Blog entries - October 2010

Daily Reflections 2010/10/31

Xavier T. — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 22:37:02 +0100

OCTOBER 31

AVOIDING CONTROVERSY

All history affords us the spectacle of striving nations and groups finally torn asunder because they were designed for, or tempted into, controversy. Others fell apart because of sheer self-righteousness while trying to enforce upon the rest of mankind some millennium of their own specification.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 176

As an A.A. member and sponsor, I know I can cause real d...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/30

Xavier T. — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 00:30:06 +0100

OCTOBER 30

LIVE AND LET LIVE

Never since it began has Alcoholics Anonymous been divided by a major controversial issue. Nor has our Fellowship ever publicly taken sides on any question in an embattled world. This, however, has been no earned virtue. It could almost be said that we were born with it. . . . "So long as we don't argue these matters privately, it's a cinch we never shall publicly."

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p....

U.S. deportee opens ‘transitional house’ for convicts

Eskar Adams — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:18:52 +0100

Using his own experience as a deportee whose life has been transformed after being hooked on crack cocaine,
Eskar Adams, founder of the
Transitional House, a New
Amsterdam-based facility set
up to assist deportees and
convicts reintegrate into society,
is extolling the virtues of
his agency. But he is starved
for funding to effectively run
the programme, which has already
transformed the lives of
several young men.
The facility, which opened
its doors on February 2,
2009 at Essex Street, New...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/29

Xavier T. — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 00:41:43 +0100

OCTOBER 29

OUR SURVIVAL

Since recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, it is imperative that we preserve in full strength our means of survival.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177

The honesty expressed by the members of A.A. in meetings has the power to open my mind. Nothing can block the flow of energy that honesty carries with it. The only obstacle to this flow of energy is inebriation, but even then, no one will f...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/28

Xavier T. — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:44:32 +0100

OCTOBER 28

AN UNBROKEN TRADITION

We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177

How much it means to me that an unbroken tradition of more than half a century is a thread that connects me to Bill W. and Dr. Bob. How much more grounded I feel to be in a Fell...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/27

Xavier T. — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:41:00 +0100

OCTOBER 27

GLOBAL SHARING

The only thing that matters is that he is an alcoholic who has found a key to sobriety. These legacies of suffering and of recovery are easily passed among alcoholics, one to the other. This is our gift from God, and its bestowal upon others like us is the one aim that today animates A. A. 's all around the globe.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 151

The strength of Alcoholics Anonymous lies in the ...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/26

Xavier T. — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 22:02:02 +0100

OCTOBER 28

AN UNBROKEN TRADITION

We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 177

How much it means to me that an unbroken tradition of more than half a century is a thread that connects me to Bill W. and Dr. Bob. How much more grounded I feel to be in a Fell...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/25

Xavier T. — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:31:49 +0100

OCTOBER 25

A.A.'s HEARTBEAT

Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; . . .

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 125

Without unity I would be unable to recover in A.A. on a daily basis. By practicing unity within my group, with other A.A. members and at all levels of this great Fellowship, I receive a pronounced feeling of knowing that I am a part of a miracle that was divinely inspired. The ability of Bill W. and Dr. Bob, working...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/24

Xavier T. — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 22:52:53 +0100

OCTOBER 24

"BY FAITH AND BY WORKS"

On anvils of experience, the structure of our Society was hammered out. . . . Thus has it been with A.A. By faith and by works we have been able to build upon the lessons of an incredible experience. They live today in the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, which—God willing—shall sustain us in unity for so long as He may need us.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 131

God...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/23

Xavier T. — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 23:02:45 +0100

OCTOBER 23

WHAT WE KNOW BEST

"Shoemaker, stick to thy last!" . . . better do one thing supremely well than many badly. That is the central theme of this Tradition [Five]. Around it our Society gathers in unity. The very life of our Fellowship requires the preservation of this principle.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 150

The survival of A.A. depends upon unity. What would happen if a group decided to become an em...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/22

Xavier T. — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:46:26 +0100

OCTOBER 22

TRUE TOLERANCE

Finally, we begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 92

The thought occurred to me that all people are emotionally ill to some extent. How could we not be? Who among us is spiritually perfect? Who amon...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/21

Xavier T. — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:20:41 +0100

OCTOBER 21

NOTHING GROWS IN THE DARK

We will want the good that is in us all, even in the worst of us, to flower and to grow.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 10

With the self-discipline and insight gained from practicing Step Ten, I begin to know the gratifications of sobriety—not as mere abstinence from alcohol, but as recovery in every department of my life.

I renew hope, regenerate faith, and regain the dignity of se...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/20

Xavier T. — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:38:34 +0100

OCTOBER 20

SOLACE FOR CONFUSION

Obviously, the dilemma of the wanderer from faith is that of profound confusion. He thinks himself lost to the comfort of any conviction at all He cannot attain in even a small degree the assurance of the believer, the agnostic, or the atheist. He is the bewildered one.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 28

The concept of God was one that I struggled with during my early years of sobriety. ...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/19

Xavier T. — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:38:00 +0100

OCTOBER 19

A.A'S "MAIN TAPROOT"

The principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 21-22

Defeated, and knowing it, I arrived at the doors of A.A., alone and afraid of the unknown. A power outside of myself had picked me up off my bed, guided me to the phone book, then to the...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/18

Xavier T. — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:52:22 +0100

OCTOBER 18

AN OPEN MIND

True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, . . .

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 33

My alcoholic thinking led me to believe that I could control my drinking, but I couldn't. When I came to A.A., I realized that God was speaking to me through my group. My mind was open just enough to know that I needed His help. A real, honest acceptance of AA. took more time, but with it came humility....

Daily Reflections 2010/10/17

Xavier T. — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 23:08:50 +0100

OCTOBER 17

A DAILY TUNE-UP

Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

How do I maintain my spiritual condition? For me it's quite simple: on a daily basis I ask my Higher Power to grant me the gift of sobriety for that day! I have talked to many alcoholics who have gone back to drinking and I always ask them: "Did you pray for sobriety the day you took you...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/16

Xavier T. — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 23:30:32 +0100

OCTOBER 16

THROUGHOUT EACH DAY

This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

During my early years in A. A. I saw Step Ten as a suggestion that I periodically look at my behavior and reactions. If there was something wrong, I should admit it; if an apology was necessary, I should give one. After a few years of sobriety I felt I should undertake a self-examination more freque...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/15

Xavier T. — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 01:01:36 +0100

OCTOBER 15

MY CHECKLIST, NOT YOURS

Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too. Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 67

Sometimes I don't realize that I gossiped about someone until the end of the day, when I take an inventory of the day's activities...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/14

Xavier T. — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:32:52 +0100

OCTOBER 14

A PROGRAM FOR LIVING

When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. . . . On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. . . . Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86

I lacked serenity. With more to do than seemed possible, I fell further behind, no matter how hard I ...

Daily Reflections 2010/10/13

Xavier T. — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:26:14 +0100

OCTOBER 13

UNREMITTING INVENTORIES

Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

The immediate admission of wrong thoughts or actions is a tough task for most human b...