The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished quality our Society has. . . . We stay whole, or A.A. dies. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 129
Our Traditions are key elements in the ego deflation process necessary to achieve and maintain sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. The First Tradition reminds me not to take credit, or authority, for my recovery. Placing our common welfare first reminds me not to become a healer in this program; I am still one of the patients. Self-effacing elders built the ward. Without it, I doubt I would be alive. Without the group, few alcoholics would recover. The active role in renewed surrender of will enables me to step aside from the need to dominate, the desire for recognition, both of which played so great a part in my active alcoholism. Deferring my personal desires for the greater good of group growth contributes toward A.A. unity that is central to all recovery. It helps me to remember that the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts.
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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
A drinking life isn't a happy life. Drinking cuts you off from other people & from God. No matter what your religion is, no matter if you say you believe in God, nevertheless you build up a wall between you & God by your drinking. You know you're not living the way God wants you to. As a result, you have that terrible remorse. When you come into A.A., you begin to get right with other people & with God. A sober life is a happy life, because by giving up drinking, we've got rid of our loneliness & remorse. Do I have real fellowship with other people & with God?
Meditation for the Day ~
I believe that all sacrifice & suffering are of value to me. When I am in pain, I am being tested. Can I trust God, no matter how low I feel? Can I say, "Thy will be done," no matter how much I am defeated? If I can, my faith is real & practical. It works in bad times as well as in good times. The Divine Will is working in a way that is beyond my finite mind to understand, but I can trust in it.
Prayer for the Day ~
I pray that I may take my suffering in my stride. I pray that I may accept pain & defeat as God's plan for my spiritual growth.
(Let it be a God or Higher Power of your own understanding) Danielle x
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
