District 9

Monday, December 7, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - December 8, 2015

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

December 8, 2015

A Simple Program
You are free to disagree or disregard any or all portions of this simple program. That's your choice.
But if you cannot stay sober or have not found happiness, joy, and freedom outlined in chapter five of the Big Book,
I offer this suggestion: "Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.
Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program . . . ."
- Thank You For Sharing, p. 34

Thought to Ponder . . .
The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.

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

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.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - December 7, 2015

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

December 7, 2015

Suggestions
I remember my sponsor's answer when I told him that the Steps were "suggested."
He replied that they are "suggested" in the same way that, if you were to jump out of an airplane with a parachute,
it is "suggested" that you pull the ripcord to save your life.
So I try to remember daily that I have a whole program of recovery based on all Twelve of the "suggested" Steps.
- Daily Reflections, p. 344

Thought to Ponder . . .
All of AA's suggestions are free.
The ones I don't take are the ones I end up paying for.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - December 6, 2015

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

December 6, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

A Paradox
On the face of it, surrendering certainly does not seem like winning. But it is in A.A.
Only after we have come to the end of our rope, hit a stone wall in some aspect of our lives beyond which we can go no further;
only when we hit "bottom" in despair and surrender, can we accomplish sobriety which we could never accomplish before.
We must, and we do, surrender in order to win.
- Alcoholics Anonymous [2nd Edition], p. 341

Thought to Ponder . . .
We surrender to win; we give away to keep; we suffer to get well; we die to live.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
S W A T = Surrender, Willingness, Acceptance, Trust.

A Member Shares:
Hi all, I'm Di, an alcoholic recovering one day at a time. Perhaps the whole message of AA, or the intended message anyway, is a paradox. By surrendering completely, I am given strength I do not have. By completely ceasing to fight, I no longer have anything I need to fight. Out of defeat, comes strength. Until I was ready to admit that defeat, surrender completely, and become willing and honest, nothing was ever going to change. If I want new "stuff" I have to get rid of the old "stuff." And that's what the Steps teach me. Thanks for listening and being here.
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, December 4, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - December 5, 2015

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

December 5, 2015

Pass It On
". . . I'll never forget the first time I met Bill Wilson. I was a couple of months sober,
and so excited, so thrilled to actually meet the co-founder
that I gushed all over him with what my sobriety meant to me and my un-dying gratitude for his starting AA.
When I ran down, he took my hand in his and said simply, 'Pass it on.' "
- 'Pass It On", Foreword

Thought to Ponder . . .
A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - December 4, 2015

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

December 4, 2015

The Turning Point
Remember that we deal with alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help, it is too much for us.
But there is One who has all power -- that One is God. May you find Him now!
Half-measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point.
We asked His care and protection with complete abandon.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 58-59

Thought to Ponder . . .
We were at the jumping-off place.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G I F T = God Is Forever There.

AA Thought for the Day - December 3, 2015

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

December 3, 2015

An Unshakable Foundation
There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer.
Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit.
But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakeable foundation for life.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 98

Thought to Ponder . . .
What is now proved was once only imagined.

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

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - December 2, 2015

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

December 2, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Awakening
When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it
is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do on his unaided strength and resources alone.
He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 106-107

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

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

A Member Shares:
I'm Pammy, and I am an alcoholic. When I started working the Steps, I was a little vague on Step 12. I didn't know what a spiritual awakening was supposed to feel like, nor did I ask. I was expecting something on a grand scale since I was so sure I was special, dontcha know. I started opening up more because I was getting frustrated again, and the last time that happened I relapsed. I was more afraid of that happening again than asking and looking the fool. My sponsor talked to me about motives. I had always been a people-pleaser and could never say no. I wanted people not so much to like me, but not to be hated. I was afraid of getting it wrong, as well. Today, I ask myself to sit back and pray for the right time to enter when reaching out. Those little "I can't, I don't know how" thoughts are fading and those "oh my God, I can!" are my little awakenings. My motives are clear. I'm no hero ... that's God's spot. My living as a sober example is my service, and He leads me. Like a sponsor, I can't be a babysitter, or a marriage counselor. I am just here to show others that there is life after the bottle has been chucked away. Thank you.
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:

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.