A UNIQUE PROGRAM
Alcoholics Anonymous will never have a professional class. We
have gained some understanding of the ancient words "Freely ye
have received, freely give." We have discovered that at the point
of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 166
I believe that Alcoholics Anonymous stands alone in the treatment
of alcoholism because it is based solely on the principle of one
alcoholic sharing with another alcoholic. This is what makes the
program unique. When I decided that I wanted to stay sober, I called
a woman who I knew was a sober member of A.A., and she carried
the message of Alcoholics Anonymous to me. She received no
monetary compensation, but rather was paid by staying sober another
day herself. Today I could ask for no payment other than another day
free from alcohol, so in that respect, I am generously paid for my
labor.
***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
"Call on new prospects while they are still jittery. They may be
more receptive when depressed. See them alone if possible. Tell
them enough about your drinking habits and experiences to
encourage them to speak of themselves. If they wish to talk, let
them do so. If they are not communicative, talk about the troubles
liquor has caused you, being careful not to moralize or lecture.
When they see you know all about the drinking game, commence to
describe yourself as an alcoholic and tell them how you learned
you were sick." Am I ready to talk about myself to new prospects?
Meditation For The Day
Try not to give way to criticism, blame, scorn, or judgment of
others, when you are trying to help them. Effectiveness in helping
others depends on controlling yourself. You may be swept away by
a temporary natural urge to criticize or blame, unless you keep a
tight rein on your emotions. You should have a firm foundation of
spiritual living which makes you truly humble, if you are going to
really help other people. Go easy on them and be hard on yourself.
That is the way you can be used most to uplift a despairing spirit.
And seek no personal recognition for what you are used by God to
accomplish.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may try to avoid judgment and criticism. I pray that I
may always try to build up others instead of tearing them down.
***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It
Let Go
Absolutely, p.242
After failure on my part to dry up any drunks, Dr. Silkworth
reminded me of Professor William James's observation that truly
transforming spiritual experiences are nearly always founded on
calamity and collapse. "Stop preaching at them," Dr. Silkworth
said, "and give them the hard medical facts first. This may soften
them up at depth so that they will be willing to do anything to get
well. Then they may accept those spiritual ideas of yours, and
even a Higher Power."
********************************
We beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some
of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas, and the result was
nil--until we let go absolutely.
1. A.A. Comes Of Age, p.13
2. Alcoholics Anonymous, p.58
***********************************************************
Walk In Dry Places
HONESTY IS NOT
ENOUGH
Action AA tells us that we must be honest about our
problems if we hope to overcome them.
Some people seem quite w11ling to do this. But an honest admission
alone does not solve our problems. We have to go beyond honesty by
taking needed action to correct what's wrong in our lives.
For example, we would not believe that any- thing had been corrected
simply because a doctor diagnosed a physical problem. We know that such
diagnosis is only a preliminary step that must lead to treatment to be
effective. In the same way, an honest admission of our alcoholism does
not lead to sobriety unless we take further action to ad- dress the
problem.
We should also be careful about becoming prideful in announcing our
shortcomings. If we are recovering from alcoholism but excuse a bad
temper as one of our "alcoholic defects," are we attempting to correct
our behavior? The more prideful we are about any fault, the more
difficult it will be to change it.
Having become honest about my shortcomings, I'll look for opportunities
today to make needed corrections in my behavior. If I find myself using
my "alcoholic nature" as an excuse for unacceptable behavior, I'll take
action to do something about it.
***********************************************************
Keep It Simple
One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back of life. ---Eleanor
Roosevelt
We’re going to have tough times. Maybe we don’t get a pay raise. Maybe
we
get fired. Whatever happens, don’t use alcohol or other drugs. Whatever
happens, keep working the program. Our program will never turn its back
on us. When tough times come, we can always turn to our meetings and
sponsors. We’re lucky because we don’t have to face hard times alone.
We
have no reason to give up because our program will never give up.
So, pull closer to your program when times get tough. Call a friend and
talk about your problems. Take in an extra meeting. All of this keeps
us
from turning our backs on life.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me believe that tough
times are a chance to get closer
to You.
Action for the Day: The program will always be there for me in
tough times. Today, I’ll make
a list of what to do to stay sober when tough times come. I’ll put the
list in my Big Book.
***********************************************************
Each Day a New Beginning
Tears are like rain. They loosen up our soil so we can grow in
different directions. --Virginia Casey
Full self-expression softens our being, while self-reservation makes us
brittle. Our wholeness is enhanced each time we openly acknowledge our
feelings and share our many secrets. The tears that often accompany
self-disclosure, self-assessment, or the frustration of being "stuck"
seem to shift whatever blocks we have put in our paths.
At each stage of our lives, we are preparing for yet another stage. Our
growth patterns will vary, first in one direction, and then another.
It's not easy to switch directions, but it's necessary. We can become
vulnerable, accept the spiritual guidance offered by others and found
within, and the transition from stage to stage will be smooth.
Tears shed on the rocky places of our lives can make tiny pebbles out
of the boulders that block our paths. But we also need to let those
tears wash away the blinders covering our eyes. Tears can help us see
anew if we're willing to look straight ahead--clearly, openly, and with
expectation of a better view.
Tears nurture the inner me. They soften my rootedness to old behavior.
They lesson my resistance to new growth.
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition
Chapter 8 - TO WIVES
Our loyalty and the desire that our husbands hold up their heads and be
like other men have begotten all sorts of predicaments. We have been
unselfish and self-sacrificing. We have told innumerable lies to
protect our pride and our husbands’ reputations. We have prayed, we
have begged, we have been patient. We have struck out viciously. We
have run away. We have been hysterical. We have been terror stricken.
We have sought sympathy. We have had retaliatory love affairs with
other men.
p. 105
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition Stories
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY - This young
alcoholic stepped out a second-story window and into A.A.
After insulting the emergency room
personnel, I slipped into unconsciousness, where I remained for five
days. I awoke in a neck brace with complete double vision.
My parents were furious. I was flown home and the future looked
bleak. God's timing, however, is impeccable.
p. 425
***********************************************************
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition
Seven - "Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining
outside contributions. "
There was another reason for our collective poverty. It was soon
apparent that while alcoholics would spend lavishly on Twelfth Step
cases, they had a terrific aversion to dropping money into a
meeting-place hat for group purposes. We were astounded to find that we
were as tight as the bark on a tree. So A.A., the movement, started and
stayed broke, while its individual members waxed prosperous.
pp. 160-161
***********************************************************
Constant
kindness
can
accomplish
much.
As
the sun makes ice
melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to
evaporate.
--Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875 - 1965)
Funny thing about kindness. The more it's used, the more you have of
it.
--unknown
Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if
you're alive, it isn't.
--Richard Bach
Apologizing with words isn't the same thing as apologizing with
actions.
--Laura J.
You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.
--Oliver Goldsmith
"A hundredload of worry will not pay an ounce of debt."
--George Herbert
"Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another."
--Condorcet
"One had to take some action against fear when once it laid hold of
one."
--Rainer Maria Rilke
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
STYLE
"Style is the man himself."
-- Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Style is involved in Spirituality --- especially when it concerns the
recovering addict. Sobriety and serenity are not just seen in what we
say or do or in our ability to keep away from the first drink or pill
---
they are seen in our creative styles. How we feel about ourselves
should be seen in the confidence of our gait and the concern for
personal appearance. Personal hygiene is important because it
reflects a love of self. Physical health and exercise reveal a desire
and interest in life, fitness and energy.
Style may not make the man but it certainly reveals the man!
May I seek to reveal the beauty You gave me with my appearance
and style.
***********************************************************
Our
help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 124 : 8
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
I Thessalonians 5:16-18
"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little
children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever
humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven."
Matthew 18:3-4
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many
kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking anything."
James 1:2-4
***********************************************************
Daily Inspiration
Worry gets in the way of getting what you really want. Lord, help me
use my time in ways to enrich my life rather than focusing on things I
can do nothing about anyway.
Great things happen when you believe and pray. Lord, grant me an
amazing faith in life and the strength to meet its challenges.
***********************************************************
NA Just For Today
Gratitude
"Hopeless living problems have become
joyously changed. Our disease has been arrested, and now anything is
possible."
Basic Text p.102
The NA program has given us more
freedom than we ever dreamed possible. Sometimes, though, in the daily
routine, we lose track of how much we've been given. How, exactly, have
our lives changed in Narcotics Anonymous?
The bottom line of recovery, of
course, is freedom from the compulsion to use. No longer must we devote
all our resources to feeding our addiction. No longer must we endanger,
humiliate, or abuse ourselves or others just to get the next "fix".
Abstinence itself has brought great freedom to our lives.
Narcotics Anonymous has given us much
more than simple abstinence-we've been given a whole new life. We've
taken our inventory and have identified the defects of character that
bound us for so long, keeping us from living and enjoying life. We've
surrendered those shortcomings, taken responsibility for them, and
sought the direction and power we need to live differently. Our home
group has given us the personal warmth and support that helps us
continue living in recovery. And topping all this off, we have the
love, care, and guidance of the God we've come to understand in NA.
In the course of day-to-day recovery,
we sometimes forget how much our lives have changed in Narcotics
Anonymous. Do we fully appreciate what our program has given us?
Just for today: Recovery has given me
freedom. I will greet the day with hope, grateful that anything is
possible today.
pg. 253
***********************************************************
You are reading from the book Today's
Gift.
I'm a trader at heart. . . except that
I don't like trades that come out equally--that's too much like
borrowing. I'd rather trade a strong hand for a patient ear or a story
for a meal: anything that keeps things turning over. --Gordon Bok
There is an old saying that there are
just two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. Those of us
who are givers delight in it. We have a buck to lend when someone is
broke, a kind word when they're down, a helping hand when they need it.
But sometimes we givers are uncomfortable when we're on the receiving
end. We brush off thanks and gifts and help, even when they're needed
or deserved.
Those of us who are takers, on the
other hand, know how to receive graciously what others have to give; we
know how to ask for what we need. Often, however, we don't know how to
give. We may be afraid our gifts will be wrong or rejected or laughed
at.
We can all strive to become traders,
people who have learned how to both give and receive. We each have the
capacity to give what we have freely and to ask, gratefully, for what
we don't have. That is the greatest gift of all.
What can I give and take today?
You are reading from the book
Touchstones.
In the world to come they will not ask
me, "Why were you not Moses?" They will ask me, "Why were you not
Zusya?"
--Zusya of Hanipoli
We grow in the direction of the
choices we make. That growth depends as much on how we make decisions
as on which ones we make. Often in the past we tried to model ourselves
after someone we admired. Our self-confidence was poor, so we depended
on others to let us know if our decisions were correct, or we modeled
our decisions on how we thought others would decide. Now we see that we
can never become exactly like someone else and we need not try.
To each of us, God gives a creative
task and a problem - to take our special abilities and limitations and
become whole men. We use standards for our choices based on our best
ideas of right and wrong, of what fits with our inner feelings, and of
what our Higher Power is guiding us toward. Unfinished and imperfect as
we are, we become more peaceful as we become more fully ourselves.
May I be true to myself in the choices
I make today? I am becoming the man that I admire.
You are reading from the book Each Day
a New Beginning.
Tears are like rain. They loosen up
our soil so we can grow in different directions. --Virginia Casey
Full self-expression softens our
being, while self-reservation makes us brittle. Our wholeness is
enhanced each time we openly acknowledge our feelings and share our
many secrets. The tears that often accompany self-disclosure,
self-assessment, or the frustration of being "stuck" seem to shift
whatever blocks we have put in our paths.
At each stage of our lives, we are
preparing for yet another stage. Our growth patterns will vary, first
in one direction, and then another. It's not easy to switch directions,
but it's necessary. We can become vulnerable, accept the spiritual
guidance offered by others and found within, and the transition from
stage to stage will be smooth.
Tears shed on the rocky places of our
lives can make tiny pebbles out of the boulders that block our paths.
But we also need to let those tears wash away the blinders covering our
eyes. Tears can help us see anew if we're willing to look straight
ahead--clearly, openly, and with expectation of a better view.
Tears nurture the inner me. They
soften my rootedness to old behavior. They lesson my resistance to new
growth.
You are reading from the book The
Language of Letting Go.
Denial
I've been recovering many years. I've
used denial many times. It has been a defense, a survival device, a
coping behavior, and, at times, almost my undoing. It has been both a
friend and an enemy.
When I was a child, I used denial to
protect my family and myself. I protected myself from seeing things too
painful to see and feelings too overwhelming to feel. Denial got me
safely through many traumatic situations, when I had no other resources
for survival.
The negative aspect of using denial
was that I lost touch with my feelings and myself. I became able to
participate in harmful situations without even knowing I was hurting. I
was able to tolerate a great deal of pain and abuse without the
foggiest notion it was abnormal.
I learned to participate in my own
abuse.
Denial protected me from pain, but it
also rendered me blind to my feelings, my needs, and myself. It was
like a thick blanket that covered and smothered me.
Eventually, I began to recover. I had
a glimpse of awareness about my pain, my feelings, and my behaviors. I
began to see myself, and the world, as we were. There was so much
denial from my past that had the blanket been entirely ripped from me.
I would have died from the shock of exposure. I needed to embrace
insights, remembrances, awareness, and healing gently, gradually.
Life participated in this process with
me. It is a gentle teacher. As I recovered, I was brought to the
incidents and people I needed in order to remind me of what I was still
denying, to tell me where I required more healing from my past, as I
could handle these insights.
I still use, and break through,
denial--as needed. When the winds of change blow through, upsetting a
familiar structure and preparing me for the new, I pick up my blanket
and hide, for a while. Sometimes, when someone I love has a problem, I
hide under the blanket, momentarily. Memories emerge of things denied,
memories that need to be remembered, felt, and accepted so I can
continue to become healed - strong and healthy.
Sometimes, I feel ashamed about how
long it takes me to struggle through to acceptance of reality. I feel
embarrassed when I find myself again clouded by the fog of denial.
Then something happens, and I see that
I am moving forward. The experience was necessary, connected, not at
all a mistake, but an important part of healing.
It's an exciting process, this journey
called recovery, but I understand I may sometimes use denial to help me
get through the rough spots. I'm also aware that denial is a friend,
and an enemy. I'm on the alert for danger signs: those cloudy, confused
feelings . . . sluggish energy . . . feeling compulsive . . . running
too fast or hard . . . avoiding support mechanisms.
I've gained a healthy respect for our
need to use denial as a blanket to wrap ourselves in when we become too
cold. It isn't my job to run around ripping people's blankets off or
shaming others for using the blanket. Shaming makes them colder, makes
them wrap themselves more tightly in the blanket. Yanking their blanket
away is dangerous. They could die of exposure, the same way I could
have.
I've learned the best thing I can do
around people who are wrapped in this blanket is to make them feel warm
and safe. The warmer and safer they feel, the more able they are to
drop their blanket. I don't have to support or encourage their denial.
I can be direct. If others are in denial about a particular thing, and
their activity is harmful to me, I don't have to be around them. I can
wish them will and take care of myself. You see, if I stand too long
around someone who is harming me, I will inevitably pick up my blanket
again.
I tend to be attracted to warm people.
When I'm around warm people, I don't need to use my blanket.
I've gained respect for creating warm
environments, where blankets are not needed, or at least not needed for
long. I've gained trust in the way people heal from and deal with life.
God, help me be open to and trust the
process that is healing me from all I have denied from my past. Help me
strive for awareness and acceptance, but also help me practice
gentleness and compassion for myself--and others--for those times I
have used denial.
Today I respect my body, mind and
spirit and I am taking care of all three. I am gentle and nurturing,
putting my needs first. Only then can I be well enough to help others
with their needs. --Ruth Fishel
*****
Journey to the Heart
Serve Gently from Your Heart
Service. Gentle service that comes
from the heart. That's the theme, the rhythm of life, work, love. See
the trees, the grass, the flowers, the mountains, the ocean. Look and
really see. See how effortlessly they serve. Their very life is
service. Know that your life,too, is service. Let service arise
naturally from your life.
Commit to your growth, to loving
yourself and following your heart. Commit to joy, passion, gratitude
for your life and all your lessons. Commit to honestly sharing and
expressing who you are, what you feel, what you're going through.
Don't worry about what you will do to
serve. Focus instead on loving yourself. Let your service arise from
that, acts that spring from desire, joy, and inspiration. Cherish your
life. It's a gift not just to yourself, but to others. To the entire
universe.
Each star shines its light down from
the heavens, making up the twinkling galaxy of the Milky Way. Each star
is important and serves by playing its part-- naturally, gently, by
being what it is. You too have a part to play in the universe. Your
part is to serve others by being yourself.
Service is your path. Let service
spring gently, naturally, from who you are. Radiate your gifts to the
world by loving and sharing yourself.
*****
more language of letting go
Be a good guest
Guests come and go at the Blue Sky
Lodge. Sometimes a sky diver comes to the drop zone for the weekend
from a nearby town and needs a place to shower and sleep for one
evening. Often, people come from around the world to train and jump at
Skydive Elsinore, and it is a particular pleasure to offer our
international friends a bed, showers, and the amenities of the Lodge.
Martin was one such guest.
After spending years in the military,
he decided to have some fun with what he had learned. He now recruits
skydiving trainees from the United Kingdom and plans training
excursions at Lake Elsinore, staying for several weeks at a time. He
frequently brings his wife with him, but occasionally comes here alone.
On one such solo visit, we invited him to stay at the Blue Sky Lodge
and were thrilled when he accepted our invitation.
All Blue Sky Lodge guests are told the
same thing: Make yourself at home. The pool, hot tub, miniature golf
course, DVD player, stereo, showers, food, beverages, books, prayer
room, stunning mountain view, musical instruments, and contents of the
refrigerator are here for your enjoyment. Help yourself!
"Martin was a good guest," Chip
commented recently. "He swam, used the hot tub, ran, and sat outside
and enjoyed the view."
I agreed. It gave us both pleasure to
see Martin make himself at home and enjoy the gifts the Lodge has to
offer. He was respectful and grateful-- a delightful humble air-- but
he was also confident, and confidently enjoyed the pleasures and gifts
available and offered to him.
What kind of a guest are you? Are you
making yourself at home on this planet, whatever the circumstances you
find yourself in? Are you taking delight and pleasure in the gifts and
moments available to you, each day? Or are you sitting uncomfortably on
the edge of a straight-backed chair, wondering if it's okay to help
yourself?
We each have different gifts and
pleasures available to us at any given time in our lives. Sometimes, we
have to look to see what these gifts are. The pleasures may be as
simple as a view of an old oak tree from our kitchen window, a big bath
tub that fills up with hot water and comforts our body and soul, or a
walk around the city block surrounding the apartment we rent.
Sometimes, the best way to say thanks
is to simply enjoy with humble confidence the gifts and pleasures that
are offered to us today.
Are you a good guest? Make yourself at
home. It's your world,too.
God, teach me how to enjoy and savor
the pleasures, gifts, and talents that are spread out before me. Help
me learn to make myself at home, wherever I find myself today.
*****
Healing Your Sole
Self-reflexology by Madisyn Taylor
Exploring our feet through
self-reflexology can be an easy and free way to support our mind, body
and spirit.
Our feet are home to literally
thousands of nerve endings and almost seventy acupuncture points, which
is why foot reflexology is so effective. By massaging and stimulating
specific areas on the soles of our feet, we can provide general support
for our entire body, improve sleep patterns, increase physical and
mental wellbeing and also alleviate chronic conditions such as
sinusitis and digestive upset. Although it is wonderful to work with an
experienced foot reflexologist whenever possible, we can also develop a
practice of treating ourselves to a self-reflexology treatment if we
take some time for this purpose before we begin our day or in the
evening to relax before going to bed.
There are a number of different ways
to work the soles of your feet, including walking barefoot on river
stones, rolling each foot over a golf or tennis ball, or just using
your fingers and hands to massage your feet. When starting a
reflexology session, it’s a good idea to begin with loosening up your
ankles – rotate each foot clockwise then counterclockwise about ten
times. You might also want to pinch the end of your toes, which can
increase circulation and drainage in your sinuses and stimulate your
pituitary and pineal glands. Then you can begin massaging the ball of
your foot, the arch, and the heel. If you find that an area is tender,
it may indicate some distress or dysfunction occurring in the
corresponding area of the body. You may want to explore what is going
on with that organ or system.
Whether we are able to spend just a
few minutes a day on this kind of self-care or a full half hour, our
efforts are never wasted. By taking responsibility for our own health
and taking time every day to connect with our body, we can not only
assist our body in letting go of stress and dysfunction, but we can
also continue to support an ongoing sense of wellness and vitality.
Published with permission from Daily OM
*******************************************
A Day At A Time
Reflection For The Day
From time to time, I begin to think I
know what God’s will is for other people, I say to myself, “This person
ought to be cured of his terminal illness,” or “That one ought to be
freed from the torment she’s going through,” and I begin to pray for
those specific things. My heart is in the right place when I pray in
such fashion, but those prayers are based on the supposition that I
know God’s will for the person for whom I pray, I out to pray that
God’s will — whatever it is — be done for others as well as for myself.
Will I remember that God is ready to befriend me, but only to the
degree that I trust him?
Today I Pray
I praise God for the chance to help
others. I thank God also for making me want to help others, for taking
me out of my tower of self so that I can meet and share with and care
about people. “Teach me to pray that “Thy Will be done” in the spirit
of love, which God inspires in me.
Today I Pray
I will put my trust in the will of God.
*******************************************
One More Day
A mature person is one who does not
think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply
stirred emotionally…
– Eleanor Roosevelt
Many of us are will aware of how
easily tempers flare or tears can flow when we face an unexpected
problem or situation. Perhaps illness contributes to this sensitivity,
but we might also consider whether we’ve become more rigid. Are we
holding too tightly to absolutes, wanting to have almost everything?
Has coping with unpredictable illnesses driven us to seek
predictability in other areas of our lives?
Maturity often means letting go of the
need to control. We also find greater peace by allowing ourselves to be
unprepared for people and events we can’t prepare for. There are no
absolutes, and we don’t have to live as though there were.
I will be willing to consider new
ideas.
**************************************************
***************
Food For Thought
Accepting Guidelines
Some of us have gone through life
thinking that we did not need to follow any guidelines. Somehow, we got
the idea that special circumstances placed us above the rules. We
looked for shortcuts and rebelled against the tedium of discipline.
Considering ourselves exceptional, we decided to make our own
guidelines. These were usually based on doing what we felt like when we
felt like it.
When we get to OA, we may spend a
short or a long time experimenting with the program, adjusting it to
suit ourselves. Sooner or later, we discover that our adjustments do
not work. The OA program works, provided we follow the rules and work
it as it is, not as we might like it to be.
Once we accept the rules at a gut
level, they lead us out of negative restraint into positive freedom. By
following a few simple guidelines, we become free from slavery to
compulsive overeating and self-centered confusion.
Thank You for Your guidelines.
*****************************************
One Day At A Time
Friendship
"The ideal friendship is between good
people,
and people who share the same virtues.
Leading a good life for the sake of
friends,
is the utmost of friendship itself."
Aristotle
When I first came into recovery I had
no idea how to be a friend. I thought that people liked me because of
what I did for them, what I gave them, and how nice I was to them. It
never occurred to me that being a friend could mean taking care of
myself. I didn’t realize that friendship also consists of holding fast
to my program no matter what, being gently honest to others in all
things, being loyal to my group, and being true to my program and to
myself. But the part that escaped me the most was that there were those
who counted me as a friend just because I am me.
One Day at a Time . . .
I will be a friend by being loyal to
myself, my program and my ideals.
~ Judy N.
*****************************************
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
We found that as soon as we were able
to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a
Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though
it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that
Power, which is God. - Pg. 46 - We Agnostics
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Are you angry or about to get angry?
We have learned that only one thing causes anger: not getting what we
think we want, need, or deserve. Whether it is attention, money,
respect, sex, admiration, things, or security, it means not getting
what we think is our just deserts.
As I do what I know is right in any
given situation, anger will be replaced with a reliance on my Spiritual
Source and that source will provide what I need.
Keeping My Soles in the Room
I will get myself to a meeting today.
I won 't go to hear anything life altering or to say anything
brilliant. I will just go to keep my soles in the room knowing that my
soul will somehow follow, even if I cannot fully see it. I will go to
gather my senses, to hear what I hear, to get them emotional or limbic
balance that comes when I sit with others like me in a room that is
dedicated to telling the truth in a calm way. My limbic or emotional
system is balanced by other humans 'read mammals' like me through a
phenomenon called limbic resonance. When I sit with a room of calm
people my nervous system calms, too. I actually repattern my
neurological wiring in this way, I develop pathways for experiencing my
emotions calmly by being around others who are doing that.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
Relapse is part of recovery: NOT! What
the fellowships say is keep coming back SOBER.- Members warn of the
very real danger of that last relapse: stepping in front of a car or
bus, overdosing, being institutionalized, and death! The truth is, any
relapse can be your last. Never kid yourself, relapse is part of the
disease process, not part of our recovery process.
I do not help people work on their
recovery by OKing working on their disease. OK.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
It's not what you get from a meeting,
it's what you take to a meeting.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I respect my body, mind and
spirit and am taking care of all three.
I am gentle and nurturing, putting my
needs first. Only then can I be well enough to help others with their
needs.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
I've had some lousy days sober.
Some-down-in-the-dirt, drooling-on-myself, miserable low-life ugly days
sober - But I've had fifteen and a half wonderful years. - Earl H.
*****************************************
AA Thought for the Day
August 31
Rule #62
"Don't take yourself too ****
seriously."
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,
p. 149
But we aren't a glum lot.
If newcomers could see no joy or fun
in our existence, they wouldn't want it.
We absolutely insist on enjoying life.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 132
Thought to Ponder . . .
Take time to laugh -- it is the music
of the soul.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
T L C = Tears, Laughter, Caring.
~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
A New World
"We have entered the world of the
Spirit.
Our next function is to grow in
understanding
and effectiveness.
This is not an overnight matter.
It should continue for our lifetime.
Continue to watch for selfishness,
dishonesty,
resentment, and fear.
When these crop up, we ask God at once
to remove them.
We discuss them with someone
immediately
and make amends quickly if we have
harmed anyone.
Then we resolutely turn our thoughts
to someone we can help."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 84
Thought to Consider . . .
Within our wonderful new world,
we have found freedom from our fatal
obsession.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F I T = Faith, Intuition, and Trust
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Pathway
>From "He Had Been Listening":
"In thinking all this over, 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.
"St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th
printing 2004, pg. 11
*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"My past sobriety is not a ticket to
future sobriety. I have to pay that fare and make the decision to
recover daily."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1953
"A Fragment of History: Origin of the
Twelve Steps"
The Language of the Heart
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N'
Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*
"Now we go out to our fellows and
repair the damage done in the
past. We attempt to sweep away the
debris which has accumulated out
of our effort to live on self-will and
run the show ourselves. If we
haven't the will to do this, we ask
until it comes. Remember it was
agreed at the beginning we would go to
any lengths for victory over alcohol."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition,
Into Action, pg.76~
"We have seen the truth demonstrated
again and again: 'Once an
alcoholic, always an
alcoholic.' Commencing to drink after a period
of sobriety, we are in a short time as
bad as ever."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition,
More About Alcoholism, pg. 33~
"If you both show a willingness to
remedy your own defects, there will be little need to criticize each
other."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 118 (To Wives)
"To escape looking at the wrongs we
have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong he has done us."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.
78 (Step Eight)
Misc. AA Literature - Quote
Many newcomers, having experienced
little but constant deflation, feel a growing conviction that human
will is of no value whatever. They have become persuaded, sometimes
rightly so, that many problems besides alcohol will not yield to a
headlong assault powered only by the individual's will.
However, there are certain things
which the individual alone can do. All by himself, and in the light of
his own circumstances, he needs to develop the quality of willingness.
When he acquires willingness, he is the only one who can then make the
decision to exert himself along spiritual lines. Trying to do this is
actually an act of his own will. It is a right use of this faculty.
Indeed, all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps
require our sustained and personal exertion to conform to their
principles and so, we trust, to God's will.
Prayer for the Day: Tomorrow is yet to be, but should God
grant me another day, the hope, courage, and strength, through the
working of the Twelve Steps and the Serenity Prayer, I shall be
sufficiently provided for to meet my every need. This I believe.