true progress. Pride lures us into making demands upon ourselves or upon others which cannot be met without perverting or misusing our God-given instincts.  - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) pp. 48 - 49 Thought to Ponder Swallowing my pride will not get me drun ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 25, 2019* *"Number One" Offender* Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 64 Thought to Ponder We are prisoners of our own resentments ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 24, 2019* *Fear* Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble. 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) pp. 67 - 68 Thought to Ponder Breathe in faith, ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 23, 2019* *Sane and Sound Ideal* We reviewed our own conduct over the years past. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, or inconsiderate? Whom had we hurt? Did we unjustifiably arouse jealousy, suspicion or bitterness? Where were we at fault, what should we have done instead? We got this all down on paper and looked at it. In this way we tried to shape a sane and sound ideal for our future sex life. We subjected each relation to this test—was it selfish or not?& ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 22, 2019* *Recovered* You may already have asked yourself why it is that all of us became so very ill from drinking. Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body. If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking—"What do I have to do?" It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions specifically. We shall ...Continue Reading