AA Thoughts For Today - July

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

July 1

Sane and Sound Ideal

We reviewed our own conduct over the years past. Where had we
been selfish, dishonest, or inconsiderate? Whom had we hurt? Did
we unjustifiably arouse jealousy, suspicion or bitterness? Where were
we at fault, what should we have done instead? We got this all down
on paper and looked at it. In this way we tried to shape a sane and
sound ideal for our future sex life. We subjected each relation to
this test—was it selfish or not?
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 69

Thought to Ponder . . .
Selfishness—self-centeredness!
That, we think,is the root of our troubles.

AA-related 'Alconym'
I S M = I, Self, Me.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Puzzle
"By nature touchy and suspicious,
the alcoholic likes to be left alone to work out his puzzle,
and he has a convenient way of ignoring the tragedy
which he inflicts meanwhile upon those
who are close to him.
He holds desperately to a conviction that,
although he has not been able to handle alcohol in the past,
he will ultimately succeed in becoming a controlled drinker.
One of medicine's queerest animals,
he is, as often as not, an acutely intelligent person.
He fences with professional men and relatives
who attempt to aid him and he gets a perverse satisfaction
out of tripping them up in argument."
The Jack Alexander Article
From the March 1941 issue of The Saturday Evening Post

Thought to Consider . . .
There is no such thing as being 'a little bit alcoholic.'

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
D E N I A L = Don't Even Notice I Am Lying.

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Blindness
Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
"This lack of anchorage to any permanent values, this blindness to the true purpose of our lives, produced another bad result. For just so long as we were convinced that we could live exclusively by our own individual strength and intelligence, for just that long was a working faith in a Higher Power impossible."
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 72

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"No matter what is going on in my life, no matter how bad things seem, I can always find something to be grateful for if I just look hard enough."
Mesa, Ariz., March 2010
"Not On Fire"
Emotional Sobriety II

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy,
envy, frustration, and fear."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Employers, pg. 145~

"Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more
alcoholics than anything else."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

"Opinions vary considerably as to why the alcoholic reacts
differently from normal people. We are not sure why, once a certain
point is reached, little can be done for him. We cannot answer the
riddle."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 22~

“You will awaken to a new sense of responsibility for others.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.120 (To Wives)

“When by devoted service to family, friends, business, or community we attract widespread affection and are sometimes singled out for posts of greater responsibility and trust, we try to be humbly grateful and exert ourselves the more in a spirit of love and service.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.124 (Step Twelve)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Perhaps you raise the question of hallucination verses the divine imagery of a genuine spiritual experience. I doubt if anyone has authoritatively defined what an hallucination really is. However, it is certain that all recipients of spiritual experiences declare for their reality. The best evidence of that reality is in the subsequent fruits. Those who receive these gifts of grace are very much changed people, almost invariably for the better. This can scarcely be said of those who hallucinate.
'Some might think me presumptuous when I say that my own experience is real. Nevertheless, I can surely report that in my own life and in the lives of countless others, the fruits of that experience have been real, and the benefactions beyond reckoning.

Prayer for the Day: My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good & bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character Which stands in the way of my usefulness to you & my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here to do your bidding.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

July 2

Emotional Insecurity
The most common symptoms of emotional insecurity are worry, anger
self-pity, and depression. These stem from causes which sometimes
seem to be within us, and at other times to come from without. To take
inventory in this respect we ought to consider carefully all personal
relationships which bring continuous or recurring trouble. It should be
remembered that this kind of insecurity may arise in any area where
instincts are threatened.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) p. 52

Thought to Ponder . . .
When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Attitude Adjustment.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Prayer
"All of us, without exception,
pass through times when we can pray
only with the greatest exertion of will.
Occasionally we go even further than this.
We are seized with a rebellion so sickening
that we simply won't pray.
When these things happen we should not think
too ill of ourselves.
We should simply resume prayer as soon as we can,
doing what we know to be good for us."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 105

Thought to Consider . . .
Trying to pray is praying.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Hang On; Pray Every day

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Alike
From "Because I'm an Alcoholic":
"That sense of being different, which had long plagued me, disappeared when I saw the threads that run through all of us. Sharing our stories, our feelings, it is the areas where we are the same that impress me. The differences are but delightful flourishes on the surface, like different-colored costumes, and I enjoy them. But the basic ways we are human, the basic ways we simply are, stand out to me now. I came to see that we all are really one, and I no longer feel alone."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 347

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Today I think I can trace a clear linkage between my guilt and my pride. Both of them were certainly attention-getters. In pride I could say, 'Look at me, I am wonderful.' In guilt I would moan, 'I'm awful.' Therefore guilt is really the reverse of the coin of pride. Guilt aims at self-destruction, and pride aims at the destruction of others."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., November 1960
"Freedom Under God: The Choice Is Ours"
The Language of the Heart

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can
laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness.
Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is
that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust
their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him
demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our
fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once,
we commence to outgrow fear."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 68~

"In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 70 (How it Works)

"It is hoped that this volume will afford all who read it a close-up view of the principles and forces which have made Alcoholics Anonymous what it is."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 18 (ForeWord)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

I went through several fruitless years in a state called viewing with alarm for the good of the movement. I thought it was up to me to be always correcting conditions. Seldom has anybody been able to tell me what I ought to do, and nobody had ever succeeded in effectively telling me what I must do. I had to learn the hard way out of my own experience.
'When setting out to check others, I found myself often motivated by fear of what they were doing, self-righteousness, and even downright intolerance. Consequently, I seldom succeeded in correcting anything. I just raised barriers of resentment that cut off any suggestion, example, understanding, or love.'
'A.A.s often say, Our leaders do not drive by mandate; they lead by example. If we would favorably affect others, we ourselves need to practice what we preach and forget the preaching, too. The quiet good example speaks for itself.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank you for the gift of reading. Today I will read attentively.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

July 3

Spiritual Principles

"Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would
solve all my problems. I have since been brought into a way of living
infinitely more satisfying and, I hope, more useful than the life I lived
before. My old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but I
would not exchange its best moments for the worst I have now.
I would not go back to it even if I could."
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholism) pp. 42 - 43

Thought to Ponder . . .
A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.

AA-related 'Alconym'
S O B E R = Spiritually On Beam; Everything's Right.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Discovery
"I knew from that moment that I had an alcoholic mind.
I saw that will power and self-knowledge
would not help in those strange mental blank spots.
I had never been able to understand people
who said that a problem had them hopelessly defeated.
I knew then. It was a crushing blow."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 42

Thought to Consider . . .
Sobriety is a choice and a treasure.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, and Trust

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Egoism
From "Medicine Looks at Alcoholics Anonymous":
"The fact of hitting bottom to produce a surrender which cut the ego to size was evident fairly soon. In time two additional facts manifested themselves. The first was that a reduced ego has marvelous recuperative powers. The second was that surrender is an essential disciplinary function and experience.
"It is common knowledge that a return of the full-fledged ego can happen at any time. Years of sobriety are no insurance against its resurgence. No A.A., regardless of his veteran status, can ever relax his guard against the encroachments of a reviving ego. Recently one A.A., writing to another, reported that he was suffering, he feared, from 'halo-tosis,' a reference to the smugness and self-complacency which so easily can creep into the individual with years of sobriety behind him. Dr. Harry Tiebout, M.D."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 249

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"On a daily basis I choose not to drink - or to fear, hate, be angry, or indulge in any other defect that's raising its ugly head. They're all there waiting, and when given a chance they charge into the center of my life and try to take over. But when I work Step Seven I find that my life is filled with good, and people actually like to be around me - something they never did in my drinking days."
July 1995, Kathmandu, Nepal
"A Lifetime Supply,"
Step By Step: Real AAs, Real Recovery

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Do not be discouraged if your prospect does not respond at once.
Search out another alcoholic and try again. You are sure to find
someone desperate enough to accept with eagerness what you offer. We
find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not
work with you. If you leave such a person alone, he may soon become
convinced that he cannot recover by himself. To spend too much time
on any one situation is to deny some other alcoholic an opportunity
to live and be happy."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 96~

"Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will
into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee—Thy will
(not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us
constantly."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~

“We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 19

“We can further add that a beginning, even the smallest, is all that is needed.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 35

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Our spiritual and emotional growth in A.A. does not depend so deeply upon success as it does upon our failures and setbacks. If you will bear this in mind, I think that your slip will have the effect of kicking you upstairs, instead of down.
We A.A.'s have had no better teacher than Old Man Adversity, except in those cases where we refuse to let him teach us.'
'Now and then all of us fall under heavy criticism. When we are angered and hurt, it's difficult not to retaliate in kind. Yet we can restrain ourselves and then probe ourselves, asking whether our critics were really right. If so, we can admit our defects to them. This usually clears the air for mutual understanding.
'Suppose our critics are being unfair. Then we can try calm persuasion. If they continue to rant, it is still possible for us--in our hearts--to forgive them. Maybe a sense of humor can be our saving grace--thus we can both forgive and forget.

Prayer for the Day: Take my will & my life, Guide me in my recovery, Show me how to live.

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

July 4

Tradition Four

This meant, of course, that we had been given the courage to declare
each A.A. group an individual entity, strictly reliant on its own conscience
as a guide to action. In charting this enormous expanse of freedom, we
found it necessary to post only two storm signals: A group ought not do
anything which would greatly injure A.A. as a whole, nor ought it affiliate
itself with anything or anybody else.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Tradition Four) p. 147

Thought to Ponder . . .
Our AA freedoms create the soil in which genuine love can grow.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F R E E = Fortunately, Recovery Enhances Everything.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Freedom
"Looking back we see that our freedom to choose badly
was not, after all, a very real freedom.
When we chose because we 'must,'
this was not a free choice either.
But it got us started in the right direction.
When we chose because we 'ought to'
we were really doing better.
This time we were earning some freedom,
making ourselves ready for more.
But when, now and then, we could gladly make
right choices without rebellion, holdout, or conflict,
then we had our first view of what
perfect freedom under God's will could be like."
Bill W., May 1960
1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 302

Thought to Consider . . .
Within our wonderful new world,
we have found freedom from our fatal obsession.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F I N E = Free, Independent, New and Energetic

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Acceptance
From "Happiness":
"Accept the things you cannot change. So simple. If the problem cannot be solved today why, simply drop it. I grant that this is not always easy; it takes self-discipline, a faculty infrequently found in newly sober alcoholics. " New Hartford, New York, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 111

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"The simple word 'we' stands at the entrance to the Steps, reminding me that my power is limited."
West Henrietta, New York, July 2007
"Food for the Journey,"
Step by Step

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to
do is to keep sober. Certainly he must keep sober, for there will be
no home if he doesn't. But he is yet a long way from making good to
the wife or parents whom for years he has so shockingly treated."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 82~

"These men had found something brand new in life. Though they knew
they must help other alcoholics if they would remain sober, that
motive became secondary. It was transcended by the happiness they
found in giving themselves for others."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 159~

“But the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self-knowledge.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 39

“Refusing to place God first, we had deprived ourselves of His help.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 75

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

When I was ten, I was tall and gawky, and smaller kids could push me around in quarrels. I remember being very depressed for a year or more, and then I began to develop a fierce resolve to win.
One day, my grandfather came along with a book about Australia and told me, 'This book says that nobody but an Australian bushman knows how to make and throw the boomerang.'
'Here's my chance,' I thought. 'I will be the first man in America to make and throw a boomerang.' Well, any kid could have had a notion like that. It might have lasted two days or two weeks. But mine was a power drive that kept on for six months, till I made a boomerang that swung around the church yard in front of the house and almost hit my grandfather in the head when it came back.
Emotionally, I had begun the fashioning of another sort of boomerang, one that almost killed me later on.

Prayer for the Day: "Higher Power, I've learned to trust your guidance, yet I still have my own ideas about how I want to live my life. Let me share those ideas with you, and then let me clearly understand your will for me. In the end, let your will, not mine, be done."

[bluidkiti]

AA Thought for the Day

July 5

Perfect Ideals

Only Step One, where we made the 100 percent admission we were
powerless over alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection. The
remaining eleven Steps state perfect ideals. They are goals toward which
we look, and the measuring sticks by which we estimate our progress.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Six) p. 68

Thought to Ponder . . .
Give me the courage to be imperfect.

AA-related 'Alconym'
H U M A N = Humbly Understanding Mistakes Are Necessary.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Simplicity

"A willingness to do whatever I was told to do
simplified the program for me.
Study the AA book - don't just read it.
They told me to go to meetings,
and I still do at every available opportunity,
whether I am at home or in some other city.
Attending meetings has never been a chore for me.
Nor have I attended them with a feeling
of just doing my duty.
Meetings are both relaxing and refreshing to me
after a hard day.
They said 'Get active," so I helped whenever I could,
and still do."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 381

Thought to Consider . . .
The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me
unless I go to meetings and share.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A C T I O N = Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Steps
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"It might be a long time before readers of the book in distant places and lands could be personally contacted. Therefore
our literature would have to be as clear and comprehensive as possible. Our steps would have to be more explicit.
There must not be a single loophole through which the rationalizing alcoholic could wiggle out.
"Finally I [Bill W.] started to write. I set out to draft more than six steps; how many more I did not know. I relaxed and
asked for guidance. With a speed that was astonishing, considering my jangling emotions, I completed the first draft. It
took perhaps half an hour. The words kept right on coming. When I reached a stopping point, I numbered the new
steps. They added up to twelve."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 161

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"If you sponsor people, you'll never need a mirror."
August 2001
"The Mouth That Roared,"
Emotional Sobriety

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Those having religious affiliations will find here nothing
disturbing to their beliefs or ceremonies. There is no friction
among us over such matters."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, Page 28~

"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, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~

"I was to share generously in the profits."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 5 (Bill's Story)

"And we can often ask ourselves, "Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me -- today?"
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 93 (Step Ten)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

In Tradition Three, A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker, 'You are an A.A. member if you say so. You can declare yourself in; nobody can keep you out. No matter how low you've gone, no matter how grave your emotional complications--even your crimes--we don't want to keep you out. We just want to be sure that you get the same chance for sobriety that we've had.'
We do not wish to deny anyone his chance to recover from alcoholism. We wish to be just as inclusive as we can. never exclusive.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, direct my thoughts away from myself, and allow me to extend compassion and love toward the world today.