District 9: August 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - September 1, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

September 1, 2015

Self-searching
The wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit,
until he is able to admit and accept what he finds,
and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 216

Thought to Ponder . . .
There is only one corner of the universe I can be certain of improving, and that's my own self.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
N O W = No Other Way.

Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.
Blessings in sobriety to all,
In love and service,
joanna b
dailythought@aa-alive.org

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Meeting Schedule
The Daily Thought Discussion Board
Service Opportunities
AA Birthday Signups
Helpful links and much more
Please go to our Website
http://aa-alive.net …
G.S.O. Registration Number: 712515

** Trademarks and Disclaimer: **
Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, and the Big Book are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. The AA Daily Thought is neither endorsed by, approved by, associated nor affiliated with, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., or The AA Grapevine, Inc.
Disclaimer: The Daily Thought is meant for domestic distribution only and for countries where it is in public domain.

AA Thought for the Day - August 31, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 31, 2015

Trading
I was ready to admit I was just another drunk whose life was unmanageable.
Now I could lead a sober life. But how does one do that?
I traded dependence on puny self for dependence on God.
I traded resentment for understanding, fear for trust, selfishness for love.
I traded dissatisfaction for hope, dishonesty for truth. I traded retaliation for amendment, taking for giving.
I traded leaning upon others for serving others. I traded sectarian bigotry for tolerance.
- Thank You for Sharing, p. 40

Thought to Ponder . . .
Love and tolerance of others is our code.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
T U F = Tolerance, Understanding, Forgiveness.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 30, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 30, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Steps Eight and Nine
Steps Eight and Nine are concerned with personal relationships.
First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault;
next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; and third,
having thus cleaned away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves,
we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 77

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

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

A Member Shares:
Hi friends, Susan, alcoholic, and grateful to be alive and sober. I have noted that we alkies often jump ahead to oncoming Steps and freak ourselves out sometimes. Step Eight for me goes something like this: make a list of names of people we have harmed, it will come from our 4th Step if we have been thoroughly honest and perhaps if there are new ones since then. And for me, I divide it into 3 groups of willingness ... those I am ready to do now, those I am prepared to do soon, and those that I say no freakin' way, are you nuts? Then, when I get to Step Nine, I make amends to those I can do easily, just to get in the groove and pray for those whom I have said never about, until I can become willing. Best to get started rather then sit still. So when people say to me, eeks! I simply can't do Step Nine, when we are on Step Eight, I say exactly ... we are not there yet, it will come shortly. But this program is about living in today. So we focus on Step Eight while we are in it. Seems easier somehow. Thanks for listening.
To respond to the sharer, please email DTShare@aa-alive.org and it will be forwarded to them.
(All shares are reproduced with the kind permission of the person sharing)

Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.
Blessings in sobriety to all,
In love and service,
joanna b
dailythought@aa-alive.org

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Friday, August 28, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 29, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 29, 2015

Fourth Dimension
Everyone became resigned to the certainty that I would have to be shut up somewhere,
or would stumble along to a miserable end.
How dark it is before the dawn! In reality that was the end of my last debauch.
I was soon to be transported into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence.
I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 8

Thought to Ponder . . .
Happiness is part of the journey, not some distant destination.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.

AA Thought for the Day - August 28, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 28, 2015

Kindergarten
We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking
and find the grace to go on living to better effect.
Each man's theology has to be his own quest, it is his affair.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 95

Thought to Ponder . . .
Learn to listen; listen to learn.

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

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 27, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 27, 2015

Change
In one form or another, many of my character defects appear daily:
self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful, wanting to get even,
or acting out of grandiosity.
Attempting half measures to eliminate these defects merely paralyzes my efforts to change.
It is only when I ask God for help, with complete abandon, then I become willing -- and able -- to change.
Daily Reflections, p. 15

Thought to Ponder . . .
If nothing changes, nothing changes.

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

Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.
Blessings in sobriety to all,
In love and service,
joanna b
dailythought@aa-alive.org

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Meeting Schedule
The Daily Thought Discussion Board
Service Opportunities
AA Birthday Signups
Helpful links and much more
Please go to our Website
http://aa-alive.net …
G.S.O. Registration Number: 712515

** Trademarks and Disclaimer: **
Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, and the Big Book are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. The AA Daily Thought is neither endorsed by, approved by, associated nor affiliated with, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., or The AA Grapevine, Inc.
Disclaimer: The Daily Thought is meant for domestic distribution only and for countries where it is in public domain.

AA Thought for the Day - August 26, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 26, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Experience, Strength and Hope
The AA Preamble:
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women
who share their experience, strength and hope with each other
that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
- © The AA Grapevine, Inc.

Thought to Ponder . . .
Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

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

A Member Shares:
Mab, here, crusty trudger of AA. "Experience, Strength and Hope" ... when I really look at that phrase, instead of just using "ESH" as our familiar sharing, I’m reminded that we ought to share the message, not the mess. But then, often the mess is what gives us the lessons and the experience we need to gather up our strength, which provides a glimmer of hope. And what is this thing called strength? Out of my weakness and flaws come most of my lessons. Any strength I have comes from you all; the sharing of coming through disasters, errors and personal failures to new freedoms, integrity, and self-respect. Also, my strength comes from surrender and dependence upon a Higher Power. So again, we see the mystical opposites and incongruities of working an AA program, similar to “we die in order to live,” and “give it away to keep it.” When I am whining and wallowing, I can count on good AA folk to prop me up or kick my bottom, and reveal my flawed insane thinking and attitude and set me on my feet again. Seems our strengths are in our dependence and weaknesses ... how ironic that is! I love it. And always there is hope in the rooms of AA. We dream of a better “us," we envision the ideal, yet we know we will never complete the journey, nor do we wish to, although someday, we must to the other world go to make our accounting. So, may we not waste the day but make each one a beautiful work of art, and Beauty is ever present even as we imperfectly trod along this path. We be blessed.
To respond to the sharer, please email DTShare@aa-alive.org and it will be forwarded to them.
(All shares are reproduced with the kind permission of the person sharing)

Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.
Blessings in sobriety to all,
In love and service,
joanna b
dailythought@aa-alive.org

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Monday, August 24, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 25, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 25, 2015

The Impossible Dream
I had to free myself from the impossible dream of a perfect world in order to love and accept the real world.
Judged by human standards, life is not perfect; to demand perfection of it is asking the impossible. . .
Paradoxically, there would be no perfection without imperfection. . .
Thank God, as a result of AA and sobriety, I am liberated from dreaming the impossible dream
and free, finally, to start living the possible dream.
The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1], pp. 60-61

Thought to Ponder . . .
Life will take on new meaning.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.

AA Thought for the Day - August 24, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 24, 2015

Adversity
I learned to be grateful for my alcoholism and the program of recovery it forced me into,
for all the things that had happened to me and for me, for a life today
that transcends and far exceeds anything I had previously known.
I could not have that today if I had not experienced all the yesterdays. . .
Adversity truly introduces us to ourselves.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 529-530

Thought to Ponder . . .
There is no education like adversity.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Achieve Anything.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 23, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 23, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Tradition Five
Each group has but one primary purpose -- to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 150

Thought to Ponder . . .
Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
T R U S T = Teaching Recoveryl Using Steps and Traditions.

A Member Shares:
Hi, I'm Dale, and I am an alcoholic. I look at the history of AA. Ebby T. brought some spiritual principles to the door of Bill W. one day in November, 1934. Bill got sober and stayed sober; Ebby had a few problems with sobriety. Among the reasons Bill stayed sober were lessons learned from another temperance group. There were lessons about anonymity and a primary purpose. The Washingtonians worked, but they foundered and got mired in a hundred different projects. The same almost happened to AA, but Bill wrote a series of articles for the Grapevine which eventually were adopted as our Traditions. Because if those Traditions, in particular #5, I can go to a meeting today and talk about recovery from a disease that wants to kill me. I learned early on from some old timers about how important it is to adhere to those principles. Sure, I have other issues, lots of them, but I don't bring them to a meeting. I can still use the Steps and Traditions on them and work out most of my problems. But my focus here, or in any AA meeting is sobriety. Without it, I am nothing. Thanks for listening.
To respond to the sharer, please email DTShare@aa-alive.org and it will be forwarded to them.
(All shares are reproduced with the kind permission of the person sharing)

Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.
Blessings in sobriety to all,
In love and service,
joanna b
dailythought@aa-alive.org

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Friday, August 21, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 22, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 22, 2015

Awakening
That which had been impossible before
-- a trust in something or someone other than myself -- had now become possible.
In other words, I had been undergoing a spiritual experience without knowing it.
My confused questioning about a Higher Power, my changed mental attitude, and even my physical recovery
had all been part of a spiritual awakening.
~ The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 193

Thought to Ponder . . .
A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 21, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 21, 2015

Change
Before AA it didn't matter how good things got -- I always had a feeling that something was wrong.
Since AA, it doesn't matter how bad things get -- I always have a feeling that everything is going to be all right.
In working the Twelve Steps, my life and my old way of thinking have changed.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 381

Thought to Ponder . . .
When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.

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

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 20, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 20, 2015

Anonymity
If we are to thrive as a Fellowship, we must have a safe place for people to come.
Everyone who approaches the doors of AA should know that we will do everything in our power to protect anonymity.
That protection includes social media and other forms of digital media.
When filming or taking pictures, please be mindful that people may object to appearing in your images.
The AA Grapevine, September 2015

Thought to Ponder . . .
We need to remember that protecting anonymity is our responsibility.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Adventurers Anonymous.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 19, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 19, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Prayer and Meditation
Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us.
We no longer live in a completely hostile world.
We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 105

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

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
P U S H = Pray Until Something Happens.

A Member Shares:
I'm Frannie, a grateful alcoholic. Prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening. And my God hasn't changed a bit. He was with me during every drink I took. He was there trying to show me a better way. I thought He had forgotten all about me. He seemed so good to all my family, but I believed He had left me. Well, He saved the very best for last ... He brought me to treatment and AA. He didn’t leave me. He is with me today. He has created my miracle, and I am so grateful. Thanks.
To respond to the sharer, please email DTShare@aa-alive.org and it will be forwarded to them.
(All shares are reproduced with the kind permission of the person sharing)

Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.
Blessings in sobriety to all,
In love and service,
joanna b
dailythought@aa-alive.org

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Monday, August 17, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 18, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 18, 2015

Apples and Oranges
I had my first awakening in an AA meeting. The speaker said,
"If you're an apple, you can be the best apple you can be, but you can never be an orange."
I was an apple all right, and for the first time I understood that I had spent my life trying to be an orange.
I looked around at a room filled with apples and, if I was understanding the speaker,
most of them were no longer trying to be oranges.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 427

Thought to Ponder . . .
When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.

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

Sunday, August 16, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - August 17, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

August 17, 2015

Laughter
I began to see the miracles that happen only in AA.
People who would nearly crawl in the doors, sick and broken, and who in a few weeks of meetings
and not drinking one day at a time would get their health back, find a little job and friends who really cared,
and then discover a God in their lives.
But the most compelling part of AA, the part that made me want to try this sober thing,
was the laughter, the pure joy of the laughter that I heard only from sober alcoholics.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 333

Thought to Ponder . . .
Laughter is the sound of recovery.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.