Anger: a "dubious luxury" April 16 If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 66 "Dubious luxury." How often have I remembered those […]

Crying for the moon April 04 "This very real feeling of inferiority is magnified by his childish sensitivity and it is this state of affairs which generates in him that insatiable, abnormal craving for self-approval and success in the eyes of the world. Still a child, he cries for the moon. And the moon, it […]

True brotherhood April 05 We have not once sought to be one in a family, to be a friend among friends, to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society. Always we tried to struggle to the top of the heap, or to hide underneath it. This self-centered behavior blocked a […]

A lifetime process April 06 We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn't control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn't make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn't seem to be of real help to other […]

A wide arc of gratitude April 07 And, speaking for Dr. Bob and myself, I gratefully declare that had it not been for our wives, Anne and Lois, neither of us could have lived to see A.A.'s beginning. The A.A. way of life, p. 67 Am I capable of such generous tribute and gratitude to […]

An inside look April 08 We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natural desires have warped us. We wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves. By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move toward their correction. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 43 Today […]

Freedom from  "king alcohol" April 09 . . . let us not suppose even for an instant that we are not under constraint. . . . Our former tyrant, King Alcohol, always stands ready again to clutch us to him. Therefore, freedom from alcohol is the great "must" that has to be achieved, else we […]

Growing up April 10 The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails. As Bill sees it, p. 115 Sometimes when I've become willing to do what I should have been doing all along, I want praise and recognition. I […]

A word to drop: "blame" April 11 To see how erratic emotions victimized us often took a long time. We could perceive them quickly in others, but only slowly in ourselves. First of all, we had to admit that we had many of these defects, even though such disclosures were painful and humiliating. Where other […]

Giving up insanity April 12 . . . where alcohol has been involved, we have been strangely insane. Alcohólicos Anónimos, p. 38 Alcoholism required me to drink, whether I wanted to or not. Insanity dominated my life and was the essence of my disease. It robbed me of the freedom of choice over drinking and, […]

The false confort of self-pity April 13 Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which […]

The "number one offender" April 14 Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 64 As I look at myself practicing the Fourth Step, […]

The bondage of resentments April 15 . . . harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit. As Bill sees it, p. 5 It has been said, "Anger is a luxury I cannot afford." Does this suggest I ignore this human emotion? I believe not. Before […]