AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)January 5, 2026  Defective RelationsWhile the purpose of making restitution to others is paramount, it is equally necessary that we extricate from an examination of our personal relations every bit of information about ourselves and our fundamental difficulties that we can. Since defective relations with other human beings have nearly always been the immediate cause of our woes, including our alcoholism, no field of investigation could yield more satisfying and valuable ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)January 4, 2026~ Scroll Down for Share ~  SponsorshipSponsorship can be the answer for the person who has been able to achieve only interludes of sobriety or who has attended meetings casually but has not really taken the First Step. For such a person, a sponsor with a firm grounding of sobriety in A.A. can make all the difference.- Questions & Answers on Sponsorship, p. 10  Thought to PonderThe basis of all sponsorship is to lead by example.  AA-related 'A ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)January 3, 2026  Elder StatesmanThe elder statesman is the one who sees the wisdom of the group’s decision, who holds no resentment over his reduced status, whose judgment, fortified by considerable experience, is sound, and who is willing to sit quietly on the sidelines patiently awaiting developments.- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Tradition Two) p. 135  Thought to Ponder . . ."Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern."  AA-re ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)January 2, 2026  Profound AlterationQuite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before he is himself. He finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by himself alone. What often takes place in a few months could seldom have been accomplished by years of self-discipline.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Appendix II, Spiritual Experience) p. 567  Thought t ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)January 1, 2026  A Basic SolutionWe were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn’t control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn’t make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn’t seem to be of real help to other people—was not a basic solution of these bedevilments more important than whether we should see newsreels of lunar flight? Of course it was.- Alcoholics Anonymous ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 31, 2025  Most Cherished QualityThe unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality our Society has. Our lives, the lives of all to come, depend squarely upon it. We stay whole, or A.A. dies. Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; our world arteries would no longer carry the life-giving grace of God; His gift to us would be spent aimlessly. Back again in their caves, alcoholics would reproach us and say, “What a great thing A.A. might ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 30, 2025  Self-RestraintOur first objective will be the development of self-restraint. This carries a top priority rating. When we speak or act hastily or rashly, the ability to be fair-minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot. One unkind tirade or one willful snap judgment can ruin our relation with another person for a whole day, or maybe a whole year. Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen.- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 91 &n ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 29, 2025  Beyond QuestionIn A.A. 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, (Step Eleven) p. 104  Thought to ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 28, 2025  AmazedI am amazed when I realize that I honestly cannot imagine life to be anything different than what it has been—and that is just fine with me. The tools of sobriety and recovery in A.A. are there for me to use in all aspects of my life, and all I ever need is the willingness to do what is in front of me. I am grateful that a drunk like me was fortunate enough to live until I arrived in Alcoholics Anonymous.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (On The Move) p. 4 ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 27, 2025  We Remained Self-DeceivedWe had not even prayed rightly. We had always said, "Grant me my wishes" instead of "Thy will be done." The love of God and man we understood not at all. Therefore we remained self-deceived, and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Two) p. 32  Thought to Ponder . . .Denying the truth doesn't change the facts.  AA-related 'Alconym ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 26, 2025  Simply SayIn all times of emotional disturbance or indecision, we can pause, ask for quiet, and in the stillness simply say: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done."- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Three) pp. 40 - 41  Thought to Ponder . . .The stillness of God speaks louder than a choir of voices.   ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 25, 2025  Peace and Good WillFaith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through us, or we perish. Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia. We have it with us right here and now. Each day my friend’s simple talk in our kitchen multiplies itself in a widening circle of peace on earth and good will to men.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Bill's Story) p. 16  Thought to Ponder . . .Happiness and peace of mind are always here, open and free to anyone. & ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 24, 2025  OffendedWhen a person offended we said to ourselves, "This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done." We avoid retaliation or argument. We wouldn’t treat sick people that way. If we do, we destroy our chance of being helpful. We cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show us how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and every one.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 6 ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 23, 2025  Soundness of Mind"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.- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Two) p. 33  Thought to Ponder . . .Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.  AA-related 'Alc ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 22, 2025  The Same Question“Why don’t you just stop drinking?” our nonalcoholic friends ask when they see our situation. We shrug, and we smile with the charm most alcoholics can muster when necessary, and we change the subject quickly. But in the dank miasma of the pre-dawn sweats, when we lie sleepless and sick in the rumpled sheets, we ask ourselves the same question, and we cannot reply.- The Best of Grapevine, (Volume 1) p. 92  Thought to Ponder . . .O ...Continue Reading