*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 10, 2016* *No Loop Hole* He (Bill W) had a great fear that the message might be misunderstood by alcoholics in distant places.  It was one thing to pass on the message face-to-face, when one could personally observe the other’s reactions and be present to respond to objections, questions, or confusion. In print, there was no second chance.  What was printed on the page might well be the only information the suffering alcoholic would have access to ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 9, 2016* *Advice or Approval?* After I went into AA, I found that I had not been trying to quit drinking; all my efforts were devoted to trying to learn to drink normally. Not until I really had a desire to quit did I have any success. A sincere desire for knowledge of God’s will for me to carry it out must be my daily prayer. A reluctant decision to live by God’s will—as amended by myself—is not enough. A good question to ask myself frequently is: What am ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 6, 2016* *Friendship* The fellowship in AA is unique. Ties are made overnight that it would take years to develop elsewhere. No one needs a false front.  All barriers are down. Some who have felt outcasts all their lives now know they really belong. From feeling as if they were dragging anchor through life, they suddenly sail free before the wind. /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 2], p. 259 *Thought to Ponder . . .* We cannot direct the wind, but w ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 7, 2016 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ God’s Children If what we have learned and felt and seen means anything at all, it means that all of us, whatever our race, creed, or color are the children of a loving Creator with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 28 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 6, 2016* *Spirituality* I finally began to separate the religious aspects of my life from AA's spiritual program. Now the big difference for me is that religion is the ritual, and we all differ there, and spirituality is the way we feel about what we do. /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 406 *Thought to Ponder . . .* AA is spiritual, is the eye of the hurricane, is my refuge and my comfort. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *K I S S* = **K**eeping **I**t **S**imple ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 5, 2016* *The Gift* 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,/ p. 317 *Thought to Ponder . . .* The ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 4, 2016 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Prayer In AA 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,/ p. 104 *Thou ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 3, 2016* *Decision* 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. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 2, 2016* *Imperfection* Perfection would limit me; imperfection offers me the freedom of a million potentials. All the excitement and interest and wonder of adventure are mine to explore, ever-new, ever-changing, ever-becoming. Thank God, as a result of AA and sobriety, I am liberated from /dreaming/ the impossible dream and free, finally, to start /living/ the possible dream. /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], p. 61 *Thought to Ponder . . .* Give me ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 1, 2016* *Pickles* We are also convinced, after the countless attempts we made to prove otherwise, that alcoholism is incurable—just like some other illnesses. It cannot be “cured” in this sense: We cannot change our body chemistry and go back to being the normal, moderate social drinkers lots of us seemed to be in our youth. As some of us put it, we can no more make that change than a pickle can change itself back into a cucumber. /- Living Sober,/ p. 8 * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 31, 2016 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Powerlessness Beaten into complete defeat by alcohol, confronted by the living proof of release, and surrounded by those who can speak to us from the heart, we have finally surrendered.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 174 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . *H O W** = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. ** *A Member Shares: I'm Lori, a real alcoh ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 30, 2016* *Sponsors* A sponsor is simply a sober alcoholic who can help solve only one problem: how to stay sober. And the sponsor has only one tool to use—personal experience, not scientific wisdom. Sponsors have /been/ there, and they often have more concern, hope, compassion, and confidence for us than we have for ourselves. /- Living Sober,/ p. 27 *Thought to Ponder . . .* A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor is much like a ship without a rudder. *AA ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 29, 2016* *Challenges* Life is meant to be lived by facing the challenges it brings. Otherwise, I’m not living, just existing. God didn’t give me this gift of sobriety to sit in a rocking chair, imagining myself as some wise old woman who has arrived somewhere. There is no easier, softer way. /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 3], p. 320 *Thought to Ponder . . .* Sobriety is a gift, the price of which is eternal vigilance. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *B E ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 28, 2016 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Twelve Steps A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 15 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Twelve Steps -- a manuscript for rational living. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . *S T E P S** = **S**olutions **T**hrough **E**ach **P**ow ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 27, 2016* *Ground Glass* “The moral inventory is a cool examination of the damages that occurred to us during life and a sincere effort to look at them in a true perspective. This has the effect of taking the ground glass out of us, the emotional substance that cuts and inhibits.” /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 140 *Thought to Ponder . . .* My perspective will change my perception. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onest, **O**pen-minded, **W**illing. Th ...Continue Reading