Daily Reflection

JUNE 30
SACRIFICE = UNITY = SURVIVAL
The unity, the effectiveness, and even the survival of A.A.
will always depend upon our continued willingness to give
up some of our personal ambitions and desires for the
common safety and welfare. Just as sacrifice means
survival for the individual alcoholic, so does sacrifice mean
unity and survival for the group and for A.A. 's entire
Fellowship.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 220
I have learned that I must sacrifice some of my personality
traits for the good of A.A. and, as a result, I have been
rewarded with many gifts. False pride can be inflated
through prestige but, by living Tradition Six, I receive the
gift of humility instead. Cooperation without affiliation is
often deceiving. If I remain unrelated to outside interests, I
am free to keep A.A. autonomous. Then the Fellowship will
be here, healthy and strong for generations to come.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 29
A RIPPLING EFFECT
Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everyone else
how. . . . Yes, we of A.A. did dream those dreams. How
natural that was, since most alcoholics are bankrupt
idealists. . . . So why shouldn't we share our way of life
with everyone?
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 156
The great discovery of sobriety led me to feel the need to
spread the "good news" to the world around me. The
grandiose thoughts of my drinking days returned. Later, I
learned that concentrating on my own recovery was a fulltime
process. As I became a sober citizen in this world, I
observed a rippling effect which, without any conscious
effort on my part, reached any "related facility or outside
enterprise," without diverting me from my primary purpose
of staying sober and helping other alcoholics to achieve
sobriety.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 28
THE DETERMINATION OF OUR FOUNDERS
A year and six months later these three had succeeded with
seven more.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159
If it had not been for the fierce determination of our
founders, A.A. would have quickly faded like so many
other so-called good causes. I look at the hundreds of
meetings weekly in the city where I five and I know A.A. is
available twenty-four hours a day. If I had had to hang on
with nothing but hope and a desire not to drink,
experiencing rejection wherever I went, I would have
sought the easier, softer way and returned to my previous
way of life.

Words Of Wisdom From His Holiness Dalai Lama

Kindness and a good heart are the foundation for success in this life, progress on the spiritual path, and the fulfillment of our aspirations. Our need for them is not limited to any specific time, place, society, or culture.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 27
CONFORMING TO THE A.A. WAY
We obey A.A. 's Steps and Traditions because we really
want them for ourselves. It is no longer a question of good
or evil; we conform because we genuinely want to conform
Such is our process of growth in unity and function. Such is
the evidence of God's grace and love among us.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 106
It is fun to watch myself grow in A.A. I fought conformity
to A.A. principles from the moment I entered, but I learned
from the pain of my belligerence that, in choosing to live
the A. A. way of life, I opened myself to God's grace and
love. Then I began to know the full meaning of being a
member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 26
A GIFT THAT GROWS WITH TIME
For most normal folks, drinking means conviviality,
companionship and colorful imagination. It means release
from care, boredom and worry. It is joyous intimacy with
friends and a feeling that life is good
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 151
The longer I chased these elusive feelings with alcohol, the
more out of reach they were. However, by applying this
passage to my sobriety, I found that it described the
magnificent new life made available to me by the A.A.
program. "It" truly does "get better" one day at a time. The
warmth, the love and the joy so simply expressed in these
words grow in breadth and depth each time I read it.
Sobriety is a gift that grows with time.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 25
A TWO-WAY STREET
If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in
no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that
way without our cooperation.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 65
When I prayed, I used to omit a lot of things for which I
needed to be forgiven. I thought that if I didn't mention
these things to God, He would never know about them. I
did not know that if I had just forgiven myself for some of
my past deeds, God would forgive me also. I was always
taught to prepare for the journey through life, never
realizing until I came to A.A.—when I honestly became
willing to be taught forgiveness and forgiving—that life
itself is the journey. The journey of life is a very happy
one, as long as I am willing to accept change and
responsibility.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 24
A SPIRITUAL KINDERGARTEN
We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which
people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace
to go on living to better effect
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 95
When I came to A.A., I was run down by the bottle and
wanted to lose the obsession to drink, but I didn't really
know how to do that. I decided to stick around long enough
to find out from the ones who went before me. All of a
sudden I was thinking about God! I was told to get a Higher
Power and I had no idea what one looked like. I found out
there are many Higher Powers. I was told to find God, as I
understand Him, that there was no doctrine of the Godhead
in A.A. I found what worked for me and then asked that
Power to restore me to sanity. The obsession to drink was
removed and—one day at a time—my life went on, and I
learned how to five sober.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 23
TRUSTING OTHERS
But does trust require that we be blind to other people's
motives or, indeed, to our own? Not at all; this would be
folly. Most certainly, we should assess the capacity for
harm as well as the capability for good in every person that
we would trust. Such a private inventory can reveal the
degree of confidence we should extend in any given
situation.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 144
I am not a victim of others, but rather a victim of my
expectations, choices and dishonesty. When I expect others
to be what I want them to be and not who they are, when
they fail to meet my expectations, I am hurt. When my
choices are based on self-centeredness, I find I am lonely
and distrustful. I gain confidence in myself, however, when
I practice honesty in all my affairs. When I search my
motives and am honest and trusting, I am aware of the
capacity for harm in situations and can avoid those that are
harmful.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 22
TODAY, I'M FREE
This brought me to the good healthy realization that there
were plenty of situations left in the world over which I had
no personal power—that if I was so ready to admit that to
be the case with alcohol, so I must make the same admission
with respect to much else. I would have to be still and know
that He, not I, was God.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 114
I am learning to practice acceptance in all circumstances of
my life, so that I may enjoy peace of mind. At one time life
was a constant battle because I felt I had to go through each
day fighting myself, and everyone else. Eventually, this
became a losing battle. I ended up getting drunk and crying
over my misery. When I began to let go and let God take
over my life I began to have peace of mind. Today, I am
free. I do not have to fight anybody or anything anymore

Daily Reflection

JUNE 21
The achievement of freedom from fear is a lifetime
undertaking, one that can never be wholly completed. When
under heavy attack, acute illness, or in other conditions of
serious insecurity, we shall all act to this emotion—well or
badly, as the case may be. Only the self-deceived will claim
perfect freedom from fear.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 263
Fear has caused suffering when I could have had more
faith. There are times when fear suddenly tears me apart,
just when I'm experiencing feelings of joy, happiness and a
lightness of heart. Faith— and a feeling of self-worth
toward a Higher Power—helps me endure tragedy and
ecstasy. When I choose to give all of my fears over to my
Higher Power, I will be free.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 20
RELEASE FROM FEAR
The problem of resolving fear has two aspects. We shall
have to try for all the freedom from fear that is possible for
us to attain. Then we shall need to find both the courage
and grace to deal constructively with whatever fears
remain.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 61
Most of my decisions were based on fear. Alcohol made
life easier to face, but the time came when alcohol was no
longer an alternative to fear. One of the greatest gifts in
A.A. for me has been the courage to take action, which I
can do with God's help. After five years of sobriety I had to
deal with a heavy dose of fear. God put the people in my
life to help me do that and, through my working the Twelve
Steps, I am becoming the whole person I wish to be and,
for that, I am deeply grateful.

Words Of Wisdom From His Holiness Dalai Lama

Our world and our lives have become increasingly interdependent, so when our neighbour is harmed, it affects us too. Therefore we have to abandon outdated notions of “them” and “us” and think of our world much more in terms of a great “US”, a greater human family.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 19
"A.A. REGENERATION"
Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising
out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one's old
life as a condition for finding a new one.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 46
A thousand beatings by John Barleycorn did not encourage
me to admit defeat. I believed it was my moral obligation
to conquer my "enemy-friend." At my first A.A. meeting I
was blessed with a feeling that it was all right to admit
defeat to a disease which had nothing to do with my "moral
fiber." I knew instinctively that I was in the presence of a
great love when I entered the doors of A.A. With no effort
on my part, I became aware that to love myself was good
and right, as God had intended. My feelings set me free,
where my thoughts had held me in bondage. I am grateful.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 18
A FELLOWSHIP OF FREEDOM
. . . if only men were granted absolute liberty, and were
compelled to obey no one, they would then voluntarily
associate themselves in the common interest
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 50
When I no longer live under the dictates of another or of
alcohol, I live in a new freedom. When I release the past
and all the excess baggage I have carried for so very long, I
come to know freedom. I have been introduced into a life
and a fellowship of freedom. The Steps are a
"recommended" way of finding a new life, there are no
commands or dictates in A.A. I am free to serve from
desire rather than decree. There is the understanding that I
will benefit from the growth of other members and I take
what I learn and bring it back to the group. The "common
welfare" finds room to grow in the society of personal
freedom.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 17
"DEEP DOWN WITHIN US"
We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last
analysis it is only there that He may be found. . . . search
diligently within yourself. . . . With this attitude you cannot
fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to
you.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 55
It was out of the depths of loneliness, depression and
despair that I sought the help of A.A. As I recovered and
began to face the emptiness and ruin of my life, I began to
open myself to the possibility of the healing that recovery
offers through the A.A. program. By coining to meetings,
staying sober, and taking the Steps, I had the opportunity to
listen with increasing attentiveness to the depths of my
soul. Daily I waited, in hope and gratitude, for that sure
belief and steadfast love I had longed for in my life. In this
process, I met my God, as I understand Him.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 16
OPEN-MINDEDNESS
We have found that God does not make too hard terms with
those who seek Him. To us, the realm of spirit is broad,
roomy, all inclusive, never exclusive or forbidding to those
who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 7
Open-mindedness to concepts of a Higher Power can open
doors to the spirit. Often I find the human spirit in various
dogmas and faiths. I can be spiritual in the sharing of
myself. The sharing of self joins me to the human race and
brings me closer to God, as I understand Him.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 15
MAKING A.A. YOUR HIGHER POWER
". . . You can . . . make A.A. itself your 'higher power.'
Here's a very large group of people who have solved their
alcohol problem. . . . many members . . . have crossed the
threshold just this way. . . . their faith broadened and
deepened. . . . transformed, they came to believe in a
Higher Power. . . . "
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 27-28
No one was greater than I, at least in my eyes, when I was
drinking. Nevertheless, I couldn't smile at myself in the
mirror, so I came to A.A. where, with others, I heard talk of
a Higher Power. I couldn't accept the concept of a Higher
Power because I believed God was cruel and unloving. In
desperation I chose a table, a tree, then my A.A. group, as
my Higher Power. Time passed, my life improved, and I
began to wonder about this Higher Power. Gradually, with
patience, humility and a lot of questions, I came to believe
in God. Now my relationship with my Higher Power gives
me the strength to live a happy, sober life.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 14
WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH
 It is a design
for living that works in rough going.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 15
When I came to A.A., I realized that A.A. worked
wonderfully to help keep me sober. But could it work on
real life problems, not concerned with drinking? I had my
doubts. After being sober for more than two years I got my
answer. I lost my job, developed physical problems, my
diabetic father lost a leg, and someone I loved left me for
another —and all of this happened during a two-week period.
Reality crashed in, yet A.A. was there to support,
comfort, and strengthen me. The principles I had learned
during my early days of sobriety became a mainstay of my
life for not only did I come through, but I never stopped
being able to help newcomers. A.A. taught me not to be
overwhelmed, but rather to accept and understand my life
as it unfolded.

Words Of Wisdom From His Holiness Dalai Lama

Gaining mastery over our destructive propensities, through the exercise of awareness and self-discipline with regard to our body, speech, and mind, frees us from the inner turmoil that naturally arises when our behaviour is at odds with our ideals. In place of this turmoil come confidence, integrity, and dignity - heroic qualities all human beings naturally aspire to.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 13
LIVING OUR AMENDS
"Years of living with an alcoholic is almost sure to make
any wife or child neurotic. The entire family is, to some
extent, ill."
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 122
It is important for me to realize that, as an alcoholic, I not
only hurt myself, but also those around me. Making
amends to my family, and to the families of alcoholics still
suffering, will always be important. Understanding the
havoc I created and trying to repair the destruction, will be
a lifelong endeavor. The example of my sobriety may give
others hope, and faith to help themselves.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 12
FORMING TRUE PARTNERSHIPS
But it is from our twisted relations with family, friends, and
society at large that many of us have suffered the most. We
have been especially stupid and stubborn about them. The
primary fact that we fail to recognize is our total inability
to form a true partnership with another human being.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 53
Can these words apply to me, am I still unable to form a
true partnership with another human being? What a terrible
handicap that would be for me to carry into my sober life!
In my sobriety I will meditate and pray to discover how I
may be a trusted friend and companion.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 11
FAMILY OBLIGATIONS
. . . a spiritual life which does not include . . . family
obligations may not be so perfect after all.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 129
I can be doing great in the program—applying it at
meetings, at work, and in service activities—and find that
things have gone to pieces at home. I expect my loved ones
to understand, but they cannot. I expect them to see and
value my progress, but they don't—unless I show them. Do
I neglect their needs and desires for my attention and
concern? When I'm around them, am I irritable or boring?
Are my "amends" a mumbled "Sorry," or do they take the
form of patience and tolerance? Do I preach to them, trying
to reform or "fix" them? Have I ever really cleaned house
with them! "The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to
live it" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 83).

Daily Reflection

JUNE 10
IMPATIENT? TRY LEVITATING
We reacted more strongly to frustrations than normal
people.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. I l l
Impatience with other people is one of my principal
failings. Following a slow car in a no-passing lane, or
waiting in a restaurant for the check, drives me to
distraction. Before I give God a chance to slow me down, I
explode, and that's what I call being quicker than God.
That repeated experience gave me an idea. I thought if I
could look down on these events from God's point of view,
I might better control my feelings and behavior. I tried it
and when I encountered the next slow driver, I levitated
and looked down on the other car and upon myself. I saw
an elderly couple driving along, happily chatting about
their grandchildren. They were followed by me—bug-eyed
and red of face—who had no time schedule to meet
anyway. I looked so silly that I dropped back into reality
and slowed down. Seeing things from God's angle of vision
can be very relaxing.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 9
LIVING IN THE NOW
First, we try living in the now just in order to stay sober—
and it works Once the idea has become a part of our
thinking we find that living life in 24-hour segments is an
effective and satisfying way to handle many other matters
as well
LIVING SOBER, p. 7
"One Day At A Time." To a newcomer this and other oneliners
of A.A. may seem ridiculous. The passwords of the
A.A. Fellowship can become lifelines in moments of
stress. Each day can be like a rose unfurling according to
the plan of a Power greater than myself. My program
should be planted in the right location, just as it will need
to be groomed, nourished, and protected from disease. My
planting will require patience, and my realizing that some
flowers will be more perfect than others. Each stage of the
petals' unfolding can bring wonder and delight if I do not
interfere or let my expectations override my acceptance—
and this brings serenity.

Words Of Wisdom From His Holiness Dalai Lama

To be extremely self-centered, only interested in your own satisfaction, always brings negative consequences in the long run.......... Dalai Lama

Daily Reflection

JUNE 8
OPENING UP TO CHANGE
Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision,
action, and grace to bear upon the dark and negative side
of our natures With it comes the development of that kind of
humility that makes it possible for us to receive God's help.
. . . we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life—the
one that did not work—for a new life that can and does
work under any conditions whatever.
AS BILL SEES IT, pp. 10, 8
I have been given a daily reprieve contingent upon my
spiritual condition, provided I seek progress, not perfection.
To become ready for change, I practice willingness,
opening myself to possibilities of change. If I realize there
are defects that hinder my usefulness in A.A. and toward
others, I become ready by meditating and receiving
direction. "Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas
and the result was nil until we let go absolutely"
(Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58). To let go and let God, I
need only surrender my old ways to Him; I no longer fight
nor do I try to control, but simply believe that, with God's
help, I am changed and affirming this belief makes me
ready. I empty myself to be full of awareness, light, and
love, and I am ready to face each day with hope.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 7
LONG-TERM HOPE
Since most of us are born with an abundance of natural
desires, it isn't strange that we often let these far exceed
their intended purpose. When they drive us blindly, or we
willfully demand that they supply us with more satisfactions
or pleasures than are possible or due us, that is the point at
which we depart from the degree of perfection that God
wishes for us here on earth. That is the measure of our
character defects, or, if you wish, of our sins.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 65
This is where long-term hope is born and perspective is
gained, both of the nature of my illness and the path of my
recovery. 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.
As I step into the A.A. light, my heart fills with the
presence of God.

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Drug Markets Thrive in US Prisons | The Fix

Daily Reflection

JUNE 6
ALL WE DO IS TRY
Can He now take them all—every one?
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 76
In doing Step Six it helped me a lot to remember that I am
striving for "spiritual progress." Some of my character
defects may be with me for the rest of my life, but most
have been toned down or eliminated. All that Step Six asks
of me is to become willing to name my defects, claim them
as my own, and be willing to discard the ones I can, just for
today. As I grow in the program, many of my defects
become more objectionable to me than previously and,
therefore, I need to repeat Step Six so that I can become
happier with myself and maintain my serenity.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 5
ENTIRELY READY?
"This is the Step that separates the men from the boys
" . . . the difference between "the boys and the men" is
the difference between striving for a self-determined
objective and for the perfect objective which is of God. . . .
It is suggested that we ought to become entirely willing to
aim toward perfection. . . . The moment we say, "No,
never!" our minds close against the grace of God. . . . This
is the exact point at which we abandon limited objectives,
and move toward God's will for us
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 63, 68, 69
Am I entirely ready to have God remove these defects of
character? Do I know at long last that I cannot save myself?
I have come to believe that I cannot. If I am unable, if my
best intentions go wrong, if my desires are selfishly
motivated and if my knowledge and will are limited—then
I am ready to embrace God's will for my life.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 4
LETTING GO OF OUR OLD SELVES
Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have
omitted anything for we are building an arch through
which we shall walk a free man at last. . . . Are we now
ready to let God remove from us all the things which we
have admitted are objectionable?
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 75, 76
The Sixth Step is the last "preparation" Step. Although I
have already used prayer extensively, I have made no
formal request of my Higher Power in the first Six Steps. I
have identified my problem, come to believe that there is a
solution, made a decision to seek this solution, and have
"cleaned house." I now ask: Am I willing to live a life of
sobriety, of change, to let go of my old self? I must
determine if I am truly ready to change. I review what I
have done and become willing for God to remove all my
defects of character; for in the next Step, I will tell my
Creator I am willing and will ask for help. If I have been
thorough in the preparation of my foundation and feel that I
am willing to change, I am then ready to continue with the
next Step. "If we still cling to something we will not let go,
we ask God to help us be willing." (Alcoholics Anonymous,
p. 76)

Daily Reflection

JUNE 3
ON A WING AND A PRAYER
. . . we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized
willingness as being indispensable.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 76
Steps Four and Five were difficult, but worthwhile. Now I
was stuck on Step Six and, in despair, I picked up the Big
Book and read this passage. I was outside, praying for
willingness, when I raised my eyes and saw a huge bird
rising in the sky. I watched it suddenly give itself up to the
powerful air currents of the mountains. Swept along,
swooping and soaring, the bird did things seemingly impossible
for mortal birds to do. It was an inspiring example
of a fellow creature "letting go" to a power greater than
itself. I realized that if the bird "took back his will" and
tried to fly with less trust, on its power alone, it would spoil
its apparent free flight. That insight granted me the
willingness to pray the Seventh Step prayer.
It's not easy to know God's will in each circumstance. I
must search out and be ready for the currents, and that's
where prayer and meditation help! Because I am, of
myself, nothing, I ask God to grant me the knowledge of
His will and the power and courage to carry it out—today.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 2
THE UPWARD PATH
Here are the steps we took. . . .
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59
These are the words that lead into the Twelve Steps. In
their direct simplicity they sweep aside all psychological
and philosophical considerations about the lightness of the
Steps. They describe what I did: I took the Steps and
sobriety was the result. These words do not imply that I
should walk the well-trodden path of those who went
before, but rather that there is a way for me to become
sober and that it is a way I shall have to find. It is a new
path, one that leads to infinite light at the top of the
mountain. The Steps advise me about the footholds that are
safe and about chasms to avoid. They provide me with the
tools I need during the many parts of the solitary journey of
my soul. When I speak of this journey, I share my
experience, strength and hope with others.

Daily Reflection

JUNE 1
A CHANGED OUTLOOK
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84
When I was drinking, my attitude was totally selfish,
totally self-centered; my pleasure and my comfort came
first. Now that I am sober, self-seeking has started to slip
away. My whole attitude toward life and other people is
changing. For me, the first "A" in our name stands for
attitude. My attitude is changed by the second "A" in our
name, which stands for action. By working the Steps,
attending meetings, and carrying the message, I can be restored
to sanity. Action is the magic word! With a positive,
helpful attitude and regular A.A. action, I can stay sober
and help others to achieve sobriety. My attitude now is that
I am willing to go to any length to stay sober!