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AA Thought for the Day

May 18

An Understanding
But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solution, who is properly armed
with facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another
alcoholic in a few hours. Until such an understanding is reached, little or
nothing can be accomplished.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 18

Thought to Ponder . . .
Faith is our greatest gift; its sharing with others our greatest responsibility.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
E S H = Experience, Strength and Hope.

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

Sponsor
"If we are fooling ourselves,
a competent adviser can see this quickly.
And, as he skillfully guides us away from our fantasies,
we are surprised to find that we have few
of the usual urges to defend ourselves
against unpleasant truths.
In no other way can fear, pride,
and ignorance be so readily melted.
After a time, we realize that we are standing firm
on a brand-new foundation for integrity,
and we gratefully credit our sponsors,
whose advice pointed the way."
Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, August 1961.
As Bill Sees It, p. 248

Thought to Consider . . .
A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor is much like leaving Dracula in charge of the blood bank.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R D S =
Call your sponsor,
Ask for help from your Higher Power,
Read the Big Book,
Do the Twelve Steps,
Stay active in your group.

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

Roles
>From "Action and Patience":
"I heard that we can't keep what we have unless we give it away. And so I found a woman someone a little newer than I
was and I shared with her what you had shared with me. Looking back on it, I doubt that I helped this woman very much,
but I helped myself beyond measure. I stayed sober, day by day, through sharing my experience, strength, and hope
with her, through putting action into the A.A. program while, at the same time, waiting for her, not forcing my action on
her. This was patience supporting the action, though I didn't call it patience at the time; the word was not a part of my
emotional vocabulary."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 42

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevinek Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"My home group's primary purpose is to carry the AA message to the alcoholic who still suffers. Some of those have
much sobriety, because the alcoholic who still suffers is not necessarily a newcomer. However, when newcomers do
show up at our home group we try to focus our discussion on what's in the Big Book and how it can help them if they
are willing to follow some simple suggestions."
Paso Robles, Calif., May 1998
"The Cement That Binds Us,"
AA Grapevine

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

"The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic
commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God. He
clamors for this or that, claiming he cannot master alcohol until
his material needs are cared for. Nonsense. Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job,
wife or no wife, we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of
dependence on God."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 98~

"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, 3rd Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 25~

Every newcomer in Alcoholics Anonymous is told, and soon realizes for himself, that his humble admission of
powerlessness over alcohol is his first step toward liberation from its paralyzing grip.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 72

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Two Roads for the Old-timer
The founders of many groups ultimately divide into two classes known in A.A. slang as 'elder statesmen' and 'bleeding deacons.'
The elder statesman sees the wisdom of the group's decision to run itself and holds no resentment over his reduced
status. His judgment, fortified by considerable experience, is sound; he is willing to sit quietly on the side lines patiently awaiting developments.
The bleeding deacon is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him. He constantly connives for
re-election to office and continues to be consumed with self-pity. Nearly every old-timer in our Society has gone through
this process in some degree. Happily, most of them survive and live to become elder statemen. They become the real
and permanent leadership of A.A. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 135

Prayer For The Day: Dear heavenly Father, thank you that I am well, and strong and able to work. I do appreciate the work You have called me to do. Lord, sometimes I do get weary, but help me not to complain. I am most blessed to be Your child and I thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life. Lord, use each of us to reach out to those that do not have the blessings that we have. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.