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AA Thought for the Day

February 10

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 that 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' . . .
S T E P S = Solutions Through Each Positive Step.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Let Go
If you have decided you want what we have
and are willing to go to any length to get it --
then you are ready to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked.
We thought we could find an easier, softer way.
But we could not.
With all the earnestness at our command,
we beg of you to be fearless and thorough
from the very start.
Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas
and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58

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

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
G I F T S = Getting It From The Steps

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Stereotypes
Tradition Two: For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority- a loving God as He may express Himself in our
group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
"Former group leaders divide into two classes known in A.A. slang as 'elder statesmen' and 'bleeding deacons.' The
elder statesman is the one who sees the wisdom of the group's decision, who holds no resentment over his reduced
status, whose judgment, fortified by considerable experience, is sound, and who is willing to sit quietly on the sidelines
awaiting developments. The bleeding deacon is one who is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along
without him, who constantly connives for reelection to office, and who continues to be consumed with self-pity."
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, 2005, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., pg. 135

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"A vast communications net now covers the earth, even to its remotest reaches ... Nothing can matter more to the
future welfare of AA than the manner in which we use this colossus of communication. Used unselfishly and well, the
results can surpass our present imagination. Should we handle this great instrument badly, we shall be shattered by the
ego demands of our own people -- often with the best of intention on their part."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., November 1960
From: "Freedom Under God: The Choice Is Ours"
The Language of the Heart

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a
fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from
care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will
mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your
existence lie ahead."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 152~

"We try not to indulge in cynicism over the state of the nations, nor
do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders. When we see a man
sinking into the mire that is alcoholism, we give him first aid and
place what we have at his disposal."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 132

"What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually
becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and
having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that
we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this
presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless,
we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on
the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87~

Perhaps we shall need to share with this person facts about ourselves which no others ought to know.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 61

Misc. AA Literature - Quote
Around 1943 or 1944, the Central Office asked the groups to list their membership rules and send them in. After they arrived we set them all down. A little reflection upon these many rules brought us to an astonishing conclusion.
If all of these edicts had been in force everywhere at once it would have been practically impossible for any alcoholic to have ever joined A.A. About nine-tenths of our oldest and best members could never have got by!
At last experience taught us that to take away any alcoholic's full chance for sobriety in A.A. was sometimes to pronounce his death sentence, and often to condemn him to endless misery. Who dared to be judge, jury, and executioner of his own sick brother?

Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, please help me through today. Help me share your wisdom and glory with others so they may benefit from your love.