*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 12, 2019* *Any Length* If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it—then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 58 Thought to Ponder Sobriety without action is fantasy. AA-relat ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 11, 2019* *Life Without Alcohol* Inwardly he would give anything to take half a dozen drinks and get away with them. He will presently try the old game again, for he isn’t happy about his sobriety. He cannot picture life without alcohol. Some day he will be unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it. Then he will know loneliness such as few do. He will be at the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end.   - Alcoholics Anonymous, (A Vision F ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) March 10, 2019 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ *Acceptance* For it is only by accepting and solving our problems that we can begin to get right with ourselves and with the world about us, and with Him who presides over us all. Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living; therefore the joy of good living is the theme of A.A.’s Twelfth Step.  - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) p. 125  Thought ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 9, 2019* *Anger* Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These emotional “dry benders” often led straight to the bottle. Other kinds of disturbances—jealousy, envy, self-pity, or hurt pride—did the same thing.  - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 90 Thought to ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 8, 2019* *Self-Seeking* Admitting he may be somewhat at fault, he is sure that other people are more to blame. He becomes angry, indignant, self-pitying. What is his basic trouble? Is he not really a self-seeker even when trying to be kind? Is he not a victim of the delusion that he can wrest satisfaction and happiness out of this world if he only manages well?  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 61 Thought to Ponder When I choose the behavior, I ch ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 7, 2019* *Willing to Grow* Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.  - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 60 Thought to Ponder Spiritual progress isn't what gets us sober, it's ...Continue Reading

*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