*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 15, 2014* *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 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 his hand in mine and said simply, "Pass it on."* /- 'Pass It On',/ preface *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Gratitude is not a word in AA; it's an action.* *AA-relate ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 14, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Perspective Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word "blame" from our speech and thought. This required great willingness even to begin. But once over the first two or three high hurdles, the course ahead began to look easier. For we had started to get perspective on ourselves, which is another way of saying that we were gaining in humility.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ pp. 47-48 *T ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 13, 2014* *The Twelve Steps* *I often say and shall always say that the Twelve Steps are one of the very great summaries and organic collections of spiritual truth known to history. They have an almost universal relevance (not a relevance for alcoholics alone). They will offer a way out for many a person who knows nothing personally of alcoholism. They will point up the way for those who have known it and lost it. Thank God for the Twelve Steps and for a man ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 12, 2014* *The Language of the Heart* *From the beginning, communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. It has been unusual and sometimes unique.  Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with /the language of the heart./* /- The Language Of The Heart,/ p. 243 *Thought to ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 11, 2014* *Happiness* *Happiness happens when results exceed expectations.  Maybe this is working after all. Deep down, there is also a warm, small ball of faith, never dimmed, unexplainable, asking nothing, but giving much. To define it or try to bounce it would distort or destroy it.  It just is, that's all.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], pp. 187-188 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *True happiness is found in the journey, not the destination ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 10, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Helping Others When I talk to a newcomer to AA, my past looks me straight in the face. I see the pain in those hopeful eyes, I extend my hand, and then the miracle happens: /I/ become healed. My problems vanish as I reach out to this trembling soul.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 274 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *In AA, we discover that it is impossible to give without receiving, or receive without giving.* *AA-related 'Alconym' ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 9, 2014* *Only One Reason* *I believe we are all sober and alive for only one reason: God has a job for us to do. I have also come to believe that I must please God first, myself second, and everybody else third. When I can live and feel that way -- and it isn't all day every day -- things seem to work out. When /I/ try to run the show, everything goes to hell.* /- Came to Believe . . .,/ p. 97 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *No God, no peace -- know God, know p ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 8, 2014* *Reality* *Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of spiritual serenity, as I have excellent reason to know. Roots of reality, supplanting the neurotic underbrush, will hold fast, despite the high winds of the forces which would destroy us, or which we would use to destroy ourselves.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 173 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Few people have the imagination to see reality.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**ttitude ** ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 7, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Living Sober 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 sober members of AA, living sober is /really/ living -- a joyous experience. We much prefer it to the troubles we had with drinking. One more note: anyone can /get/ sober.  We have done it lots of times.  The tr ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 6, 2014* *Thankful* *I'm still learning how to be thankful.  I must work on defects of character every morning. Slow down and smell the flowers -- they will surely come to this beautiful valley soon, something to look forward to. Enjoy the phone calls from friends, as far away as Toronto.  I may even learn French. I have done something with my life, instead of complaining. I owe it all to that day when a member of AA said to me, "Maybe you'd l ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 5, 2014* *Courage* *Before we could recognize the illness in ourselves, we had to unload this tired old myth: It would be a sign of shameful weakness to admit we couldn't handle the sauce any more (if we ever could). Weakness?  Actually, it takes considerable courage to stare unblinkingly at the hard truth, sparing nothing, without glossing over anything, without excuses, and without kidding ourselves.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 72 *Thought to Ponder . . .* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 4, 2014* *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 across 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 not ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 3, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Helpfulness Now you are getting back into the social life of this world.  Don't start to withdraw again just because your friends drink liquor. Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere if you can be helpful.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/p. 102 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Trust God.  Clean house.  Help others.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 2, 2014* *Instincts* *We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole end of our lives. If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first -- then and only then do we have a real chance.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 114 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.* *AA-rela ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *December 1, 2014* *Carry The Message* *Carry this message to other alcoholics!  You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail.  Remember they are very ill. Life will take on new meaning. . . . -- this is an experience you must not miss.  We know you will not want to miss it. Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 89 *Thought to Ponder . . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 30, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Meditation and Prayer 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 . . .* *Trying to pray is praying.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **P U S H** = **P**ray **U**ntil **S**omething **H**app ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 29, 2014* *Rebellion* *Rebellion dogs our every step at first. When we have finally admitted we are powerless over alcohol, we are apt to breathe a great sigh of relief, saying, "Well, thank God that's over!  I'll never have to go through /that/ again!" Then we learn, often to our consternation, that this is only the first milestone on the new road we are walking.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 73 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *May t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 28, 2014* *The Lesson* *This, then, became the opening to the spiritual world. With the guidance of the program and the encouragement and example within the Fellowship, I could begin to find out about myself and be prepared to accept what I found. I learned in the Fellowship that if others could accept me and love me as I was, then I should love myself as I was -- not for what I was, but for what I could become. So I have learned a little about my mind and a ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 27, 2014* *Gratitude* *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, and the opportunity to serve others -- in our Fellowship, my family and my community. For all of this, I have a "full and thankful heart."* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 93 *Thought to Ponder . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 26, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ 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 the alcoholic these things are poison.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/p. 71 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Anger rules nothing except itself.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** = **A**void **A**nger. ** *A Member Shares: I'm Joy, an alcoholic.  Fear is about the f ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 25, 2014* *Humility* *Perpetual quietness of heart.  It is to have no trouble.  It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore; to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised, it is to have a blessed home in myself where I can go in and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace, as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and about is ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 24, 2014* *He Was Listening* *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.* /- Came To ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 23, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Perspective Until I could honesty 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 directionally proportional to them, I could not experience serenity and sound sobriety.* /- Daily Reflections,/p. 71 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *My perspective will change my perception.  My perception will c ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 22, 2014* *"If"* *Alcoholism respects no ifs.  It does not go away, not even 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.* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 21, 2014* *Step Eleven* /"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."/ *Faith is a matter of degree.  I am grateful for whatever faith I have now -- far, so very far, from the kind of faith that moves mountains. There is so much more to know, and no limit to the growth of faith.  So I shall continue try ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 20, 2014* *A Possibility* *The idea that religion and spirituality were not one and the same was a new notion. My sponsor asked that I merely remain open-minded to the possibility that there was a Power greater than myself, one of my own understanding. . . Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was something to this spiritual lifestyle. Slowly but surely, I realized there was indeed a Power greater than myself.* /- Alcoholics ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 19, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Listening For weeks I sat in the back of the rooms, silent when others shared their experience, strength and hope. I listened to their stories and found so many areas where we overlapped -- not all of the deeds, but the feelings of remorse and hopelessness.  I learned that alcoholism isn't a sin, it's a disease. That lifted the guilt I felt.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/p. 344 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I listen for dir ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 18, 2014* *Daily Discipline* *Meditation and prayer also teach me the art of focusing and listening. I find that the turmoil of the day gets tuned out as I pray for His will and guidance. . . The daily discipline of prayer and meditation will keep me in fit spiritual condition, able to face whatever the day brings -- without the thought of a drink.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 317 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I listen for direction now.* *AA-related 'Alconym' ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 17, 2014* *Depression* *My depression deepened unbearably and finally it seemed to me as though I were at the very bottom of the pit. I still gagged badly on the notion of a Power greater than myself, but finally, just for the moment, the last vestige of my proud obstinacy was crushed. All at once I found myself crying out, "If there is a God, let Him show Himself!  I am ready to do anything, anything!" Suddenly the room lit up with a great wh ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 16, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A New Happiness 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.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ pp. 83-84 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Happiness is part of the journey, not some distant destination. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 15, 2014* *Gratitude* *Today I am grateful for a new life, one in which my prayers are those of thanksgiving. My prayer time is more for listening than for talking. I know today that if I cannot change the wind, I can adjust my sail.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 314 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *H J F* = **H**appy, **J**oyous, **F**ree. Thanks to all of you for sharin ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 14, 2014* *Indispensable* *When we find ourselves up-tight and even frantic, we can ask ourselves occasionally, "Am I really that indispensable?" or "Is this hurry really necessary?" What a relief to find the honest answer is frequently no! And such devices actually serve, in the long run, not only to help us get over our drinking problem and its old ways; they also enable us to become far more productive, because we conserve and channel ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 13, 2014* *Bill W. Shares:* *It is traditional in AA that we do not make speeches; we just talk about our own experiences. . . I was brought up in a little Yankee town of about fifty houses, East Dorset, Vermont. I was born under the shadow of a mountain there called Mount Aeolus. An early recollection is one of looking up and seeing that vast and mysterious mountain wondering what it was and whether I would ever climb that high. But I was presently distract ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 13, 2014* *Bill W. Shares:* *It is traditional in AA that we do not make speeches; we just talk about our own experiences. . . I was brought up in a little Yankee town of about fifty houses, East Dorset, Vermont. I was born under the shadow of a mountain there called Mount Aeolus. An early recollection is one of looking up and seeing that vast and mysterious mountain wondering what it was and whether I would ever climb that high. But I was presently distract ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 12, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Willingness I pray for the willingness to let go of my arrogant self-criticism, and to praise God by humbly accepting and caring for myself.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 324 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Trying to pray is praying.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **W I L L I N G** = **W**hen **I** *L*ive **L**ife, **I** **N**eed **G**od. ** *A Member Shares: Hi!  I'm Di, an alcoholic.  I think the one single thing you ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 11, 2014* *Seduction* *Although alcohol is not a part of my life and I no longer have the compulsion to drink, it can still occur to me what a good drink tastes like and what it can do for me, from my stand-at-attention alcoholic taste buds right down to my stretched out tingling toes. As my sponsor used to point out, such thoughts are like red flags, telling me that something is not right, that I am stretched beyond my sober limit.  It's time to get ba ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 10, 2014* *Understanding* *None of us has to understand God or worry about things beyond our control. We can indulge ourselves in the luxury of not-worrying.  Any of us can handle just one day; all each 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 ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 9, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Action 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.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 85 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *There is action and more action.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** = **A**ccountable **A**ctions. ** *A Member Shares: Heya Friends, I'm an alcoholic and my problem is Ch ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 8, 2014* *Belonging* *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. The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence that surrounds us in ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 7, 2014* *Prayer* *Prayer has become a habit with me.  Anytime is the time for prayer: in the street, in the factory, sitting still, walking about, or actively engaged upon some task. I must always bear in mind that, like a good parent, God often says no. And the simplest prayer is "God, thank you, thank you." I have so much to be thankful for, and sobriety tops the list.* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p. 192 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Prayers m ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 6, 2014* *Beginning* *I knew I had to have a new beginning, and this beginning had to be here.  I could not start anywhere else. I had to let go of the past and forget the future. As long as I held on to the past with one hand and grabbed at the future with the other hand, I had nothing to hold on to today with.  So I had to begin here, now.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 46 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Fear not for the future, weep not for the past ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 5, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Acceptance Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they are. . . This is an exercise in acceptance that we can profitably practice every day of our lives.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 44 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Three A's .. Awareness, Acceptance, Action.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A B C** = **A**cceptance, **B**elief, **C**hange. ** ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 4, 2014* *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 often may 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) *November 4, 2014* *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 often may 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) *November 3, 2014* *Minding Our Own Business* *We saw that the more AA minded its own business the greater the general influence would become. Medicine and religion and psychiatry began to borrow some of our ideas and experience. So did research, rehabilitation, and education.  All sorts of therapeutic groups began to spring up. They dealt with gambling, divorce, delinquency, dope addiction, mental illness and the like. They, too, borrowed from AA but they made t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 2, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Moral Responsibility Some strongly object to the AA position that alcoholism is an illness. This concept, they feel, removes moral responsibility from alcoholics. As any AA knows, this is far from true. . . We use the fact of fatal illness to clamp the heaviest kind of moral obligation onto the sufferer, the obligation to use AA's Twelve Steps to get well.* /- As Bill Sees It,/ p. 32 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *It's not you ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *November 1, 2014* *Serenity Prayer* *In 1941, a news clipping was called to our attention by a New York member. In an obituary notice from a local paper, there appeared these words: "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."  Never had we seen so much AA in so few words. With amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use.* /- As Bill Sees I ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 31, 2014* *Perfection* *Perfection would limit me; imperfection offers me the freedom of a million potentials. All the excitement and interest and adventure are mine to explore, ever-new, ever-changing, ever-becoming. 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 dream.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol.1], p. 61 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Give me the courage ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 30, 2014* *Fear* *Fear has caused suffering when I could have had more faith. There are times when fear suddenly tears me apart, just when I'm experiencing feelings of joy, happiness and a lightness of heart. Faith -- and a feeling of self-worth toward a Higher Power -- helps me endure tragedy and ecstasy. When I choose to give all my fears over to my Higher Power, I will be free.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 181 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Situations I fear ar ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 29, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Choice Before I learned of the AA program, I was a slave to the behavior patterns of alcoholism. I was chained to negativity, with no hope of cutting loose. . . The Steps assured me I was not alone. My Higher Power led me to this door and gave me the gift of choice.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 114 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *When I choose the behavior, I choose the consequences.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **G I F T S** = ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 28, 2014* *Living Sober* *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 while drinking.* /- Living Sober,/ foreword *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I have learned that I did not get here a day early or a ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 27, 2014* *Spirituality* *I woke up the Saturday morning following the beginners meeting with the answer absolutely clear: Religion was something taught me, acquired, an external experience, while spirituality welled up from within, and required no education, no Torah or Bible, no shaman or priest. I believe my Higher Power led me to this explanation, as it was too clear and bright an idea for so early in the morning!* /- Thank You For Sharing,/ p.199 *Thoug ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 26, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Into Action Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 79 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Happiness is the result doing our next right thing in spite of hurt, in spite, even, of good fortune.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **A A** ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 25, 2014* *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) *October 24, 2014* *Self-will* *I can recognize that I'm caught up in my will when I desperately struggle to slam a square peg into a round hole. That's the time for me to back off and trust that God's will is far better than mine.* - © The AA Grapevine, November, 2013 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I can't do His will my way.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**lways **A**ware. Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 23, 2014* *Pride* *We alcoholics return to drink far 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 *Th ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 22, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Happy, Joyous, and Free We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it once was just that for many of us. But it is clear that we made our own misery.  God didn't do it. Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence.* /- Alcoholics An ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 21, 2014* *A New Meaning* *Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, 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. Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 89 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Every recovery from alcoholism began with one sober h ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 21, 2014* *A New Meaning* *Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, 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. Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 89 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Every recovery from alcoholism began with one sober h ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 20, 2014* *Willingness* *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 melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last.  /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./* /- Al ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 19, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ A Prayer for All Seasons God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference.* - ©1950, The AA Grapevine, Inc. *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Courage is faith that has said its prayers.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **K I S S** = **K**eep **I**t **S**erenely **S**imple. ** *A Member Shares: Hi, I'm David, an alcoholic.  My life is ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 18, 2014* *Hangovers* *When a drunk has a terrific hangover because he drank heavily yesterday, he cannot live well today. But there is another kind of hangover which we all experience whether we are drinking or not. That is the emotional hangover, the direct result of yesterday's and sometimes today's excesses of negative emotion -- anger, fear, jealousy, and the like. If we would live serenely today and tomorrow, we certainly need to eliminate these hangove ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 17, 2014* *Burdens* *But how often do we begin to fill our newly emptied backpacks anew under fresh loads. It is as if we had to become accustomed to carrying all that junk around, almost as if we had grown fond of the burden. So we need to take an occasional look (every day?) into our backpacks to see if we haven't tossed in a stone every now and then. And when we discover some load of guilt or shame, some wrong we may have committed, we can toss it out. Oth ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 16, 2014* *Emotional Roller Coaster* *Sobriety is nothing like I thought it would be. At first it was one big emotional roller coaster, full of sharp highs and deep lows. My emotions were new, untested, and I wasn't entirely certain I wanted to deal with them. I cried when I should have been laughing.  I laughed when I should have cried. Events I thought were the end of the world turned out to be gifts. It was all very confusing.  Slowly things bega ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 15, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ 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 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, pol ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 14, 2014* *True Love* *The spiritual growth we enjoy in AA is a product of the never-ending school for living which our Fellowship provides. The subject in that school that opened my eyes most quickly and filled my heart most fully was love. I never knew true love until I began my recovery in AA.  My schooling in that emotion began early and led me to the conclusion that love is what creates in a sober AA member the outer show of an inner glow.* /- The B ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 13, 2014* *Prayer* *How can anybody expect God to acquiesce in the half-baked prayers that a lot of us send up to Him. He would have the world in a worse chaos than it is now in five minutes. Real prayer is not telling God what /we/ want. It is putting ourselves at His disposal so that He can tell us what He wants. . . That's why it is so important for us to /listen/ as well as /talk/ when we pray.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age,/ p. 265 *Thought to P ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 12, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Vulnerable Mistakes are made in any form of human endeavor.  Some of them are grievous or catastrophic. Alcoholism can be arrested -- not cured. . . . There is no guaranteed preventive against the first drink and any dry alcoholic whose thinking becomes muddled can be vulnerable. ... and when we take the first constructive step toward self-forgiveness, the healing has begun. When one comes to end -- one can also come t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 11, 2014* *The Gift* *By accepting this sobriety gratefully, as a gift, and using it willingly, I have become aware of other gifts available to me as a human being. To get the benefits, I need only to ask and then use. This is the crux of the program and the crux of living: acceptance and action.* /- Came To Believe . . .,/ p. 4 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Sobriety is a gift.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *G I F T S* = **G**etting **I**t **F**rom **T**he **S ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 10, 2014* *Communication* *From the beginning, communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. It has been unusual and sometimes unique.  Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with /the language of the heart./* /- The Language Of The Heart,/ p. 243 *Thought to Ponder . . . ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 9, 2014* *Inventory* *When evening comes, perhaps before going to sleep, many of us draw up a balance sheet for the day. This is a good place to remember that inventory-taking is not always done in red ink. It's a poor day indeed when we haven't done /something/ right. As a matter of fact, the waking hours are usually well filled with things that are constructive. Even when we have tried hard and failed, we may chalk that up as one of the greatest credits of ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 8, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ The Actor Most people try to live by self-propulsion.  Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show; is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet, the scenery and the rest of the players in his own way. . . What usually happens?  The show doesn't come off very well. He begins to think life doesn't treat him right.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ pp. 60-61 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *When I choose ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 7, 2014* *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 no 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) *October 6, 2014* *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 ladder ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 5, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Sharing When I talk with a newcomer to AA, my past looks me straight in the face. I see the pain in those hopeful eyes, I extend my hand, and then the miracle happens: /I/ become healed. My problems vanish as I reach out to this trembling soul.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 274 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me unless I go to meetings and share.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 4, 2014* *Emotional Sobriety* *Those adolescent urges that so many of us have for top approval, perfect security, and perfect romance -- urges quite appropriate to age seventeen -- prove to be an impossible way of life when we are at age forty-seven or fifty-seven. Since AA began, I've taken immense wallops in all of these areas because of my failure to grow up emotionally and spiritually. My God, how painful it is to keep demanding the impossible, and how ve ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 3, 2014* *Circus Act* *I realized I'd been living outside myself for so long I'd almost become a walking vacancy. In my prized AA sobriety, I was still running a kind of circus which had numerous, highly believable posters plastered all over its outside -- /See the Spectacular Non-Drinking Person!  Watch How Movingly He can Recite the Twelve Steps!/ -- but which had nothing much going on inside the tent. I've been working hard to shut that circus down ev ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 2. 2014* *Obsession* *Under the lash of alcoholism, we are driven to AA, and there 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 the dying can be. We stand ready to do anything which will lift this merciless obsession from us.* /- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,/ p. 24 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Within our wonderful new world, we have found freedom from our fatal ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *October 1, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ The Program The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 17 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *The Program was a dazzling gem being dangled before my eyes.* *AA-related ' ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 30, 2014* *Perfection* *I have never been and never can be perfect.  As that realization became a part of me -- and it took time -- it brought me one of the greatest of the many blessings that have come to me from AA. I learned to accept myself as a fallible human being.  I do not have to strive for perfection.  Mistakes are permissible. I have the right to be wrong.  And what a comfort that thought is to me, as I make my bemused way thr ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 29, 2014* *One Day At A Time* *The 24-hour plan is very flexible.  We can start it afresh at any time, wherever we are. At home, at work, in a bar or in a hospital room, at 4:00 p.m. or at 3:00 a.m., we can decide right then not to take a drink during the forthcoming 24 hours or five minutes. . . But today is always here.  Life /is/ daily; today is all we have; and anybody can go one day without drinking.* /- Living Sober,/ p. 7 *Thought to Pond ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 28, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Fear For all its usual destructiveness, we have found that fear can be the starting point for better things. Fear can be a stepping-stone to prudence and to a decent respect for others. It can point the path to justice, as well as to hate.  And the more we have of respect and justice, the more we shall begin to find the love which can suffer much, and yet be freely given. So fear need not always be destructive, becau ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 27, 2014* *Home Group* *This is where the AA member begins to learn about the /how/ of Alcoholics Anonymous. By selecting a home group, the newcomer begins to feel like he belongs somewhere. He begins to know people and let people know him. He feels safe in this meeting because he knows everyone's story and where they came from. He gets to watch people come and go, so he can see what works and what doesn't work. He develops close friendships and when the se ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 26, 2014* *Different* *I cannot consider myself "different" in AA; if I do I isolate myself from others and from contact with my Higher Power. If I feel isolated in AA, it is not something for which others are responsible. It is something I've created by feeling I'm "different" in some way. Today I practice being just another alcoholic in the worldwide Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 58 *Thought to Ponder ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 25, 2014* *Let Go* *Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. 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 s ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 24, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ "Dry Drunk" A dry drunk is a period of temporary insanity for the sober alcoholic. Step Two says: "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." A dry drunk is a self-imposed separation from others and from God. We try to run on our own current, like a battery without a generator, which soon runs down and becomes quite dead.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], p. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 23, 2014* *Surrender* *When alcohol influenced every facet of my life, when bottles became the symbol of all my self-indulgence and permissiveness, when I came to realize that, by myself, I could do nothing to overcome the power of alcohol, I realized I had no recourse except surrender. In surrender I found victory -- victory over my selfish self-indulgence, victory over my resistance to life as it was given to me.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 14 *Thought t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 22, 2014* *Right Living* *Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or solved with God's help, the knowledge that at home or in the world outside we are partners in a common effort, the well-understood fact that in God's sight all human beings are important, the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return, the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons, the surety that we need ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 21, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ No Regrets The spiritual life is not a theory.  /We have to live it. . ./ If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. 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.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 83 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.* *AA-relat ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 20, 2014* *Confusion* *I began to question my new beliefs too much -- I began to panic.  I began to read beyond AA's literature for answers. . . before I had read too much about the subject of spiritual beliefs, I realized I was asking too much too soon. Wisely, I left the philosophy books to minds more capable than mine. I could not risk further mental confusion.  I returned to the teachings of AA, which had already saved me from a life of tormen ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 20, 2014* *Confusion* *I began to question my new beliefs too much -- I began to panic.  I began to read beyond AA's literature for answers. . . before I had read too much about the subject of spiritual beliefs, I realized I was asking too much too soon. Wisely, I left the philosophy books to minds more capable than mine. I could not risk further mental confusion.  I returned to the teachings of AA, which had already saved me from a life of tormen ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 19, 2014* *Emotional Sobriety* *Tying our sobriety to someone we are emotionally involved with proves flatly disastrous. "I'll stay sober if so-and-so does this or that" puts an unhealthy condition on our recovery. We have to stay sober for ourselves, no matter what other people do or fail to do. . . We need to cool /any/ overboard feeling, lest it flip us back into the drink. * /- Living Sober,/ p. 62 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Formula for fail ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 18, 2014* *Truth* *As I began to look more closely, I noticed serious flaws: I was an alcoholic; I was neurotic; I was brimful of character defects. But these were things that, in time and with help, could be dealt with. No longer did I have to run with nightmarish terror from an inner monster. I had seen the truth, and the truth had freed me to do less hiding and more seeking.* /- The Best of the Grapevine/ [Vol. 1], p. 134 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *I c ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 17, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Turning Point Half measures availed us nothing.  We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 59 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Life will take on new meaning.* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* **H O P E** = **H**eart **O**pen; **P**lease **E**nter. ** *A Member Shares: Hi, I'm Peter, and I'm an alcoholic.  That's a great passage.  Really is t ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 16, 2014* *Fellowship* *I began to develop a sense of trust in the AA group and in the ideals of the Fellowship as a manifestation of a Power greater than myself. Although for many years I did not come to an acceptance of a God who intervened personally and directly in the lives of individuals, I was able to accept the idea of a force that moved in the rooms and animated AA members with a sense of unconditional love. That satisfied my spiritual needs for a ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 15, 2014* *Fact* *Somehow our bodies had reached the point where we could no longer absorb alcohol in our systems. The /why/ is not important, the /fact/ is that one drink will set up a reaction in our system that requires more, that one drink is too many and a hundred drinks are not enough.* /- Alcoholics Anonymous,/ p. 355 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!* *AA-related 'Alconym' . . .* *A A* = **A**bsolute **A**bstinenc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 14, 2014 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ Step Four /"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves."/ Step Four is the vigorous and painstaking effort to discover what the liabilities in each of us have been, and are. I want to find exactly how, when, and where my natural desires have warped me. I wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and myself. . . Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can b ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 13, 2014* *Growth* *Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious contact with God as we understood Him. Afterward, we found ourselves accepting things which then seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth, but if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conc ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 12, 2014* *Serenity* *I came into my apartment and I suddenly collapsed on the floor. I lay there breathing kind of heavily and I said to myself, "Oh, to hell with serenity.  I don't care if it never comes." And I meant it.  And do you know what happened? All of a sudden the craving to find serenity utterly evaporated - and in its place was serenity. The trouble was the search ... looking /there/ for what was right /here./* /- Daily Refl ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 11, 2014* *Peace* *Peace is possible for me only when I let go of expectations. When I'm trapped in thoughts about what I want and what should be coming to me, I'm in a state of anxious anticipation and this is not conducive to emotional sobriety. I must surrender - over and over - to the reality of my dependence on God, for then, I find peace, gratitude and spiritual security.* /- Daily Reflections,/ p. 197 *Thought to Ponder . . .* *No God, no peace -- ...Continue Reading