District 9

Friday, January 8, 2016

AA Thought for the Day - January 8, 2016

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

January 8, 2016

Defects
What God wants me to do is rarely what I want to do.
For instance, if I want to avoid or leave, God wants me to stay and handle.
If I want to be understood or accepted by others, God wants me to try to understand or accept others a bit more.
If I want to forget, God wants me to forgive.
If I want to point the finger of blame at someone else, God wants me to see my part in creating the disaster.
If I want to dislike someone because of a grating character defect he or she has, God wants me to see the same defect in myself.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], pp. 218-219

Thought to Ponder . . .
If I want God to remove my character defects, I'll have to stop doing them.

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

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.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

AA Thought for the Day - January 7, 2016

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

January 7, 2016

The Ladder
No one who drank as I did wakes up on the edge of the abyss one morning and says:
Things look pretty scary; I think I'd better stop drinking before I fall in.
I was convinced I could go as far as I wanted, and then climb back out when it wasn't fun anymore.
What happened was, I found myself at the bottom of the canyon thinking I'd never see the sun again.
AA didn't pull me out of the hole. It did give me the tools to construct a ladder, with Twelve Steps.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 316

Thought to Ponder . . .
I stood in the sunlight at last.

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

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.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

AA Thought for the Day - January 6, 2016

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

January 6, 2016

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Let Go, Let God
When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands
were better than anything we could have planned.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 100

Thought to Ponder . . .
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
L E T G O = Leave Everything To God, Okay?

A Member Shares:
Hello everyone. I'm Charlie J., and I have Alcoholism. If you are coming back or are new to AA, welcome. I wanted to let go of my entire life before I came back to AA, I did turn my will and life over to a Higher Power. But you know what? In order to learn to stay stopped I had to deal not only with my past I had to deal with life sober as it came, each day. Each new day brought different life problems / lessons. There are precise instructions on how to learn to stay stopped in the "Big Book," that is a fact. But life still happens and I had many life lessons to learn, sober. No Step explains exactly how I had to get through the death of both my parents, sober. Or the birth of my grandchildren, sober. Or, how to deal in a healthy way with becoming 100% disabled, sober. How to deal with earning 2/3's less than when I was drinking. Or, how not to get drunk over a flat tire or a broken shoelace. These sober lessons were a gift from a Higher Power and my job was to learn from them. I would like nothing better than to give it all to God, but I am thinking then, what's my part? I believe that the Serenity Prayer says it all about when I need "Let go and to let God," and what God will do for me / us and what my job is. That is my own experience, strength and hope on learning to deal with life every day, good bad or indifferent and not drink. That is what I have to offer others today. If you are new to AA, I suggest you study the book "Alcoholics Anonymous," apply what you learn and tighten your seat belts as you may be in for a bumpy emotional ride for a while. 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:

Monday, January 4, 2016

AA Thought for the Day - January 5, 2016

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

January 5, 2016

Self-protection
Now is the time, the only time there is. And if we are not kind to ourselves right now,
we certainly cannot rightfully expect respect or consideration from others.
We have found we can enjoy, sober, every good thing we enjoyed while drinking -- and many, many more.
It takes a little practice, but the rewards more than make up for the effort.
To do so is not selfish, but self-protective.
- Living Sober, p. 42

Thought to Ponder . . .
Self-esteem doesn't need an audience.

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

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

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, January 3, 2016

AA Thought for the Day - January 4, 2016

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

January 4, 2016

Action
When we first come around AA, we're urged to do just what we are told.
We might not like it, we might not even agree with it: just do it.
When the action gets the predicted result, we're astonished and sometimes a little annoyed.
But almost against our will, we come to understand and believe.
We've never been able to achieve these ends by just thinking, but our action and its results
can open the door to understanding and belief.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], p. 107

Thought to Ponder . . .
Gratitude is not a word in AA; it's an action.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Action, Belief, Continue.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

AA Thought for the Day - January 3, 2016

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

January 3, 2016

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Miracles
Since these things have happened among us, they can happen with you. Should you wish them above all else,
and be willing to make use of our experience, we are sure they will come.
The age of miracles is still with us. Our own recovery proves that!
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 153

Thought to Ponder . . .
Life is an ongoing miracle.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
W E = Walls Evaporate.

A Member Shares:
I’m Erik, an alcoholic. I heard a good definition of "Miracle" some time ago: a "Miracle" is when something that should not happen, happens anyway. When I look through my experience in sobriety, that very thing has happened many times. If you would have told some of my drinking friends back in the day that someday Erik will get sober, they would have said, "no way...never happen," but it did. Or if you told them someday Erik will become more open-minded and take suggestions from others, they would have said, “no way, he's way too stubborn,” but it did, and is happening. If you would have told me that I would come to believe in a Higher Power and share that belief with others, I would surely have told you....no way, no how...never going to happen...but it did, and it is happening. The list goes on and on. Things that for all intent and purpose should never have happened are happening all the time in my life and I see it in yours also. 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:

Friday, January 1, 2016

AA Thought for the Day - January 1, 2016

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

January 1, 2016

Today
Today is the day. Doing our best, living each day to the fullest is the art of living.
Yesterday is gone, and we don't know whether we will be here tomorrow.
If we do a good job of living today, and if tomorrow comes for us, then the chances are we will do a good job when it arrives
-- so why worry about it?
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 357

Thought to Ponder . . .
Live each day with a little less fear and a little more faith.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
O D A A T = One Day At A Time.