*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 6, 2019* *Dark Past* Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. Cling to the thought that, in God’s hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have—the key to life and happiness for others. With it you can avert death and misery for them.   - Alcoholics Anonymous, (The Family Afterward) p. 124 Thought to Ponder We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. AA-r ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 5, 2019* *Beyond Human Aid* "For God’s sake, how did I ever get started again?"’ Only to have that thought supplanted by "Well, I’ll stop with the sixth drink." Or "What’s the use anyhow?" When this sort of thinking is fully established in an individual with alcoholic tendencies, he has probably placed himself beyond human aid, and unless locked up, may die or go permanently insane. These stark and ugly facts have been confirmed by ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 4, 2019* *Fortunate Indeed* We who are alcoholics can consider ourselves fortunate indeed. Each of us has had his own near-fatal encounter with the juggernaut of self-will, and has suffered enough under its weight to look for something better. So it is by circumstance rather than any virtue that we have been driven to AA, have admitted defeat, have acquired the rudiments of faith, and now want to make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to a Higher Po ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) March 3, 2019 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ *Humility* To those of us who have hitherto known only excitement, depression, or anxiety—in other words, to all of us—this newfound peace is a priceless gift. Something new indeed has been added. Where humility had formerly stood for a forced feeding on humble pie, it now begins to mean the nourishing ingredient which can give us serenity.  - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Seven) p. 74  Thought to Ponder The ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 2, 2019* *It Works* Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Working With Others) p. 89 Thought to Ponder Into service, out of self. AA-related 'Alconym' *S P O N S O R*  =  *S*ober *P*erson *O*ffering *N*ewcomers *S*uggestions *O*n *R*ecovery. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your ex ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 1, 2019* *Running the Show* The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion. Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show; is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet, the scenery and the rest of the players in his own way.  - Alc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 28, 2019* *Insane Idea* But there was always the curious mental phenomenon that parallel with our sound reasoning there inevitably ran some insanely trivial excuse for taking the first drink. Our sound reasoning failed to hold us in check. The insane idea won out. Next day we would ask ourselves, in all earnestness and sincerity, how it could have happened.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholism) p. 37 Thought to Ponder The ultimate defense aga ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 27, 2019* *Probably Alcoholic* If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 44 Thought to Ponder Hope leads to faith if you let it. AA-related 'Alconym' *F A I T H*  =  *F* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 26, 2019* *Willingness* Once we have placed the key of willingness in the lock and have the door ever so slightly open, we find that we can always open it some more. Though self-will may slam it shut again, as it frequently does, it will always respond the moment we again pick up the key of willingness.  - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Three) p. 35 Thought to Ponder Take a walk with God. He will meet you at the Steps. AA-related 'Alconym' * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 25, 2019* *Spiritual Experience* Most of our experiences are what the psychologist William James calls the "educational variety" because they develop slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before he is himself. He finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by himself alone.  - Alcoholics ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) February 24, 2019 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ *Suggestions* When he sees you know all about the drinking game, commence to describe yourself as an alcoholic. Tell him how baffled you were, how you finally learned that you were sick. Give him an account of the struggles you made to stop. Show him the mental twist which leads to the first drink of a spree. We suggest you do this as we have done it in the chapter on alcoholism. If he is alcoholic, he will understand you at o ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 23, 2019* *Character-Building* But whenever we had to choose between character and comfort, the  character-building was lost in the dust of our chase after what we  thought was happiness. Seldom did we look at character-building as  something desirable in itself, something we would like to strive for whether  our instinctual needs were met or not. We never thought of making honesty,  tolerance, and true love of man and God the daily b ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 22, 2019* *Inventory* We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natural desires have warped us. We wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves. By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us. Without a searching and fearless moral inventory, most of us have found that the faith ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 21, 2019* *Baffling* Many of us felt that we had plenty of character. There was a tremendous urge to cease forever. Yet we found it impossible. This is the baffling feature of alcoholism as we know it—this utter inability to leave it alone, no matter how great the necessity or the wish.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholism) p. 34 Thought to Ponder Alcohol — cunning, baffling, powerful! AA-related 'Alconym' *F E A R*  =  *F*ew *E*ve ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 20, 2019* *Dependence* He clamors for this or that, claiming he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for. Nonsense. Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job—wife or no wife—we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Working With Others) p. 98 Thought to Ponder In AA we don't carry the alcoholic; we carry the mes ...Continue Reading