AA Thoughts For Today - March

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AA Thought for the Day

March 29

Willing to Believe

Circumstances made him willing to believe. He humbly offered
himself to his Maker—then he knew. Even so has God restored
us all to our right minds. To this man, the revelation was sudden.
Some of us grow into it more slowly. But He has come to all
who have honestly sought Him. When we drew near to Him
He disclosed Himself to us!
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 57

Thought to Ponder
Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see.

AA-related 'Alconym'
W I L L I N G = When I Live Life, I Need God.

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

Housecleaning
"Somehow, being alone with God
doesn't seem as embarrassing
as facing up to another person.
Until we actually sit down and talk aloud
about what we have so long hidden,
our willingness to clean house
is still largely theoretical.
When we are honest with another person,
it confirms that we have been honest
with ourselves and with God."
Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 60

Thought to Consider . . .
If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 72

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
STEPS
Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

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

Selfless
From "When A.A. Came of Age":
"As this tidal offering of top public approval swept in, we realized that it could do us incalculable good or great harm.
Everything would depend upon how it was channeled. We simply could not afford to take the chance of letting self-
appointed members present themselves as messiahs representing A.A. before the whole public. The promoter instinct
in us might be our undoing. If even one such person publicly got drunk or was lured into using A.A.'s name for his own
purposes, the damage might be irreparable. At this altitude (press, radio, films, and television [and the internet] ),
anonymity 100 per cent anonymity was the only possible answer. Here principles would have to come before
personalities, without exception.
"These experiences taught us that anonymity is real humility at work. It is an all-pervading spiritual quality which today
keynotes A.A. life everywhere."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 134

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

"Until I was at my complete bottom, alcohol wasn't even my problem. But thankfully, when I did hit bottom, AA was not
hard to find."
November 2013
"Why Not Tell the World?"
AA Grapevine

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

"The great fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep
and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our
whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God's
universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute
certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a
way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish
those things for us which we could never do by ourselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 25~

"The age of miracles is still with us. Our own recovery proves that!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 153~

But in A.A. we slowly learned that something had to be done about our vengeful resentments, self-pity, and unwarranted pride.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 47

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Will Power and Choice'
'We A.A.'s know the futility of trying to break the drinking obsession by will power alone. However, we do know that it
takes great willingness to adopt A.A.'s Twelve Steps as a way of life that can restore us to sanity.
'No matter how grievous the alcohol obsession, we happily find that other vital choices can still be made. For example,
we can choose to admit that we are personally powerless over alcohol; that dependence upon a 'higher Power' is a
necessity, even if this be simply dependence upon an A.A. group. Then we can choose to try for a life of honesty and
humility, of selfless services to out fellows and to 'God as we understand Him.'
'As we continue to make these choices and so move toward these high aspirations, our sanity returns and the
compulsion to drink vanishes.' LETTER, 1966

Prayer For The Day: Lord God, help me to remember that I may not only be forgiven for my transgression, but with thy help I may be led away from the wrong. May I be content to follow where thou dost lead. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 30

Complacency

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, (Into Action) p. 85

Thought to Ponder
The alcoholic is in no greater peril than when he takes sobriety for granted.

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

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

The Past
"Showing others who suffer how we were given help
is the very thing which makes
life seem so worthwhile to us now.
Cling to the thought that, in God's hands,
the dark past is the greatest possession you have--
the key to life and happiness for others.
With it you can avert death and misery for them."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 124

Thought to Consider . . .
Get it - Give it - Grow in it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
PACE
Positive Attitudes Change Everything

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

Privacy
From "From Loneliness to Solitude":
"As the sober weeks go by, we can enjoy and treasure the few moments of solitude we are able to find in the rush and
hurry of life today. When we cease to fear loneliness and begin to cherish and use our solitude to advantage, we have
come a long way. We realize a little solitude is necessary to think and to 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."
Houston, Texas, USA
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 109

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

"It was at my home group that I learned to trust the experiences of the early groups with meetings. We have a Traditions
meeting once a month and when I was new and heard the Traditions read out loud, the experiences of the early AA
meetings gave me the first notion that real people -- drunks like me -- started this program."
New York, N.Y., February 1990
"Out of the Hat"
AA Grapevine

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

"Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental
defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither
he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 43~

"For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing get well, little
charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men
who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the
wrong track."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97

Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word ”blame” from our speech and thought.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 47

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Review the Day
When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid? Do we owe
an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we
kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were
we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life?
We must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to
ourselves and to others. After making our review, we ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective measure
should be taken. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 86

Prayer For The Day: May I go forth filled with the joy and confidence of your Spirit; and may everything I do this day, in word or deed, be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Amen.

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AA Thought for the Day

March 31

Freedom From Fear

When, with God’s help, we calmly accepted our lot, then we found we
could live at peace with ourselves and show others who still suffered
the same fears that they could get over them, too. We found that
freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) p. 122

Thought to Ponder
Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F E A R = False Evidence Appearing Real.

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

Give Thanks
"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 give thanks for present pain nevertheless.
I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism,
the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride,
have often led me to God's grace,
and so to a new freedom."
Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, March 1962
As Bill Sees It, p. 266

Thought to Consider . . .
Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
HOPE
Hearing Other Peoples' Experience

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

Enlightenment
From "Bill's Story":
"These were revolutionary and drastic proposals, but the moment I fully accepted them, the effect was electric. There
was a sense of victory, followed by such a peace and serenity as I had never known.
"For a moment I was alarmed, and called my friend, the doctor, to ask if I were still sane. He listened in wonder as I talked.
"Finally he shook his head saying, "Something has happened to you I don't understand. But you had better hang on to it.
Anything is better than the way you were." The good doctor now sees many men who have such experiences. He
knows that they are real."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 14

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

"If I am in pain, it may be beneficial to me if I am aware of those in even more pain ... The answer for my pain is in the Twelfth Step."
New York, N.Y., October 2006
"Gruff Love"
AA Grapevine

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

"'There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which
is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in
everlasting ignorance that principle is contempt prior to investigation.'"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Appendice II, Spiritual Experience, pg. 568~

"For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing get well, little
charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is need or wanted. The men
who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the wrong track."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97

We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 21

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

To Watch Loneliness Vanish
Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people began to
cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling that we didn't quite belong. ? Either we were shy, and dared not draw near
others, or we were noisy good fellows constantly craving attention and companionship, but rarely getting it. There was
always that mysterious barrier we could neither surmount nor understand.
That's one reason we loved alcohol too well. But even Bacchus betrayed us; we were finally struck down and left in
terrified isolation.
Life takes on new meaning in A.A. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see
a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends--this is an experience not to be missed.
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 57
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 89

Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, I praise You for Your abundant love and mercy toward us. Thank you for being patient with me as I am learning not to say things that would hurt You or others. I do ask that You help me to guard my lips from saying unkind things. Lord, even as David prayed these words, I ask that they be my prayer also. "Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Help us all, as Your children, to say edifying things about one another. Thank you for the abundant life that is ours as we hear, speak, and obey the Words of God. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.