Driven August 06 Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 62 My selfishness was the driving force behind my drinking. I drank to celebrate success and I drank to drown my sorrows. Humility is the answer. I […]

A "design for living" August 07 We in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, "a design for living" that […]

"Made a list . . ." August 08 Made a list of all persons we had harmed, . . . Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 77 When I approached the Eighth Step, I wondered how I could list all the things that I have done to other people since there were so many people, […]

". . . Of all persons we had harmed" August 09 . . . and became willing to make amends to them all. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 77 One of the key words in the Eighth Step is the word all. I am not free to select a few names for the list and […]

Redoubling our efforts August 10 To a degree, he has already done this when taking moral inventory, but now the time has come when he ought to redouble his efforts to see how many people he has hurt, and in what ways, Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 77 As I continue to grow in […]

Removing  "the ground glass" August 11 The moral inventory is a cool examination of the damages that occurred to us during life and a sincere effort to look at them in a true perspective. This has the effect of taking the ground glass out of us, the emotional substance that still cuts and inhibits. As […]

A look backward August 12 First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; . . . Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 77 As a traveler on a fresh and exciting A.A. journey of […]

A clean sweep August 13 . . . and third, having thus cleaned away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 77 As I faced the Eighth Step, everything […]

Repairing the damage August 14 We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haven't the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for […]

Didn't we hurt anybody? August 15 Some of us, though, tripped over a very different snag. We clung to the claim that when drinking we never hurt anybody but ourselves. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 79 This Step seemed so simple. I identified several people whom I had harmed, but they were no longer […]

"I had dropped out" August 16 We might next ask ourselves what we mean when we say that we have "harmed" other people. What kinds of "harm" do people do one another, anyway? To define the word "harm" in a practical way, we might call it the result of instincts in collision, which cause physical, […]

Righting the harmI August 17 In many instances we shall find that though the harm done others has not been great, the emotional harm we have done ourselves has. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 79 Have you ever thought that the harm you did a business associate, or perhaps a family member, was so […]

Getting well August 18 Very deep, sometimes quite forgotten, damaging emotional conflicts persist below the level of consciousness. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, pp. 79-80 Only through positive action can I remove the remains of guilt and shame brought on by alcohol. Throughout my misadventures when I drank, my friends would say, "Why are you […]

A frame of reference August 19 Referring to our list again. Putting out of our minds the wrongs others had done, we resolutely looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking and frightened? Alcoholics anonymous, p. 67 There is a wonderful freedom in not needing constant approval from colleagues at work […]

Toward emotional freedom August 20 Since defective relations with other human beings have nearly always been the immediate cause of our woes, including our alcoholism, no field of investigation could yield more satisfying and valuable rewards than this one. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 80 Willingness is a peculiar thing for me in that, […]

We just try August 21 My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. The best of Bill, pp. 46-47 As long as I try, with all my heart and soul, to pass along to others what has been passed along to me, and do not demand anything in […]

Seeking emotional stability August 22 When we developed still more, we discovered the best possible source of emotional stability to be God Himself. We found that dependence upon His perfect justice, forgiveness, and love was healthy, and that it would work where nothing else would. If we really depended upon God, we couldn't very well […]

Bringing the message home August 23 Can we bring the same spirit of love and tolerance into our sometimes deranged family lives that we bring to our A.A. group? Twelve steps and twelve traditions, pp.111-12 My family members suffer from the effects of my disease. Loving and accepting them as they are just as I […]

A riddle that works August 24 It may be possible to find explanations of spiritual experiences such as ours, but I have often tried to explain my own and have succeeded only in giving the story of it. I know the feeling it gave me and the results it has brought, but I realize I […]

The gift of bonding August 25 Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 63 Many times in my alcoholic state, I drank to establish a bond between myself and others, but I succeeded only in establishing the bondage of alcoholic loneliness. Through the A.A. way […]

Giving it away August 26 Though they knew they must help other alcoholics if they would remain sober, that motive became secondary. It was transcended by the happiness they found in giving themselves for others. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 159 Those words, for me, refer to a transference of power, through which God, as I understand […]