District 9

Thursday, November 12, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - November 13, 2015

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

November 13, 2015

A New Dimension
In the late stages of our drinking, the will to resist has fled.
Yet when we admit complete defeat and when we become entirely ready to try AA principles,
our obsession leaves us and we enter a new dimension -- freedom under God as we understand Him.
As Bill Sees It, p. 283

Thought to Ponder . . .
A new world came into view.

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

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - November 11, 2015

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

November 11, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

The Ninth Step Promise
If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 83

Thought to Ponder . . .
It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them.

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

A Member Shares:
I'm Peyton, an alcoholic. "Painstaking." Hmmm ... that means I can't half way make my amends, and I can't just make them to the ones I want to and forget about the rest. What it does mean is that I have to have a list of all the people I've harmed and be ready to make amends to all of them. Granted, some were pretty much on the bottom of my list which I affectionately called, "I'll make these amends when hell freezes over." As I made those easier amends, and some that I wasn't quite ready to do right away, something changed within me. I felt free, I was at peace within; real serenity in my life. And it became easier to look at the tougher amends as perhaps possible to do some day. I ended up even making some of them. There are some folks I cannot find, I don't know where they are, even if they are still living or not. That's ok because if God gives me the opportunity to make the amends, I'm ready and willing to do so. What a change from the self-centered, selfish, "I'll hold this grudge against you until I die!" person I was. Despite everything I'd ever tried on my own in my life, I've never experienced anything like this. No longer do I have to live in the shadow of shame, guilt and pain. There is no way I could have done this on my own. By taking the Steps up into the Ninth, I was learning to rely on God more, to try to do His will rather than mine. There is no doubt in my mind today, that God truly has done for me what I never could. Thanks for showing me how it works, and that it does work IF and only IF I work it.
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, November 9, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - November 10, 2015

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

November 10, 2015

Where I Go, It Goes
This magazine has literally been a constant companion with me.
A requirement for any purse I carry -- and I like them small -- is that Grapevine must fit in.
I've read many an issue during lunch at work, on planes, standing in lines, waiting for the doctor or dentist,
at a boyfriend's place, answering nature's call, listening to irate people on the phone or sitting with sick, dying friends. . .
I'm so grateful for those "ink-stained wretches" who started this magazine in 1944,
and all those who have contributed to its survival. Here's hoping that I will be reading the 100th anniversary issue in 2044.
The AA Grapevine, June, 2014

Thought to Ponder . . .
Get it - Give it - Grow in it.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A R T = Always Remain Teachable.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - November 9, 2015

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

November 9, 2015

Challenges
Life is meant to be lived by facing the challenges it brings. Otherwise, I'm not living, just existing.
God didn't give me this gift of sobriety to sit in a rocking chair,
imagining myself some wise old woman who has arrived somewhere. There is no easier, softer way. . .
The teaching I receive In AA about courage and love helps me to continue to grapple with the challenges of life
as they are given to me, one day at a time.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], p. 320

Thought to Ponder . . .
Sobriety is a gift.

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

Saturday, November 7, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - November 8, 2015

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

November 8, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Attitudes
. . . unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.
I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world
as on what needs to be changed in me and my attitudes.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417

Thought to Ponder . . .
New ideals and new attitudes bring a new life.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Altered Attitudes.

A Member Shares:
Hi, I'm David, and I am an alcoholic. For me, attitude goes right along with gratitude. I've always liked that slogan "an attitude of gratitude" because when I get miffed about something or somebody, I lose my gratitude for being alive, healthy, and sober. Most of the time I'm pretty dadgum happy with things, but when I do get those moments, or minutes, of anger, frustration, or maybe doom and gloom, I make myself pause for a minute or two and reflect on what got me into this tizzy. Most of the time, it's just me needing to look at myself and see what's really wrong here. Then I can say a little prayer -- most times the Serenity Prayer, because it covers it all, in my opinion. Usually I get back into a sense of gratitude; grateful that I no longer have to live the way I once did. And my attitude once again becomes that of a grateful, sane and blessed man. Thank you all for letting me share, it always helps me.
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:

AA Thought for the Day - November 7, 2015

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

November 7, 2015

Power
I need power each day, because I get weary.
But with AA as my structure and God as my source of strength, I can face life without taking a drink.
The ocean and the sun and the trees and all the fantastic beauty that God has created have finally become very real to me.
I crave and need the presence of nature.
But I must also bear in mind that it is the spirit within me, which comes from God, that is going to be the healing force.
I can turn to it wherever I am.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 103

Thought to Ponder . . .
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H E L P = His Ever-Loving Presence.

Friday, November 6, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - November 6, 2015

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

November 6, 2015

Convincing Evidence
My abuse of alcohol was the exterior manifestation of a disease much more complex and consuming than simple drunkenness,
and similarly, my abstinence is the exterior manifestation of a wellness much more rewarding than simple sobriety.
The most convincing evidence I have today that I'm an alcoholic is not how much or how long I drank, nor how drunk I got;
the most convincing evidence I have is that Alcoholics Anonymous is working for me.
Thank You For Sharing, p. 181

Thought to Ponder . . .
Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!

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