~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
^*^*^*^*^
(\
~~ /)
( \ (AA)/
)
(_ /AA\ _)
/AA\
^*^*^*^*^
Four Horsemen
^*^*^
"The less people tolerated
us, the more we withdrew from society, from life itself.
As we became subjects of
King Alcohol, shivering denizens of his mad realm,
the chilling vapor that
is loneliness settled down. It thickened, ever becoming blacker.
Some of us sought out
sordid places, hoping to find understanding companionship and approval.
Momentarily we did -
then would come oblivion and the awful awakening
to face the hideous Four
Horsemen - Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair.
Unhappy drinkers who
read this page will understand!"
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 151
^*^*^*^*^*
Thought to Consider . . .
Alcohol gave me wings to fly,
and then it took away
the sky.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A
A = Absolute Abstinence
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
Conception
From "Back to the Fundamentals":
"The answer I was looking for was on page 12, in Ebby's words to Bill: '"Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"'
"'I've tried everything else,' I thought, 'and I've got no place else to go. I might just as well.' I sat down at my desk, got a pad of paper and a pencil, and asked myself, 'If you could pick the kind of God that you could believe in, what would He be like?' I bore in mind the facts that I was an alcoholic and that I had been a perfectionist all my life. The world was never perfect enough for me. Everything that I ever believed in, every ideal that I ever followed turned out to have feet of clay. Here was my chance. For the first time in my life, I could create something perfect. All right! "I wrote across the page, 'God is the perfection I've been searching for all my life. He is too perfect to have human characteristics and faults.' That was the start. "Then I wrote, 'God is the ultimate perfection. He is the perfect love, the perfect truth, the perfect goodness, the perfect understanding, tolerance, mercy, forgiveness. God is so perfect that no matter how evil, how unclean we may be, He'll forgive us if we ask, and grant us strength to overcome our shortcomings.'"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pgs. 63-64
*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
A CHANGED OUTLOOK
Our
whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84
When
I was drinking, my attitude was totally selfish, totally self-centered;
my pleasure and my
comfort came first.
Now that I am sober,
self-seeking has started to slip away.
My whole attitude toward
life and other people is
changing. For me,
the first "A" in our name stands for attitude. My
attitude is changed by
the second "A" in our name, which stands for action.
By working the Steps,
attending meetings, and carrying the message,
I can be restored to
sanity. Action is the magic word! With a positive, helpful
attitude and regular
A.A. action, I can stay sober and help others to
achieve sobriety.
My attitude now is that I am willing to go to any length
to stay sober!
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Miraculous Power
Deep
down in every man, woman, and child is the fundamental idea of a 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.
<<<>>>
"Faith may often be
given through inspired teaching or a convincing personal example of its fruits.
It may sometimes be had through reason. For instance, many clergymen believe
that St. Thomas Aquinas actually proved God's existence by sheer logic. But
what can one do when all these channels fail? This was my own grievous dilemma.
"It was only when I
came fully to believe I was powerless over alcohol, only
when I appealed to a God
who just might exist, that I experienced a spiritual
awakening. This
freedom-giving experience came first, and then faith followed afterward--a gift
indeed!"
1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS,
P. 55
2. LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"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~
*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*
A.A. Thought
for the Day
Some
things I do not miss since becoming dry: that overall awful feeling
physically, including
the shakes, a splitting headache, pains in my arms and
legs, bleary eyes,
fluttering stomach, droopy shoulders, weak knees, a
three-day beard, and a
flushed complexion. Also, facing my loved one at
breakfast. Also, composing the
alibi and sticking to it. Also, trying to
shave or put on make-up
with a shaky hand.
Also, opening up my
wallet to find it empty. I don't miss these things, do I?
Meditation for the Day
You were born with a spark of the Divine
within you. It had been all but
smothered by the life
you were living. That celestial fire has to be tended
and fed so that it will
grow eventually into a real desire to live the right
way. By trying to do the
will of God, you grow more and more in the new way of life.
By thinking of God,
praying to Him, and having communion with Him, you gradually
grow more like Him.
The way of your transformation from the material to the
spiritual is the way
of Divine Companionship.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may tend
the spark of the Divine within me so that it will grow.
I pray that I may be gradually transformed from the old life to the new life.