~*~A

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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(\ ~~~ /)
( \(AA)/ )
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
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Resentments

Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics.
It mattered little whether our resentments were justified or not.
A burst of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us
miserably ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating
justified from unjustified anger. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified.
Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional

jag indefinitely. These emotional "dry benders" often led straight to the bottle.
Other kinds of disturbance -- jealousy, envy, self-pity, or hurt pride -- did the same thing.
c. 1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 90
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Thought to Consider . . .

Anger is the hot wind that extinguishes the light of reason.

*~*~*AKRONYMS*~*~*
C A L M = Can Anger Leave Me.

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

Essentials

From "'Let's Keep It Simple'":

"After years of sobriety I occasionally ask myself: 'Can it be this simple?' Then, at meetings, I see former cynics and skeptics who have walked the A.A. path out of hell by packaging their lives, without alcohol, into twenty-four hour segments, during which they practice a few principles to the best of their individual abilities. And then I know again that, while it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works."

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
TOTAL ACCEPTANCE

He cannot picture life without alcohol. Some day he will be unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it. Then he will know loneliness such as few do. He will be at the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 152

Only an alcoholic can understand the exact meaning of a statement like this one. The double standard that held me captive as an active alcoholic also filled me with terror and confusion: "If I don't get a drink I'm going to die," competed with "If I continue drinking it's going to kill me." Both compulsive thoughts pushed me ever closer to the bottom. That bottom produced a total acceptance of my alcoholism -- with no reservations whatsoever -- and one that was absolutely essential for my recovery. It was a dilemma unlike anything I had ever faced, but as I found out later on, a necessary one if I was to succeed in this program.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Maintenance and Growth

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 worthwhile. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then 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. If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the sudden rage were not for us. Anger is the dubious luxury of normal men, but for us alcoholics it is poison.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 66
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going
to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is
the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and
this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through
which we passed to freedom."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 62~

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

Have I turned to a Higher Power for help? Do I believe that each man or woman I see in A.A. is a demonstration of the power of God to change a human being from a drunkard into a sober, useful citizen? Do I believe that this Higher Power can keep me from drinking? Am I living one day at a time? Do I ask God to give me the power to stay sober for each twenty-four hours? Do I attend A.A. meetings regularly?

Meditation for the Day

I believe that God's presence brings peace and that peace, like a quiet-flowing river, will cleanse all irritants away. In these quiet times, God will teach me how to rest my nerves. I will not be afraid. I will learn how to relax. When I am relaxed, God's strength will flow into me. I will be at peace.

Prayer for the Day

I pray for that peace which passes all understanding.

I pray for that peace which the world can neither give nor take away