*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

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 5, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Unity The unity of AA is the most cherished quality our Society has. Our lives, the lives of all to come, depend squarely upon it. Without unity, the heart of AA would cease to beat.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 129 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is no strength without unity.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **U S** = **U**nited **S**pirits. ** *A Member Shares: I'm Jim, an alcoholic from Ohio.  My fir ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 4, 2014* *Open-mindedness* *Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 48 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Keep an open mind.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *W H O* = **W**illingness, **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness. Thanks to all of you for sharing so ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 3, 2014* *Paradox* *4. WE DIE TO LIVE. That is a beautiful paradox straight out of the Biblical idea of being "born again" or "in losing one's life to find it."  When we work at our Twelve Steps, the old life of guzzling and fuzzy thinking, and all that goes with it, gradually dies, and we acquire a different and a better way of life. As our shortcomings are removed, one life of us dies, and another life of us lives. We in AA die to ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 2, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Service While practicing service to others, if my successes rise to grandiosity, I must reflect on what brought me to this point. What has been given joyfully, with love, must be passed on without reservation and without expectation. For as I grow, I find that no matter how much I give with love, I receive much more in spirit.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 279 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Service is gratitude in action.* *AA- ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *February 1, 2014* *Paradox* *3. WE SUFFER TO GET WELL. There is no way to escape the terrible suffering of remorse and regret and shame and embarrassment which starts us on the road to getting well from our affliction. There is no new way to shake out a hangover.  It's painful.  And for us, necessarily so. . . We suffer to get well.* /- Experience, Strength & Hope,/ p. 156 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *We surrender to win; we give away to keep; we suffer ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *January 31, 2014* *Paradox* *2. We GIVE AWAY TO KEEP. That seems absurd and untrue. How can you keep something if you give it away? But in order to keep whatever it is we get in AA, we must go about giving it away to others, for no fees or rewards of any kind.* /- Experience, Strength & Hope,/ p. 154 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *We surrender to win; we give away to keep; we suffer to get well; we die to live.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *N O W* = **N**o **O**th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *January 30, 2014* *Paradox* *1. We SURRENDER TO WIN. On the face of it, /surrendering/ certainly does not seem like /winning./ But it is in AA.  Only after we have come to the end of our rope, hit a stone wall in some aspect of our lives beyond which we can go no further; only when we hit "bottom" in despair and surrender, can we accomplish sobriety, which we could never accomplish before. We must, and we do, surrender in order to win.* /- Experience, ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *January 29, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Peace of Mind More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow, or the hereafter.  We were reborn.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 63 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Happiness and peace of mind are always h ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *January 28, 2014* *Isolation* *Isolation sneaks up on us. We can mask it with familiar props that are not in themselves bad. We can isolate ourselves in an attempt to clean up our apartments (and then not do the cleaning); we can isolate ourselves in churches or in sleep; we can use family, sweethearts, compulsive working, television.  The list is long. The nicest way to end it is the way you and I do: together. Reach out -- people can't read your mind. Say /ouc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *January 27, 2014* *Housecleaning* *Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives. Trying to avoid this humbling experience, they have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably they got drunk.  Having persevered with the rest of the program, they wondered why they fell. We think the reason is that they never completed their housecleaning.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ pp. 72-73 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I cannot mend ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *January 26, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Acceptance When I stopped living in the problem and began living in the answer, the problem went away. From that moment on, I have not had a single compulsion to drink. And acceptance is the answer to /all/ my problems today.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 417 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** = **A**cknowledge **A**cceptance. * ...Continue Reading