AA Thought for the Day

August 16

Without Defense
The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure,
have lost the power of choice in drink.
Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent.
We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force
the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago.
We are without defense against the first drink.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 24

Thought to Ponder
The first drink has the last say.

AA-related 'Alconym'
I S M = Incredibly Short Memory.

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

Friends
"You are going to meet these new friends
in your own community.
Near you, alcoholics are dying helplessly
like people in a sinking ship.
If you live in a large place, there are hundreds.
High and low, rich and poor,
these are future fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Among them you will make lifelong friends.
You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties,
for you will escape disaster together and you will
commence shoulder to shoulder your common journey.
Then you will know what it means to give of yourself
that others may survive and rediscover life.
You will learn a full meaning of
'Love thy neighbor as thyself.' "
1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 152-3

Thought to Consider . . .
When we love,
we see in others what we wish to have in ourselves.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
B O G G L E = Bad Or Good, God Loves Everyone

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

Equals
>From "What is sponsorship?"
"Alcoholics Anonymous began with sponsorship. When Bill W., only a few months sober, was stricken with a powerful
urge to drink, this thought came to him: 'You need another alcoholic to talk to. You need another alcoholic just as
much as he needs you!'
"He found Dr. Bob, who had been trying desperately and unsuccessfully to stop drinking, and out of their common
need A.A. was born. The word 'sponsor' was not used then; the Twelve Steps had not been written; but Bill carried the
message to Dr. Bob, who in turn safeguarded his own sobriety by sponsoring countless other alcoholics."
"In A.A., sponsor and sponsored meet as equals, just as Bill and Dr. Bob did."
1983, Questions & Answers on Sponsorship (A.A. Pamphlet P-15), page 7

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

"Often simplicity yields to complexity as the human mind grasps a great revelation, and places its own particular
interpretation upon it. All too often the revelation becomes lost in the maze of human ideas, interpretations, and
suggestions. Thus have great movements risen, flourished for a season, and died. But AA has steadily progressed
through the labyrinth of complexity, carefully avoiding luring temptations of wealth, professionalism, and fame as a
healer of one of mankind's most deadly diseases. Dr. Bob who responded to that original phone call, and heard and
accepted the message from Bill, has left ringing in our ears, the vital admonition: 'Keep it simple.'"
Kimberley, British Columbia, September 1953
"Thus We Grow..."
AA Grapevine

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

"...I humbly offered myself to God, as I then I understood Him, to do
with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and
direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was
nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and
became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 13

"We are like men who have lost their legs; they never grow new ones.
Neither does there appear to be any kind of treatment which will
make alcoholics of our kind like other men. We have tried every
imaginable remedy. In some instances there has been brief recovery,
followed always by a still worse relapse. Physicians who are
familiar with alcoholism agree there is no such thing as making a
normal drinker out of an alcoholic. Science may one day accomplish
this, but it hasn't done so yet."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 30~

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

“The minute I stopped arguing, I could begin to see and feel.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 27

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

When we reached A.A., and for the first time in our lives stood among people who seemed to understand, the sense of
belonging was tremendously exciting. We thought the isolation problem had been solved.
But we soon discovered that, while we weren't alone any more in a social sense, we still suffered many of the old
pangs of anxious apartness. Until we had talked with complete candor of our conflicts, and had listened to someone
else do the same thing, we still didn't belong.
Step Five was the answer. It was the beginning of true kinship with man and God.

Prayer for the Day: God help me become willing to let go of all the things to which I still cling. Help me to be ready to let You remove all of these defects, that Your will and purpose may take their place. Amen

AA Thought for the Day

August 17

Our Dilemma
Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live,
and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously.
But where and how were we to find this Power?
Well, that’s exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find
a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 45

Thought to Ponder
No God, no peace — know God, know peace.

AA-related 'Alconym'
B I G B O O K = Believing In God Beats Our Old Knowledge.

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

Paradox
"2. We GIVE AWAY TO KEEP.
That seems absurd and untrue.
How can you keep anything if you give it away?
But in order to keep whatever it is we get in AA,
we must go about giving it away to others,
for no fees or rewards of any kind.
When we cannot afford to give away
what we have received so freely in AA,
we had better get ready for our next 'drunk.'
It will happen every time.
We've got to continue to give it away in order to keep it."
The Professor and the Paradox.
1955AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 341

Thought to Consider . . .
I keep my sobriety by giving it away.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Helping Other People Every day.

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

Simple Beauty
>From "A Prayer for All Seasons:"
"The power of [The Serenity Prayer] is overwhelming in that its simple beauty parallels the A.A. Fellowship. There are times when I get stuck while reciting it, but if I examine the section which is troubling me, I find the answer to my problem....By accepting life as it is, I gain serenity. By taking action, I gain courage and I thank God for the ability
to distinguish between those situations I can work on, and those I must turn over. All that I have now is a gift from God: my life, my usefulness, my contentment, and this program.
"Alcoholics Anonymous IS the easier, softer way."
1990, Daily Reflections, page 221

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

"There are AA emotions and attitudes that transcend language."
Kihei, Hawaii, October 2004
"Inside an ASL Meeting,"
Spiritual Awakenings II

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely,
or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take,
you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be
suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will
conquer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~

Continue to watch for selflessness, dishonesty, resentment and fear. When they crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turned our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, PG 84

“There is a solution. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the process requires for its successful consummation. But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it. When, therefore, we were approached by those in whom the problem had been solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 25

“For it is only by accepting and solving our problem that we can begin to get right with ourselves and with the world about us, and with Him who presides over us all. Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 125

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'As sobriety means long life and happiness for the individual, so does unity mean exactly the same thing to our Society as a whole. Unified we live; disunited we shall perish.'
'We must think deeply of all those sick ones still to come to A.A. As they try to make their return to faith and to life, we want them to find everything in A.A. that we have found, and yet more, if that be possible. No care, no vigilance, no effort to preserve A.A.'s constant effectiveness and spiritual strength will ever be too great to hold us in full readiness for the day of their homecoming.

Prayer for the Day: God, thank you for helping me realize what I am and thank you for helping me realize how much I need You. God, I'm going to try to do better, but I need your help. Help me to live better for You. Help me to see my wrongs and faults, at all times and help me to overcome my weak and sinful nature. God, I've been away for too long. Help me to stay with You, for You, and for always. Amen

AA Thought for the Day

August 18

Our Behavior
To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong
he has done us. This is especially true if he has, in fact, behaved badly at all.
Triumphantly we seize upon his misbehavior as the perfect excuse for minimizing or forgetting our own.
Right here we need to fetch ourselves up sharply. . .
Let's remember that alcoholics are not the only ones bedeviled by sick emotions.
Moreover, it is usually a fact that our behavior when drinking has aggravated the defects of others.
- 12 Steps & 12 Traditions, p. 78

Thought to Ponder
All of AA's suggestions are free.
The ones I don't take are the ones I end up paying for.

AA-related 'Alconym'
W H Y = Whine, Holler, Yell.

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

Anonymity
"And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe
that the principle of anonymity
has an immense spiritual significance.
It reminds us that we are to place
principles before personalities;
that we are actually to practice a genuine humility.
This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us;
that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation
of Him who presides over us all."
Tradition Twelve - the Long Form
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 567-8

Thought to Consider . . .
Walk softly and carry a Big Book.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A N O N Y M O U S =
Actions, Not Our Names, Yield Maintenance Of Unity and Service.

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

Fatal
From: "How It Works"
It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 66

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

"With each passing year we increasingly realize the immense importance of adequately presenting the program to every new prospect who is in the least inclined to listen. Many of us feel this to be our greatest obligation to him and our failure to do so our greatest dereliction. The difference between a good approach and a bad one can mean life or death to those who seek our help."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., May 1947
"Adequate Hospitalization: One Great Need"
The Language of the Heart

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

"We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. 'Do I now
believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power
greater than myself?' As soon as a man can say that he does believe,
or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on
his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this
simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be
built."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 47

"Most of us sense that real tolerance of other people's shortcomings and viewpoints and a respect for their opinions are attitudes which make us more useful to others."
Alcoholics Anonymous p.19

“Many could recover if they had the opportunity we have enjoyed.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 19

“There are many opportunities even for those of us who feel unable to speak at meetings or who are so situated that we cannot do much face-to-face Twelfth Step work.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 110

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Not many people can truthfully assert that they love everybody. Most of us must admit that we have loved but a few; that we have been quite indifferent to the many. As for the remainder - well, we have really disliked or hated them.
We A.A.'s find we need something much better than this in order to keep our balance. The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many, and can continue to fear or hate anybody at all, has to be abandoned, if only a little at a time.
We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love. We can show kindness where we had formerly shown none. With those we dislike we can at least begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way at times to understand and help them.

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

AA Thought for the Day

August 19

Progress
"Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection.
So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to achieve
His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress is our aim, and
His perfection is the beacon, light-years away, that draws us on."
- As Bill Sees It, p. 15

Thought to Ponder
Spiritual progress isn't what gets us sober, it's what keeps us sober.

AA-related 'Alconym'
K I S S = Keeping It Simple, Spiritually.

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

Progress
"Many of us exclaimed,
'What an order! I can't go through with it.'
Do not be discouraged.
No one among us has been able to maintain
anything like perfect adherence to these principles.
We are not saints.
The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines.
The principles we have set down are guides to progress.
We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 60

Thought to Consider . . .
Progress always involves risk.
You can't steal second base with your foot on first.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

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

Things We Dreamed
Tradition Six: An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside
enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Here are some of the things we dreamed. Hospitals didn't like alcoholics, so we thought we'd build a hospital chain of
our own. People needed to be told what alcoholism was, so we'd educate the public, even rewrite school and medical
textbooks. We'd gather up derelicts from skid rows, sort out those who could get well, and make it possible for the rest
to earn their livelihood in a kind of quarantined confinement. Maybe these places would make large sums of money to
carry on our other good works. We seriously thought of rewriting the laws of the land, and having it declared that
alcoholics are sick people. No more would they be jailed; judges would parole them in our custody. We'd spill AA into
the dark regions of dope addiction and criminality. We'd form groups of depressive and paranoid folks; the deeper the
neurosis, the better we'd like it. It stood to reason that if alcoholism could be licked, so could any problem.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 155-156

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

"What I have learned in the past twelve years is that my relationship with God and my spiritual practice is the only
answer, even when I'm not sure of the question."
North Hollywood, California, September 2005
"Where's My Reward?"
Spiritual Awakenings II

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

"The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, Page 30~

"Perhaps there is a better way--we think so. For we are now on a
different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We
trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the
world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as
we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 68~

"Our liquor was but a symptom."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

"Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man,
woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured
by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form
or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and
miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as
old as man himself."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 55~

“We relax and take it easy.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 86

“It will help if we can drop all resistance to what our friend says.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 100

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Everyone must agree that we A.A.'s are unbelievably fortunate people; fortunate that we have suffered so much;
fortunate that we can know, understand, and love each other so supremely well.
These attributes and virtues are scarcely of the earned variety. Indeed, most of us are well aware that these are rare
gifts which have their true origin in our kinship born of a common suffering and a common deliverance by the grace of God.
Thereby we are privileged to communicate with each other to a degree and in a manner not very often surpassed
among our nonalcoholic friends in the world around us.
'I used to be ashamed of my condition and so didn't talk about it. But nowadays I freely confess I am a depressive, and
this has attracted other depressives to me. Working with them has helped a great deal.

Prayer for the Day: God, I'm tired of what I was, and how I was. I've thought real hard on this, and I've prayed too. I'm ready to live a new kind of life, a life for You. I know now more than ever that I need your help in this and all things and I'm asking for it with an open heart. Take away all of my defects, and replace them with your love and strength. Fill my heart with the desire to serve only You. Thy will be done. Amen.

AA Thought for the Day

August 20

Fully Concede
We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves
that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery.
The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30

Thought to Ponder
The Twelve Steps -- a manuscript for rational living.

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

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

Newcomers
"Abandon yourself to God as you understand God.
Admit your faults to Him and your fellows.
Clear away the wreckage of your past.
Give freely of what you find and join us.
We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit,
and you will surely meet some of us
as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.
May God bless you and keep you - until then."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 164

Thought to Consider . . .
Newcomers are the lifeblood of the program.
But our oldtimers are the arteries.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change

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

Impatient
From: "Gutter Bravado"
Still very impatient, I wanted the whole deal right away. That's why I related so well to the story about a wide-eyed new
person and an oldtimer. When the newcomer approached the oldtimer, envying his accomplishments and many years
of sobriety, the oldtimer slapped down his hand like a gavel and said, "I'll trade you even! My thirty years for your thirty
days - right now!" He knew what the newcomer had yet to find out: that true happiness is found in the journey, not the destination.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 510-511

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

"For thousands of alcoholics yet to come, AA does have an answer. But there is one condition. We must, at all costs,
preserve our essential unity; it must be made unbreakably secure. Without permanent unity there can be little lasting
recovery for anyone. Hence our future depends upon the creation and observance of a sound group Tradition. First
things will always need to be first: humility before success, and unity before fame."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., October 1947
"Traditions Stressed in Memphis Talk"
The Language of the Heart

*~*~*~*~*^ 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

"Most alcoholics owe money. We do not dodge our creditors. Telling
them what we are trying to do, we make no bones about our drinking;
they usually know it anyway, whether we think so or not. Nor are we
afraid of disclosing our alcoholism on the theory it may cause
financial harm. Approached in this way, the most ruthless creditor
will sometimes surprise us. Arranging the best deal we can we let
these people know we are sorry. Our drinking has made us slow to
pay.
We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go,
for we are liable to drink if we are afraid to face them."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 78~

“What is this power that A.A. possesses? This curative power? I don’t know what it is. I suppose the doctor might
say, ‘This is psychosomatic medicine.’ I suppose the psychiatrist might say, ‘This is benevolent interpersonal
relations.’ I suppose others would say, ‘This is group psychotherapy.’ To me it is God.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 352

“As psychiatrists have often observed, defiance is the outstanding characteristic of many an alcoholic. So it’s not
strange that lots of us have had our day at defying God Himself. Sometimes it’s because God has not delivered us the
good things of life which we specified, as a greedy child makes an impossible list for Santa Claus. More often, though,
we had met up with some major calamity, and to our way of thinking lost out because God deserted us.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 31

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Many newcomers, having experienced little but constant deflation, feel a growing conviction that human will is of no
value whatever. They have become persuaded, sometimes rightly so, that many problems besides alcohol will not
yield to a headlong assault powered only by the individual's will.
However, there are certain things which the individual alone can do. All by himself, and in the light of his own
circumstances, he needs to develop the quality of willingness. When he acquires willingness, he is the only one who
can then make the decision to exert himself along spiritual lines. Trying to do this is actually an act of his own will. It is
a right use of this faculty.
Indeed, all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps require our sustained and personal exertion to conform to their principles and so, we
trust, to God's will.

Prayer for the Day: God help me to become willing to sweep away the debris of self will and self reliant living. Thy will be done. Amen

AA Thought for the Day

August 21

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."

In Step Eleven we saw that if a Higher Power had restored us to sanity and had
enabled us to live with some peace of mind in a sorely troubled world,
then such a Higher Power was worth knowing better, by as direct contact as possible.
- 12 Steps & 12 Traditions, pp. 108 - 109

Thought to Ponder
Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.

AA-related 'Alconym'
P R A Y E R = Praying Regularly Allows Your Everyday Recovery.

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

Fear
"The practice of AA's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
in our personal lives also brought incredible releases
from fear of every description,
despite the wide prevalence of formidable personal problems.
When fear did persist, we knew it for what it was,
and under God's grace we became able to handle it.
We began to see each adversity as a God-given
opportunity to develop the kind of courage
which is born of humility, rather than bravado.
Thus we were enabled to accept ourselves,
our circumstances, and our fellows."
Bill W., January 1962
1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, p. 268

Thought to Consider . . .
Courage is the willingness to accept fear
and act anyway.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R = Fools Every Alcoholic Repeatedly

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

Bill's Adolescent Depression
From: "Chapter One"
With the onset of depression, his academic performance dropped. The upshot was that I failed German and, for that
reason, could not graduate. Here I was, president of my senior class and they wouldn't give me a diploma! My mother
arrived, extremely angry, from Boston. A stormy scene took place in the principal's office. Still, I didn't get that diploma.
He failed to graduate with his class (although school records now list him with the group). Following a summer of
agonizing depression, he went to live with his mother near Boston and completed makeup work that qualified him for college.
What had caused Bill to change from high achiever to a helpless depressive? As he saw it, the major problem was the
he could no longer be Number One. I could not be anybody at all. I could not win, because the adversary was death.
So my life, I thought, had ended then and there.
1984, AAWS, Inc., Pass It On The story of Bill Wilson and how the AA message reached the world, pages 36-37

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

"It has been difficult for me to accept myself and some of my decisions ... But I've done the best I can with the
information available, even if it might not be someone else's best."
Bennettville, Minnesota, December 1999
"A Tough Pull,"
In Our Own Words

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

"In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper. We listed
people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked
ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our
self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal
relationships,(including sex) were hurt or threatened."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

“We had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is or He isn't.
What was our choice to be?” ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 53

“We thank God from the bottom of our heart that we know Him better.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 75

“This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him
who presides over us all.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 192 (Tradition Twelve Long Version)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The A.A. emphasis on personal inventory is heavy because a great many of us have never really acquired the habit of
accurate self-appraisal.
Once this healthy practice has become a habit, it will prove so interesting and profitable that the time it takes won't be
missed. For these minutes and often hours spent in self-examination are bound to make all the other hours of our day
better and happier. At length, our inventories become a necessity of everyday living, rather than something unusual or set apart.

Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, I've been in the driver's seat but I sure am a bad driver! I've caused more than a few "accidents" along the way. You'd better take the wheel from here on in. Let's go back from where I came and you can help me make things right. Amen.

AA Thought for the Day

August 22

Guilt and Pride
Guilt is really the reserve side of the coin of pride.
Guilt aims at self-destruction,
and pride aims at the destruction of others.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 140

Thought to Ponder
Swallowing my pride will not get me drunk.

AA-related 'Alconym'
C H A N G E = Choosing Humility Allows New Gifts and Energy.

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

Guidance
"I am a firm believer in both guidance and prayer.
But I am fully aware, and humble enough, I hope,
to see there may be nothing infallible
about my guidance.
The minute I figure I have got a perfectly clear
pipeline to God, I have become egotistical enough
to get into real trouble.
Nobody can cause more needless grief than a power-driver
who thinks he's got it straight from God."
Bill W., Letter, 1950
1967AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 38

Thought to Consider . . .
It's not making a mistake that will kill me.
It's defending it that does the damage.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer

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

Only One Tool
From: "Availing yourself of a sponsor"
An AA sponsor is not a professional caseworker or counselor of any sort. A sponsor is not someone to borrow money from, nor get clothes, jobs, or food from. A sponsor is not a medical expert, nor qualified to give religious, legal, domestic or psychiatric advice, although a good sponsor is usually willing to discuss such matters confidentially, and often can suggest where the appropriate professional assistance can be obtained.
A sponsor is simply a sober alcoholic who can help solve only one problem: how to stay sober. And the sponsor has only one tool to use - personal experience, not scientific wisdom.
Sponsors have been there, and often have more concern, hope, compassion, and confidence for us than we have for ourselves. They certainly have had more experience. Remembering their own condition, they reach out to help, not down.
1998, AAWS, Inc., Living Sober, page 27

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

"When I effectively practice my program, I am only a cheap dime-store garden hose carrying God's message of hope, recovery, and forgiveness."
El Paso, Texas, October 2006
"Garden Hose Sobriety,"
Spiritual Awakenings II

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

"Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family
back. This just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come
back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his
recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his
relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have
not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came
back too soon."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 99~

"Here are thousands of men and women, worldly
indeed. They flatly declare that since they have come
to believe in a Power greater than themselves, to take
a certain attitude toward that Power, and to do certain
simple things. There has been a revolutionary change
in their way of living and thinking. In the face of
collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure
of their human resources, they found that a new
power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction
flowed into them."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 50~

“We found ourselves accepting many things which then seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth, but if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 47

“You are and A.A. member if you say so. You can declare yourself in; nobody can keep you out. No matter who you are, no matter how low you’ve gone, no matter how grave your emotional complications – even your crimes – we still can’t deny you A.A. We don’t want to keep you out. We aren’t a bit afraid you’ll harm us, never mind how twisted or violent you may be. We just want to be sure that you get the same great chance for sobriety that we’ve had. So you’re an A.A. member the minute you declare yourself.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 139

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Letter to a prison group:
'Every A.A. has been, in a sense, a prisoner. Each of us has walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma. The lot of you folks has been even more difficult: In your case, society has also built a wall around you. But there isn't any really essential difference, a fact that practically all A.A.'s now know.
'Therefore, when you members come into the world of A.A. on the outside, you can be sure that no one will care a fig that you have done time. What you are trying to be - not what you were - is all that counts with us.'

'Mental and emotional difficulties are sometimes very hard to take while we are trying to maintain sobriety. Yet we do see, in the long run, that transcendence over such problems is the real test of the A.A. way of living. Adversity gives us more opportunity to grow than does comfort or success.

Prayer for the Day: God give me the strength and direction to do the right thing no matter what the consequences may be. Help me to consider others and not harm them in any way. Help me to consult with others before I take any actions that would cause me to be sorry. Help me to not repeat such behaviors. Show me the way of Patience, Tolerance, Kindliness, and Love and help me live the spiritual life. Amen

AA Thought for the Day

August 23

A Family Disease
It is important for me to realize that, as an alcoholic, I not only hurt myself, but also those around me.
Making amends to my family, and to the families of alcoholics still suffering, will always be important.
Understanding the havoc I created and trying to repair the destruction, will be a lifelong endeavor.
The example of my sobriety may give others hope, and faith to help themselves.
- Daily Reflections, p. 173

Thought to Ponder . . .
Don't give up before the miracle happens.

AA-related 'Alconym' . .
A A = Always Alive

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

Solution
"There is a solution.
Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling
of our pride, the confessions of shortcomings
which the process requires for its successful
consummation.
But we saw that it really worked in others,
and we had come to believe in the
hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it.
When, therefore, we were approached by those
in whom the problem had been solved,
there was nothing left for us but to pick up
the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.
We have found much of heaven
and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension
of existence of which we had not even dreamed."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.

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

Serenity
>From "Happiness":
"The second tenet of the Serenity Prayer is too frequently slurred over. I am constantly amazed at the number of so-called obstacles I have overcome after giving them a second look, mustering what meager resources I have, then taking the hoe in hand.
"Serenity to me, therefore, is the absence of insoluble conflict. And it is up to me first to determine whether, after an honest look at myself, I can cope with the problem, then to decide whether it is to be tackled, passed over to another day, or dismissed forever. "New Hartford, New York, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 111

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

"It surely may be said that the future looks bright. Much more hospitalization, based on the certainty that we are a sick people and that plenty can be done about it, is now on the way. We ought gratefully to acknowledge the work of those agencies outside AA who are strenuously helping this life-redeeming trend along."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., May 1947
"Adequate Hospitalization: One Great Need"
The Language of the Heart

*~*~*~*~*^ 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~

"Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith, we often found
ourselves handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning
prejudice. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference
to spiritual things make us bristle with antagonism. This sort of
thinking had to be abandoned. Though some of us resisted, we found
no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings. Faced with
alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual
matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect
alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of
reasonableness."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 47~

“We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 88

“So, practicing these Steps, we had a spiritual awakening about which finally there was no question.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 109

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Any number of A.A.'s can say, 'We were diverted from our childhood faith. As material success began to come, we felt we were winning at the game of life. This was exhilarating, and it made us happy.
'Why should we be bothered with theological abstractions and religious duties, or with the state of our souls, here or hereafter? The will to win should carry us through.
'But then alcohol began to have its way with us. Finally, when all our score cards read 'zero,' and we saw that one more strike would put us out of the game forever, we had to look for our lost faith. It was in A.A. that we rediscovered it.

Prayer for the Day: Dear Heavenly Father, Where I have done wrong, help me do right. I have done enough harm, and I ask Your help, so that I may do no more. I'll need more courage than I've got, help me be strong. I've been selfish, help me be selfless. Come what may, help me bear it. As I have in past harmed completely, help me to finish this, completely. I have been willful and hurtful; please grant me humility and humanity. Lord, help me be better. Better for You. Amen.

AA Thought for the Day

August 24

Three Pertinent Ideas
Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our
personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 60

Thought to Ponder
I can't, God can, I'll ask Him to.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F R O G = Fully Rely On God

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

Jittery
"We believe and hope this book contains
all you will need to begin.
We know what you are thinking.
You are saying to yourself:
'I'm jittery and alone. I couldn't do that.'
But you can.
You forget that you have just now tapped
a source of power much greater than yourself.
To duplicate, with such backing,
what we have accomplished is only a matter
of willingness, patience and labor."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 163

Thought to Consider . . .
It's kind of fun to do the impossible.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
W H O M E ? = Willingness, Honesty, Openmindedness, Must Exist

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

HP
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"We were still arguing about the Twelve Steps. All this time I had refused to budge on these steps. I would not change
a word of the original draft, in which I had consistently used the word 'God,' and in one place the expression 'on our
knees' was used. Praying to God on one's knees was still a big affront to Henry. He was positive we would scare off
alcoholics by the thousands when they read those Twelve Steps. Though at first I would have none of it, we finally
began to talk about the possibility of compromise. Who first suggested the actual compromise words I do not know,
but they are words well known throughout the length and breadth of A.A. today: In Step Two we decided to describe
God as a 'Power greater than ourselves.' In Steps Three and Eleven we inserted the words 'God as we understood
Him.' From Step Seven we deleted the expression 'on our knees.' And, as a lead-in sentence to all the steps we wrote
these words: 'Here are the steps we took which are suggested as a Program of Recovery.' A.A.'s Twelve Steps were
to be suggestions only."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 166-67

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

"There is very little in life that I must personally handle or that someone else couldn't do as well. On the other hand, no
one else in the world can take my place at my meetings."
Washington Township, New Jersey
"Distilled Spirits,"
AA Grapevine

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

"If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to
let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and
will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct
continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not
theorizing. These are facts out of our experience."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 70~

"Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our
drinking careers most of us could have stopped drinking. But the
difficulty is that few alcoholics have enough desire to stop while
there is yet time."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 32

“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

“When we are honest with another person, it confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with God.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 60 (Step Five)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we can merely glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a
perfect ideal. Only God himself can manifest in the absolute; we human beings must needs live and grow in the
domain of the relative. So we seek progress in humility for today.
Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at spiritual and moral perfection; we want to settle for only
as much development as may get us by in life, according, of course, to our various and sundry ideas of what will get
us by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective, rather than for the perfect objective which is of God.

Prayer for the Day: God remove the Selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear that has cropped up in my life right now. Help me to discuss this with someone immediately and make amends quickly if I have harmed anyone. Help me to cease fighting anything and anyone. Show me where I may be helpful to someone else. Help me react sanely; not cocky or afraid. How can I best serve You - Your will, not mine be done. Amen

AA Thought for the Day

August 25

Reality
I lived in a dream world. A.A. led me gently from this fantasizing
to embrace reality with open arms. And I found it beautiful! For,
at last, I was at peace with myself. And with others. And with God.
- Alcoholics Anonymous,p. 559

Thought to Ponder
. From darkness comes light.

AA-related 'Alconym'
G I F T = God Is Forever There

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

Peace of Mind
"AA has taught me that I will have peace of mind
in exact proportion to the peace of mind
I bring into the lives of other people,
and it has taught me the true meaning of the admonition
'happy are ye who know these things and do them.'
For the only problems I have now are those I create
when I break out in a rash of self-will."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 551

Thought to Consider . . .
I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life
would be peace of mind.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P E A C E = Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.

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

Agreed at the Beginning
From: "Into Action"
Now we need more action, without which we find that Faith without works is dead. Let's look at Steps Eight and Nine. We have a list of all persons we have harmed and to whom we are willing to make amends. We made it when we took our inventory. We subjected ourselves to a drastic self-appraisal. Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haven't the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 76

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

"Throughout the world AAs are twelfth-stepping with thousands of new prospects a month. Between one and two thousand of these stick on our first presentation; past experience shows that most of the remainder will come back to us later on. Almost entirely unorganized, and completely nonprofessional, this mighty spiritual current is now flowing from alcoholics who are well to those who are sick. One alcoholic talking to another; that's all."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1948
"Tradition Eight"
The Language of the Heart

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

"If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the
brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal
men, but for alcoholics these things are poison."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~

"...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? We
asked God to mold our ideals and help us to live up to them. We
remembered always that our sex powers were God-given and therefore
good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly nor to be despised and
loathed."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 69

“If he is to find God, the desire must come from within.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 95

“Both his pride and his fear beat him back every time he tries to look within himself.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 49

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Neither the A.A. General Service Conference, its Board of Trustees, nor the humblest group committee can issue a single directive to an A.A. member and make it stick, let alone mete out any punishment. We've tried this lots of times, but utter failure is always the result.
Groups have sometimes tried to expel members, but the banished have come back to sit in the meeting place, saying, 'This is life for us; you can't keep us out.' Committees have instructed many an A.A. to stop working on a chronic backslider, only to be told: 'How I do my Twelfth Step work is my business. Who are you to judge?'
This doesn't mean that an A.A. won't take good advice or suggestions from more experienced members. He simply objects to taking orders.

Prayer for the Day: My life is for you Lord, help me to be worthy of your Love. Help me to do better. Amen.

AA Thought for the Day

August 26

Profound Change
"It has often been said of A.A. that we are interested only on alcoholism. That is not true.
We have to get over drinking in order to stay alive. But anyone who knows the alcoholic personality
by firsthand contact knows that no true alky ever stops drinking permanently
without undergoing a profound personality change."
- As Bill Sees It, p. 1

Thought to Ponder
If I don't change, my sobriety date will.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A C T I O N = Any Change To Improve Our Nature.

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

Change
"How many of us would presume to declare,
'Well, I'm sober and I'm happy. What more can I want or do?
I'm fine the way I am.'
We know that the price of such self-satisfaction
is an inevitable backslide,
punctuated at some point by a very rude awakening.
We have to grow or else deteriorate.
For us, the status quo can only be for today,
never for tomorrow.
Change we must; we cannot stand still."
Bill W., AAGrapevine, February 1961
As Bill Sees It, p. 25

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
P A C E = Positive Attitudes Change Everything

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

Didn't Look Good
Tradition Five: Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
I was soon sitting beside a big hulk of a man. Decidedly unfriendly, he stared at me out of eyes which were slits in his
red and swollen face. I had to agree with the doctor - he certainly didn't look good. But I told him my own story. I
explained what a wonderful Fellowship we had, how well we understood each other. I bore down hard on the
hopelessness of the drunk's dilemma. I insisted that few drunks could ever get well on their own steam, but that in our
groups we could do together what we could not do separately. He interrupted to scoff at this and asserted he'd fix his
wife, his partner, and his alcoholism by himself.
1981, AAWS, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 152

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

"God has continued to send me many miracles since the first one occurred the day he gave me the courage and
willingness to go to my first AA meeting."
Oak Park, Illinois, September 1984
"Powerless Equals Free,"
Spiritual Awakenings II

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

"For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing to get well,
little charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is needed 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~

"Without knowing it, had we not been brought to where we stood by a
certain kind of faith? For did we not believe in our own reasoning?
Did we not have confidence in our ability to think? What was that
but a sort of faith? Yes, we had been faithful, abjectly faithful to
the God of Reason. So, in one way or another, we discovered that
faith had been involved all the time!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 53~

“Love and tolerance of others is our code.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 84

“Almost any experienced A.A. will tell how his affairs have taken remarkable and unexpected turns for the better as he
tried to improve his conscious contact with God.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 104-105

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can
cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is
a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.
'The remedy? Well, let's have a hard look at ourselves, and a still harder one at A.A.'s Twelve Steps to recovery. When
we see how many of our fellow A.A.'s have used the Steps to transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be inspired
to try these life-giving principles for ourselves.

Prayer for the Day: God, we pray for faith and spiritual courage to face our problems. Grant us wisdom to know our weakness and strength to rebuild our lives. - From Stools & Bottles

AA Thought for the Day

August 27

Instincts
We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives.
If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse;
we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment.
But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first—then and only then do we have a real chance.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp, 114 - 115

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

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G R O W T H = God Reveals Other Ways To Heal.

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

Vision
"Vision is, I think, the ability to make good estimates,
both for the immediate and for the more distant future.
Some might feel this sort of striving to be a sort of heresy,
because we AA's are constantly telling ourselves,
'One day at a time.'
But that valuable principle really refers to our
mental and emotional lives and means chiefly
that we are not foolishly to repine over the past
nor wishfully to day-dream about the future. . .
Vision is therefore the very essence of prudence,
an essential virtue if ever there was one."
Bill W., 1962
1962AAWS, Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th Printing, p. 40

Thought to Consider . . .
The road to recovery is always under construction.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
O D A A T = One Day At A Time

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

All I Could Think Of
From: "A Vision of Recovery"
While in a juvenile detention center about 500 miles from my home, I received word that my mother was dying of
cancer. I was able to get a pass and return home to spend time with her. One evening my family asked me if I would
stay home with my mother and give her the medicine she was required to take. I had already had a few drinks and was
anxious to get out and party with my friends, but I reluctantly agreed to stay. Self-pity set in, and all I could think of was
the good time I could have been having. I got very impatient with my mother, and when she refused to take her
medicine, I almost forced it into her mouth; then I left to join my friends. The next morning I woke up in county jail, about
100 miles from home. I had attempted a break-and-enter, and was caught by the police.
That very evening, as I sat in jail, my mother died.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, page 495-496

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

"In the fear of accumulated wealth and bureaucracy, we should not discover an alibi for failure to pay AA's legitimate
service expenses. For fear of controversy, our leadership should not go timid when lively debate and forthright action is a necessity."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1965
"Responsibility Is Our Theme"
The Language of the Heart

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

Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect
produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they
admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the
true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only
normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless
they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes
at once by taking a few drinks, drinks which they see others
taking with impunity."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxviii~

"We commenced to make many fast friends and a fellowship has grown
up among us of which it is a wonderful thing to feel a part. The joy
of living we really have, even under pressure and difficulty."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 15~

“To get over drinking will require a transformation of thought and attitude.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 143

“Everywhere we saw failure and misery transformed by humility into priceless assets.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 75

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their sobriety are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do
provide a new prospect with these very things - when it becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first.
It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when and how to give. Whenever we put our work on a material
plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather than upon a Higher Power and the A.A. group. He continues
to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for.
Nonsense! Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: that, job or no job, wife or no wife, we simply do
not stop drinking so long as we place material dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.

Prayer for the Day: God, Help me to stop and remember that I've made a decision to let You be my God. Give me the right thoughts and actions. God save me from fear, anger, worry, self-pity or foolish decisions that Your will not mine be done.

AA Thought for the Day

August 28

Unreasonable Demands

We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love.
We can show kindness where we had shown none.
With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy,
perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them.
Whenever we fail any of these people, we can promptly admit it—to ourselves always,
and to them also, when the admission would be helpful.
- - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 93

Thought to Ponder
The first step in overcoming mistakes is to admit them.

AA-related 'Alconym'
P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance.

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

Self-appraisal
"I used to be a champ at unrealistic self-appraisal.
I wanted to look only at the part of my life
which seemed good.
Then I would greatly exaggerate whatever virtues
I supposed I had attained.
Next I would congratulate myself on the grand job
I was doing.
So my unconscious self-deception never failed
to turn my few good assets into serious liabilities.
This astonishing process was always a pleasant one. . .
I was falling straight back
into the pattern of my drinking days. . .
I shall forever regret the damage I did to people around me.
Indeed, I still tremble when I realize
what I might have done to AA and to its future."
Bill W., June 1961
1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart, pp. 256-7

Thought to Consider . . .
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A A = Altered Attitudes

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

Tornado Technique
From: "When AA Came of Age"
Still another famous early itinerant was Irwin M., a Cleveland AA who had become a champion salesman of Venetian blinds to department stores in the deep South. He used to range a territory bounded by Atlanta and Jacksonville on one side and Indianapolis, Birmingham, and New Orleans on the other. Irwin weighed 250 pounds and was full of energy and gusto. The prospect of Irwin, as a missionary, scared us rather badly. At the New York Headquarters we had on file a long list of topers in many a Southern city and town, people who had not been personally visited. Irwin had long since broken all the rules of caution and discreet approach to newcomers, so it was with reluctance that we gave him the list. Then we waited - but not for long. Irwin ran them down, every single one, with his home-crashing tornado technique. Day and night, besides, he wrote letters to his prospects and got them to writing each other.
Stunned but happy Southerners began to send their thanks to Headquarters. As Irwin himself reported, many a first family of the South had been an easy pushover. He had cracked the territory wide open and had started or stimulated many an original group.
1985, AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, page 25

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

"When I've examined a situation all ways from Sunday, and the only thing I can see are bad consequences, then I can say, 'God, I don't have the least idea what to do.' That seems to be the magic phrase for me. Then something happens, and it is usually an action I hadn't thought of doing, and the result is good for all."
Irasburg, Vermont, December 1997
"Distilled Spirits,"
AA Grapevine

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

"Everybody knows that those in bad health, and those who seldom play,
do not laugh much. So let each family play together or separately as
much as their circumstances warrant. We are sure God wants us to be
happy, joyous, and free."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132~

"Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or
trying on our own power. We had to have God's help."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62

“Returning home we find a place where we can be a quiet for an hour, carefully reviewing what we have done.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 75

“A quiet, objective view will be our steadfast aim.”
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 82 (Step Eight)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

We cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no right to save our own skins at their expense.
Such damaging parts of our story we tell to someone else who will understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is, we must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others.
Good judgment will suggest that we ought to take our time in making amends to our families. It may be unwise at first to rehash certain harrowing episodes. While we may be quite willing to reveal the very worst, we must be sure to remember that we cannot buy our own peace of mind at the expense of others.

Prayer for the Day: (Prayer of St Francis of Assisi) —"Lord, make me a channel of thy peace - that where there is hatred, I may bring love - that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness - that where there is discord, I may bring harmony - that where there is error, I may bring truth - that where there is doubt, I may bring faith - that where there is despair, I may bring hope - that where there are shadows, I may bring light - that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted - to understand, than to be understood - to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen."

AA Thought for the Day

August 29

Self-Reliance
We could actually have earnest religious beliefs which remained barren because we were
still trying to play God ourselves. As long as we placed self-reliance first,
a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question.
That basic ingredient of all humility, a desire to seek and do God's will, was missing.
- - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 72

Thought to Ponder
Humility is not thinking less of myself, but thinking of myself less.

AA-related 'Alconym'
B A T H = Behavior, Attitude, Thinking, Habits.

~*~A.A. Thought For The Day~*~

Step One
"No other kind of bankruptcy is like this one.
Alcohol, now become the rapacious creditor,
bleeds us all of self-sufficiency and all will
to resist its demands.
Once this stark fact is accepted,
our bankruptcy as going human concerns is complete.
But upon entering AA we soon take quite another view
of this absolute humiliation.
We perceive that only through utter defeat
are we able to take our first steps
toward liberation and strength.
Our admissions of personal powerlessness
finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which
happy and purposeful lives may be built."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 21

Thought to Consider . . .
Once we clear a hurdle, it doesn't seem so high.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety

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

Reality I Had Feared
From: "No Man Is An Island"
I was spiritually bankrupt long before AA entered my life and long before alcoholism took over like a parasite under my
skin. I had nothing, no faith at all to cling to. I had no faith in man, because along with my drinking I had lost faith in
myself. I trusted no one, for others were but a mere reflection of my own self, and I could not trust me.
I got sober in AA, and, like a miracle, the warm flood of reality I had feared for so long flowed over me, and I was no
longer afraid. I began to wonder why. Along with sobriety, something new had come into my life.
I began to have concern for others. This word concern, along with its sister consideration, was an alien thing to me. I
had believed myself capable of falling in love; I had thought myself a loving mother; but these emotions, I now perceive,
had been reflections of my own self-interest. Nothing penetrated beyond my self. I began, in early sobriety, to feel
compassion for other drunks, then for my children, then for my ex-husband. This compassion, a feeling accompanied
later by love, opened the door to a huge fortress within me which had been forever locked.
1973, AAWS, Inc., Came to Believe, pages 118-119.

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

"Learning is the very essence of humility. The two walk hand in hand. Humility, as I see it, grows out of an urge to learn
from everyone and everything."
Walnut Creek, California, May 1988
"Distilled Spirits,"
AA Grapevine

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

"We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show,
humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done." We
are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-
pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do
not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we
did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~

"We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from
it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will
find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new
attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or
effort on our part. It just comes!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84

"We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 84

"To those of us who have hitherto known only excitement, depression, or anxiety -- in other words, to all of us -- this
newfound peace is a priceless gift."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 74

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'In some sections of A.A., anonymity is carried to the point of real absurdity. Members are on such a poor basis of
communication that they don't even know each other's last names or where each lives. It's like the cell of an underground.
'In other sections, we see exactly the reverse. It is difficult to restrain A.A.'s from shouting too much before the whole
public, by going on spectacular 'lecture tours' to play the big shot.
'However, I know that from these extremes we slowly pull ourselves onto a middle ground. Most lecture-giving
members do not last too long, and the superanonymous people are apt to come out of hiding respecting their A.A.
friends, business associates, and the like. I think the long-time trend is toward the middle of the road - which is
probably where we should be.

Prayer for the Day: Slow me down, Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory. Help me know the magical restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking minute vacations of slowing down, to look at a flower, to chat with an old friend or make a new one, to pat a stray dog, to watch a spider build a web, to smile at a child, or to read from a good book. Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift, that there is more to life than increasing its speed. Let me look upward at the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Lord, slow me down. Inspire me to send my own roots down deep into the soil of life's endearing values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny. Amen.

AA Thought for the Day

August 30

The Ladder
No one who drank as I did wakes up on the edge of the abyss one morning and says:
Things look pretty scary; I think I'd better stop drinking before I fall in.
I was convinced I could go as far as I wanted, and then climb back out when it wasn't fun anymore.
What happened was, I found myself at the bottom of the canyon thinking I'd never see the sun again.
AA didn't pull me out of that hole. It did give me the tools to construct a ladder, with Twelve Steps.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 316

Thought to Ponder . . .
I stood in the sunlight at last.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
S T E P S = Solutions Through Each Powerful Step.

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

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."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 122

Thought to Consider . . .
Courage is the willingness to accept fear and act anyway.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R = Face Everything And Recover

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

Others
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"A group of laymen whose combined religious training and experience had been small indeed had produced a volume
which described release from alcoholism by spiritual means. What would our Catholic friends think? We had not the slightest inkling.
"Then the good news came. By messenger we had sent the book Alcoholics Anonymous to the Catholic Committee
on Publications in the New York Archdiocese. Our messenger was Morgan R., released only a few weeks before from
Greystone asylum and himself the first Catholic to put in an appearance in New York [A.A.]. Not long after he returned
with wonderful things to tell us.
"The Committee, he said, had nothing but the best to say of our efforts. From their point of view the book was perfectly all right "
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 168-69

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

"Happiness or tragedy might just depend upon a slight sign of recognition, a nod of the head or perhaps a friendly smile."
Chappaqua, N.Y., December 1947
"Recognition"
AA Grapevine

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

"...I humbly offered myself to God, as I then I understood Him, to do
with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and
direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was
nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and
became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 13~

"We have no monopoly on God; we merely have an approach that worked with us."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 95~

"In our belief any scheme of combating alcoholism which proposes to shield the sick man from temptation is doomed to failure.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 101

“When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves to step back and think.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 91

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

After failure on my part to dry up any drunks, Dr. Silkworth reminded me of Professor William James's observation that
truly transforming spiritual experiences are nearly always rounded on calamity and collapse. 'Stop preaching at them,'
Dr. Silkworth said, 'and give them the hard medical facts first. This may soften them up at depth so that they will be
willing to do anything to get well. Then they may accept those spiritual ideas of yours, and even a Higher Power.'
We beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas, and
the result was nil - until we let go absolutely.

Prayer for the Day: Thank You, dear God, for another day, The chance to live in a decent way, To feel again the joy of living and happiness that comes from giving. Thank You for friends who can understand and the peace that flows from Your loving hand. Help me to wake with the morning sun, With the prayer today, "Thy will be done." For with Your help I will find the way. Thank You again, dear God, for another day.