AA Thoughts For Today - May

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AA Thought for the Day

May 22

Defects
Did I, an alcoholic, have a defective character? Of course I did. Was I, an alcoholic, also a sick man? Yes, very.
To what extent I was personally responsible for my drinking, I don't know.
Yet I'm not one to take complete refuge in the idea that I was a sick man only.
In earlier years I certainly had some degree of free will.
That free will I used badly, to the great misery of my mother and countless others. I am deeply ashamed.
As one who knows me a little, you may have heard how, ten years ago, a friend, himself a liberated alcoholic,
came to me bearing the light which finally led me out of the toils.
There will come a day like that for you and yours -- I'm so confident!
- The Language of the Heart, p. 102

Thought to Ponder . . .
Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.

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

Daily Reprieve
"It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action
and rest on our laurels.
We are headed for trouble if we do,
for alcohol is a subtle foe.
We are not cured of alcoholism.
What we really have is a daily reprieve
contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85

Thought to Consider . . .
The road to recovery is always under construction.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
ACTION
Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

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

Inspiration
>From "This Spirit Touch":
"At some time, perhaps in a more moderate way, nearly everyone has experienced this spirit touch of God the fleeting
feeling of insight, love, joy, and 'The world is right.' Once, I thought that only unusual circumstances made these
moments possible. Actually, I now think, they are forecasts of what one can have if one is willing to take the time and
make the effort. Peace, love, and joy can be sought through quiet thinking and honest prayer. The wholeness, the new
awareness, that is produced affects one's relationship with God and man to a degree greater than would seem possible
in ordinary life."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 65

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

"Over the years I've gone to different types of groups to meet different needs in my life or to share experience, strength,
and hope about a particular problem I was struggling with. Some days I've been part of the solution for another suffering
alcoholic; other days I've been the one who was suffering.
"Thanks to our Fifth Tradition, no matter what my needs or my location I can find an AA group where I can talk about --
and listen to -- not drinking one day at a time, practicing the principles in all of my affairs, and being happily and usefully whole."
Kensington, Md., May 1996
"A Consistent Message,"
AA Grapevine

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

"It did not satisfy us to be told that we could not control our
drinking just because we were maladjusted to life, that we were in
full flight from reality, or were outright mental defectives. These
things were true to some extent, in fact, to a considerable extent
with some of us. But we are sure that our bodies were sickened as
well. In our belief, any picture of the alcoholic which leaves out
this physical factor is incomplete."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxvi~

"We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. We
have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. We have begun
to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our
enemies, for we look on them as sick people."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, Pg. 70~

And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of
vitally needed support.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

God-Given Instincts
Creation gave us instincts for a purpose. Without them we wouldn't be complete human beings. If men and women
didn't exert themselves to be secure in their persons, made no effort to harvest food or construct shelter, there would
be no survival. If they didn't reproduce, the earth wouldn't be populated. If there were no social instinct, there would be no society.
Yet these instincts, so necessary for our existence, often far exceed their proper functions. Powerfully, blindly, many
times subtly, they drive us, dominate us, and insist upon ruling our lives.
We tried to shape a sane ideal for our future sex life. We subjected each relation to this test: Was it selfish or not? We
asked God to mold our ideals and help us to live up to them. We remembered always that our sex powers were God-
given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly nor to be despised and loathed.

Prayer For The Day: Dear Lord, thank you for all that you do. I ask you to forgive me when I judge others. Help me be more understanding and forgiving as no one is perfect, least of all me.