AA Thought for the Day
July 29, 2009
Anonymity
For the first time I saw AA's anonymity for what it really is.
It isn't just something to save us from alcoholic shame and stigma;
its deeper purpose is actually to keep those fool egos of ours
from running hog wild after money and public fame at AA's expense.
- Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 43


Thought to Ponder . . .
The ego seeks the destination; the soul seeks the journey.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .

Adventurers Anonymous.


Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day

July 30, 2009

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."
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 96


Thought to Ponder . . .

Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .




Accountable Actions.

Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day


July 31, 2009

Dependencies

I could not avail myself of God's love until I was able to offer it back to Him
by loving others as He would have me.
And I couldn't possibly do that so long as I was victimized by false dependencies.
For my dependency meant demand -- a demand for the possession
and control of the people and the conditions surrounding me.
- The Language of the Heart, pp. 237-8



Thought to Ponder . . .

A victim is a spectator in his life.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Leave Everything To God, Okay?




Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day




Apples

I had my first awakening in AA. The speaker said,
"If you're an apple, you can be the best apple you can be,
but you can never be an orange."
I was an apple all right, and for the first time I understood
that I had spent my life trying to be an orange.
I looked around at a room filled with apples and,
if I was understanding the speaker,
most of them were no longer trying to be oranges.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 427



Thought to Ponder . . .

I am unique, just like everyone else.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Thank Heavens I Now Know.


Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day


August 2, 2009

Resentments

Perhaps "justifiable" resentment is the trickiest of all to handle.
It's the end product of "righteous" anger, after long cherishing,
and if it is allowed to continue, it will slowly undermine our defenses
against taking a drink.
Even if we have been treated shabbily or unjustly,
resentment is a luxury that, as alcoholics, we cannot afford.
For us, all anger is self-destructive.
- Living Sober, p. 39



Thought to Ponder . . .

Anger rules nothing except itself.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Avoid Anger.



Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day


August 4, 2009

Keep It Simple

After years of sobriety, I occasionally ask myself: "Can it be this simple?"
Then, at meetings, I see former cynics and skeptics
who have walked the AA path out of hell, without alcohol,
into twenty-four hour segments, during which they practice a few principles
to the best of their individual abilities.
And then I know again that, while it isn't always easy,
if I keep it simple, it works.
- Daily Reflections, p. 30



Thought to Ponder . . .

The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Keep It Serenely Simple.


Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day


August 5, 2009

Attitudes

Whatever is done is over. It cannot be changed.
But my attitude about it can be changed through talking with those who
have gone before and with sponsors. . .
If I change my actions in regard to what I have done, my attitude will change.
I won't have to wish the past away.
- Daily Reflections, p. 141



Thought to Ponder . . .

Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Altered Attitudes.


Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day

August 6, 2009

In All Our Affairs

"Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps,
we tried to carry this message to alcoholics,
and to practice these principles in all our affairs."
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 106


Thought to Ponder . . .

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.


AA-related 'Alconym' . . .


People Relying On God Relaying A Message.


Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day


August 7, 2009

Solitude

A little solitude is necessary to think and try to work some of the Steps.
In solitude, we take our inventories.
In solitude, we admit to ourselves the exact nature of our wrongs.
In solitude, our spirits seek that Power greater than we are;
in solitude, we seek through prayer and meditation
to be aware of God's will for us.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 109



Thought to Ponder . . .

Once we understand ourselves, the rest of living falls in line.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



You Are Not Alone.


Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day


August 8, 2009

Seeds of Victory

At one time the admission that I was an am an alcoholic
meant shame, defeat, and failure to me.
But in the light of the new understanding that I have found in AA,
I have been able to interpret that defeat and that failure and that shame
as seeds of victory.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 295



Thought to Ponder . . .

When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Thank God I'm Forgiven.




Day by Day is the only way

and there you have it. thanx free.what about anger? i have a little of that, just alittle.

ETT

Tim,

Just checking in to see if you are okay. Been missing your posts but more concerned with how you are doing.

You are in my thoughts,

Trudger

The Ego Seeks The Destination
The Soul Seeks The Journey

SORRY I HAVE BEEN ON VACATION:

AA Thought for the Day


August 12, 2009

Pride

Pride is the basic breeder of most human difficulties,
the chief block to true progress.
Pride lures us into making demands upon ourselves or upon others
which cannot be met without perverting or misusing our God-given instincts.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 12



Thought to Ponder . . .

Swallowing my pride will not get me drunk.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Personal Recovery Involves Deflating Ego.


Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day


August 14, 2009

Fundamentals

One of the most fundamental things I have learned
is to pass on our message to other alcoholics.
That means I must think more about others than about myself.
The most important thing is to practice these principles in all my affairs.
In my opinion, that is what Alcoholics Anonymous is all about.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 109



Thought to Ponder . . .

In AA we carry the message -- not the mess.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience.



Day by Day is the only way

AA Thought for the Day


` Correction! Yesterday's message contained an error.

The quote was from page 199 in the Big Book -- not p. 109 ~

August 15, 2009

Identity

Every day, I feel a little bit more useful, more happy and more free.
Life, including some ups and downs, is a lot of fun.
I am a part of AA which is a way of life.
If I had not become an active alcoholic and joined AA,
I might never have found my own identity or become a part of anything.
- Experience, Strength and Hope, p.363



Thought to Ponder . . .

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.




AA-related 'Alconym' . . .



Achieve Anything.


Day by Day is the only way