We compulsive overeaters are inclined to devour our meals in a great rush. Mealtime often finds us anxious and tense, and sometimes we are just plain greedy! While others at the table are interested in conversation and socializing, we may be narrowly focused on food and preoccupied with trying to satisfy a ravenous appetite.
We need to break out of our self-centeredness. Rather than being completely absorbed with satisfying our own appetite (which we can never do), we can learn to focus some of our attention on the concerns of those around us. When we eat more slowly, we have more time for others and we feel less deprived. Our enjoyment, of both the company and the food, is greatly increased.
Even when we eat a meal alone, we should remember that we do not receive all of our nourishment from physical food. When we eat more slowly, we become more relaxed and refreshed both physically and spiritually. When we are aware of our Higher Power and thankful for all of His blessings, the meal is more satisfying.
Help me to slow down and appreciate Your gifts.
©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation.
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February 26, 2006
Give Thanks for the Morning Light
"When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself."
--TecumsehTechnorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
--TecumsehTechnorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
February 25, 2006
The Forest for the Trees
I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.
~ Author Unknown
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~ Author Unknown
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No Ordinary Success Story
A.A. is no success story in the ordinary sense of the word. It is a story of suffering transmuted, under grace, into spiritual progress.
--AS BILL SEES IT p. 35
Upon entering A.A. I listened to others talk about the reality of their drinking; loneliness, terror and pain. As I listened further, I soon heard a description of a very different kind - the reality of sobriety. It is a reality of freedom and happiness, of purpose and direction, and the serenity and peace with God, ourselves and others. By attending meetings I am reintroduced to that reality, over and over. I see it in the eyes and hear it is the voices of those around me. By working the program I find the direction and strength with which to make it mine. The joy of A.A. is that this new reality is available to me.
Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.
Daily Reflections
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--AS BILL SEES IT p. 35
Upon entering A.A. I listened to others talk about the reality of their drinking; loneliness, terror and pain. As I listened further, I soon heard a description of a very different kind - the reality of sobriety. It is a reality of freedom and happiness, of purpose and direction, and the serenity and peace with God, ourselves and others. By attending meetings I am reintroduced to that reality, over and over. I see it in the eyes and hear it is the voices of those around me. By working the program I find the direction and strength with which to make it mine. The joy of A.A. is that this new reality is available to me.
Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.
Daily Reflections
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Bringing Our Secrets into the Light
We all have our secrets: thoughts, memories, feelings that we keep to ourselves. Often we think, "If people knew what I feel or think, they would not love me." These carefully kept secrets can do us much harm. They can make us feel guilty or ashamed and may lead us to self-rejection, depression, and even suicidal thoughts and actions.
One of the most important things we can do with our secrets is to share them in a safe place, with people we trust. When we have a good way to bring our secrets into the light and can look at them with others, we will quickly discover that we are not alone with our secrets and that our trusting friends will love us more deeply and more intimately than before. Bringing our secrets into the light creates community and inner healing. As a result of sharing secrets, not only will others love us better but we will love ourselves more fully.
--Henri Nouwen
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One of the most important things we can do with our secrets is to share them in a safe place, with people we trust. When we have a good way to bring our secrets into the light and can look at them with others, we will quickly discover that we are not alone with our secrets and that our trusting friends will love us more deeply and more intimately than before. Bringing our secrets into the light creates community and inner healing. As a result of sharing secrets, not only will others love us better but we will love ourselves more fully.
--Henri Nouwen
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February 24, 2006
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
We often urge ourselves to hurry up when there's no good reason for it. At such times, all we really do is create needless tension and anxiety. The slogan "Easy does it" is our answer to such calls to hurry. The slogan suggests that we simply move into the rhythms of life and go with the flow.
It's not hurrying but steady effort that finally brings achievement. We've had entirely too much hurry and impatience. What we really need is confident, persistent effort in the right direction. We should be especially reminded of this when we see anxious, impatient people speeding through traffic, risking life and limb to save a few seconds, only to be forced to wait at traffic lights. A good steady pace is what we need, and it will win the game.
I'll be active today, but not overactive. I'll look for rhythm and efficiency in everything I do.
from the book: Walk in Dry Places by Mel B.
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It's not hurrying but steady effort that finally brings achievement. We've had entirely too much hurry and impatience. What we really need is confident, persistent effort in the right direction. We should be especially reminded of this when we see anxious, impatient people speeding through traffic, risking life and limb to save a few seconds, only to be forced to wait at traffic lights. A good steady pace is what we need, and it will win the game.
I'll be active today, but not overactive. I'll look for rhythm and efficiency in everything I do.
from the book: Walk in Dry Places by Mel B.
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February 21, 2006
A Universe that Makes Sense
"In my own case, the foundation stone of freedom from fear is that of faith: a faith that, despite all worldly appearances to the contrary, causes me to believe that I live in a universe that makes sense.
To me, this means a belief in a Creator who is all power, justice, and love; a God who intends for me a purpose, a meaning, and a destiny to grow, however little and haltingly, toward His own likeness and image. Before the coming of faith I had lived as an alien in a cosmos that too often seemed both hostile and cruel. In it there could be no inner security for me.
<<<>>>
"When I was driven to my knees by alcohol, I was made ready to ask for the gift of faith. And all was changed. Never again, my pains and problems notwithstanding, would I experience my former desolation. I saw the universe to be lighted by God's love; I was alone no more."
1. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962 - 2. LETTER, 1966
From "As Bill Sees It" Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
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To me, this means a belief in a Creator who is all power, justice, and love; a God who intends for me a purpose, a meaning, and a destiny to grow, however little and haltingly, toward His own likeness and image. Before the coming of faith I had lived as an alien in a cosmos that too often seemed both hostile and cruel. In it there could be no inner security for me.
<<<>>>
"When I was driven to my knees by alcohol, I was made ready to ask for the gift of faith. And all was changed. Never again, my pains and problems notwithstanding, would I experience my former desolation. I saw the universe to be lighted by God's love; I was alone no more."
1. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962 - 2. LETTER, 1966
From "As Bill Sees It" Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
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The Path of Spiritual Growth
The spiritual path and growth promised to us by the Twelve Steps does not depend on any religious belief. They are not contingent upon any denomination or sect. They are not, as the traditions of Twelve Step programs state, affiliated with any religious denomination or organization.
We do not have to allow anyone to badger us about religion in recovery. We do not have to allow people to make us feel ashamed, afraid, or less than because we do not subscribe to their beliefs about religion. We do not have to let them do it to us in the name of God, love, or recovery.
The spiritual experience we will find as a result of recovery and the Twelve Steps will be our own spiritual experience. It will be a relationship with God, a Higher Power, as we understand God.
Each of us must find our own spiritual path. Each of us must build our own relationship with God, as we understand God. Each of us needs a Power greater than ourselves. These concepts are critical to recovery.
So is the freedom to choose how to do that.
Higher Power, help me know that I don't have to allow anyone to shame or badger me into religious beliefs. If they confuse that with the spirituality available in recovery, help me give their issue back to them. Help me discover and develop my own spirituality, a path that works for me. Guide me, with Divine Wisdom, as I grow spiritually.
From "The Language of Letting Go" by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
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We do not have to allow anyone to badger us about religion in recovery. We do not have to allow people to make us feel ashamed, afraid, or less than because we do not subscribe to their beliefs about religion. We do not have to let them do it to us in the name of God, love, or recovery.
The spiritual experience we will find as a result of recovery and the Twelve Steps will be our own spiritual experience. It will be a relationship with God, a Higher Power, as we understand God.
Each of us must find our own spiritual path. Each of us must build our own relationship with God, as we understand God. Each of us needs a Power greater than ourselves. These concepts are critical to recovery.
So is the freedom to choose how to do that.
Higher Power, help me know that I don't have to allow anyone to shame or badger me into religious beliefs. If they confuse that with the spirituality available in recovery, help me give their issue back to them. Help me discover and develop my own spirituality, a path that works for me. Guide me, with Divine Wisdom, as I grow spiritually.
From "The Language of Letting Go" by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
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Piloting My Airplane
AA has accomplished so many things in my life today. It has given me my sanity and an all-around sense of balance. Now willing to listen and take suggestions, I have found that the process of discovering who I really am begins with knowing who I really don't want to be.
And although the disease of alcoholism inside of me is like gravity just waiting to pull me down, AA and the Twelve Steps are like the power that causes an airplane to become airborne. It only works when the pilot is doing the right things to make it work.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 456-7
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And although the disease of alcoholism inside of me is like gravity just waiting to pull me down, AA and the Twelve Steps are like the power that causes an airplane to become airborne. It only works when the pilot is doing the right things to make it work.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 456-7
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February 20, 2006
A Peaceful, Positive Feeling
TODAY'S POSITIVE THOUGHT:
World peace begins with your inner peace.
TODAY'S POSITIVE AFFIRMATION:
I choose to think peaceful thoughts, to say peaceful words, and to do peaceful acts.
TODAY'S POSITIVE VISUALIZATION:
I close my eyes, take in a gentle breath, and allow the spirit of peace to expand and fill every part of me. I imagine this peace as a beautiful light that is filling every cell in my body with health and vitality. The energy of peace calms my emotions and clears my thoughts. I see myself going through my day thinking peaceful positive thoughts, speaking peaceful words, and doing peaceful deeds. In my mind's eye I see my peaceful attitude and actions touching others and encouraging their inner peace. I see this sharing of peace easily traveling from person to person until the whole world becomes more and more peaceful.
I combine these thoughts and images with a feeling of joy and let them go.
Copyright © 2001 Institute For Creative Living
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World peace begins with your inner peace.
TODAY'S POSITIVE AFFIRMATION:
I choose to think peaceful thoughts, to say peaceful words, and to do peaceful acts.
TODAY'S POSITIVE VISUALIZATION:
I close my eyes, take in a gentle breath, and allow the spirit of peace to expand and fill every part of me. I imagine this peace as a beautiful light that is filling every cell in my body with health and vitality. The energy of peace calms my emotions and clears my thoughts. I see myself going through my day thinking peaceful positive thoughts, speaking peaceful words, and doing peaceful deeds. In my mind's eye I see my peaceful attitude and actions touching others and encouraging their inner peace. I see this sharing of peace easily traveling from person to person until the whole world becomes more and more peaceful.
I combine these thoughts and images with a feeling of joy and let them go.
Copyright © 2001 Institute For Creative Living
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No More Excuses
"Through our inability to accept personal responsibilities, we were actually creating our own problems." Basic Text, p. 13
When we refuse to take responsibility for our lives, we give away all of our personal power. We need to remember that we are powerless over our addiction, not our personal behavior.
Many of us have misused the concept of powerlessness to avoid making decisions or to hold onto things we had outgrown. We have claimed powerlessness over our own actions. We have blamed others for our circumstances rather than taking positive action to change those circumstances. If we continue to avoid responsibility by claiming that we are "powerless;' we set ourselves up for the same despair and misery we experienced in our active addiction. The potential for spending our recovery years feeling like victims is very real.
Instead of living our lives by default, we can learn how to make responsible choices and take risks. We may make mistakes, but we can learn from these mistakes. A heightened awareness of ourselves and an increased willingness to accept personal responsibility gives us the freedom to change, to make choices, and to grow.
Just for today:
My feelings, actions, and choices are mine. I will accept responsibility for them.
Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©1991 by World Service Office Inc.
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When we refuse to take responsibility for our lives, we give away all of our personal power. We need to remember that we are powerless over our addiction, not our personal behavior.
Many of us have misused the concept of powerlessness to avoid making decisions or to hold onto things we had outgrown. We have claimed powerlessness over our own actions. We have blamed others for our circumstances rather than taking positive action to change those circumstances. If we continue to avoid responsibility by claiming that we are "powerless;' we set ourselves up for the same despair and misery we experienced in our active addiction. The potential for spending our recovery years feeling like victims is very real.
Instead of living our lives by default, we can learn how to make responsible choices and take risks. We may make mistakes, but we can learn from these mistakes. A heightened awareness of ourselves and an increased willingness to accept personal responsibility gives us the freedom to change, to make choices, and to grow.
Just for today:
My feelings, actions, and choices are mine. I will accept responsibility for them.
Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©1991 by World Service Office Inc.
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Staying Sober is my Main Business
A.A. Thought for the Day
Liquor used to be my friend. I used to have a lot of fun drinking. Practically all the fun I had was connected with drinking. But the time came when liquor became my enemy. I don't know just when liquor turned against me and became my enemy, but I know it happened, because I began to get into trouble. And since I realize that liquor is now my enemy, my main business is keeping sober. Making a living or keeping house is no longer my main business. It's secondary to the business of keeping sober. Do I realize that my main business is keeping sober?
Meditation for the Day
I can depend on God to supply me with all the power I need to face any situation, provided that I will sincerely believe in that power and honestly ask for it, at the same time making all my life conform to what I believe God wants me to be. I can come to God as a business manager would come to the owner of the business, knowing that to lay the matter before Him means immediate cooperation, providing the matter has merit.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may believe that God is ready and willing to supply me with all that I need. I pray that I may ask only for faith and strength to meet any situation.
From "Twenty Fours Hours a Day" ©Hazelden Foundation
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
Liquor used to be my friend. I used to have a lot of fun drinking. Practically all the fun I had was connected with drinking. But the time came when liquor became my enemy. I don't know just when liquor turned against me and became my enemy, but I know it happened, because I began to get into trouble. And since I realize that liquor is now my enemy, my main business is keeping sober. Making a living or keeping house is no longer my main business. It's secondary to the business of keeping sober. Do I realize that my main business is keeping sober?
Meditation for the Day
I can depend on God to supply me with all the power I need to face any situation, provided that I will sincerely believe in that power and honestly ask for it, at the same time making all my life conform to what I believe God wants me to be. I can come to God as a business manager would come to the owner of the business, knowing that to lay the matter before Him means immediate cooperation, providing the matter has merit.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may believe that God is ready and willing to supply me with all that I need. I pray that I may ask only for faith and strength to meet any situation.
From "Twenty Fours Hours a Day" ©Hazelden Foundation
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February 19, 2006
We Stop Living in a Fantasy World
Above all, we reject fantasizing and accept reality. The more I drank, the more I fantasized everything. I imagined getting even for hurts and rejections. In my mind's eye, I played and replayed scenes in which I was plucked magically from the bar where I stood nursing a drink, and was instantly exalted to some position
of power and prestige.
I lived in a dream world. AA led me gently from this fantasizing to embrace reality with open arms. And I found it beautiful! For, at last, I was at peace with myself. And with others. And with God.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 559
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of power and prestige.
I lived in a dream world. AA led me gently from this fantasizing to embrace reality with open arms. And I found it beautiful! For, at last, I was at peace with myself. And with others. And with God.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 559
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A Glorious Release
A GLORIOUS RELEASE
"The minute I stopped arguing, I could begin to see and feel. Right there, Step Two gently and very gradually began to infiltrate my life. I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day I came to believe in a Power greater than myself, but I certainly have that belief now. To acquire it, I had only to stop fighting and practice the rest of A.A.'s program as enthusiastically as I could. "
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 27
After years of indulging in a "self-will run riot," Step Two became for me a glorious release from being all alone. Nothing is so painful or insurmountable in my journey now. Someone is always there to share life's burdens with me. Step Two became a reinforcement with God, and I now realize that my insanity and ego were curiously linked. To rid myself of the former, I must give up the latter to one with far broader shoulders than my own.
Daily Reflection - Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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"The minute I stopped arguing, I could begin to see and feel. Right there, Step Two gently and very gradually began to infiltrate my life. I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day I came to believe in a Power greater than myself, but I certainly have that belief now. To acquire it, I had only to stop fighting and practice the rest of A.A.'s program as enthusiastically as I could. "
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 27
After years of indulging in a "self-will run riot," Step Two became for me a glorious release from being all alone. Nothing is so painful or insurmountable in my journey now. Someone is always there to share life's burdens with me. Step Two became a reinforcement with God, and I now realize that my insanity and ego were curiously linked. To rid myself of the former, I must give up the latter to one with far broader shoulders than my own.
Daily Reflection - Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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Relapse: Reservations Required
"Relapse is never an accident. Relapse is a sign that we have a reservation in our program." Basic Text, p. 76
A reservation is something we set aside for future use. In our case, a reservation is the expectation that, if such-and-such happens, we will surely relapse. What event do we expect will be too painful to bear? Maybe we think that if a spouse or lover leaves us, we will have to get high. If we lose our job, surely, we think, we will use. Or maybe it's the death of a loved one that we expect to be unbearable. In any case, the reservations we harbor give us permission to use when they come true as they often do.
We can prepare ourselves for success instead of relapse by examining our expectations and altering them where we can. Most of us carry within us a catalog of anticipated misery closely related to our fears. We can learn how to survive pain by watching other members live through similar pain. We can apply their lessons to our own expectations. Instead of telling ourselves we will have to get high if this happens, we can quietly reassure ourselves that we, too, can stay clean through whatever life brings us today.
Just for today:
I will check for any reservations that may endanger my recovery and share them with another addict.
Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©1991 by World Service Office Inc.
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
A reservation is something we set aside for future use. In our case, a reservation is the expectation that, if such-and-such happens, we will surely relapse. What event do we expect will be too painful to bear? Maybe we think that if a spouse or lover leaves us, we will have to get high. If we lose our job, surely, we think, we will use. Or maybe it's the death of a loved one that we expect to be unbearable. In any case, the reservations we harbor give us permission to use when they come true as they often do.
We can prepare ourselves for success instead of relapse by examining our expectations and altering them where we can. Most of us carry within us a catalog of anticipated misery closely related to our fears. We can learn how to survive pain by watching other members live through similar pain. We can apply their lessons to our own expectations. Instead of telling ourselves we will have to get high if this happens, we can quietly reassure ourselves that we, too, can stay clean through whatever life brings us today.
Just for today:
I will check for any reservations that may endanger my recovery and share them with another addict.
Just For Today Daily Meditation is the property of Narcotics Anonymous ©1991 by World Service Office Inc.
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
February 18, 2006
It's Not About Being Right or Wrong
Recovery is not about being right; it's about allowing ourselves to be who we are and accepting others as they are.
That concept can be difficult for many of us if we have lived in systems that functioned on the "right wrong" justice scale. The person who was right was okay; the person who was wrong was shamed. All value and worth may have depended on being right; to be wrong meant annihilation of self and self-esteem.
In recovery, we are learning how to strive for love in our relationships, not superiority. Yes, we may need to make decisions about people's behavior from time to time. If someone is hurting us, we need to stand up for ourselves. We have a responsibility to set boundaries and take care of ourselves. But we do not need to justify taking care of ourselves by condemning someone else. We can avoid the trap of focusing on others instead of ourselves.
In recovery, we are learning that what we do needs to be right only for us. What others do is their business and needs to be right only for them. It's tempting to rest in the superiority of being right and in analyzing other people's motives and actions, but it's more rewarding to look deeper.
Today, I will remember that I don't have to hide behind being right. I don't have to justify what I want and need with saying something is "right" or "wrong." I can let myself be who I am.
©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
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That concept can be difficult for many of us if we have lived in systems that functioned on the "right wrong" justice scale. The person who was right was okay; the person who was wrong was shamed. All value and worth may have depended on being right; to be wrong meant annihilation of self and self-esteem.
In recovery, we are learning how to strive for love in our relationships, not superiority. Yes, we may need to make decisions about people's behavior from time to time. If someone is hurting us, we need to stand up for ourselves. We have a responsibility to set boundaries and take care of ourselves. But we do not need to justify taking care of ourselves by condemning someone else. We can avoid the trap of focusing on others instead of ourselves.
In recovery, we are learning that what we do needs to be right only for us. What others do is their business and needs to be right only for them. It's tempting to rest in the superiority of being right and in analyzing other people's motives and actions, but it's more rewarding to look deeper.
Today, I will remember that I don't have to hide behind being right. I don't have to justify what I want and need with saying something is "right" or "wrong." I can let myself be who I am.
©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
February 17, 2006
Denial is a Coat of Many Colors
"Denial...keeps us locked into an increasingly deteriorating pattern of behavior...that we unconsciously use to prevent ourselves from facing reality...You may recognize some of these:
* Simple denial - you pretend something doesn't exist when it really does...
* Minimizing...
* Blaming - it's not your fault...it is so-and-so's...
* Excusing - you offer excuses, alibis, justifications and other explanations for your own or others' behavior...
* Generalizing - you deal with problems on a broad, general level, but avoid personal and emotional awareness of the situation or conditions...
* Dodging - you change the subject to avoid threatening topics or confronting issues...
* Attacking - you become angry and irritable when reference is made to the existing condition, thus forcing avoidance of the issue..."
Virginia Santoro
MorningMusings@aol.com
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
* Simple denial - you pretend something doesn't exist when it really does...
* Minimizing...
* Blaming - it's not your fault...it is so-and-so's...
* Excusing - you offer excuses, alibis, justifications and other explanations for your own or others' behavior...
* Generalizing - you deal with problems on a broad, general level, but avoid personal and emotional awareness of the situation or conditions...
* Dodging - you change the subject to avoid threatening topics or confronting issues...
* Attacking - you become angry and irritable when reference is made to the existing condition, thus forcing avoidance of the issue..."
Virginia Santoro
MorningMusings@aol.com
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
February 16, 2006
A Daily Exercise in Acceptance
"Too much of my life has been spent in dwelling upon the faults of others. This is a most subtle and perverse form of self-satisfaction, which permits us to remain comfortably unaware of our own defects. Too often we are heard to say, 'If it weren't for him (or her), how happy I'd be!'"
<<<>>>
Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they are. This is to adopt a realistic humility without which no genuine advance can even begin. Again and again, we shall need to return to that unflattering point of departure. This is an exercise in acceptance that we can profitably practice every day of our lives.
Provided we strenuously avoid turning these realistic surveys of the facts of life into unrealistic alibis for apathy or defeatism, they can be the sure foundation upon which increased emotional health and therefore spiritual progress can be built.
1. LETTER, 1966 - 2. GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962
As Bill Sees It Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc
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<<<>>>
Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they are. This is to adopt a realistic humility without which no genuine advance can even begin. Again and again, we shall need to return to that unflattering point of departure. This is an exercise in acceptance that we can profitably practice every day of our lives.
Provided we strenuously avoid turning these realistic surveys of the facts of life into unrealistic alibis for apathy or defeatism, they can be the sure foundation upon which increased emotional health and therefore spiritual progress can be built.
1. LETTER, 1966 - 2. GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962
As Bill Sees It Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc
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February 15, 2006
Time is a Most Precious Asset
And what is time to me now? It is a most precious asset. I have the luxury of being able to cherish the memory of yesterday, to live today with serenity, to wait for tomorrow. I find great contentment in just knowing where I was and where I am.
And I am grateful; grateful for the existence of Alcoholics Anonymous; grateful to my God for leading me to the doors of AA and to Himself, grateful for hope. I am grateful for this minute. My eternity may be in it.
c. 1986, The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 21
AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AAOnline.net)
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And I am grateful; grateful for the existence of Alcoholics Anonymous; grateful to my God for leading me to the doors of AA and to Himself, grateful for hope. I am grateful for this minute. My eternity may be in it.
c. 1986, The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 21
AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AAOnline.net)
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
February 14, 2006
Sick and We Didn't Know It
We remember we have an incurable, potentially fatal ailment called alcoholism. And instead of persisting in drinking, we prefer to figure out, and use, enjoyable ways of living without alcohol. It is no disgrace.
No one knows exactly why some people become alcoholics while others don't. It is not their fault. We did not want to become alcoholics. We did not try to get this illness...We did not deliberately, maliciously, set out to do the things we were later ashamed of. We did them against our better judgment and instinct because we were really sick and didn't even know it.
c. 1998, AAWS, Living Sober, pp. 9-10
AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AAOnline.net)
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
No one knows exactly why some people become alcoholics while others don't. It is not their fault. We did not want to become alcoholics. We did not try to get this illness...We did not deliberately, maliciously, set out to do the things we were later ashamed of. We did them against our better judgment and instinct because we were really sick and didn't even know it.
c. 1998, AAWS, Living Sober, pp. 9-10
AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AAOnline.net)
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
February 13, 2006
Security in Our Spiritual Lives
"What is the basis of our security? When we start thinking about that question, we may give many answers: success, money, friends, property, popularity, family, connections, insurance, and so on. We may not always think that any of these forms the basis of our security, but our actions or feelings may tell us otherwise. When we start losing our money, our friends, or our popularity, our anxiety often reveals how deeply our sense of security is rooted in these things.
A spiritual life is a life in which our security is based not in any created things, good as they may be, but in God, who is everlasting love. We probably will never be completely free from our attachment to the temporal world, but if we want to live in that world in a truly free way, we'd better not belong to it."
--Henry Nouwen
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
A spiritual life is a life in which our security is based not in any created things, good as they may be, but in God, who is everlasting love. We probably will never be completely free from our attachment to the temporal world, but if we want to live in that world in a truly free way, we'd better not belong to it."
--Henry Nouwen
Technorati Tags: addiction, alcoholism, recovery, 12-step
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