Honesty with newcomers December 18 Tell him exactly what happened to you.  Stress the spiritual feature freely. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 93 The marvel of A.A. is that I tell only […]

Understanding the malady December 19 When dealing with an alcoholic, there may be a natural annoyance that a man could be so weak, stupid and irresponsible. Even when you understand […]

The rewards of giving December 20 This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to […]

Listen, share and pray December 21 When working with a man and his family, you should take care not to participate in their quarrels. You may spoil your chance of […]

Principles, not personalities December 22 The way our "worthy" alcoholics have sometimes tried to judge the "less worthy" is, as we look back on it, rather comical. Imagine, if you […]

Recovery, unity, service December 23 Our Twelfth Step—carrying the message—is the basic service that AA's Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. The […]

A "sane and happy usefulness" December 24 We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought […]

At peace with life December 25 Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve […]

Accepting success or failure December 26 Furthermore, how shall we come to terms with seeming failure or success? Can we now accept and adjust to either without despair or pride? […]

Problem solving December 27 "Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 42 Through the recovery process described in the Big […]

Suit up and show up December 28 In A.A. we aim not only for sobriety—we try again to become citizens of the world that we rejected, and of the world […]

The joy of living December 29 . . . therefore the joy of good living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 125 A.A. is a […]

Anonimity December 30 Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 562 Tradition Twelve became important early in […]

Daily resolutions December 31 The idea of "twenty-four-hour living" applies primarily to the emotional life of the individual. Emotionally speaking, we must not live in yesterday, nor in tomorrow. As […]

"I am a miracle" January 01 The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way […]

First, the foundation January 02 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 […]

POWERLESS January 03 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 […]

Begin where you are January 04 We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A much more important demonstration of our principles lies before us in our […]

Total acceptance January 05 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 […]

The victory of surrender January 06 We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal powerlessness […]

At the turning point January 07 Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 59 […]

Do I have a choice? January 08 The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes […]

An act of providence January 09 It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive drinking that only […]

United we stand January 10 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 […]

The 100% step January 11 Only Step One, where we made the 100 percent admission we were powerless over alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection. Twelve steps and twelve […]

Acepting our present circumstances January 12 Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they […]

It doesn't happen overnigth January 13 We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Alcoholics Anonymous, […]

No regrets January 14 We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 83 Once I became sober, I began to see […]

An unsuspected inner resource January 15 With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a […]

Hitting bottom January 16 Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first? The answer is that few people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless […]

Happiness comes quietly January 17 "The trouble with us alcoholics was this: We demanded that the world give us happiness and peace of mind in just the particular order we […]

Would a drink help? January 18 By going back in our own drinking histories, we could show that years before we realized it we were out of control, that our […]

Round-the-clock faith January 19 Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through us, or we perish. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 16 The essence of my spirituality, and my […]

"We pause . . . and ask" January 20 As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. Alcoholics […]

Serving my brother January 21 The member talks to the newcomer not in a spirit of power but in a spirit of humility and weakness. Alcoholics Anonymous comes of age, […]

"Let's keep it simple" January 22 A few hours later I took my leave of Dr. Bob. . . . The wonderful, old, broad smile was on his face as […]

Having fun yet? January 23 . . . we aren't a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it. We absolutely […]

Getting involved January 24 There is action and more action. "Faith without works is dead." . . . To be helpful is our only aim. Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 88-89 I […]

What we need - each other January 25 . . . A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker, "You are an A.A. member if you say so . . […]

Rigorous honesty January 26 Who wishes to be rigorously honest and tolerant? Who wants to confess his faults to another and make restitution for harm done? Who cares anything about […]

Freedom from guilt January 27 Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word "blame" from our speech and thought. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 47 When […]

The treasure of the past January 28 Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. […]

The joy of sharing January 29 Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow […]

Freedom from . . . freedom to January 30 We are going to know a new freedom. . . . Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 83 Freedom for me is both freedom from and […]

Our common welfare comes firts January 31 The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality our Society has. . . . We stay whole, or A.A. dies. Twelve […]

Goal: sanity February 01 ". . . Step Two gently and very gradually began to infiltrate my life. I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day I came […]

RESCUED BY SURRENDERING February 02 Characteristic of the so-called typical alcoholic is a narcissistic egocentric core, dominated by feelings of omnipotence, intent on maintaining at all costs its inner integrity. […]

Filling the void February 03 We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. "Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power […]

WHEN FAITH IS MISSING February 04 Sometimes A.A. comes harder to those who have lost or rejected faith than to those who never had any faith at all, for they […]

A glorious release February 05 "The minute I stopped arguing, I could begin to see and feel. Right there, Step Two gently and very gradually began to infiltrate my life. […]

A rallying point February 06 Therefore, Step Two is the rallying point for all of us. Whether agnostic, atheist, or former believer, we can stand together on this Step. Twelve […]

A path to faith February 07 True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every A.A. meeting is an assurance that God will restore us to […]

Convincing "mr. Hyde" February 08 Even then, as we hew away, peace and joy may still elude us. That's the place so many of us A.A. oldsters have come to. […]

Getting the "spiritual angle" February 09 How often do we sit in AA meetings and hear the speaker declare, "But I haven't yet got the spiritual angle." Prior to this […]

I don't run the show February 10 When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that […]

The limits of self -reliance February 11 We asked ourselves why we had them . Wasn't it because self-reliance failed us? Alcoholics anonymous, p. 68 All of my character defects […]

"The root of our troubles" February 12 Selfishness — self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 62 How amazing the revelation that the world, […]

We can't think our way sober February 13 To the intellectually self-sufficient man or woman, many A.A.'s can say, "Yes, we were like you — far too smart for our […]

Eexpectations vs. demands February 14 Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in […]

Taking action February 15 Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us — sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for […]