“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
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