Thoughts for the Day – Honesty

By | March 16, 2023
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A.A. Thoughts for the Day

Honesty

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, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58

Thought to Consider…

Half measures availed us nothing.

AACRONYMS

H O W
Honest, Open-minded and Willing

Just for Today

Greater Strength
From “Letting go of old ideas:”

It is now well established that willpower all by itself is about as effective a cure for alcohol addiction as it is for cancer . . . Most of us tried going it alone, hoping either to control our drinking or to stop, and we had no lasting success in either endeavor. But we finally asked ourselves: Wouldn’t it be more intelligent to seek out and tap a strength greater than our own than to persist in our futile solo efforts . . . ?”
c. 1998, Living Sober, p. 73

Daily Reflections

AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM

My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea . . . “Why don’t you choose your own conception of God?” That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last. It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 12

I remember the times I looked up into the sky and reflected on who started it all, and how. When I came to A.A., an understanding of some description of the spiritual dimension became a necessary adjunct to a stable sobriety. After reading a variety of versions, including the scientific, of a great explosion, I went for simplicity and made the God of my understanding the Great Power that made the explosion possible. With the vastness of the universe under His command, He would, no doubt, be able to guide my thinking and actions if I was prepared to accept His guidance. But I could not expect help if I turned my back on that help and went my own way. I became willing to believe and I have had 26 years of stable and satisfying sobriety.
Copyright1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.

As Bill Sees It

When a job still looked like a mere means of getting money rather than an opportunity for service, when the acquisition of money for financial independence looked more important than aright dependence upon God, we were the victims of unreasonable fears. And these were fears which would make a serene and useful existence, at any financial level, quite impossible. But as time passed we found that with the help of A.A.’s Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no matter what our material prospects were. We could cheerfully perform humble labor without worrying about tomorrow. If our circumstances happened to be good, we no longer dreaded a change for the worse, for we had learned that these troubles could be turned into great values, for ourselves and for others.”
TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 121 – 122
Copyright 1967
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Big Book Quote

“At a certain point in the drinking of every alcoholic, he passes into a state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is of absolutely no avail. This tragic situation has already arrived in practically every case long before it is suspected.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition
There Is A Solution, p. 24

Twenty Four Hours a Day

A.A. Thought for the Day

Before we decide to quit drinking, most of us have to come up against a blank wall. We see that we’re licked, that we have to quit. But we don’t know which way to turn for help. There seems to be no door in that blank wall. A.A. opens the door that leads to sobriety. By encouraging us to honestly admit that we’re alcoholics and to realize that we can’t take even one drink, and by showing us which way to turn for help, A.A. opens the door in that blank wall. Have I gone through that door to sobriety?

Meditation for the Day

I must have a singleness of purpose to do my part in God’s work. I must not let material distractions interfere with my job of improving personal relationships. It is easy to become distracted by material affairs, so that I lose my singleness of purpose. I do not have time to be concerned about the multifarious concerns of the world. I must concentrate and specialize on what I can do best.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not become distracted by material affairs. I pray that I may concentrate on doing what I can do best.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012

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