Quote from the Big Book "Into Action"

   "When we retire at night, we constructively
review our day.  Were we resentful, selfish,
dishonest or afraid?  Do we owe an apology?...But
we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse
or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our
usefulness to others.  After making our review we
ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective
measures should be taken.
     "On awakening let us think about the twenty-four
hours ahead.  We consider our plans for the day.
Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking,
especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity,
dishonest or self-seeking motives.  Under these
conditions we can employ our mental faculties with
assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use.
Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher
plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives."

- Copyright AA, The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
Brought to you by our treatment center for addiction and alcoholism.

Step 4 of the 12 Steps of AA - The "Relapse" Step?

Step Four: Made a searching and fearless
moral inventory of ourselves.

"These desires – for the sex relation, for material
and emotional security, and for companionship –
are perfectly necessary and right, and surely God-given.
Yet these instincts, so necessary for our existence,
often far exceed their proper functions. Powerfully,
blindly, many times subtly, they drive us, dominate
us, and insist upon ruling our lives. … When thus out
of joint, man's natural desires cause him great trouble,
practically all the trouble there is. No human being,
however good, is exempt from these troubles. Nearly
every serious emotional problem can be seen as a case
of misdirected instinct. …

"Step Four is our vigorous and painstaking effort to
discover what these liabilities in each of us have been,
and are."

- brought to you by those in recovery at our drug rehabilitation center 

Thoughts on Humility

Our 12 and 12 says that "Humility" is the foundation of all of our principles. Over the short course of my sobriety I've been given many different definitions of Humility. I've looked it up in several different dictionaries and tried to find a definition that made some sort of sense to me and one that I could use and apply to my life.....

I think that my favorite one was given to me by a lady I met when I was two weeks sober and she picked up a 32 year chip.

She told me once that Humility was not thinking less of myself, but thinking of myself less. A tall order for a self-centered, self-absorbed alcoholic like me, but thanks to this great program and good sponsorship, today, I have tools that help me get out of self and to practice genuine Humility.

Becky D.

Recovery Tool - Sponsorship Advice and Wisdom

Morning!

I’m working with two newcomers right now and I meet with each of them once a week. Although my schedule is hectic and I’m raising two children alone, I have set this time aside because I know by working with newcomers, it’s going to save my life, it’s the right thing to do and I honestly enjoy it!! This is one of my favorite paragraphs in the big book. Page 89, Working with Others

     “Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends-this is an experience you must not miss. We know you will not want to miss this. Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.”

I’m blessed to have newcomers in my life, to be able to pass on what was so freely given to me. I usually let newcomers know if they want to get in the book, then give me a call. It’s takes them months, even years but they hear something and remember what I’ve said. My experience is that some of them actually call, so something must be working, most likely the higher power!

If you are one of those people who are on the fence about whether or not AA is right for you, we recommend checking out this article from American Addiction Foundation, which discusses the struggles of getting people to buy into Alcoholics Anonymous and why we think it is worth investigation.

 - brought to you by the alumni department at our drug rehab in Southern California

A Member of Alcoholics Anonymous Shares

HI all!  I am Kelly, and I am an alcoholic.  I just got back from a much-needed vacation.  My husband and I both have not really had one since . well, ever!  "Work, work, work.  Go, go, go," was our mode of operation.  It was interesting how we had to work at relaxing.  But we got the hang of it pretty fast.  Now, to stay in that mode by remembering how we did it.  If I stay in this day today, I will have plenty to do.  I will have, by the grace of God, all I need and I will have rest.  If I do what I used to do before I got sober and found AA, that rest will go down the drain and it will be because of my choices today. 

 

My husband and I are both recovering alcoholics, and we are learning together and separately how to live one day at a time.  We don't have this down perfectly, but we are sure aware of the difference . how we have been in the last almost two years, and what we were like before.  Georgia is on fire about 80 miles north of here and we can see and smell the smoke, the Virginia Tech tragedy, and all my email being hijacked, kind of stressed me, ya know?  But what can I do about any of this?  What good am I if I start letting circumstances dictate my day and my usefulness?  Somehow, the Serenity Prayer is going to become a living prayer today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  But especially today.  Otherwise I will, and can easily, get tripped out . resulting in being blinded to what's really pressing right now.  Like someone needing and wanting help.  There is a difference between needing it and wanting it.  I need wisdom to know the difference. 

 

And what can I offer?  For me, it's God's will for my life today.  I am not a firefighter.  I am not the president.  I am not God, and I don't have a crystal ball, either.  Humbling huh?   I love it.  I learn through a lot of pain and wasted energy what I can and what I cannot do every day, as I learn more about who I am and where I am going.  There is always hope if I take hold of it today.  So this "Just for Today" thing I speak of takes some practice I guess for the rest of my life.  This will be challenged in many ways, and the bigger the challenge, the more opportunities to grow.

AA Thoughts: Being "Lucky"

Lucky I was one of those "lucky" ones
who glided through life without major disasters.
For the last twenty years of my drinking career,
I was drunk almost every night;
I often went to bed unconscious and woke up sick. . .
Over that twenty years,
I managed to strip all sense of worth from myself,
and to damage my relationships with the people I loved. . .
Finally, the world started closing in around me.
I hated myself.
I was ashamed of the things I was doing,
in pain every day. . .
My marriage was hurting,
my employers were taking a close look at me;
I was risking arrest almost every time I drove. . .
At this point, somehow through the grace of God,
I found the courage to ask for help.
At my first AA meeting, I knew I was in the right place.   
from the AA Grapevine November 2002
 - brought to you by our treatment centers

Processing Change in the Recovery Process

"... Strange as this may seem
to those who do not understand -
once a psychic change has occurred,
the very same person who seemed doomed,
who had so many problems
he despaired of ever solving them,
suddenly finds himself easily able to control
his desire for alcohol,
the only effort necessary being that
required to follow a few simple rules." 

- Alcoholics Anonymous World Services

Brought to you by our Treatment Centers in California.

A.A. Meditation for Today

"Walk humbly with thy Lord."  Walking with God means practicing the presence
of God in your daily affairs.  It means asking God for strength to face each
new day.  It means turning to Him often during the day in prayer for
yourself and for other people.  It means thanking Him at night for the
blessings you have received during the day.  Nothing can seriously upset you
if you are "walking with God."  You can believe that He is beside you in
spirit, to help you and to guide you on your way.

May your recovery be filled with serenity. With love and respect from our treatment center in California.

Bill Wilson - Assuring the Future

This quote is from "Pass it On" the story of Bill Wilson and how the A.A. message reached the world.

"When TIME magazine wanted to put Bill on its
cover -- that is, put the back of his head of the front
of the magazine -- Bill declined, and declined the cover
story as well.  He reasoned:...'[T]he requirements of
the piece would have tended to create a clear and
colorful public image of me as a person.  This would
have created for the future, I am sure, a temptation in
our power-driving people to get like pieces -- presently
with full names and pictures....I declined the publicity,
and I must confess it wasn't easy.'"

Thought to Ponder:

 

The Steps are there to protect me from myself;
the Traditions are there to protect AA from me. 

 

Brought to you by our addiction rehab center in Southern California,.

 

A Look at One of the Twelve Traditions: Tradition Seven

Every A.A. group ought to
be fully self-supporting, declining outside
contributions.

"To people familiar with endless drives for charitable
funds, A.A. presented a strange and refreshing spectacle.
Approving editorials here and abroad generated a wave
of confidence in the integrity of Alcoholics Anonymous.
They pointed out that the irresponsible had become
responsible, and that by making financial independence
part of its tradition, Alcoholics Anonymous had revived
an ideal that its era had almost forgotten."

-  Brought to you by our treatment centers for addiction