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.

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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.