Commitment - May 31st

“Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

~ Vince Lombardi 

A.A. Thought for the Day

I shall not wait to be drafted for service to A.A. I shall volunteer. I shall be loyal in my attendance, generous in my giving, kind in my criticism, creative in my suggestions, loving in my attitudes. I shall give to A.A. my interest, my enthusiasm, my devotion, and most of all, myself. Do I also accept this as my A.A. credo?

Responsibility - May 30

“I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”

~ Robert A. Heinlein

A.A. Thought for the Day

I am part of A.A., one among many, but I am one. I need the A.A. principles for the development of the buried life within me. A.A. may be human in its organization, but it is Divine in its purpose. The purpose is to point me toward God and a better life. Participating in the privilege of the movement, I shall share in the responsibilities, taking it upon myself to carry my fair share of the load, not grudgingly but joyfully. To the extent that I fail in my responsibilities, A.A. fails. To the extent that I succeed, A.A. succeeds. Do I accept this as my A.A. credo?


Like many alcoholics I don't like it when people in the program pressure me to do service. But service is required and there is such a variety of ways to contribute that whenever I feel like volunteering to do something there is always something that needs doing.
~ Mike

Uniquely Qualified - May 29th

“Be yourself, who else is better qualified?”
~ Frank J.

A.A. Thought for the Day

We who have learned to put our drink problem in God's hands can help others to do so. We can be used as a connection between an alcoholic's need and God's supply of strength. We in Alcoholics Anonymous can be uniquely useful, just because we have the misfortune or fortune to be alcoholics ourselves. Do I want to be a uniquely useful person? Will I use my own greatest defeat and failure and sickness as a weapon to help others?

Being Useful - May 28th

“Be unselfish. That is the first and final commandment for those who would be useful and happy in their usefulness. If you think of yourself only, you cannot develop because you are choking the source of development, which is spiritual expansion through thought for others.”

~ Charles W. Eliot  

A.A. Thought for the Day

In A.A. we learn that since we are alcoholics we can be uniquely useful people. That is, we can help other alcoholics when perhaps somebody who has not had our experience with drinking could not help them. That makes us uniquely useful. The A.A.s are a unique group of people because they have taken their own greatest defeat and failure and sickness and used it as a means of helping others. We who have been through the same thing are the ones who can best help other alcoholics. Do I believe that I can be uniquely useful?


It wasn't until I heard the stories of other alcoholics did I realize that I wasn't alone. Once I was no longer alone I was free to speak without fear of seeming strange or unacceptable. I've only rarely had a conversation about alcoholism with a non-alcoholic where the other person actually understood and was willing to listen. The ability to share with others who listened and understood without judging gave me the courage I needed to stay sober.
~ Mike

Continuance - May 27th

“How long should you try? Until.”

~ Jim Rohn 

A.A. Thought for the Day

In twelfth step work, the fifth thing is continuance. Continuance means our staying with prospects after they have started on the new way of living. We must stick with them and not let them down. We must encourage them to go to meetings regularly for fellowship and help. They will learn that keeping sober is a lot easier in the fellow ship of others who are trying to do the same thing. We must continue to help prospects by going to see them regularly or telephoning them or writing them so that they don't get out of touch with A.A. Continuance means good sponsorship. Do I care enough about other alcoholics to continue with them as long as necessary?


I have sponsored a few times but now think that perhaps I wasn't ready to do so then. My continuity and perseverance has been more focused on learning to trust my fellows and to dedicate myself to my home group. They say that when the student is ready the teacher will appear - do you think the opposite is true? I do.
~ Mike

“Mix a conviction with a man and something happens.”

~ Adam Clayton Powell 

A.A. Thought for the Day

In twelfth step work, the third thing is conviction. Prospects must be convinced that they honestly want to stop drinking. They must see and admit that their life is unmanageable. They must face the fact that they must do something about their drinking. They must be absolutely honest with themselves and face themselves as they really are. They must be convinced that they must give up drinking and they must see that their whole life depends on this conviction. Do I care enough about other alcoholics to help them reach this conviction?


Over time I became aware of my fellow alcoholics and came to sense their pain and suffering, their hopes. They were just like me. I had to stop obsessing over myself and my experiences and come to understand that if I was going to be saved that I must act to save others. I take great joy in seeing others get sober and get their lives back.
~ Mike

Step 12 - May 24th

“There is no witness so terrible, no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us.”

   ~ Sophocles

A.A. Thought for the Day

In twelfth step work, the second thing is confession. By frankly sharing with prospects, we get them talking about their own experiences. They will open up and confess things to us that they haven't been able to tell other people. And they feel better when this confession has been made. It's a great load off their minds to get these things out into the open. It's the things that are kept hidden that weigh on the mind. They feel a sense of release and freedom when they have opened up their hearts to us. Do I care enough about other alcoholics to help them to make a confession.


Hearing other men speak of their own problems with addiction made me feel I was in the right place. After a lifetime of not fitting in, of always feeling like I was the outsider, it was an amazing change to feel I had found a group of people who were much like me.
~ Mike

Gaining Confidence - May 23rd

“Because of our kinship in suffering, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart.”
   ~ Bill Wilson


A.A. Thought for the Day

The Twelfth Step of A.A., working with others, can be subdivided into five parts, five words beginning with the letter C confidence, confession, conviction, con version, and continuance. The first thing in trying to help other alcoholics is to get their confidence. We do this by telling them our own experiences with drinking, so that they see that we know what we're talking about. If we share our experiences frankly, they will know that we are sincerely trying to help them. They will realize that they're not alone and that others have had experiences as bad or worse than theirs. This gives them confidence that they can be helped. Do I care enough about other alcoholics to get their confidence?


The selflessness of others in the AA program has always inspired me. These people so willing to reach out, lend a hand and share their time with me gave me the confidence I needed to keep coming back. Without this aspect of AA I doubt that I would have ever stayed sober.
~ Mike

Sharing - May 22nd

“It is the nature of the ego to take, and the nature of the spirit to share.”
   ~ Proverb 

A.A. Thought for the Day

What impresses us most at an A.A. meeting is the willingness to share, without holding anything back. And pretty soon we find ourselves sharing also. We start telling our own experiences and by so doing we help the other person. And when we've got these things off our chest, we feel a lot better. It does us a lot of good to share with some other poor unfortunate person who's in the same box that we were in. And the more we share, the more we have left for ourselves. Do I know that the more I share, the better chance I'll have to stay sober?


I ask my higher power every day for help in controlling my ego. I can't say that I'm more spiritually based than ego-based today but I can say that I am far less ego-based than when I was an active alcoholic. 
~ Mike

Group Sharing - May 21st

“Three keys to more abundant living: caring about others, daring for others, sharing with others.”
   ~William Arthur Ward

A.A. Thought for the Day 

One of the finest things about A.A. is the sharing. Sharing is a wonderful thing because the more you share the more you have. In our old drinking days, we didn't do much sharing. We used to keep things to ourselves, partly because we were ashamed, but mostly because we were selfish. And we were very lonely because we didn't share. When we came into A.A., the first thing we found was sharing. We heard other alcoholics frankly sharing their experiences with hospitals, jails, and all the usual mess that goes with drinking. Am I sharing?


Learning to share with trusted friends has been the single biggest step forward in my recovery. It has allowed me to confess and in confessing I have let go of resentments and shame that I could only ever have imagined before.
~ Mike

Sharing - May 20th

Our best thoughts come from others.

   ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 

A.A. Thought for the Day  

If we get up in a meeting and tell some thing about ourselves in order to help the other person, we feel a whole lot better. It's the old law of the more you give the more you get. Witnessing and confession are part of keeping sober. You never know when you may help somebody. Helping others is one of the best ways to stay sober your self. And the satisfaction you get out of helping a fellow human being is one of the finest experiences you can have. Am I helping others?


I have learned more from the men in my home group than I ever thought possible. Listening has become more important to my recovery than speaking and sharing though I must continue to do both. Have a great weekend.
~ Mike

Contributing - May 19th

“It is not what we get. But who we become, what we contribute... that gives meaning to our lives.”

   ~ Anthony Robbins 

A.A. Thought for the Day

Fellowship is a big part of staying sober. The doctors call it group therapy. We never go to an A.A. meeting without taking something out of it. Sometimes we don't feel like going to a meeting and we think of excuses for not going. But we usually end up by going anyway. And we always get some lift out of every meeting. Meetings are part of keeping sober. And we get more out of a meeting if we try to contribute something to it. Am I contributing my share at meetings?


Greeting people, making coffee, reading the Steps or Traditions, answering the AA Hotline in your town, simply being an example of healthy sobriety - these are all excellent ways of contributing to AA.
~Mike

Fellowship - May 18th

“Good fellowship and friendship are lasting, rational and manly pleasures.”
   ~ William Wycherley

A.A. Thought for the Day

We're in A.A. for two main reasons: to keep sober ourselves and to help others to keep sober. It's a well-known fact that helping others is a big part of keeping sober yourself. It's also been proved that it's very hard to keep sober all by yourself. A lot of people have tried it and failed. They come to a few A.A. meetings and then stay sober alone for a few months, but usually they eventually get drunk. Do I know that I can't stay sober successfully alone?


For years I would go to meetings, sometimes everyday for weeks, but almost always I was one of the last to arrive and one of the first to leave. I felt out of place, judged, self-concious and my fears kept me from joining the group. Over time though I overcame these fears, found a men's group where I have come to feel at home and have only in recent years started making serious progress on my journey. May you find the strength and comfort of fellowship today.
~ Mike

Compassion - May 17th

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
~ Dalai Lama  

A.A. Thought for the Day

A lot of well meaning people treat an alcoholic like the priest and the Levite. They pass by on the other side by scorning him and telling him what a low person he is, with no willpower. Whereas, he really has fallen for alcohol, in the same way as the man in the story fell among robbers. And the member of A.A. who is working with others is like the Good Samaritan. Am I moved with compassion? Do I take care of another alcoholic whenever I can?



In order to feel compassion I had to learn to control my ego. As long as my perception of the world began and stopped with my immediate concerns I had no empathy and without empathy I could not feel compassion. Every day I ask for help in finding humility so that I can feel empathy and be prepared to offer compassion.
~Mike

The Good Samaritan - May 16th

Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.  
~William James

A.A. Thought for the Day

In the story of the Good Samaritan, the wayfarer fell among robbers and was left lying in the gutter, half dead. And a priest and a Levite both passed by on the other side of the road. But the Good Samaritan was moved with compassion and came to him and bound up his wounds and brought him to an inn and took care of him. Do I treat another alcoholic like the priest and the Levite or like the Good Samaritan?


Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.  Active service in AA is a very good way to meet new people and the opportunity to be of service to others provided me with a renewed sense of purpose and usefulness.
~Mike

A Higher Power - May 15th

My trust in a higher power that wants me to survive and have love in my life, is what keeps me moving forward.


    ~ Kenny Loggins


A.A. Thought for the Day
In A.A. we find a new strength and peace from the realization that there must be a Power greater than ourselves that is running the universe and that is on our side when we live a good life. So the A.A. program really never ends. You begin by over coming drink and you go on from there to many new opportunities for happiness and usefulness. Am I really enjoying the full benefits of A.A.?


I spent much of my life before AA identifying myself as either an atheist or an agnostic. However years before I came into the program I had changed my view on this important aspect of life - the reasons for which I won't go into. Accepting that there is a higher power is empowering in my mind, it free's me from the need to control outcomes and be in charge all the time. The full benefits of AA could not be reaped without my utter faith in a higher power. I've come to believe that what others choose to believe in doesn't much matter - as long as they accept that there is a spiritual order to the universe then they seem to have little trouble following the path to sobriety and it's promises. 
~ Mike

Benefits - May 14th

“As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.”

   ~ Emmanuel Teney 

A.A. Thought for the Day

Having gotten over drinking, we have only just begun to enjoy the benefits of A.A. We find new friends, so that we are no longer lonely. We find new relationships with our families, so that we are happy at home. We find release from our troubles and worries through a new way of looking at things. We find an outlet for our energies in helping other people. Am I enjoying these benefits of A.A.?


I think that the benefits of a sober life are quite different than the promises that the Big Book speaks of. The benefits are a reward in themselves and help us shed our loneliness and provide us with a fresh new perspective that is not controlled by our fears but generated by the collective will of our new friends in AA. The benefits of AA help to keep us on the right path.
~ Mike

Release - May 13th

“You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, 'I release the need for this in my life'.”
   ~ Wayne Dyer

A.A. Thought for the Day

In A.A. we find fellowship and release and strength. And having found these things, the real reasons for our drinking are taken away. Then drinking has no more justification in our minds. We no longer need to fight against drink. Drink just naturally leaves us. At first, we are sorry that we can't drink, but we get so that we are glad that we don't have to drink. Am I glad that I don't have to drink?


Releasing myself from the need to drink was and continues to be the best gift I've ever given myself. I have given myself permission to wake up without a hangover, to behave as an adult and not lie, steal, cheat, argue or otherwise interfere with others or hurt myself. It is through this program that I have found the strength to not drink and to explore this new life.
~ Mike

Fellowship - May 12th

“One of the signs of passing youth is the birth of a sense of fellowship with other human beings as we take our place among them.”

~ Virginia Woolf 

A.A. Thought for the Day

When we come into A.A., looking for a way out of drinking, we really need a lot more than that. We need fellowship. We need to get the things that are troubling us out into the open. We need a new outlet for our energies and we need a new strength beyond ourselves that will help us face life instead of running away from it. In A.A. we find these things that we need. Have I found the things that I need?


Finding the new tools, for me, involved letting go of old coping methods. Old methods that had failed me time and time again to the point where to repeat the past was certainly an act of insanity. Joining the fellowship of AA did not come to me quickly or easily - but it has set now. I don't know for certain that I would still be drinking without the fellowship of AA but I am certain that I would be miserable.
~ Mike

Commitment - May 11th

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”
   ~ Peter F. Drucker

A.A. Thought for the Day

We can depend on those members of any group who have gone all out for the program. They come to meetings. They work with other alcoholics. We don't have to worry about their slipping. They're loyal members of the group. I'm trying to be a loyal member of the group. When I'm tempted to take a drink, I tell myself that if I did I'd be letting down the other members who are the best friends I have. Am I going to let them down, if I can help it?


The book that the Thought for the Day is quoted from was written in 1954 and can at times seem to be idealistic. I don't know that most members of AA would agree that there are those among us who are immune from slipping or relapse. However, having a home group and sticking with the winners is important to sobriety. The winners are usually the most active members of the group and can be trusted to always be there when you need someone to speak with or rely on. 
~Mike

Loyalty - May 10th

Loyalty and friendship, which is to me the same, created all the wealth that I've ever thought I'd have.

~ Ernie Banks  


A.A. Thought for the Day

One thing that keeps me sober is a feeling of loyalty to the other members of the group. I know I'd be letting them down if I ever took a drink. When I was drinking, I wasn't loyal to anybody. I should have been loyal to my family, but I wasn't. I let them down by my drinking. When I came into A.A., I found a group of people who were not only helping each other to stay sober, but who were loyal to each other by staying sober themselves. Am I loyal to my group?


The new friends that sobriety and AA have given me allow me to see the world through different eyes, experience new perspectives and approach life's difficulties with the wisdom of many. My old ways of going through life alone and only relying on myself seem alien to me now. I can't imagine not calling on friends or depending on my AA group. Have a great 24 hours.
~ Mike