AA Thoughts For Today - February

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AA Thought for the Day

February 29

Phenomenon of Craving

They took a drink a day or so prior to the date, and then the
phenomenon of craving at once became paramount to all
other interests so that the important appointment was not met.
These men were not drinking to escape; they were drinking to
overcome a craving beyond their mental control.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (The Doctor's Opinion) pp. xxix - xxx

Thought to Ponder
It's the first drink that gets you drunk.

AA-related 'Alconym'
A A = Absolute Abstinence.

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

Meetings
A "spiritual experience" to me meant attending meetings,
seeing a group of people,
all there for the purpose of helping each other;
hearing the Twelve Steps
and the Twelve Traditions read at a meeting,
and hearing the Lord's Prayer,
which in an AA meeting has such great meaning --
"Thy will be done, not mine."
A spiritual awakening soon came to mean
trying each day to be a little more thoughtful,
more considerate, a little more courteous
to those with whom I came in contact.
c. 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 381
c. 2001, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 356

Thought to Consider . . .

The ankle-biters of everyday struggles will eat away at me
unless I go to meetings and share.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other.

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

From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":

"Even as early as 1945, the solution of group problems by correspondence had put a large volume of work on Headquarters. Letters to metropolitan A.A. centers filled our bulging files. It seemed as if every contestant in every group argument wrote us during this confused and exciting period.

"The basic ideas for the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous came directly out of this vast correspondence. In late 1945 a good A.A. friend suggested that all this mass of experience might be codified into a set of principles which could offer tested solutions to all our problems of living and working together and of relating our society to the world outside. If we had become sure enough of where we really stood on such matters as membership, group autonomy, singleness of purpose, nonendorsement of other enterprises, professionalism, public controversy, and anonymity in its several aspects, then such a set of principles could be written. A code of traditions could not, of course, ever become rule or law. But it might act as a guide for our Trustees, Headquarters people, and especially for A.A. groups with growing pains."

2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 203

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

"I am glad for everything that has happened to me. I have found a way of life that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world."
Magnolia, Ark., January 1978
"When I Was Sixteen, I Was Ready"
Young & Sober: Stories By Those Who Found AA Early

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

3rd Step Prayer:

"God, I offer myself to Thee to build with me and to do with
me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better
do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may
bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy
Way of life. May I do Thy will always!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 63~

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

"The beauty of A.A. lies in knowing that my life, with God's help, will improve. The A.A. journey becomes richer, the understanding becomes truth, the dreams become realities -- and today becomes forever." From "Long-term Hope:"
c. 1990, Daily Reflections, page 167

Prayer for the Day: Stop Fixing Others: Dear Higher Power, When I am overly dependent on others, I try to fix them. I have a real talent in pinpointing what is wrong with other people. But the very thing that enables me to see their defects most often blinds me to the same, sometimes even worse, shortcomings in myself. Help me stop fretting about others and instead focus on correcting my own character defects.