AA Thoughts For Today - March

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AA Thought for the Day

March 16

Tomorrow's Challenges

Our inventory enables us to settle with the past. When this
is done, we are really able to leave it behind us. When our
inventory is carefully taken, and we have made peace with
ourselves, the conviction follows that tomorrow's challenges
can be met as they come.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 89

Thought to Ponder . . .
Don't fear tomorrow. God is already there.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Achieve Anything.

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

Honesty
"Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who
cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally
incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been
born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous
honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental
disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
"Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58

Thought to Consider . . .
Half measures availed us nothing.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
HOW
Honest, Open-minded and Willing

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

Greater Strength
From "Letting go of old ideas:"
"It is now well established that willpower all by
itself is about as effective a cure for alcohol
addiction as it is for cancer....Most of us tried
going it alone, hoping either to control our drinking
or to stop, and we had no lasting success in either
endeavor.
"But we finally asked ourselves: Wouldn't it be
more intelligent to seek out and tap a strength
greater than our own than to persist in our futile
solo efforts...?"
c. 1998, Living Sober, page 73

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

"Life in contented sobriety seems to be a matter of looking at the reality of myself in my attitudes, actions, and character
rather than trying to run away from it."
Tasmania, Australia, September 2008
"The Reality of Myself"
AA Grapevine

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

"At a certain point in the drinking of every alcoholic, he passes
into a state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is of
absolutely no avail. This tragic situation has already arrived in
practically every case long before it is suspected."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 24~

"Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an
altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is
very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that
a man's brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then
a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~

With a proper display of honesty and morality, we’d stand a better chance of getting what we really wanted.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 72

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Losing Financial Fears
When a job still looked like a mere means of getting money rather than an opportunity for service, when the acquisition of money for financial independence looked more important than a right dependence upon God, we were the victims of unreasonable fears. And these were fears which would make a serene and useful existence, at any financial level, quite impossible.
But as time passed we found that with the help of A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no matter what our material prospects were. We could cheerfully perform humble labor without worrying about tomorrow. If our circumstances happened to be good, we no longer dreaded a change for the worse, for we had learned that these troubles could be turned into great values, for ourselves and for others. TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 121-122

Prayer For The Day: Father, your Spirit lives in me, and I am swift to hear. I have learned it’s more important to listen than to be heard. I purpose to be slow to speak, and choose the words I speak with grace. I am slow to become angry. May my recreated human spirit, under the control of the Holy Spirit bear fruit — joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 17

Two Alternatives

If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-
the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible,
and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through
human aid, we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end,
blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could;
and the other, to accept spiritual help.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (There Is A Solution) p. 25

Thought to Ponder . . .
The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual.

AA-related 'Alconym'
H E L P = His Ever-Loving Presence.

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

Prayer
"As the doubter tries the process of prayer,he should begin to add up the results.If he persists, he will surely find more
serenity,more tolerance, less fear, and less anger.He will acquire a quiet courage,the kind that isn't tension-ridden.He
can look at 'failure' and 'success'for what these really are.Problems and calamity will begin to mean his
instruction,instead of his destruction.Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to happen.
"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, June 1958As Bill Sees It, p. 321

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
BS
Before Sobriety

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

Self-Care
From "To Wives":
"Be determined that your husband's [or other loved one's] drinking is not going to spoil your relations with your children
or your friends. They need your companionship and your help. It is possible to have a full and useful life, though your
husband continues to drink. We know women who are unafraid, even happy under these conditions. Do not set your
heart on reforming your husband. You may be unable to do so, no matter how hard you try."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 111

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

"Surrender has nothing to do with giving up. It means to stop fighting."
Carrollton, Texas, February 1993
"The Gift of Sobriety"
AA Grapevine

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

"On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We
consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to
direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-
pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we
can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God
gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much
higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~

"Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an
altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is
very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that
a man's brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then
a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~

Therefore, thoroughness ought to be the watchword when taking inventory.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 54

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Only God Is Unchanging
'Change is the characteristic of all growth. From drinking to sobriety, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to
serenity, from hate to love, from childish dependence to adult responsibility - all this and infinitely more represent change for the better.
'Such changes are accomplished by a belief in and a practice of sound principles. Here we must needs discard bad or
ineffective principles in favor of good ones that work. Even good principles can sometimes be displaced by the discovery of still better ones.
'Only God is unchanging; only He has all the truth there is. LETTER, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Loving Father, search me, and if there be any evil ways in me, correct them, and lead me into the ways everlasting. I pray that I may not be deformed from selfishness, but with a lowly and expectant heart run with patience and triumph the race that is set before me. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 17

Step Three

Many of us said to our Maker, as we understood Him:
"God, I offer myself to Thee—to build with me and to do with me as
Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy
will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness
to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!"
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) p. 63

Thought to Ponder . . .
Let Go and Let God.

AA-related 'Alconym'
T R U S T = Try Really Using Step Three.

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

Change
"Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate between changes for worse and changes for
better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent in an individual, in a group, or in AA as a whole, it has long since been
found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way.
"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, July 1965 As Bill Sees It, p. 115

Thought to Consider . . .
There is no progress without change.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
CHANGE
Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday

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

Independence
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
"'If I keep on turning my life and my will over to the care of Something or Somebody else, what will become of me? I'll
look like the hole in the doughnut.' This, of course, is the process by which instinct and logic always seek to bolster
egotism, and so frustrate spiritual development. The trouble is that this kind of thinking takes no real account of the facts.
And the facts seem to be these: The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we
actually are. Therefore dependence, as A.A. practices it, is really a means to gaining true independence of the spirit."
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 36

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

"Pain is one of our greatest teachers. Though I still find it difficult to accept today's pain and anxiety with any degree of
serenity -- as those more advanced in the spiritual life seem able to do -- I can, if I try hard, give thanks for present pain nevertheless."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., March 1962
"What Is Acceptance?"
The Language of the Heart

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

"When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could
not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that
either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He isn't."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~

"...we have ceased fighting anything or anyone—even alcohol."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

These emotional ”dry benders” often led straight to the bottle.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 90

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

R.S.V.P. - Yes or No?
Usually, we do not avoid a place where there is drinking - if we have a legitimate reason for being there. That includes
bars, night clubs, dances, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary parties.
You will note that we made an important qualification. Therefore, ask yourself, 'Have I any good social, business, or
personal reason for going to this place? Or am I expecting to steal a little vicarious pleasure from the atmosphere?' Then
go or stay away, whichever seems better. But be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your
motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it.
If you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead! ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 101-102

Prayer For The Day: Dear Father, please help me understand that a little kindness costs nothing to give and it's far more valuable.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 19

Questions About Living

Furthermore, how shall we come to terms with seeming
failure or success? Can we now accept and adjust to either
without despair or pride? Can we accept poverty, sickness,
loneliness, and bereavement with courage and serenity? . . .
The A.A. answer to these questions about living is
"Yes, all of these things are possible."
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) p. 112

Thought to Ponder . . .
Reliance on God enables me to match calamity with serenity.

AA-related 'Alconym'
H O P E = Hang On! Peace Exists.

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

Release
"Who can render an account of all the miseries that have once been ours, and who can estimate the release and joy
that the later years have brought to us? Who could possibly tell the vast consequences of what God's work through AA
had already set in motion?
"Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pp. 44-5
As Bill Sees It, p. 163

Thought to Consider . . .
"I have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine.
"Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, Jan. 1958.
The Language of the Heart, p. 238

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
PUSH
Pray Until Something Happens

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

Power
From "Listening to the Wind":
"Alcohol was only a symptom of much deeper problems of dishonesty and denial. Now it was a matter of coming to
grips with a Power greater than myself. That was very hard for me. How could all these white people even begin to think
they could understand me? So they brought a sober Indian woman up to work with me for a day. That was a very
powerful day. That Indian woman cut me no slack at all. I will never forget her. She convinced me I was not unique. She
said these white folks were the best thing that ever happened to me.
"Where would you be without them?" she asked. "What are the alternatives? You got any better ideas for yourself? How
many Indians do you know who are going to help you sober up?" At the time, I couldn't think of any. I surrendered behind
the tears of no answers and decided to do it their way. I found the Power greater than myself to be the magic above the
heads of the people in the meetings. I chose to call that magic Great Spirit."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 467

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

"New people are the lifeblood of AA. I am eternally grateful to them. By extension I am, therefore, grateful to Tradition
Three for making it possible for all who want what we have to come to AA."
Los Gatos, Calif., February 1993
"A Part of the Whole"
AA Grapevine

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

Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful!
Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all
power that One is God. May you find Him now!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Page 58~

"Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an
altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is
very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that
a man's brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then
a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~

Then it is explained that the other Steps of the A.A. program can be practiced with Success only when Step Three is
given a determined and persistent trial.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 40

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Clearing a Channel
During the day, we can pause where situations must be met and decisions made, and renew the simple request 'Thy will, not mine, be done.'
If at these points our emotional disturbances happens to be great, we will more surely keep our balance provided we remember, and repeat to ourselves, a particular prayer or phrase that has appealed to us in our reading or meditations. Just saying it over and over will often enable us to clear a channel choked up with anger, fear, frustration, or misunderstanding, and permit us to return to the surest help of all -- our search for God's will, not our own, in the moment of stress. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 102-103

Prayer For The Day: Father, help us to see and love in others what you see and love in them. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 20

Acceptance

Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless
I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I need
to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the
world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (Acceptance Was The Answer) p. 417

Thought to Ponder . . .
My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

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

Illusion
"Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30

Thought to Consider . . .
"Many alcoholics are enthusiasts. They run to extremes.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
DENIAL
Don't Even Notice I Am Lying

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

Cooperation
From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"In 1949 the American Psychiatric Association did exactly the same thing [recognizing A.A. as a valid aid for alcoholics]. I [Bill W.] read a paper at its annual meeting in Montreal. I wound up by describing the spiritual experience as we understand it in A.A. As I read, I doubted if even a handful of the audience could possibly agree with the views expressed in my paper. To my astonishment there was a sustained round of applause. But this was not at all a tribute to me or to the contents of my paper; it was instead a tribute to Alcoholics Anonymous, a tribute to a way of life which had worked for alcoholics when other approaches had failed. This generous response was evidence that our friends the psychiatrists were being much more tolerant of us than we had been of them. If we ourselves became more open-minded, then far greater co-operation with this profession would be assured.
"The Association promptly confirmed the view of its members in Montreal. My paper was carried in the American Journal of Psychiatry and we were permitted to reprint it in a pamphlet, now entitled Alcoholism the Illness.* Our standing with the psychiatric profession has increased greatly since that time.
"*Later retitled Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W., this pamphlet also includes Bill's paper before the Medical Society of the State of New York"
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 205

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

"If you haven't been to a meeting for a while, come, and add to the mix ... we need you. Come for yourself, come for the Fellowship, come to celebrate sobriety, and come for the alcoholic who still suffers."
San Francisco, Calif., February 1993
"Torn Asunder"
AA Grapevine

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

"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, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 79~

"To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main
purpose of this book."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Foreword To First Edition, pg. xiii~

But its object is always the same: to improve our conscious contact with God, with His grace, wisdom, and love.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 101

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Whose Responsibility?
'An A.A. group, as such, cannot take on all the personal problems of its members, let alone those of nonalcoholics in the world around us. The A.A. group is not, for example, a mediator of domestic problems, nor does it furnish personal financial aid to anyone.
'Though a member may sometimes be helped in such matters by his friends in A.A., the primary responsibility for the solutions of all his problems of living and growing rests squarely upon the individual himself. Should an A.A. group attempt this sort of help, its effectiveness and energies would be hopelessly dissipated.
'This is why sobriety -- freedom from alcohol -- through the teaching and practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, is the sole purpose of the group. If we don't stick to this cardinal principle, we shall almost certainly collapse. And if we collapse we cannot help anyone.' Letter, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Please give me the wisdom to understand that the only way to have a friend is by being a friend.