A new life September 15 Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. . . . Life will mean something at last. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 152 Life is better without alcohol. A.A. and the presence of a Higher Power keeps me sober, but the […]

We stand-or fall-together September 16 . . . no society of men and women ever had a more urgent need for continuous effectiveness and permanent unity. We alcoholics see that we must work together and hang together, else most of us will finally die alone. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 561 Just as the Twelve Steps of […]

Freedom from fear September 17 When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot, then we found we could live at peace with ourselves and show others who still suffered the same fears that they could get over them, too. We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want. Twelve steps […]

Loved back to recovery September 18 Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with old-fashioned willpower; it was instead a matter of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living. We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we were free. Best of the […]

Acceptance September 19 We admitted we couldn't lick alcohol with our own remaining resources, and so we accepted the further fact that dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our A.A. group) could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were able to accept these facts fully, our release from the alcohol compulsion had […]

H.P. As guide September 20 See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 164 Having a right relationship with God seemed to be an impossible order. My chaotic past had left […]

The Last Promise September 21 We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 84 The last Promise in the Big Book came true for me on the very first day of sobriety. God kept me sober that day, and on every other day […]

A "Limitless Lode" September 22 Like a gaunt prospector, belt drawn in over the last ounce of food, our pick struck gold. Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds. Father feels he has struck something better than gold. For a time he may try to hug the new treasure to […]

"I was an exception" September 23 He said to me, gently and simply, "Do you think that you are one of us?" Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 413 (Third Edition) During my drinking life I was convinced I was an exception. I thought I was beyond petty requirements and had the right to be excused. I never […]

Vigilance September 24 We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again: "Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic." Commencing to drink after a period of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever. If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion […]

First things first September 25 Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job – wife or no wife – we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 98 Before coming to A.A., […]

Our children September 26 The alcoholic may find it hard to re-establish friendly relations with his children. . . . In time they will see that he is a new man and in their own way they will let him know it. . . . From that point on, progress will be rapid. Marvelous results […]

Love without strings September 28 Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89 Sponsorship held two surprises for me. First, that my sponsees cared about me. What I had thought was gratitude was more like love. They wanted me to be […]

Exactly alike September 29 Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89 A man came to the meeting drunk, interrupted the speakers, stood up and took his shirt off, staggered loudly back and forth for coffee, demanded to talk, and eventually called the group's […]

The circle and the triangle September 30 The circle stands for the whole world of A.A., and the triangle stands for A.A.'s Three Legacies of Recovery, Unity, and Service. Within our wonderful new world, we have found freedom from our fatal obsession. A.A. Comes of age, p. 139 Early in my A.A. life, I became […]

Lest we become complacent October 01 It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. Alcoholics AnonymousS, p. 85 When I am in pain it is easy to stay close to the friends […]

"The acid test" October 02 As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the adventure of a new life. But when we approach Step Ten we commence to put our A.A. way of living to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we […]

Serenity after the storm October 03 Someone who knew what he was talking about once remarked that pain was the touchstone of all spiritual progress. How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him. . . . Twelve steps and twelve traditions, pp. 93-94 When on the roller coaster of emotional turmoil, I remember that growth […]

A necessary pruning October 04 . . . we know that the pains of drinking had to come before sobriety, and emotional turmoil before serenity. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 94 I love spending time in my garden feeding and pruning my beautiful flowers. One day, as I was busily snipping away, a neighbor […]

Yesterday's baggage October 05 For 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 what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 88 […]