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DAILY
REFLECTIONS
A
book
of reflections
by A.A. members
for
A.A. members
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., New York, N.Y.
DAILY REFLECTIONS
Copyright © 1990 by
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
475 Riverside Drive
New York, N.Y. 10115
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.
Material from the A.A. Grapevine
is copyrighted by the A.A. Grapevine, Inc.,
reprinted by permission of the publisher.
First Printing Sept. 1990
Forty-seventh printing July 2013
This is A.A. General Service
Conference-approved literature
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS® and A.A. are registered
trademarks® of A.A. World Services, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-916856-37-3
eISBN 978-1-940889-04-7
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FOREWORD
This volume had its beginning in an Advisory Action of the 1987 General Service Conference, and fulfills a long-felt need in the Fellowship for a collection of reflections that moves through the calendar year—one day at a time.
At the top of each dated page is a quotation from such sources as Bill W. in Alcoholics Anonymous, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, A.A. Comes of Age, As Bill Sees It, and The Best of Bill; Dr. Bob from Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers; and other A.A. Conference-approved literature.
Following each quote is a personal reflection, by an individual A.A. member, on the quotation. A request to the entire A.A. Fellowship produced over 1,300 submissions. The A.A. members selected for inclusion are not professional writers, and speak, of course, not for the Fellowship but for themselves—one A.A. member writing to other A.A. members.
As a result of these contributions, the entire book focuses on our Three Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service, and is in keeping with our Preamble which states that “A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution.”
In his Foreword to As Bill Sees It, Bill W. wrote that he hoped that his writings may “become an aid to individual meditation and a stimulant to group discussion, and . . . lead to a still wider reading of all our literature.” We can find no more appropriate words to use in introducing this volume of Daily Reflections.
JANUARY 1
“I AM A MIRACLE”
The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 25
This truly is a fact in my life today, and a real miracle. I always believed in God, but could never put that belief meaningfully into my life. Today, because of Alcoholics Anonymous, I now trust and rely on God, as I understand Him; I am sober today because of that! Learning to trust and rely on God was something I could never have done alone. I now believe in miracles because I am one!
JANUARY 2
FIRST, THE FOUNDATION
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 the A.A. program is like building a house. First I had to pour a big, thick concrete slab on which to erect the house; that, to me, was the equivalent of stopping drinking. But it’s pretty uncomfortable living on a concrete slab, unprotected and exposed to the heat, cold, wind and rain. So I built a room on the slab by starting to practice the program. The first room was rickety because I wasn’t used to the work. But as time passed, as I practiced the program, I learned to build better rooms. The more I practiced, and the more I built, the more comfortable, and happy, was the home I now have to live in.
JANUARY 3
POWERLESS
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 very first Step mentions powerlessness: An admission of personal powerlessness over alcohol is a cornerstone of the foundation of recovery. I’ve learned that I do not have the power and control I once thought I had. I am powerless over what people think about me. I am powerless over having just missed the bus. I am powerless over how other people work (or don’t work) the Steps. But I’ve also learned I am not powerless over some things. I am not powerless over my attitudes. I am not powerless over negativity. I am not powerless over assuming responsibility for my own recovery. I have the power to exert a positive influence on myself, my loved ones, and the world in which I live.
JANUARY 4
BEGIN WHERE YOU ARE
We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. A much more important demonstration of our principles lies before us in our respective homes, occupations and affairs.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 19
It’s usually pretty easy for me to be pleasant to the people in an A.A. setting. While I’m working to stay sober, I’m celebrating with my fellow A.A.s our common release from the hell of drinking. It’s often not so hard to spread glad tidings to my old and new friends in the program.
At home or at work, though, it can be a different story. It is in situations arising in both of those areas that the little day-to-day frustrations are most evident, and where it can be tough to smile or reach out with a kind word or an attentive ear. It’s outside of the A.A. rooms that I face the real test of the effectiveness of my walk through A.A.’s Twelve Steps.
JANUARY 5
TOTAL ACCEPTANCE
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 such as few do. He will be at the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 152
Only an alcoholic can understand the exact meaning of a statement like this one. The double standard that held me captive as an active alcoholic also filled me with terror and confusion: “If I don’t get a drink I’m going to die,” competed with “If I continue drinking it’s going to kill me.” Both compulsive thoughts pushed me ever closer to the bottom. That bottom produced a total acceptance of my alcoholism—with no reservations whatsoever—and one that was absolutely essential for my recovery. It was a dilemma unlike anything I had ever faced, but as I found out later on, a necessary one if I was to succeed in this program.
JANUARY 6
THE VICTORY OF SURRENDER
We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation