DAILY INVENTORY. . . . and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.  ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 59 I was beginning to approach my new life of sobriety with unaccustomed enthusias… Read More

A New Pattern Of Living“We suspect that if we do not use what we have, we will lose what we have.”  Basic Text p. 75Addiction gave a patter… Read More

The Fine Art Of Alibis, p.279The majority of A.A. members have suffered severely from self-justification during their drinking days. For most of us, self-justification was the maker of excus… Read More

Changing other peopleRelating to others.“How can I get this person to accept the program?” We hear this often, for example, when a patient at a treatment… Read More

Just Say No.— Nancy ReaganWe addicts were great at saying no. Our spouse asked us to help around the house and we said no and went drinking. Friends tried to care, but we… Read More

UNDERSTANDING“Intelligence is proved not by ease of learning but by understanding what we learn.” – Joseph WhitneyFor years I learned… Read More

Reflection For The DayDetermination — our clenched-jaw resolve that we can do something about everything — is perhaps the greatest hindrance to achievin… Read More

OUTCOMES“Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to t… Read More

“I think there was a big mistake made (when) people separated religion and the government. That was one of the big mistakes that was made, because when they did that, then… Read More

Your DestinyWatch your thoughts,they become your words.Watch your words,they become your actions.Watch your actions,they become your character.Watch your character,it becomes your destiny. F… Read More

A shipwrecked sailor on a desert island may eventually find another in a like predicament, but the poor alcoholic is all alone with himself, even in a world full of alcoholics.That is one of… Read More

Once a statue is finished,It is too late to change the arms.Only with a virgin blockAre there possibilities.It’s not easy to raise a child. You have to set an example all… Read More

Rainy days in the empty forest.Smoke rises late as I steam greensAnd boil millet to take to the paddies.Above the foggy waterfieldsFly white egretsAnd an oriole sings inDense shade of summer… Read More

DAILY MONITORINGContinued to take personal inventory. . . . . TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 88The spiritual axiom referred to in the Tenth Stepâ€“â… Read More

Depending On Our Higher Power“As recovering addicts, we find that we are still dependent, but our dependence has shifted from the things around us to a loving God and the… Read More

A.A. Thought For The DayDo I put too much reliance on any one member of the group? That is, do I make a tin god out of some one person? Do I set that person on a pedestal? If I do, I am buil… Read More

Speak Up Without Fear, p.278Few of us are anonymous so far as our daily contacts go. We have dropped anonymity at this level because we think our friends and associates ought to know about A… Read More

Taming the instincts.Orderly direction Though alcoholics can appear to have serious shortcomings, these problemsare really only misguided attempts to satisfy needs that must be met. In the12… Read More

We never thought we could get old.—Bob Dylan Here we are no longer children. Yet we’re not quite grown up either. At least,we don’t a… Read More

POWER“The first and great commandment is ‘Don’t let them scare you.'” —… Read More

Reflection For The DayWhen I first read the Serenity Prayer, the word “serenity” itself seemed like an impossibility. At the time, the word conjured up i… Read More

WISDOM“Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh,and too selfish to seek other than itself.  Read More

“We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila [Creator] and our real Mother is the Earth.” –Wallace Bla… Read More

There are two kinds of slaves, the prisoners of addiction, and the prisoners of envy. –Ivan Ilich No emotion brings us more personal pain or wastes more of o… Read More

Birthdays, anniversaries, memorials, festivalsMeasure our progress on the path.How old are you? Have you made a life you can look back on and be satisfied?How long have you been practicing y… Read More

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the presen… Read More

FACING OURSELVES. . . . and Fear says, “You dare not look!” TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 49How often I avoided a task in my drinking days, just… Read More

Amends Without Expectations“Projections about actually making amends can be a major obstacle both in making the list and in becoming willing.”Basic Text… Read More

A.A. Thought For The DayIs it my desire to be a big shot in A.A.? Do I always want to be up front in the limelight? Do I feel that nobody else can do as good a job as I can? Or am I willing… Read More

To Lighten Our Burden, p.277Only one consideration should qualify our desire for a complete disclosure of the damage we have done. That will arise where a full revelation would seriously har… Read More

To Lighten Our Burden, p.277Only one consideration should qualify our desire for a complete disclosure of the damage we have done. That will arise where a full revelation would seriously har… Read More

FORGIVENESS“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah ArendtEarly in sobriety I found it easy to forgive others but ha… Read More

Reflection For The DayAs we “keep coming back” to meetings, we’re able to recognize those people who have an abundance of serenity. We… Read More

LONGINGS“The great question – which I have not been able to answer – is, ‘What does a woman want?â€&tr… Read More

“Lots of people hardly ever feel real soil under their feet, see plants grow except in flower pots, or get far enough beyond the street light to catch the enchantment of a… Read More

It only takes one person to change your life – you.— Ruth CaseyChange is not easy, but it’s absolutely unavoidable. Doors will close… Read More

Prohibition is a glaring example of the futility of endeavoring to protect men from their own follies. The setting up of barriers is effective only in challenging the resources of man to ove… Read More

Wind stirs the bamboo,But once the wind passes,The bamboo is silent.Geese land in the chill pond,But once the geese fly away,There are no reflections.In the same way,Once the red dust passes… Read More

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.-Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" Why not sign up to get emails with all daily posts inclu… Read More

Prayer is always the solution. No matter what kind of difficulty may be facing you,no matter how complicated your problem may seem – prayer can solve it. Of courseyou will… Read More

YESTERDAY’S BAGGAGEFor the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept… Read More

Ask For Mercy, Not Justice“Many of us have difficulty admitting that we caused harm for others… We cut away our justifications and our ideas of being a… Read More

A.A. Thought For The DayDo I have any hard feelings about other group members or for any other A.A. group? Am I critical of the way a group member thinks or acts? Do I feel that another gro… Read More

A Higher Power for Atheists, p.276“I have had many experiences with atheists, mostly good. Everybody in A.A. has the right to his own opinion. It is much better to maintai… Read More

What can Sobriety Bring?Living SoberThe single goal of staying sober is so all-important in AA that side benefits are often overlooked. There is even a tendency to warn members about the haz… Read More

It is often easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them—Adlai StevensonIt easy to talk about our values. But when the clerk at the stor… Read More

PRIDE“The books I haven’t written are better than the books other people have.” – Cyril V. ConnollyToday I still… Read More

Reflection For The DaySoon after I came to The Program, I found a Higher Power whom I choose to call God. I’ve come to believe that He has all power; if I stay close to Hi… Read More

“The dances are prayers.” –Pop Chalee, TAOS PUEBLOWhen we dance to the drum we pray to the Creator and attract the heartbeat of the ea… Read More

Doing our bestPerhaps we are saving our best effort for the “big break.” When such and such happens, then I’ll give it my best shot. W… Read More

The opportunities around us for doing good are so numerous that to do all the good things we would like to do is almost impossible. Nor is it necessary to read the papers for opportunities t… Read More

Autumn trees swept with dawnLook as if they’ve been lacquered,Rooted around an old battlefield.The mists linger here like ghosts.There are still places where you can walk… Read More

Recovery Through Giving, p.275For a new prospect, outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring… Read More

Deserving SuccessAchievementsIt’s said that alcoholics sometimes snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Some of us, deep down inside, don’t really thin… Read More

Your three best doctors are faith, time, and patience.—From a fortune cookieOnly a short time ago, we were very sick. Getting sober made us so much better. At first, when… Read More

LIFE“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.” – William Allen WhiteToday I have confidence in my li… Read More

Reflection For The DayWe are powerless over our addictions; that admission brought us to The Program, where we learn through unconditional surrender that there is victory in defeat. After a… Read More

SHAME”It is not the criminal things that are hardest to confess, but the ridiculous and the shameful.”–Jean Jacques RousseauI had a ver… Read More

“Search for the truth. Indian values teach the holistic approach to the use of technology for mankind’s good.” –Al… Read More

Cultivating AuthenticityAuthenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.The idea that we can choose authenti… Read More

You cannot sell a man a bill of goods without selling yourself. This is the experience of all those who speak at meetings or attempt to carry the message to other alcoholics.Whether your tal… Read More

I hate the way this chicken comesAll bagged in plasticWithout head or feet;Neck, heart, liver, and gizzardStuck into its cavity.No wonder people feel unconnected.Traditional people like to s… Read More

The universal body of reality is so subtleThat you do not hear it When you deliberately listen for it,And you do not see it When you look at it.As for the pure knowle… Read More