New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Loneliness ^*^*^ October 28

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\   ~~   /)(    \(AA)/    )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Loneliness"Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling we didn't quite belong. Either we were shy, and dared not draw near others, or we were apt to be noisy good fellows craving attention and companionship, but never getting it -- at least to our way of thinking. There was always that mysterious barrier we could neither surmount nor understand. . .That's one reason we loved alcohol too well. It did let us act extemporaneously. But even Bacchus boomeranged on us; we were finally struck down and left in terrified loneliness."c.1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 57Thought to Consider . . .Isolation is a darkroom where we develop negatives. *~*AACRONYMS*~*H A L T =  Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired*~*^Just For Today!^*~* Forgiveness Step Eight: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. These obstacles, however, are very real. The first, and one of the most difficult has to do with forgiveness. The moment we ponder a twisted or broken relationship with another person, our emotions go on the defensive. To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong that he has done us. This is especially true if he has, in fact, behaved badly at all. Triumphantly we seize upon his misbehavior as the perfect excuse for minimizing or forgetting our own.1981 AAWS Inc.Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 78 *^Daily Reflections^*AN UNBROKEN TRADITION We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177 How much it means to me that an unbroken tradition of more than half a century is a thread that connects me to Bill W. and Dr. Bob.  How much more grounded I feel to be in a Fellowship whose aims are constant and unflagging.  I am grateful that the energies of A.A. have never been scattered, but focused instead on our members and on individual sobriety. My beliefs are what make me human; I am free to hold any opinion, but A.A.'s purpose -- so clearly stated fifty years ago -- is for me to keep sober.  That purpose has promoted round-the-clock meeting schedules, and the thousands of inter-group and central service offices, with their thousands of volunteers.  Like the sun focused through a magnifying glass, A.A.'s single vision has lit a fire of faith in sobriety in millions of hearts, including mine.Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*To Rebuild SecurityIn our behavior respecting financial and emotional security, fear, greed, possessiveness, and pride have too often done their worst. Surveying his business or employment record, almost any alcoholic can ask questions like these: In addition to my drinking problem, what character defects contributed to my financial instability? Did fear and inferiority about my fitness for my job destroy my confidence and fill me with conflict? Or did I overvalue myself and play the big shot?Businesswomen in A.A. will find that these questions often apply to them, too, and the alcoholic housewife can also make the family financially insecure. Indeed, all alcoholics need to cross-examine themselves ruthlessly to determine how their own personality defects have demolished their security.TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 51-52 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~*"Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be."Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionInto Action, pg. 79*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the DayWhat other rewards have come to me as a result of my new way of living? Each one of us can answer this question in many ways. My relationship with my spouse or companion is on an entirely new plane. The total selfishness is gone and more cooperation has taken its place. My home is a home again. Understanding has taken the place of misunderstanding, recriminations, bickering, and resentment. A new companionship has developed which bodes well for the future. "There are homes where fires burn and there is bread, lamps are lit and prayers are said. Though people falter through the dark and nations grope, with God Himself back of these little homes, we still can hope. Have I come home?Meditation for the DayWe can bow to God's will in anticipation of the thing happening that will, in the long run, be the best for all concerned. It may not always seem the best thing at the present time, but we cannot see as far ahead as God can. We do not know how His plans are laid, we only need to believe that if we trust Him and accept whatever happens as His will in a spirit of faith, everything will work out for the best in the end.Prayer for the DayI pray that I may not ask to see the distant scene. I pray that one step may be enough for me. 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