Daily Reflection

JANUARY 10
UNITED WE STAND
We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost
selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in
recovery. The delusion that we are like other people, or
presently may be, has to be smashed.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 30
I came to Alcoholics Anonymous because I was no longer
able to control my drinking. It was either my wife's
complaining about my drinking, or maybe the sheriff forced
me to go to A.A. meetings, or perhaps I knew, deep down
inside, that I couldn't drink like others, but I was unwilling
to admit it because the alternative terrified me. Alcoholics
Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women united
against a common, fatal disease. Each one of our lives is
linked to every other, much like the survivors on a life raft
at sea. If we all work together, we can get safely to shore

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 9
AN ACT OF PROVIDENCE
It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have
warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive
drinking that only an act of Providence can remove it from
us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21
My act of Providence, (a manifestation of divine care and
direction), came as I experienced the total bankruptcy of
active alcoholism—everything meaningful in my life was
gone. I telephoned Alcoholics Anonymous and, from that
instant, my life has never been the same. When I reflect on
that very special moment, I know that God was working in
my life long before I was able to acknowledge and accept
spiritual concepts. The glass was put down through this one
act of Providence and my journey into sobriety began. My
life continues to unfold with divine care and direction. Step
One, in which I admitted I was powerless over alcohol, that
my life had become unmanageable, takes on more meaning
for me—one day at a time—in the life-saving, life-giving
Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 8
DO I HAVE A CHOICE?
The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure,
have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will
power becomes practically nonexistent.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 24
My powerlessness over alcohol does not cease when I quit
drinking. In sobriety I still have no choice—I can't drink.
The choice I do have is to pick up and use the "kit of
spiritual tools" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25). When I do
that, my Higher Power relieves me of my lack of choice—
and keeps me sober one more day. If I could choose not to
pick up a drink today, where then would be my need for
A.A. or a Higher Power?

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 7
AT THE TURNING POINT
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning
point. We asked His protection and care with complete
abandon.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59
Every day I stand at turning points. My thoughts and
actions can propel me toward growth or turn me down the
road to old habits and to booze. Sometimes turning points
are beginnings, as when I decide to start praising, instead of
condemning someone. Or when I begin to ask for help
instead of going it alone. At other times turning points are
endings, such as when I see clearly the need to stop
festering resentments or crippling self-seeking. Many
shortcomings tempt me daily; therefore, I also have daily
opportunities to become aware of them. In one form or
another, many of my character defects appear daily: selfcondemnation,
anger, running away, being prideful,
wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity.
Attempting half measures to eliminate these defects
merely paralyzes my efforts to change. It is only when I ask
God for help, with complete abandon, that I become
willing—and able—to change.

Prayer

"If the only prayer in life you say is 'Thank You' that would suffice."  Meister Eckhart

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 6
THE VICTORY OF SURRENDER
We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to
take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our
admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be
firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may
be built
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21
When alcohol influenced every facet of my life, when
bottles became the symbol of all my self-indulgence and
permissiveness, when I came to realize that, by myself, I
could do nothing to overcome the power of alcohol, I
realized I had no recourse except surrender. In surrender I
found victory—victory over my selfish self-indulgence,
victory over my stubborn resistance to life as it was given
to me. When I stopped fighting anybody or anything, I
started on the path to sobriety, serenity and peace.

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 5
TOTAL ACCEPTANCE
He cannot picture life without alcohol Some day he will be
unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it.
Then he will know loneliness such as few do. He will be at
the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 152
Only an alcoholic can understand the exact meaning of a
statement like this one. The double standard that held me
captive as an active alcoholic also filled me with terror and
confusion: "If I don't get a drink I'm going to die,"
competed with "If I continue drinking it's going to kill me."
Both compulsive thoughts pushed me ever closer to the
bottom. That bottom produced a total acceptance of my alcoholism—
with no reservations whatsoever—and one that
was absolutely essential for my recovery. It was a dilemma
unlike anything I had ever faced, but as I found out later on,
a necessary one if I was to succeed in this program.

Words Of Wisdom From His Holiness Dalai Lama

The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves. On a simple level we find that if we have a compassionate heart we naturally have more friends. And scientists today are discovering that while anger and hatred eat into our immune system, warm-heartedness and compassion are good for our health.

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 4
BEGIN WHERE YOU ARE
We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning.
A much more important demonstration of our principles
lies before us in our respective homes, occupations and
affairs.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 19
It's usually pretty easy for me to be pleasant to the people
in an A.A. setting. While I'm working to stay sober, I'm
celebrating with my fellow A.A.S our common release from
the hell of drinking. It's often not so hard to spread glad
tidings to my old and new friends in the program.
At home or at work, though, it can be a different story. It
is in situations arising in both of those areas that the little
day-to-day frustrations are most evident, and where it can
be tough to smile or reach out with a kind word or an
attentive ear. It's outside of the A.A. rooms that I face the
real test of the effectiveness of my walk through A.A.'s
Twelve Steps.

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 3
POWERLESS
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our
lives had become unmanageable.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21
It is no coincidence that the very first Step mentions
powerlessness: An admission of personal powerlessness
over alcohol is a cornerstone of the foundation of recovery.
I've learned that I do not have the power and control I once
thought I had. I am powerless over what people think about
me. I am powerless over having just missed the bus. I am
powerless over how other people work (or don't work) the
Steps. But I've also learned I am not powerless over some
things. I am not powerless over my attitudes. I am not
powerless over negativity. I am not powerless over
assuming responsibility for my own recovery. I have the
power to exert a positive influence on myself, my loved
ones, and the world in which I live.

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 2
FIRST, THE FOUNDATION
Is sobriety all that we can expect of a spiritual awakening?
No, sobriety is only a bare beginning.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 8
Practicing the A.A. program is like building a house. First I
had to pour a big, thick concrete slab on which to erect the
house; that, to me, was the equivalent of stopping drinking.
But it's pretty uncomfortable living on a concrete slab,
unprotected and exposed to the heat, cold, wind and rain.
So I built a room on the slab by starting to practice the
program. The first room was rickety because I wasn't used
to the work. But as time passed, as I practiced the program,
I learned to build better rooms. The more I practiced, and
the more I built, the more comfortable, and happy, was the
home I now have to live in.

Daily Reflection

JANUARY 1
"I AM A MIRACLE"
The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty
that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a
way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to
accomplish those things for us which we could never do by
ourselves.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 25
This truly is a fact in my life today, and a real miracle. I
always believed in God, but could never put that belief
meaningfully into my life. Today, because of Alcoholics
Anonymous, I now trust and rely on God, as I understand
Him; I am sober today because of that! Learning to trust
and rely on God was something I could never have done
alone. I now believe in miracles because I am one!