*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 6, 2015* *A Habit of Gratitude* *It will come as a pleasant surprise to discover that it is not difficult to develop the habit of gratitude if we just make some effort. Many of us were reluctant to try.  But the results, we have to admit, did speak for themselves.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 48 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *T H I N K* = **T**he **H**appiness **I** **N* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 5, 2015* *Cured?* *I was cured.  Three years later, I found that there is no cure.  I had forgotten I am an alcoholic. . . I've learned once more that the decision as to whether I lead a life of repeated wrong steps and steady declination of reputation and character, or a life whereby I gain respect from others and consequently regain my own self-respect, boils down to the one choice: whether or not I take that first drink.* /- Thank You For Sharing ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 4, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Family Disease It is important for me to realize that, as an alcoholic, I not only hurt myself, but also those around me. Making amends to my family, and to the families of alcoholics still suffering, will always be important. Understanding the havoc I created and trying to repair the destruction, will be a lifelong endeavor. The example of my sobriety may give others hope, and faith to help themselves.* /- Daily Reflectio ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 3, 2015* *Inventory* *The emphasis on inventory is heavy only because a great many if us have never acquired the habit of accurate self-appraisal. Once this healthy practice has become grooved, it will be so interesting and profitable that the time it takes won't be missed. For these minutes and sometimes hours spent in self-examination are bound to make all the other hours of our day better and happier.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ pp. 89-90 *Th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 2, 2015* *Rewards* *Most importantly, I know who I am.  I know my goals, dreams and boundaries, and I know how to protect, nurture, and validate them. Those are the true rewards of sobriety, and they're what I was looking for all along. I am so grateful that my Higher Power stepped in to show me the way to the truth.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 327 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Gratitude is not a word in AA.  It's an action.* *AA-related 'Alconym' ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 2, 2015* *Rewards* *Most importantly, I know who I am.  I know my goals, dreams and boundaries, and I know how to protect, nurture, and validate them. Those are the true rewards of sobriety, and they're what I was looking for all along. I am so grateful that my Higher Power stepped in to show me the way to the truth.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 327 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Gratitude is not a word in AA.  It's an action.* *AA-related 'Alconym' ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 1, 2015* *Promises* *We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.  We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.  No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.  That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.  Self-seeki ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 30, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Attitudes After we come into AA, if we go on growing, our attitudes toward security -- emotional security and financial security -- commence to change profoundly.  Our demand for emotional security, for our own way, had constantly thrown us into unworkable relations with other people. Though were sometimes quite unconscious of this, the result always had been the same.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 115 ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 29, 2015* *A New Dimension* *Now I was to plunge into the dark, joining that endless procession of sots who had gone before. I thought of my poor wife.  There had been much happiness after all. What would I give to make amends.  But that was over now. No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity. Quicksand stretched around me in all directions.  I had been overwhelmed.  Alcohol was my master. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 28, 2015* *Prayer* *I have had to discard all the thoughts and beliefs that were once there.  I gave them up reluctantly. I didn't want to believe in God, but through AA I got to a point where I had to. Now I believe it to be the strongest force on earth -- if the quietest.  You don't have to be aware of power. It doesn't have to be loud, like a hurricane. . . Before AA, I wanted more than anything else to get sober. That was a positive thought, a ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 27, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Pride If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your problems too. We wives found that, like everybody else, we were afflicted with pride, self-pity, vanity and all the things which go to make up the self-centered person; and we were not above selfishness or dishonesty.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 116 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *False pride became the reverse side that ruinous coin marked "Fea ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 26, 2015* *Anger* *If we were to live, we had to be free of anger.  The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 66 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**void **A**nger. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generous ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 25, 2015* *A Thankful Heart* *I am grateful not only for sobriety, but for the quality of life my sobriety has brought. God has been gracious enough to give me sober days /and/ a life blessed with peace and contentment, as well as the ability to give and receive love . . .  For all of this, I have "a full and thankful heart."* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 93 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 24, 2015* *The Opportunity* *It finally became obvious to me that the God I thought had judged and damned me had done nothing of the sort. He had been listening, and in His own good time His answer came.  His answer was threefold: the opportunity for a life of sobriety; Twelve Steps to practice, in order to attain and maintain that life of sobriety; fellowship within the program, ever ready to sustain and help me each twenty-four-hour day. . . In the u ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 23, 2015* *Cunning, Baffling, Powerful* *Alcoholism is deadly, ugly, and rough.  It is also cunning, baffling, and powerful. It wants me to consider perfection attainable. . . It wants me to believe that self-indulgence is fine, as long as I call it self-forgiveness. . . It wants me to forget that it is a snake in the brain, hoping to catch my eye, watching, waiting. The gritty pain of alcoholism is the traction of recovery. I cannot afford to sell off ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 22, 2015* *A New Family* *In the first few months, I didn't say much, but I listened.  I listened to my sponsors, to some guests from abroad who were old-timers, and to newcomers. I learned mostly from the newcomers, with whom I could easily identify.  It wasn't easy.  I was in my late forties. I had to reconstruct a life out of the ruins.  It took time and it was extremely difficult and complicated. It is a road that nobody can travel a ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 21, 2015* *Warning Bells* *We have learned now not to panic when the thought of a drink comes to mind. . . But the /thought/ of a drink is not necessarily the same thing as the /desire/ for one, and neither need plunge us into gloom or fear. Both can be viewed simply as warning bells to remind us of the perils of alcoholism. The perils are forever, even when we feel so fine that we wonder whether it's really all right for anyone to feel as good as we do, no ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 20, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Dependence Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job -- wife or no wife -- we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 98 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I cannot mend if I bend the truth. AA-related 'Alconym' . . . *G I F T** = **G**od **I**s **F**orever **T**here. ** *A Member Shares: Hi AA Family, ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 19, 2015* *Making Amends* *Above all, we should try to be absolutely sure that we are not delaying because we are afraid. For the readiness to take the full consequences of our past acts, and to take responsibility for the well-being of others at the same time, is the very spirit of Step Nine.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 87 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Don't mess up an amend with an excuse.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onest, ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 18, 2015* *Right Action* *One of the most important things AA has given me, in addition to freedom from booze, is the ability to take "right action." It says the promises will /always/ materialize if I /work/ for them. Fantasizing about them, debating them, preaching about them, and faking them just won't work. I'll remain a miserable, rationalizing dry drunk. By taking action and working the Twelve Steps in all my affairs, I'll have a life beyond ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 17, 2015* *Awakening* *Very few of us experience a sudden, startling spiritual experience of any kind.  Usually, the change is gradual. Yet it is no less a spiritual awakening. Whether we awaken with a bound or after much stretching, we awaken. When there is a spiritual awakening, self-centeredness, fear, and frustration are supplanted by helpful friendliness, happiness (perhaps even a touch of serenity), and fulfillment.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 16, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Rationalization Maybe I can postpone dealing with some of my problems indefinitely.  Of course, this will not do. Such a bluffing of oneself will have to go the way of many another pleasant rationalization. At the very least, we shall have to come to grips with some of our worst character defects and take action toward their removal as quickly as we can.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 69 *Thought to Pon ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 15, 2015* *Fellowship* *To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends -- this is an experience you must not miss. We know you will not want to miss it.* /~ Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 89 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H E A R T* = **H**ealing, **E**njoying, **A**nd **R**ecovering **T**ogether. Thanks to ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 14, 2015* *Willingness* *We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to define or comprehend that Power, which is God.* /~ Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 46 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Minds are like parachutes ... they won't work unless they're open. * *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *W H O* = **W* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 13, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A New Perspective As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question. . . For us, the process of gaining a new perspective was unbelievably painful. It was only by repeated humiliations that we were forced to learn something about humility.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 72 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *My perspective will change my perception.* *AA-related ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 12, 2015* *Surrender* *When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands were better than anything we could have planned.* /~ Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 100 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *S W A T* = **S**urrender, **W**illingness, **A**ction, **T**rust. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 11, 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.* /~ Daily Reflections,/ p. 88 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Forgiveness is the final form of love.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *T G I F* = **T**hank * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 10, 2015* *Gratitude* *Sometimes, I've lacked the discernment to be grateful, and I see this now. . . Often in the past, my prayers for help have been answered in ways that I have not recognized as answers. Indeed, I have cursed my fate instead of thanking God. I have prayed and prayed, sometimes in desperation, but I haven't thanked Him as much as I've implored Him.* ~ The AA Grapevine, September 1979 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Gratitude /has/ to be prac ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 9, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Listening In shame and despair, I went to my first AA meeting. By some minor miracle, I was able to suspend opinion, analysis, judgment. and criticism, and instead to listen and hear. I heard someone say that AA works for those who put /action/ into the program. . . I heard that I should forget about yesterday and instead concentrating on today and staying away from the first drink -- now. I tried it, and it worked.* /- Ca ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 8, 2015* *Change* *The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.* /~ As Bill Sees It/ p. 115 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *In order to change the way I feel, I need to change the way I act.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *F E E L* = **F**eel, **E**xperience, **E**xpress, **L**et go. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, str ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 7, 2015* *Infallible Heartbeat* *We need each other's experience, strength, and hope, regardless of age or length of sobriety. The saving grace of God doesn't come like a bolt out of the blue. It comes through, in, and from other suffering, as well as rescued, souls like you and me. I am happy to be part of a living and growing fellowship with an infallible heartbeat. Divine power is the pulse of AA, and it doesn't change, no matter how errant and foolish w ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 6, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Carrying the Message For us, if we neglect those who are still sick, there is an unremitting danger to our own lives and sanity. Under these compulsions of self-preservation, duty, and love it is not strange that our Society has concluded that it has but one high mission -- to carry the AA message to those who don't know there's a way out.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 151 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Service ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 5, 2015* *Acceptance* *And acceptance is the answer to /all/ my problems today.  When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 5, 2015* *Acceptance* *And acceptance is the answer to /all/ my problems today.  When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 4, 2015* *Amends* *In making amends, we should be sensible, tactful, considerate, and humble without being servile or scraping. As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 277 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. Thanks to all of you for sha ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 3, 2015* *Control* *We alcoholics are men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking. We know that no real alcoholic /ever/ recovers control. All of us felt at times that we were regaining control, but such intervals -- usually brief -- were inevitably followed by still less control, which led in time to pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 30 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *When we try to control our drink ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 2, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Spirituality We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. . . We never apologize for God.  Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do.* - /Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 68 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see. *AA-relat ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 1, 2015* *Self-searching* *The wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 216 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is only one corner of the universe I can be certain of improving, and that's my own self.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *N O W* = **N** ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 31, 2015* *Trading* *I was ready to admit I was just another drunk whose life was unmanageable. Now I could lead a sober life.  But how does one do that? I traded dependence on puny self for dependence on God. I traded resentment for understanding, fear for trust, selfishness for love. I traded dissatisfaction for hope, dishonesty for truth.  I traded retaliation for amendment, taking for giving. I traded leaning upon others for serving others.  ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 30, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Steps Eight and Nine Steps Eight and Nine are concerned with personal relationships. First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; and third, having thus cleaned away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know.* - ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 29, 2015* *Fourth Dimension* *Everyone became resigned to the certainty that I would have to be shut up somewhere, or would stumble along to a miserable end. How dark it is before the dawn!  In reality that was the end of my last debauch. I was soon to be transported into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence. I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes.* /- Alcoholics Anonymou ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 28, 2015* *Kindergarten* *We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace to go on living to better effect. Each man's theology has to be his own quest, it is his affair.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 95 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Learn to listen; listen to learn.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* * K I S S* = **K**eeping* *I**t **S**imple, **S**piritually. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generous ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 27, 2015* *Change* *In one form or another, many of my character defects appear daily: self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful, wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity. Attempting half measures to eliminate these defects merely paralyzes my efforts to change. It is only when I ask God for help, with complete abandon, then I become willing -- and able -- to change.* /Daily Reflections,/ p. 15 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If nothing chang ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 26, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Experience, Strength and Hope The AA Preamble: 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 AA Grapevine, Inc. *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *E S ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 25, 2015* *The Impossible Dream* *I had to free myself from the impossible dream of a perfect world in order to love and accept the real world. Judged by human standards, life is /not/ perfect; to demand perfection of it is asking the impossible. . . Paradoxically, there would be no perfection without imperfection. . . Thank God, as a result of AA and sobriety, I am liberated from dreaming the impossible dream and free, finally, to start living the possible dr ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 24, 2015* *Adversity* *I learned to be grateful for my alcoholism and the program of recovery it forced me into, for all the things that had happened /to/ me and /for/ me, for a life today that transcends and far exceeds anything I had previously known. I could not have that today if I had not experienced all the yesterdays. . . Adversity truly introduces us to ourselves.* /~ Alcoholics Anonymous,/ pp. 529-530 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is no education ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 23, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Tradition Five Each group has but one primary purpose -- to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 150 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *T R U S T** = **T**eaching **R**ecoveryl **U**sing **S**teps and **T**raditions. ** *A Member Shares: Hi, I'm Dale, and I a ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 22, 2015* *Awakening* *That which had been impossible before -- a trust in something or someone other than myself -- had now become possible. In other words, I had been undergoing a spiritual experience without knowing it. My confused questioning about a Higher Power, my changed mental attitude, and even my physical recovery had all been part of a spiritual awakening.* /~ The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 2], p. 193 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A spiritual awake ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 21, 2015* *Change* *Before AA it didn't matter how good things got -- I always had a feeling that something was wrong. Since AA, it doesn't matter how bad things get -- I always have a feeling that everything is going to be all right. In working the Twelve Steps, my life and my old way of thinking have changed.* /Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 381 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.* *AA-related 'Alconym ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 20, 2015* *Anonymity* *If we are to thrive as a Fellowship, we must have a safe place for people to come. Everyone who approaches the doors of AA should know that we will do everything in our power to protect anonymity. That protection includes social media and other forms of digital media. When filming or taking pictures, please be mindful that people may object to appearing in your images.* The AA Grapevine, September 2015 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *We need ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 19, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Prayer and Meditation Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of /belonging/ that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 105 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Prayer asks the question.  Meditation listens for the answer. * *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *P U S H* = **P**ray ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 18, 2015* *Apples and Oranges* *I had my first awakening in an AA meeting.  The speaker said, "If you're an apple, you can be the best apple you can be, but you can never be an orange." I was an apple all right, and for the first time I understood that I had spent my life trying to be an orange. I looked around at a room filled with apples and, if I was understanding the speaker, most of them were no longer trying to be oranges.* /~ Alcoholics A ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 17, 2015* *Laughter* *I began to see the miracles that happen only in AA. People who would nearly crawl in the doors, sick and broken, and who in a few weeks of meetings and not drinking one day at a time would get their health back, find a little job and friends who really cared, and then discover a God in their lives. But the most compelling part of AA, the part that made me want to try this sober thing, was the laughter, the pure joy of the laughter that I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 16, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Step One "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable."* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 5 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Take the first step in faith.  We don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. * *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *S T E P S* = **S**olutions **T**hrough **E**ach **P**ositive **S**tep. ** *A Member Shares: Hi, I'm Jenny, an ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 15, 2015* *Forgiveness* *I cannot make an amends when I am still condemning or forgiving myself or the one I am making amends to, because of the judgment this implies.  I have always found condemnation to be a lonely road and have always found forgiveness to be a confusing and impossible task. When I forgive someone I guess what I really mean to say is that I judge others. Forgiving and condemning are God's business, not mine.* /~ The Best of the Grapevin ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 14, 2015* *An Endless Career* *I wish I could tell you all that AA has done for me, all that I think and feel about AA, but it's something that I have experienced and never have been able to put into words. I know that I must work at it as long as I live; I know that it is only by working at it that I can stay sober and have a happy life. It is an endless career.* /~ Experience, Strength and Hope,/ pp. 341-342 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *It works -- it really ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 13, 2015* *Relationships* *The moment we ponder a twisted or broken relationship with another person, our emotions go on the defensive. To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong he has done us. . . Right here we need to fetch ourselves up sharply. It doesn't make much sense when a tosspot calls a kettle black. Let's remember that alcoholics are not the only ones bedeviled by sick emotions.* /~ Twelve Steps and Twel ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 12, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ On Life's Terms Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 417 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H J F* = **H**appy, **J**oyous, **F**ree. ** *A Member Shares: My name is Hope, alcoholic.  These days, I like to think of myself as "alkie-normal.&q ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 11, 2015* *Habits* *Our drinking was connected with many habits -- big and little. Some of them were thinking habits, or things we felt inside ourselves. Others were doing habits -- things we did, actions we took. In getting used to not drinking, we have found that we needed new habits to take the place of those old ones.* /~ Living Sober,/ p. 1 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Habits are like cork or lead -- they tend to keep you up or hold you down.* *AA-related ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 10, 2015* *Tolerance* *We begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means. It will become more and more evident as we go forward that it is pointless to become angry, or to get hurt by people who, like us, are suffering from the pains of growing up.* /~ Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 92 *Thought ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 9, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Colossus of Communication Nothing can matter more to the future welfare of AA than the manner in which we use this colossus of communication. Used unselfishly and well, the results can surpass our present imagination.* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 320 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Modem-to-modem or face-to-face, AA's speak the language of the heart.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H E A R T* = **H**ealing, **E**njoying, ** ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 8, 2015* *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 a l ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 7, 2015* *Humility* *What an unthinking world may look upon as defeat, alcoholics in AA know as a triumph of the spirit, a triumph of humility over false pride and self-centeredness. How few human beings ever have the courage to stand up before their neighbors and, in humility, describing themselves truthfully, to say: "This is what I really am."* /~ Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age,/ p. 278 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Humility comes before honor.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 6, 2015* *A Spiritual Path* *Following this spiritual path made a major difference in my life. It seemed to fill that lonely hole that I used to fill with alcohol. My self-esteem improved dramatically, and I knew happiness and serenity as I had never known it before. . . A confidence and faith entered my life and unraveled a plan for me that was bigger and better than I could ever have imagined. It wasn't easy, and it has never been easy, but it gets so much b ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 5, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ An Inside Job We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 55 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I saw, I felt, I believed.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *F A I T H* = **F**inding **A**nswers **I**n **T**he **H**eart. ** *A Member Shares: I'm Dave, an alcoholic.  I had read everything I could find on the subject and did a deep dive int ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 4, 2015* *Listening* *If you really listen to (not just hear) what is being said, you may find the person talking has quietly slipped inside your head and seems to be describing the landscape there -- the shifting shapes of nameless fears, the color and chill of impending doom -- if not the actual events and words in your brain. And whether this happens or not, you will almost surely have a good laugh or two in the company of AA's, and you'll probably pick up ...Continue Reading

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*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 3, 2015* *Responsibility* *We are again citizens of the world.  It is a distraught world, very tired, very uncertain. It has worshiped its own self-sufficiency -- and that has failed. We AA's are people who once did that very thing.  That philosophy failed us, too. So perhaps, here and there, our example of recovery can help. As individuals, we have a responsibility, maybe a /double responsibility./ It may be that we have a date with destiny.* /- The ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 2, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Grace Each of us would like to live at peace with himself and his fellows. We would like to be assured that the grace of God can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 76 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The will of God will never take me where the grace of God will not protect me.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *G R A C E* = **G**ently **R**eleasing **A**ll **C**onscious **E**xpecta ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *August 1, 2015* *Amends* *Step Eight: /"Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all."/ In early sobriety, I would never have contemplated making the first move toward making an amend. But now I'm attempting to discern and apply the will of God in my life. I now take responsibility for my sobriety and for my relationships. Taking such a risk has become a possibility thanks to the Steps and my support network in the ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 31, 2015* *Honesty* *The biggest word for me in AA is "honesty." I don't believe this program would work for me if I didn't get honest with myself about everything. Honesty is the easiest word for me to understand because it is the exact opposite of what I've been doing all my life.* /- Experience, Strength and Hope,/ pp. 400-401 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Honesty isn't an event -- it's a process.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onesty, ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 30, 2015* *Insecurity* *The most common symptoms of emotional insecurity are worry, anger, self-pity, and depression. These stem from causes which sometimes seem to be within us, and at other times to come from without. To take inventory in this respect we ought to consider carefully all personal relationships which bring continuous or recurring trouble. It should be remembered that this kind of insecurity may arise in any area where instincts are threatened.* / ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 29, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Willingness Under the lash of alcoholism, we are driven to AA, and then we discover the fatal nature of our situation. Then, and only then, do we become as open-minded to conviction and as willing to listen as only the dying can be. We stand ready to do anything which will lift the merciless obsession from us.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 24 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-relate ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 28, 2015* *Patience* *Blindly rushing in to hack away at character defects will not speed recovery and may actually slow it down. My Higher Power knows the right time to reveal the life-producing parts of me, and if I have patience, I will know clearly what parts need to be cut away.* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p. 191 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Three P's -- Patience, Persistence, Peace.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *P A U S E* = **P**atience **A**nd **U** ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 27, 2015* *Unique* *A frequent problem for an alcoholic is that he may think he's unique. He can't believe others have had the same experiences, the same problems.  He thinks he's different. Not me!  I think there are many like me, but they don't get heard. Some of them may be listening for a sign that they, too, can belong. Well if I can do it, anyone can do it.  And I do belong.  AA is my life.  Why shouldn't it be? Before, I had only ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 26, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Fear The practice of AA's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in our personal lives brought incredible releases from fear of every description, despite the wide prevalence of formidable personal problems. When fear did persist, we knew it for what it was, and under God's grace we became able to handle it.* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 268 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 25, 2015* *Happiness* *So happiness to me is fulfillment, the satisfaction gained from knowing that you did the best your honestly evaluated limitations would permit -- in all phases of living. Happiness is gratitude for the miracle which granted another go-round at a life once abandoned. Happiness is growing up.  It is recognizing all the things you really have. Happiness is for experiencing, as well as remembering.* /- Came to Believe . . .,/ p. 112 *Tho ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 24, 2015* *Authorities* *Happily for us, we found we need no human authority whatever.  We have two authorities which are far more effective. One is benign, the other malign.  There is God, our Father, who very simply says, "I am waiting for you to do my will." The other authority is named John Barleycorn, and he says, "You had better do God's will or I will kill you."  And sometimes he does kill. So when the chips are down, we ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 23, 2015* *Self-restraint* *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. We must avoid quick-tempered criticism and furious, power-driven argument. The same goes for sulking or silent scorn. These are emotional booby-traps baited with pride and vengefulness.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 91 *Thought to Ponder ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 22 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Keeping It Simple Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid.  It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 14 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *K I S S* = **K**eep **I**t **S**erenely **S**imple. ** *A Member Shares: I'm Ravi, an alcoh ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 21, 2015* *Expectations* *Until I could honestly look at myself and see that I was the problem in many situations and react appropriately inside and out; until I could discard my expectations and understand that my serenity was directly proportional to them, I could not experience serenity and sound sobriety.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 71 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Expectations are resentments 'under construction.'* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lt ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 20, 2015* *Discovery* *I figured why I'd been unsuccessful with sobriety in the past.  The answer was on page fifty-eight: "Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program . . ." My problem was not that I could not, because I knew I could; my problem was that I would not. After this discovery, I commenced to follow the program as outlined in the Big Book, and for the first time, I comple ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 19 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Selfishness Selfishness -- self-centeredness!  That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. . . So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making . . . Above all, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us!  God makes that possible.* /- Alcoholics An ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 18, 2015* *Answers* *In thinking about our day we may face indecision.  We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision.  We relax and take it easy.  We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 86 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I asked from the heart, and I received.* *AA-related 'Alco ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 18, 2015* *The First Step* *The First Step and I have always been great friends. I repeated it every five seconds and thanked God each day for my sobriety -- the only grace, maybe, for that day. Gradually, I began to see another part of me emerging -- a grateful me, expecting nothing, but sure that another power was beginning to guide me, counsel me, and direct my ways.  And I was not afraid. . . The adversities, loneliness, sickness, losses, and disappoint ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 16, 2015* *24-Hour Plan* *Getting away from the pull of the first drink is like putting a space vehicle in orbit. It takes a lot of thrust to overcome the initial pull of gravity and get the vehicle off the ground. But once it gets in orbit, all that's required is a small correction from time to time. That's how the 24-hour plan works -- a small daily checkup and corrections to keep us away from the pull of that first drink. The 24-hour plan is a discipline whos ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 15 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Tradition Seven /"Every AA Group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."/* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 160 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Twelve Steps tell us how it works; the Twelve Traditions tell us why it works.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**live. ** *A Member Shares: Hi, I'm Jocelyn, an alcoholic.  My sponsor always says that giving to th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 14, 2015* *Hope* *Hope is the priceless ingredient for recovery.  This, AA gives, most frequently not in mere words. Upon the alcoholic's first contact with AA, as he looks around the room and sees men and women respectably clothed and in their right minds, enjoying themselves, that flicker of hope begins to burn. And he says to himself, "If those jokers can do it, I can." The first need, beyond any other, is hope.  Without it, there is nothi ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 13, 2015* *Making Coffee* *All I thought about as I was making the coffee was making the coffee and how people could enjoy it. At my sponsor's suggestion, I stood near the coffeepot and welcomed everyone who came by. I must have experienced a million smiles in a very short time.  And when I pushed the broom, all I concentrated on was the dust rising from it as I moved across the floor. My troubles were gone for the time that I was doing these things.  ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 12, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Balance Our sponsors come to the rescue.  They can do this, for they are the carriers of AA's experience with Step Four. . . This, the sponsor promptly proves by talking freely and easily, and without exhibitionism, about his own defects, past and present. . . This tends to clear away morbidity and encourage balance.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 46 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A sponsor is someone who holds ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 11, 2015* *Discovery* *It is a positive fact that I shall never attain perfection, but in the attempt I have discovered a new zest for life, a new and more interesting battle every day, and the peace-giving knowledge that at least I am trying something I never experienced before. I believe that man's value to himself is the sum total of his positive reaction to the little things in life.* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p. 56 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Recovery is d ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 10, 2015* *Just One Day* *Any of us can handle just one day; all each one of us has to try at is our own job, our own family life. We don't have to try fixing up the whole world or understanding what no theologian of any faith has ever understood. We simply stop messing in God's business. And in my opinion, when we stop messing and stop worrying, we /have/ turned our will and our lives over to God (or Good) as we understand (or don't understand) Him.* /- Came To ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 9, 2015* *Alternatives* *If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help.* /- Alcoholics ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 8, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Novel Idea My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea.  He said, /"Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"/  That statement hit me hard. . . /It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning./  Would I have it?  Of course I would! Thus I was convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 7, 2015* *Pride* *We alcoholics return to drink more often because of petty difficulties than because of life's serious setbacks and tragedies. The big problems seem to bring out our virtues, petty ones our faults. For God to remove our shortcomings, we need to identify the defect for what it is. . . And certainly the most difficult fault to see in ourselves is pride, aptly termed the first deadly sin.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 3], p. 208 *Thought to ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 6, 2015* *Children of Chaos* *Over the years, every conceivable deviation from our Twelve Steps and Traditions has been tried. That was sure to be, since we are so largely a band of ego-driven individuals. Children of chaos, we have definitely played with every brand of fire, only to emerge unharmed and, we think, wiser. These very deviations created a vast process of trial and error, which under the grace of God, has brought us to where we stand today.* /- Twel ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 5, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Foundation Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask is we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. Is our work solid so far?  Are the stones properly in place? Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation?  Have we tried to make mortar without sand?* /- ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 4, 2015* *Freedom* *I craved freedom.  First, freedom to drink; later, freedom from drink. The AA program of recovery lies on a foundation of free choice. There are no mandates, laws or commandments.  AA's spiritual program, as outlined in the Twelve Steps, and by which I am offered even greater freedoms, is only suggested. I can take it or leave it.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 95 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Our AA freedoms create the soil in which genu ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 3, 2015* *A Precious Life* *I have found rooms full of wonderful people, and for me each and every one of the Big Book's promises have come true. The things I have learned from my own experience, from the Big Book, and from my friends in AA -- patience, acceptance, honesty, humility, and true faith in a Power greater than myself -- are the tools I use today to live my life, this precious life.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 475 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life is ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 2, 2015* *Today* *Today is always here.  Life /is/ daily; today is all we have; and anybody can go one day without drinking. First, we try living in the now just in order to stay sober -- and it works. Once the idea has become a part of our thinking, we find that living life in 24-hour segments is an effective and satisfying way to handle many other matters as well.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 7 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Every day is a gift.  That is why w ...Continue Reading