*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 9, 2015* *Forgiveness* *I must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a matter of form, but in my heart. I do this not for the other persons' sake, but for my own sake. Resentment, anger, or a desire to see someone punished, are things that rot my soul. Such things fasten my troubles to me with chains. They tie me to other problems that have nothing to do with my original problem.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 88 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Forgiveness is the ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 8, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Sober Life Somewhat to our surprise, staying sober turns out not to be the grim, wet-blanket experience we had expected! While we were drinking, a life without alcohol seemed like no life at all. But for most members of AA, living sober is really living -- a joyous experience. We much prefer it to the troubles we had with drinking.* /- Living Sober,/ Foreword *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-r ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 7, 2015* *Usefulness* *Gradually, I grew to understand that normal living meant being useful where I was, accepting where I was, and not hankering after all those big things. . . Even as an alcoholic staying sober one day at a time at home, I could be worthwhile and step out of self-pity by stepping out of self. . . I came to view service as the opposite of uselessness.  The Big Book kept its promise for me. For this change in outlook, for seeing my worth ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 6, 2015* *Awareness* *Most of us think this awareness of a Power greater then ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. Our more religious members call it "God-consciousness." Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided he does not close his mind to all spiritual concepts.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 568 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Three ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 5, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A New Life Regardless of worldly success or failure, regardless of pain or joy, regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself, a new life of endless possibilities can be lived if we are willing to continue our awakening, through the practice of AA's Twelve Steps.* /- As Bill Sees It,/p. 8 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life didn't end when I got sober -- it started.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *T H I N K* = **T**he ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 4, 2015* *Confidence* *Once we have a complete willingness to take inventory, and exert ourselves to do the job thoroughly, a wonderful light falls upon the foggy scene. As we persist, a brand-new kind of confidence is born, and the sense of relief at finally facing ourselves is indescribable.  These are the first fruits of Step Four.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ pp. 49-50 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Inventory-taking is not always done in red i ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 3, 2015* *Making the Call* *I prayed very hard, and agonized much, and I finally made the call.  At my first meeting, I apologized to the group. I honestly admitted I was only a beer drinker.  It was difficult to say, but it felt good to clear the air. I half expected to be kicked out of the meeting, but I was gently assured that there were beer drinkers in AA. In fact, there were some at that very meeting!  I felt better, but I wanted to clear u ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 2, 2015* *Inventory* *I may attain "humility for today" only to the extent that I am able to avoid the bog of guilt and rebellion, and that fair but deceiving land which is strewn with the coin of Pride. This is how I can find and stay on the Road to Humility which lies in between. Therefore, a constant inventory which can reveal when I am off the road is always in order.* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 256 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The differenc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 1, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Being Good to Ourselves Now is the time, the only time there is.  And if we are not kind to ourselves right now, we certainly cannot rightfully expect respect or consideration from others. We have found we can enjoy, sober, every good thing we enjoyed while drinking -- and many, many more. It takes a little practice, but the rewards more than make up for the effort. To do so is not selfish, but self-productive.* /Living S ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 31, 2015* *The Solution* *Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the process requires for its successful consummation.  But we saw it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it. When, therefore, we were approached by those in whom the problem had been solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 30, 2015* *Perfection* *There would be no music if high C were the only note, no art if spectrum red were the only color, no joy in pleasure if pleasure were the only feeling -- and, paradoxically, there would be no perfection without imperfection. What does this mean to me?  Well, first it means that /I don't have to be perfect./ All I have to do is grow at a pace natural to me -- and that is all I have a right to expect of others.* /- The Best of the Gra ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 29, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Primary Purpose Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, p ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 28, 2015* *Alcoholism* *Alcoholism is deadly, ugly, and tough.  It is also cunning, baffling, and powerful. . . It wants me to forget it is a snake in the brain, hoping to catch my eye, watching, waiting. The gritty pain of alcoholism is the traction of recovery.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 3], p. 165 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Times change, alcoholism doesn't.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**bsolute **A**bstinence. Thanks to all of ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 27, 2015* *Cafeteria Style* *Sometimes an AA member will talk about taking the various parts of the program in cafeteria style -- selecting what he likes and letting alone what he does not want. Maybe others will come along and pick up the unwanted parts -- or maybe that member himself will go back later and take some of the ideas he previously rejected. However, it is good to remember the temptation in a cafeteria is to pick up nothing but a lot of desserts or ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 26, 2015* *Sanity* *AA taught me that /willingness to believe/ was enough for a beginning. It's been true in my case, nor could I quarrel with "restore us to sanity," for my actions drunk or sober, before AA, were not those of a sane person. My desire to be honest with myself made it necessary for me to realize that my thinking was irrational.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 550 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *AA has taught me the knack of being myself.* * ...Continue Reading