AA Thoughts For Today - October

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AA Thought for the Day

October 23

Combating Alcoholism

In our belief any scheme of combating alcoholism which proposes to shield the
sick man from temptation is doomed to failure. If the alcoholic tries to shield himself
he may succeed for a time, but he usually winds up with a bigger explosion than ever.
We have tried these methods. These attempts to do the impossible have always failed.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 101

Thought to Ponder
Faith makes the impossible possible.

AA-related 'Alconym'
N E W = Nothing Else Worked.

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

Discipline
"Unless each AA member follows to the best of his ability
our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery,
he almost certainly signs his own death warrant.
His drunkenness and dissolution
are not penalties inflicted by people in authority;
they result from his personal disobedience
to spiritual principles. . .
Great suffering and great love are AA's disciplinarians;
we need no others."
c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 174

Thought to Consider . . .
"We alcoholics are undisciplined.
So we let God discipline us . . ."

*~*~*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!^*~*~*~*~*

No Spiritual Angle
From: "AA and St. Thomas Hospital"
In later years, the AA ward opened into the gallery of the chapel, which patients could visit at any time in hospital attire. What could be more conducive to the regeneration of the whole person spiritually, mentally, and morally than five to seven days spent in an institution where the spiritual atmosphere prevails? Sister Ignatia said.
She naturally put more emphasis on the spiritual than many others. However, she felt that Dr. Bob shared her views on this emphasis. There was one thing that always irritated Doctor, she said. Some people who were on the program for a length of time would come up to him and say, I don't get the spiritual angle. I heard him say time and again, There is no spiritual angle. It's a spiritual program.
1980, AAWS, Inc., DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, page 194

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

"One old-timer explained it this way to me: 'Don't let your mind rattle on at meetings. Then all you'll hear from someone else is something that gets you thinking about what you have to say. Listen to everything the person talking has to say, as if your life depended on it -- because it might one day. Listen to everyone this way, especially the ones you want to ignore,' this old-timer said. 'God won't deprive you of the answer you need, if you've come to an AA meeting needing an answer. He may, however, have your answer come out of the mouth of the person you least expect to have your answer. God has a sense of humor.'"
May 1990
"Quiet Guidance,"
Sober and Out

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

"...the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception,
will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self
knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to
smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it has been revealed to us
out of bitter experience."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 39~

"We have concluded to publish an anonymous vol*
ume setting forth the problem as we see it. We shall
bring to the task our combined experience and knowl*
edge. This should suggest a useful program for any*
one concerned with a drinking problem."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.19

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 p.55

We saw that we were powerless over alcohol, but we also perceived that faith of some kind, if only in A.A. itself, is possible to anyone.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.34

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

'Often, as we review each day, only the closest scrutiny will reveal what our true motives were. There are cases where our ancient enemy rationalization has stepped in and has justified conduct which was really wrong. The temptation here is to imagine that we had good motives and reasons when we really hadn't.
We'constructively criticized' someone who needed it, when our real motive was to win a useless argument. Or, the person concerned not being present, we thought we were helping others to understand him, when in actuality our true motive was to feel superior by pulling him down.
We hurt those we loved because they needed to be 'taught a lesson,' but we really wanted to punish. We were depressed and complained we felt bad, when in fact we were mainly asking for sympathy and attention.'

Prayer for the Day: Prayer for Protection - The Light of God surrounds me; The Love of God enfolds me; The Power of God protects me; The Presence of God watches over me; Wherever I am, God is, And all is well.