*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 20, 2014* *Action* *I heard someone say that AA works for those who work for it, those who put /action/ into the program. . . I heard that I should forget about yesterday and instead concentrate on today and staying away from the first drink today -- now. I tried it and it worked.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 42 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Learn to listen; listen to learn.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A R T* = **A**lways **R**emain **T**eachable. Thank ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 19, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Coming Home I returned to AA, but I was reluctant for a long time to tell of my experience. I was afraid that no one would believe me and that they would laugh. Later, I learned that others had had the same experiences.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 17 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Recovery is discovery.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **N E W** = **N**othing **E**lse **W**orked. ** *A Member Shares: Hi, I'm Dave, an alcoho ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 18, 2014* *Obsession* *It is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 30 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *When we try to c ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 17, 2014* *Power* *Power is a key word in this program, and its importance is underlined repeatedly in the Twelve Steps.  We admitted in the beginning that "we were /powerless/ over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable." Then we "came to believe that a /Power/ greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." And in the Eleventh Step, we pray "for the knowledge of His will for us and the /power/ to carry that out. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 16, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Easy Does It We find it hard to relax and savor life. When one of us is in a dither to get something done or get somewhere in a hurry, a friend may gently remonstrate, "'Easy Does It,' remember?" Then there's often a flash of annoyance at the adviser. And that indicates the advice must have hit home, wouldn't you say?* /- Living Sober,/ p. 44 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *While it isn't always easy, if I keep it s ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 15, 2014* *Change* *It never occurred to us that we needed to change ourselves to meet conditions, whatever they were. In AA, we slowly learned that something had to be done about our vengeful resentments, self-pity, and unwarranted pride. . . We learned that if we were seriously disturbed, our /first/ need was to quiet that disturbance, regardless of who or what we thought caused it.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 47 *Thought to Ponder . . .* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 14, 2014* *Love* *Love is always positive and constructive.  It does not tolerate negativism. It must be given and received unconditionally, without reservations, with no strings attached. When we love, we will see in others what we wish to have in ourselves. We will know that love is a privilege given to us by God. When we love, we will never be bored with life or our program. . . It shows us that the things that count are never held in the hand but al ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 13, 2014* *An Open Mind* *First, AA does not demand that you believe anything. All of its Twelve Steps are but suggestions.  Second, to get sober and stay sober, you don't have to swallow all of Step Two right now. . . . Third, all you need is a truly open mind. Just resign from the debating society and quit bothering yourself with such deep questions as whether it was the chicken or the egg that came first. Again I say, all you need is the open mind.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 12, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Helping Others When trying to help a fellow alcoholic, I've given in to an impulse to give advice, and perhaps that's inevitable. But allowing others the right to be wrong reaps its own benefits. The best I can do -- and it sounds easier than it is to put into practice -- is to listen, share personal experience, and pray for others.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 364 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Learn to listen; listen to lear ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 11, 2014* *Discovery* *I learned that when I stopped trying to analyze AA or God I found both sobriety and a Higher Power. I also realized that I could easily have found sobriety and God by honestly saying, "God, I am so confused -- please help me."* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p. 41 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Recovery is discovery.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**ware. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 10, 2014* *The Ladder* *No one who drank as I did wakes up on the edge of the abyss one morning and says: Things look pretty scary; I think I'd better stop drinking before I fall in. I was convinced I could go as far as I wanted, and then climb back out when it wasn't fun anymore.  What happened was, I found myself at the bottom of the canyon thinking I'd never see the sun again. AA didn't pull me out of that hole. It did give me the tools to construct ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 9, 2014* *Twenty-four Hours* *They asked, "You can quit twenty-four hours, can't you?" I said, "Sure, yes, anybody can do that, for twenty-four hours." They said, "That's what we're talking about.  Just twenty-four hours at a time." That sure did take a load off my mind.  Every time I'd start thinking about drinking, I would think of the long, dry years ahead without having a drink; but this idea of twenty-four hours, ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 8, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Guilt Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection. So we need not to be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon, light-years away, that draws us on.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 15 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Guilt is in the past; worry is the future.  Both are manifestations of ego.* *AA-related 'Alcon ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 7, 2014* *Step Two* /"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."/ *We have acquired a belief in some force that is external, more powerful than we are, and capable of helping us return to sanity. This implies that the external, more powerful force is a force for good, an orderly force capable of making sense out of the chaos of reality, and bringing order to our own chaotic lives. The final stage in a full acc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 6, 2014* *Step Two* /"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."/ *"Sanity" is defined as "soundness of mind." Yet no alcoholic, soberly analyzing his destructive behavior, whether the destruction fell on the dining-room furniture or his own moral fiber, can claim "soundness of mind" for himself. Therefore, Step Two is the rallying point for all of us.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve ...Continue Reading