Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 12
I AM RESPONSIBLE
For the readiness to take the full consequences of our past
acts, and to take responsibility for the well-being of others
at the same time, is the very spirit of Step Nine.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 87
In recovery, and through the help of Alcoholics
Anonymous, I learn that the very thing I fear is my
freedom. It comes from my tendency to recoil from taking
responsibility for anything: I deny, I ignore, I blame, I
avoid. Then one day, I look, I admit, I accept. The freedom,
the healing and the recovery I experience is in the looking,
admitting and accepting. I learn to say, "Yes, I am
responsible." When I can speak those words with honesty
and sincerity, then I am free.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 11
MAKING AMENDS
Above all, we should try to be absolutely sure that we are
not delaying because we are afraid.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 87
To have courage, to be unafraid, are gifts of my recovery.
They empower me to ask for help and to go forth in making
my amends with a sense of dignity and humility. Making
amends may require a certain amount of honesty that I feel
I lack, yet with the help of God and the wisdom of others, I
can reach within and find the strength to act. My amends
may be accepted, or they may not, but after they are
completed I can walk with a sense of freedom and know
that, for today, I am responsible.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 10
RECOVERY BY PROXY?
They [the Promises] will always materialize if we work for
them.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84
Sometimes I think: "Making these amends is going too far!
No one should have to humble himself like that!" However,
it is this very humbling of myself that brings me that much
closer to the sunlight of the spirit. A.A. is the only hope I
have if I am to continue healing and gain a life of
happiness, friendship and harmony.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 9
OPENING NEW DOORS
They [the Promises] are being fulfilled among us—
sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84
The Promises talked about in this passage are slowly
coming to life for me. What has given me hope is putting
Step Nine into action. The Step has allowed me to see and
set goals for myself in recovery.
Old habits and behaviors die hard. Working Step Nine
enables me to close the door on the drunk I was, and to
open new avenues for myself as a sober alcoholic. Making
direct amends is crucial for me. As I repair relationships
and behavior of the past, I am better able to live a sober
life!
Although I have some years of sobriety, there are times
when the "old stuff" from the past needs to be taken care
of, and Step Nine always works, when I work it.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 8
"WE ASKED HIS PROTECTION"
We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59
I could not manage my life alone. I had tried that road and
failed. My "ultimate sin" dragged me down to the lowest
level I have ever reached and, unable even to function, I
accepted the fact that I desperately needed help. I stopped
fighting and surrendered entirely to God.
Only then did I start growing! God forgave me. A
Higher Power had to have saved me, because the doctors
doubted that I would survive. I have forgiven myself now
and I enjoy a freedom I have never before experienced. I've
opened my heart and mind to Him. The more I learn, the
less I know—a humbling fact—but I sincerely want to
keep growing. I enjoy serenity, but only when I entrust my
life totally to God. As long as I am honest with myself and
ask for His help, I can maintain this rewarding existence.
Just for today, I strive to live His will for me— soberly.
I thank God that today I can choose not to drink. Today,
life is beautiful!

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 7
"OUR SIDE OF THE STREET"
We are there to sweep off our side of the street, realizing
that nothing worth while can be accomplished until we do
so, never trying to tell him what he should do. His faults
are not discussed. We stick to our own.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 77-78
I made amends to my dad soon after I quit drinking. My
words fell on deaf ears since I had blamed him for my
troubles. Several months later I made amends to my dad
again. This time I wrote a letter in which I did not blame
him nor mention his faults. It worked, and at last I
understood! My side of the street is all that I'm responsible
for and— thanks to God and A.A.—it's clean for today

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 6
REMOVING THREATS TO SOBRIETY
. . . except when to do so would injure them or others.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59
Step Nine restores in me a feeling of belonging, not only to
the human race but also to the everyday world. First, the
Step makes me leave the safety of A.A., so that I may deal
with non-A.A. people "out there," on their terms, not mine.
It is a frightening but necessary action if I am to get back
into life. Second, Step Nine allows me to remove threats to
my sobriety by healing past relationships. Step Nine points
the way to a more serene sobriety by letting me clear away
past wreckage, lest it bring me down.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 5
EMOTIONAL BALANCE
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, . . .
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 83
When I survey my drinking days, I recall many people
whom my life touched casually, but whose days I troubled
through my anger and sarcasm. These people are
untraceable, and direct amends to them are not possible.
The only amends I can make to those untraceable
individuals, the only "changes for the better" I can offer, are
indirect amends made to other people, whose paths briefly
cross mine. Courtesy and kindness, regularly practiced,
help me to live in emotional balance, at peace with myself.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 4
RECONSTRUCTION
Yes, there is a long period of reconstruction ahead . . .
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 83
The reconstruction of my life is the prime goal in my
recovery as I avoid taking that first drink, one day at a
time. The task is most successfully accomplished by
working the Steps of our Fellowship. The spiritual life is
not a theory; it works, but I have to live it. Step Two
started me on my journey to develop a spiritual life; Step
Nine allows me to move into the final phase of the initial
Steps which taught me how to live a spiritual life. Without
the guidance and strength of a Higher Power, it would be
impossible to proceed through the various stages of
reconstruction. I realize that God works for me and through
me. Proof comes to me when I realize that God did for me
what I could not do for myself, by removing that gnawing
compulsion to drink. I must continue daily to seek God's
guidance. He grants me a daily reprieve and will provide
the power I need for reconstruction.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 3
BUILDING A NEW LIFE
We feel a man is unthinking when he says sobriety is
enough.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 82
When I reflect on Step Nine, I see that physical sobriety
must be enough for me. I need to remember the
hopelessness I felt before I found sobriety, and how I was
willing to go to any lengths for it. Physical sobriety is not
enough for those around me, however, since I must see that
God's gift is used to build a new life for my family and
loved ones. Just as importantly, I must be available to help
others who want the A.A. way of life.
I ask God to help me share the gift of sobriety so that its
benefits may be shown to those I know and love.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 2
FINDING "A REASON TO BELIEVE"
The willingness to grow is the essence of all spiritual
development.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 171
A line from a song goes, ". . . and I look to find a reason to
believe . . ." It reminds me that at one time I was not able to
find a reason to believe that my life was all right. Even
though my life had been saved by my coming to A.A.,
three months later I went out and drank again. Someone
told me: "You don't have to believe. Aren't you willing to
believe that there is a reason for your life, even though you
may not know yourself what that reason is, or that you may
not sometimes know the right way to behave?" When I saw
how willing I was to believe there was a reason for my life,
then I could start to work on the Steps. Now when I begin
with, "I am willing. . . ," I am using the key that leads to action,
honesty, and an openness to a Higher Power moving
through my life.

Daily Reflection

SEPTEMBER 1
WILLINGNESS TO GROW
If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go
on.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 8
Sobriety fills the painful "hole in the soul" that my
alcoholism created. Often I feel so physically well that I
believe my work is done. However, joy is not just the
absence of pain; it is the gift of continued spiritual
awakening. Joy comes from ongoing and active study, as
well as application of the principles of recovery in my
everyday life, and from sharing that experience with others.
My Higher Power presents many opportunities for deeper
spiritual awakening. I need only to bring into my recovery
the willingness to grow. Today I am ready to grow.