AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 8, 2022The Alcoholic IllnessBut not so with the alcoholic illness, for with it there goes annihilation of all the things worth while in life. It engulfs all whose lives touch the sufferer's. It brings misunderstanding, fierce resentment, financial insecurity, disgusted friends and employers, warped lives of blameless children, sad wives and parents—anyone can increase the list.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) p. 18Thought to Ponder . . .Right actions for ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 7, 2022Stormy EmotionsAnger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These emotional "dry benders" often led straight to the bottle. Other kinds of disturbances—jealousy, envy, self-pity, or hurt pride—did the same thing. A spot-check inventory taken in the midst of such disturbances can be of very great help in quieting stormy emotions.- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 90Thought to P ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 6, 2022New AttitudesIf we really depended upon God, we couldn't very well play God to our fellows nor would we feel the urge wholly to rely on human protection and care. These were the new attitudes that finally brought many of us an inner strength and peace that could not be deeply shaken by the shortcomings of others or by any calamity not of our own making.- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) p. 116Thought to Ponder . . .I never imagined that the gr ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 5, 2022A Double LifeMore than most people, the alcoholic leads a double life. He is very much the actor. To the outer world he presents his stage character. This is the one he likes his fellows to see. He wants to enjoy a certain reputation, but knows in his heart he doesn't deserve it.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Into Action) p. 73Thought to Ponder . . .Character is what I am; reputation is what people think I am.AA-related 'Alconym'F E A R  =   Frantic Effort ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy AA-Alive.net)December 4, 2022~ Scroll Down for Share ~An AllergyAll these, and many others, have one symptom in common: they cannot start drinking without developing the phenomenon of craving. This phenomenon, as we have suggested, may be the manifestation of an allergy which differentiates these people, and sets them apart as a distinct entity. It has never been, by any treatment with which we are familiar, permanently eradicated. The only relief we have to suggest is entire abstinence.- ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 3, 2022Conceptions and Motives"Here and there, once in a while, alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual experiences. To me these occurrences are phenomena. They appear to be in the nature of huge emotional displacements and rearrangements. Ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once the guiding forces of the lives of these men are suddenly cast to one side, and a completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them."- Alcoholi ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 2, 2022We Carry A.A.'s MessageTo watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from darkness into light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning, to see whole families reassembled, to see the alcoholic outcast received back into his community in full citizenship, and above all to watch these people awaken to the presence of a loving God in their lives—these things are the substance of what we receive as we carry A.A.'s message to ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)December 1, 2022Hideous Four HorsemenAs we became subjects of King Alcohol, shivering denizens of his mad realm, the chilling vapor that is loneliness settled down. It thickened, ever becoming blacker. Some of us sought out sordid places, hoping to find understanding companionship and approval. Momentarily we did—then would come oblivion and the awful awakening to face the hideous Four Horsemen—Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair. Unhappy drinkers who read this page wi ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)November 30, 2022Our Blind SpotTo clergymen, doctors, friends, and families, the alcoholic who means well and tries hard is a heartbreaking riddle. To most A.A.'s, he is not. There are too many of us who have been just like him, and have found the riddle's answer. This answer has to do with the quality of faith rather than its quantity. This has been our blind spot.- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Two) p. 32Thought to Ponder . . .Faith is mighty. Action with faith ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)November 29, 2022The Fear ProblemSelf-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didn’t go far enough. Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn’t fully solve the fear problem, or any other. When it made us cocky, it was worse. Perhaps there is a better way—we think so. For we are now on a different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 68Thought to Ponder ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)November 28, 2022An IllnessIf, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 44Thought to Ponder . . .The ultimate defense against the first drink is a spiritual one.AA-related 'Alconym'A A  =   Amazing Awake ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy AA-Alive.net)November 27, 2022~ Scroll Down for Share ~IndispensableMost 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. He can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial. We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program.Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)November 26, 2022A.A.'s Twelve StepsA.A.’s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their 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, (Foreward) p. 15Thought to Ponder . . .The Twelve Steps -- a manuscript for rational living.AA-related 'Alconym'A A W O L  =   A A Way Of Life.Thank you for sharing so generously of you ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)November 25, 2022Bright Promise and MeaningThe notion that we would still live our own lives, God helping a little now and then, began to evaporate. Many of us who had thought ourselves religious awoke to the limitations of this attitude. Refusing to place God first, we had deprived ourselves of His help. But now the words “Of myself I am nothing, the Father doeth the works” began to carry bright promise and meaning.- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Seven) p. 75Thou ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day(courtesy aa-alive.net)November 24, 2022Humility and Great BlessingsAnd finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has an immense spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him who presides over us all.- Alcoholics Anonymous, (12 Traditions; Long Form ...Continue Reading