*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *July 1, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Humility It was only at the end of a long road, marked by successive defeats and humiliations, and the final crushing of our self-sufficiency, that we began to feel humility as something more than a condition of groveling despair.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 72 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Learning is the very essence of humility; the two walk hand in hand.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A R T* = **A**lways **R* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 30, 2015* *Defects* *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. The moment we say, "No, never!" our minds close against the grace of God. Delay is dangerous, and rebellion may be fatal.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 69 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If I want God to remove my character defects, I'll have to stop doing them.* *AA-relate ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 29, 2015* *Meditation* *Meditation belongs and grows with daily life and daily growth, for it is in daily life that analytical thought binds us into the dilemma of opposites and consequently into sorrow, pleasure-seeking, and loss of freedom. In a life that may often seem onerous, boring and senseless, meditation can free us to its beauty, its joy beyond pleasure, its passion beyond sorrow.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], p. 172 *Thought to Ponder . . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 28, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Living Sober Living sober turns out to be not at all grim, boring, and uncomfortable, as we had feared, but rather something we began to enjoy and find much more exciting than our drinking days. We'll show you how.* /- Living Sober,/ Preface *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. ** *A Member Shares: Hello Family, my ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 27, 2015* *Vigilance* *My alcoholism lives within me now and forever.  I must never forget what I am. Alcohol will kill me if I fail to recognize and acknowledge my disease on a daily basis. I am not playing a game in which a loss is a temporary setback. I am dealing with my disease for which there is no cure, only daily acceptance and vigilance.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 276 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If I don't drink today, I have the hope of a tomorrow ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 27, 2015* *Vigilance* *My alcoholism lives within me now and forever.  I must never forget what I am. Alcohol will kill me if I fail to recognize and acknowledge my disease on a daily basis. I am not playing a game in which a loss is a temporary setback. I am dealing with my disease for which there is no cure, only daily acceptance and vigilance.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 276 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If I don't drink today, I have the hope of a tomorrow ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 26, 2015* *Overcoming Self-will* *I feel myself a useful member of the human race at last. I have something to contribute to humanity, since I am peculiarly qualified, as a fellow-sufferer, to give aid and comfort to those who have stumbled and fallen over this business of meeting life. . . I believe that my once over-weening self-will has finally found its proper place, for I can say many times daily, "Thy will be done, not mine" . . . and mean it.* - ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 25, 2015* *Balance* *Today, independence and healthy relationships form a dynamic balance, which I maintain by striving for the serenity to accept the things I can't change, the willingness to turn things over, and the courage to put my time and energy into things I can change. That is the wisdom to know the difference.* - The AA Grapevine, July 2011, p. 30 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Wisdom is knowing the right path to take; integrity is taking it.* *AA-relate ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 24, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Pass It On I'll never forget the first time I met Bill Wilson. I was a couple of months sober and so thrilled to meet the co-founder that I gushed all over him with what my sobriety meant to me and my undying gratitude for his starting AA. When I ran down, he took my hand in his and said simply, "Pass it on."* /- 'Pass It On,'/ Preface *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Let it begin with me.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 23, 2015* *The First One* *If we do not take the first drink, we never get drunk.  Therefore, instead of planning to never get drunk, or trying to limit the number of drinks or the amount of alcohol, we have learned to concentrate on avoiding only one drink: the first one.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 5 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The first drink has the last say.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**ware. Thanks to all of you for sharing so gen ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 22, 2015* *My Chance to Live* *I believe I was one of the lucky ones. Not just because I found this program at such a young age; I feel fortunate that I found AA at all. My approach to drinking brought me to the jumping-off place described in the Big Book much faster than anyone could have imagined. I'm convinced if I had continued on my course, I wouldn't have survived much longer. I don't believe I was smarter than anyone else, as I'm often told by those who c ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 21, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Honesty Let us therefore continue our several searches for self-deception, great or small. . . How truth makes us free is something that we AAs can well understand. It cut the shackles that once bound us to alcohol. . . May we therefore quicken our search for still more genuine honesty, and deepen its presence in all our affairs.* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 264 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Honesty is the absence of the i ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 20, 2015* *Guidance* *I promise to watch for every opportunity to turn toward my Higher Power for guidance. I know where this power is: it resides within me, as clear as a mountain brook, hidden in the hills -- it is the unsuspected Inner Resource.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 28 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The power within me is far greater than any fear before me.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *F A I T H* = **F**acing **A**n **I**nner **T**ruth **H**eals. Than ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 19, 2015* *Carrying the Message* *If AA had provided me with a social life, a job, and a husband, I'd have had no reason to place my reliance upon God. If they had done anything other than carry the message of recovery, I might have missed it. Thank God, that's all AA does.* /- The Home Group: Heartbeat of AA,/ p. 113 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *In AA we don't carry the alcoholic; we carry the message.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *P R O G R A M* = **P**eople ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 18, 2015* *This Precious Gift* *None of us can ever fathom the glories and uncharted regions of the universe. But we /can/ live on earth and love one another. We can let in the beginnings of /concern, compassion, consideration,/ and watch ourselves grow. With the tools and guideposts of AA, we can learn a little of this precious gift -- our gateway to human spirituality.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 120 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Three "C's" ~ C ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 17, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Progress No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints.  The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.* /Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 60 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The road to recovery is always under construction.* *AA-re ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 16, 2015* *Reality* *Above all, we reject fantasizing and accept reality.  The more I drank, the more I fantasized everything. I imagined getting even for hurts and rejections.  In my mind's eye I played and replayed scenes in which I was plucked magically from the bar where I stood nursing a drink and was instantly exalted to some position of power and prestige.  I lived in a dream world. AA led me gently from this fantasizing to embrace reality ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 15, 2015* *Self-worth* *I know that I am not a total loss, even when I think I am. I know that freedom and usefulness, love, outgoingness, and sharing are the important things in life. But even more important, I have to care for me and achieve a sense of self-worth. So I continue to listen.  I am still open to suggestions.  I continue on my way.  And I am on my way up.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], pp. 24-25 *Thought to Ponder . . .* * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 14, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Divine Grace I'm still mystified by how I got sober, and the only answer that makes sense is that I stopped drinking through the grace of God. I was thinking about those of us who get sober and those who are still drinking, and I believe the difference is that we have accepted the grace that was offered. Every day, my Higher Power gives me the grace to be sober, and every day I make the choice not to drink, to accept the grace ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 13, 2015* *Infinite Debt* *It is with the deepest feeling that I here cast up AA's debt to the clergy: without their works for us, AA could never have been born; nearly every principle that we use came from them. Their example, their faith, and their beliefs in some part, we have appropriated and made our own. Almost literally, we AAs owe them our lives, our fortunes, and such salvation as each of us has found. Surely, this is an infinite debt!* /- The Language ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 12, 2015* *Truth* *I began with blind faith, but the proof of truth is that /it works./ I believed those who said they had suffered from alcoholism, but, through AA, were now enjoying sobriety. So the truth was there for me to see.  But shortly I knew the truth from my own experience. I was not only released from the compulsion to drink; I was guided toward a compulsion to live!* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 3 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Truth is to inner ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 11, 2015* *Freedom* *I ran into a personal crisis which filled me with a raging and righteous anger. And as I fumed helplessly and planned to get good and drunk and /show them,/ my eye caught a sentence in the book lying open on my bed: "We cannot live with anger." The walls crumpled -- and the light streamed in.  I wasn't trapped.  I wasn't helpless. I was /free,/ and I didn't have to drink to "show them." This wasn't "religio ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 10, 2015* *Blessings* *I started listing the blessings for which I was in no way responsible, beginning with having been born of sound mind and body. I went through seventy-four years of living right up to the present moment. The list ran to two pages, and took two hours to compile; I included health, family, money, AA -- the whole gamut. . . When I remember my gratitude list, it's very hard to conclude that God is picking on me.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 150 ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 9, 2015* *Resentments* *I must face the fact that the resentment process is not only fruitless, it is self-defeating. Justified or not, the resentment, and my efforts to bolster its justification, will eat away at my peace of mind and my enjoyment of life. Meanwhile, the person I resent couldn't care less. Here I am burning myself to a crisp over something he or she may not be totally aware of, something I can't change. . . So maybe what I need to do is take a l ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 8, 2015* *"If"* *Alcoholism respects no ifs.  It does not go away, not for a week, for a day, or even for an hour, leaving us nonalcoholic and able to drink again on some special occasion or for some extraordinary reason -- not even if it is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, or if a big sorrow hits us, or if it rains in Spain or the stars fall on Alabama. Alcoholism is for us unconditional, with no dispensations available at any price.* /- Living ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 7, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Self-pity Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know.  It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 238 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *If I self-forget I find.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**ttitu ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 6, 2015* *Traditions* *The Twelve Traditions point straight at many of our individual defects. By implication they ask each of us to lay aside pride and resentment.  They ask for personal as well as group sacrifice. . . The Traditions guarantee the equality of all members and the independence of all groups. They show how we may best relate ourselves to each other and to the world outside. They indicate how we can best function in harmony as a great whole.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 5, 2015* *The Stairway* *It seems clear that we do not have a "stairway to the stars"; what we have is a working, utilitarian stairway of life. We climb it to show our gratitude for sobriety -- to become gracious receivers of this precious gift. And we move down it, too, not merely to meet the newcomer, but as we recommit ourselves in surrender to our Higher Power again and again. As we meditate, pray, and seek greater conscious contact with God as we ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 4, 2015* *Motives* *Among AA's there is still a vast amount of mix-up respecting what is material and what is spiritual. I prefer to believe that it is all a matter of motive. If we use our worldly possessions too selfishly, then we are materialists. But if we share these possessions in helpfulness to others, then the material aids the spiritual.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 287 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *How we treat others is a consequence of the depth of our own ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 3, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Tradition Twelve /"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."/ Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction as AA members both among fellow alcoholics and before the general public. As we lay aside these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes part in the weaving of a protect ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 2, 2015* *Kindness* *Now is the time, the only time there is.  And if we are not kind to ourselves right now, we certainly cannot rightfully expect respect or consideration from others. We have found we can enjoy, sober, every good thing we enjoyed while drinking -- and many, many more. It takes a little practice, but the rewards more than make up for the effort.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 42 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is only one corner of the universe I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *June 1, 2015* *Essentials* *The AA members who sponsored me told me in the beginning that I would not only find a way to live without having a drink, but that I would find a way to live without /wanting/ to drink, if I would do these simple things. They said if you want to know /how/ this program works, take the first word of your question -- the "H" is for honesty, the "O" is for open-mindedness, and the "W" is for willingness; these ou ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 31, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Action As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. . . We alcoholics are undisciplined.  So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined. But this is not all.  There is action and more action.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ pp. 87-88 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Right actions for the future are the best apologies for wrong ones in the past.* *A ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 30, 2015* *Footprints* *Stepping into the first footprint that led from the dismal swamp of alcoholism toward the sunlight of sobriety would not take me far enough.  Would I muddle along on some little trail of my own in the weeds, vaguely paralleling the clearly marked AA road? Or would I choose to follow in the exact footsteps of the AA's who had preceded?  The choice was up to me. I could do either, but I had to cover the whole trail if I wanted to g ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 29, 2015* *Step Five* *Even AA oldtimers, sober for years, often pay dearly for skimping this Step. They will tell how they tried to carry the load alone; how much they suffered of irritability, anxiety, remorse, and depression; and how, unconsciously seeking relief, they would sometimes accuse even their best friends of the very character defects they themselves were trying to conceal.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 56 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 28, 2015* *"Reasons"* *Like most alcoholics, I used all the usual "reasons" for not stopping drinking: "I won't be able to sleep at night"; "My life will be too boring if I quit drinking"; "If I stop, people will think I have a problem" (no need to worry; they already knew). But I had one real reason that kept me from stopping: I knew that if I did quit drinking, I would almost certainly have to begin looking into ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 27, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Anger If we were to live, we had to be free of anger.  The grouch and the sudden rage were not for us. Anger is the dubious luxury of normal men, but for us alcoholics it is poison.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 5 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Anger is the wind that blows out the light of reason.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**void **A**nger. ** *A Member Shares: Hi everyone, I'm Susan, a grateful alcoholic.  I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 26, 2015* *Pass It On* *". . . I'll never forget the first time I met Bill Wilson. I was a couple of months sober and so excited, so thrilled to actually meet the co-founder that I gushed all over him with what my sobriety meant to me and my undying gratitude for his starting AA. When I ran down, he took my hand in his, and said simply, 'Pass it on.'"* /- 'Pass It On',/ Preface *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A candle loses nothing by lighting another candl ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 25, 2015* *Decision* *If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked.  We thought we could find an easier, softer way.  But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 58 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *While it isn't always easy, if I keep it ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 24, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ 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. . . True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every AA meeting is an assurance that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselv ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 23, 2015* *Pride* *As for those bad habits I once listed as defects, I am trying to arrest them one day at a time, as I do my alcoholism. A little progress has been made on pride. I can now admit that most of my problems stem from one glaring defect: self-centeredness. For how can I wallow in self-pity, weep over resentments, be sick with righteous anger, ache with envy, tense up with fears and anxieties unless all my thoughts are exclusively on poor me?* /- The ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 22, 2015* *Defects* *Did I, an alcoholic, have a defective character?  Of course I did.  Was I, an alcoholic, also a sick man?  Yes, very. To what extent I was personally responsible for my drinking, I don't know. Yet I'm not one to take complete refuge in the idea that I was a sick man only. In earlier years I certainly had some degree of free will. That free will I used badly, to the great misery of my mother and countless others.  I am deep ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 21, 2015* *Prayer* *My sponsor said, "Pray if you can." Having no faith whatever, thinking that prayer must be some kind of autohypnotic play-acting, alone in my apartment I got down on my knees like a little child and prayed to the unknown God. I said, "God, take away my compulsion to drink." And my compulsion to drink was removed, and it has not returned from that day to this. Without knowing how I had done it, I had surrendered to the Power ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 20, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Honesty The perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one permeates human affairs from top to bottom. This subtle and elusive kind of self-righteousness can underlie he smallest act or thought. Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws is the essence of character-building, and good living.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 17 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive.* *AA-relat ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 19, 2015* *Guilt* *My conflicts went right on mounting because I was loaded with excuses and refusals. When these troubles had finally exhausted me enough, there was yet another escape. I would commence to wallow in the bog of guilt.  Here pride and rebellion would give way to depression. . . Just as I had exaggerated my modest attainments by pride, so now I would exaggerate my defects through guilt. . . Believe it or not, I took that to be great humility on ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 18, 2015* *Overcoming Fear* *When I took the Fifth Step with all the thoroughness I could muster, that part of me I feared the most no longer frightened me. I suddenly realized that God loves me just as I am.* - The AA Grapevine, July 1980 "Short Takes" *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A fear faced is a fear erased.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of y ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 17, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Belonging There is no more aloneness, with that awful ache, so deep in the heart of every alcoholic, that nothing, before, could ever reach it. That ache is gone and never need return again. Now there is a sense of belonging, of being wanted and needed and loved. In return for a bottle and a hangover, we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 276 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The sense of belonging ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 16, 2015* *Contact* *I had been undergoing a spiritual experience without knowing it.  My continued questioning about a Higher Power, my changed mental attitude, and even my physical recovery had all been a part of a spiritual awakening. Without knowing it, I had been in contact with the source of life, whatever or whoever that may be.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 2], p. 193 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *New ideals and new attitudes bring a new life.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 15, 2015* *A New Meaning* *My intelligence, instead of drawing me further away from spiritual faith, is bringing me closer to it. I no longer react in quite the same way when my will and desires are apparently frustrated. The simple words "Thy Will Be Done" and the simple ideas of honesty and of helping others are taking on a new meaning for me.* /- Experience, Strength and Hope,/ p. 127 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA- ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 14, 2015* *Step Five* /"Admitted to God, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."/ *With AA as my structure and God as my source of strength, I can face life without taking a drink. . . But I must also bear in mind that it is the spirit within me, which comes from God, that is going to be the healing force. I can turn to it wherever I am.  I want very much to share myself with another human being now. I am afraid of taking that s ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 13, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Complacency It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe.  We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 85 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The alcoholic is in no greater peril than when he takes sobriety for granted ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 12, 2015* *Tranquility* *We truly get to know ourselves as never before if we honestly study that Fourth Step. This knowledge can eventually make us strong, if we ask for help in the right quarter. . . In this way, I've gained some measure of tranquility as well as a deep and abiding gratitude to AA and the Greater Power.* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p. 43 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I want the gift of an untroubled mind.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *G I F T S ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 11, 2015* *Understanding* *A tiny kernel of locked-in feelings began to unfold when I first attended AA meetings and self-knowledge then became a learning task for me. This new self-understanding brought about a change in my responses to life's situations. I realized I had the right to make choices in my life, and the inner dictatorship of habits slowly lost its grip.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 135 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Once we understand ourselves, the re ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 10, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Truth Truth liberates.  Truth heals. Truth unlocks the door to the glory of reality, and gives us the means to live in harmony with reality. In return, it asks only that we surrender all lies and illusions and love what is. Why do we wait so long?* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], p. 138 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Truth is to inner space what sunshine is to a garden.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lway ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 9, 2015* *The Answer* *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 in my life, I completely gave myself to this simple program.* /- The Best of the ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 8, 2015* *Growth* *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 . . .* *When in doubt, be silent.  Grow where you are planted.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**live. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message. B ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 7, 2015* *Willpower* *We know for sure that alcoholics do have tremendous willpower. Consider the ways we could manage to get a drink in defiance of all visible possibilities. Merely to get up some mornings -- with a rusting cast-iron stomach, all your teeth wearing tiny sweaters, and each hair electrified -- takes willpower many nondrinkers rarely dream of. Once you've gotten up with your head, on those certain mornings, the ability to carry it all through the d ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 6, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Anonymity Once one is fairly sober, and sure of this, there seems to be no reason for failing to talk about AA membership in the right places. This has a tendency to bring in other people.  Word of mouth is one of our most important communications.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 120 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Anonymity is real humility at work.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A N O N Y M O U S* = **A**ctions, **N**ot **O**ur **N ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 5, 2015* *Today* *Today is the day.  Doing our best, living each day to the fullest is the art of living. Yesterday is gone, and we don't know whether we will be here tomorrow. If we do a good job of living today, and if tomorrow comes for us, then the chances are we will do a good job when it arrives -- so why worry about it?  The AA way of life is the way we always should have tried to live.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 357 *Thought to Ponder . . .* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 4, 2015* *Unity* *To those now in its fold, AA has made the difference between misery and sobriety, and often the difference between life and death. AA can, of course, mean just as much to uncounted alcoholics not yet reached. Therefore, no society of men and women ever had a more urgent /need/ for continuous effectiveness and permanent unity. We alcoholics see that we must work together and hang together, else most of us will finally die alone.* /- Alcoholics An ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 3, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Freedom from Bondage "God, I offer myself to thee -- to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will."* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 63 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Prayer is neither black magic nor is it a form of demand note.  Prayer is a relationship.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *P U S H* = **P**ray **U**ntil **S**omething **H**appens. ** *A Me ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 2, 2015* *Step Five* /"Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."/ *Even AA oldtimers, sober for years, often pay dearly for skimping this Step.  They will tell how they tried to carry the load alone; how much they suffered of irritability, anxiety, remorse, and depression; and how, unconsciously seeking relief, they would sometimes accuse their best friends of the very character defects they themselv ...Continue Reading

*The Best of the Grapevine* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *May 1, 2015* *An Important Milestone* *For many of us, the admission that we are alcoholics was so difficult, painful, embarrassing, and shocking that we arrived in the program just by saying the words "I'm an alcoholic."  Some of us held back, afraid to let the words out. Others of us were defiant, obstinately refusing to be railroaded by a bunch of eager beavers with the Big Book in hand. When the moment of admission finally came, it was a milesto ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 30, 2015* *Anger* *It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong /with us./ If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also.  But are there any exceptions to this rule? What about "justifiable" anger?  If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad? Can't we be properly angry with self-righteous folk?  For us of AA these are dangerous exceptions. We have ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 30, 2015* *Anger* *It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong /with us./ If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also.  But are there any exceptions to this rule? What about "justifiable" anger?  If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad? Can't we be properly angry with self-righteous folk?  For us of AA these are dangerous exceptions. We have ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 29, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Promise We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 84 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**wesome. ** *A Member Shares: I'm Charlie J., and I have Alcoholism.  I don't ever remember talking about this in AA.  All my life I have had so ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 28, 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 any 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 lad ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 27, 2015* *Children of Chaos* *Over the years, every conceivable deviation from our Twelve Steps and Twelve 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 defiantly 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.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 26, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Serenity "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,/ p. 41 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *K I S S* = **K**eep **I**t **S**erenely **S**imple. ** *A Memb ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 25, 2015* *Centered* *Getting myself into the present centers me.  I've come to believe that God is taking care of me. The relief was swift as I realized I only had to get through the next hour, half-hour, or even ten minutes. It's a miracle how the process works.* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p. 55 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Every recovery from alcoholism began with one sober hour.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *S I T* = **S**tay **I**n **T**oday. Thanks ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 24, 2015* *Discovery* *By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us. Without a searching and fearless moral inventory, most of us have found that the faith which really works in daily living is still out of reach.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 43 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Recovery is discovery.* *AA-r ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 23, 2015* *Belonging* *We discover -- but can hardly dare to believe right at first -- that /we are not alone./  We are /not/ totally unlike /everybody,/ after all. The brittle shell of protective and fearful egocentricity is cracked open by the honesty of other recovered alcoholics. We sense, almost before we can articulate it, that we do belong somewhere, and the loneliness starts leaking away. Relief is too weak a word to convey our initial feeling. * / ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 22, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Unmanageable The unmanageable aspect is part of day-to-day living and carries in it the trigger for the alcoholic's obsession with drink. All the laws that are at work in the world are going to make every life unmanageable from time to time. But for the alcoholic there is not only an additional danger, but also an additional opportunity. AA offers us a program that can put life's unmanageability into perspective.* /- The Best ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 21, 2015* *Sponsorship* *Sponsorship is a bridge to trusting the human race, the very race we once resigned from. In learning to trust, we are strengthening our sobriety.* The AA Grapevine, February, 1984 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *We need trust to combat fear.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**wesome. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message. Blessings in sobriety to ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 20, 2015* *Action* *The program of action, though entirely sensible, was pretty drastic. It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions out of the window. That was not easy.  But the moment I made up my mind to go through with the process, I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 42 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *What is now proved was once only imagined.* *AA-r ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 19, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Self-pity Poor little old me.  I had the Ploms and almost died from them. Sober, I would probably recovered with a few new scars on an already badly dented ego, and my life would have been a different one. . .  It was alcohol /plus/ the Ploms that almost did me in. Though I no longer use alcohol, I must still guard against self-pity, a defect as "cunning, baffling, powerful" as alcohol.* /- The Best of the ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 18, 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 premeditated resentments.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *W I S D O M* = **W**h ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 17, 2015* *The Answer* *The answer was on page fifty-eight: "Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not 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 in my life, I completely gave myself to this simple program. . . As a result of practicing t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 16, 2015* *Step Four* /"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves."/ *My Fourth Step showed me to be a liar, cheat, and thief; I was totally ruled by fear and resentment. I thought of others only in light of my goals and cared about them only as they affected me. It may be that my life was perfect from a transcendent perspective, but the contingencies were hell -- and it was the contingencies that had my back to the wall.* /- The Best ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 15, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. /Willingness, honesty and open-mindedness are the essentials of recovery.  But these are indispensable./* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 568 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Honesty isn't an event -- it's a process.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H O W* = **H**onesty, **O**pen-mindedness, **W**illingness. ** *A ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 14, 2015* *Pickles* *We are also concerned, after countless attempts we made to prove otherwise, that alcoholism is incurable -- just like some other illnesses.  It cannot be "cured" in this sense: We cannot change our body chemistry and go back to being the normal, moderate social drinkers lots of us seemed to be in our youth. As some of us put it, we can no more make that change than a pickle can change itself back into a cucumber.* /- Living S ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 13, 2015* *Humility* *Humility is a personal achievement, it cannot be given away.  It comes in glimmers and grows like an ice crystal. It is fragile, too, thus requiring constant care and protection. Maintaining anonymity insures that the focus of our efforts is on the program and not on personalities.* /- The Home Group: Heartbeat of AA,/ p. 126 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Anonymity is real humility at work.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *C H A N G E* = ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 12, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Daily Reprieve It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe.  We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent upon the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 85 *Th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 11, 2015* *Generosity* *We cannot skimp when the treasurer of our group passes the hat.  Our groups, our areas, and AA as a whole will not function unless our services are sufficient and their bills are paid. When we meet and defeat the temptation to take large gifts, we are only being prudent. But when we are generous with the hat we give a token that we are grateful for our blessings and evidence that we are eager to share what we have found with all tho ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 10, 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 drinking ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 9, 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. They tie me to other problems that have nothing to do with my original problem.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 88 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Forgiveness is the ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 8, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Sober Life Somewhat to our surprise, staying sober turns out not to be the grim, wet-blanket experience we had expected! While we were drinking, a life without alcohol seemed like no life at all. But for most members of AA, living sober is really living -- a joyous experience. We much prefer it to the troubles we had with drinking.* /- Living Sober,/ Foreword *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-r ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 7, 2015* *Usefulness* *Gradually, I grew to understand that normal living meant being useful where I was, accepting where I was, and not hankering after all those big things. . . Even as an alcoholic staying sober one day at a time at home, I could be worthwhile and step out of self-pity by stepping out of self. . . I came to view service as the opposite of uselessness.  The Big Book kept its promise for me. For this change in outlook, for seeing my worth ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 6, 2015* *Awareness* *Most of us think this awareness of a Power greater then ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. Our more religious members call it "God-consciousness." Most 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.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 568 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Three ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 5, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A New Life Regardless of worldly success or failure, regardless of pain or joy, regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself, a new life of endless possibilities can be lived if we are willing to continue our awakening, through the practice of AA's Twelve Steps.* /- As Bill Sees It,/p. 8 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life didn't end when I got sober -- it started.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *T H I N K* = **T**he ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 4, 2015* *Confidence* *Once we have a complete willingness to take inventory, and exert ourselves to do the job thoroughly, a wonderful light falls upon the foggy scene. As we persist, a brand-new kind of confidence is born, and the sense of relief at finally facing ourselves is indescribable.  These are the first fruits of Step Four.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ pp. 49-50 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Inventory-taking is not always done in red i ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 3, 2015* *Making the Call* *I prayed very hard, and agonized much, and I finally made the call.  At my first meeting, I apologized to the group. I honestly admitted I was only a beer drinker.  It was difficult to say, but it felt good to clear the air. I half expected to be kicked out of the meeting, but I was gently assured that there were beer drinkers in AA. In fact, there were some at that very meeting!  I felt better, but I wanted to clear u ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 2, 2015* *Inventory* *I may attain "humility for today" only to the extent that I am able to avoid the bog of guilt and rebellion, and that fair but deceiving land which is strewn with the coin of Pride. This is how I can find and stay on the Road to Humility which lies in between. Therefore, a constant inventory which can reveal when I am off the road is always in order.* /- The Language of the Heart,/ p. 256 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The differenc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *April 1, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Being Good to Ourselves Now is the time, the only time there is.  And if we are not kind to ourselves right now, we certainly cannot rightfully expect respect or consideration from others. We have found we can enjoy, sober, every good thing we enjoyed while drinking -- and many, many more. It takes a little practice, but the rewards more than make up for the effort. To do so is not selfish, but self-productive.* /Living S ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 31, 2015* *The Solution* *Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the process requires for its successful consummation.  But we saw it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it. When, therefore, we were approached by those in whom the problem had been solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 30, 2015* *Perfection* *There would be no music if high C were the only note, no art if spectrum red were the only color, no joy in pleasure if pleasure were the only feeling -- and, paradoxically, there would be no perfection without imperfection. What does this mean to me?  Well, first it means that /I don't have to be perfect./ All I have to do is grow at a pace natural to me -- and that is all I have a right to expect of others.* /- The Best of the Gra ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 29, 2015 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Primary Purpose 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 only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, p ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 28, 2015* *Alcoholism* *Alcoholism is deadly, ugly, and tough.  It is also cunning, baffling, and powerful. . . It wants me to forget it is a snake in the brain, hoping to catch my eye, watching, waiting. The gritty pain of alcoholism is the traction of recovery.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 3], p. 165 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Times change, alcoholism doesn't.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**bsolute **A**bstinence. Thanks to all of ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 27, 2015* *Cafeteria Style* *Sometimes an AA member will talk about taking the various parts of the program in cafeteria style -- selecting what he likes and letting alone what he does not want. Maybe others will come along and pick up the unwanted parts -- or maybe that member himself will go back later and take some of the ideas he previously rejected. However, it is good to remember the temptation in a cafeteria is to pick up nothing but a lot of desserts or ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *March 26, 2015* *Sanity* *AA taught me that /willingness to believe/ was enough for a beginning. It's been true in my case, nor could I quarrel with "restore us to sanity," for my actions drunk or sober, before AA, were not those of a sane person. My desire to be honest with myself made it necessary for me to realize that my thinking was irrational.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 550 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *AA has taught me the knack of being myself.* * ...Continue Reading