The Gift of Choice

When I am willing to do the right thing, I am rewarded with an inner peace
no amount of liquor could ever provide.
When I am unwilling to do the right thing, I become restless, irritable, and discontent. It is always my choice.
Through the Twelve Steps, I have been given the gift of choice.
I am no longer at the mercy of a disease that tells me the only answer is to drink.
If willingness is the key to unlock the gates of hell, it is action that opens those doors so that we may walk freely among the living.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 317


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Pickles

We are also convinced, after the countless attempts we made to prove otherwise, that alcoholism is incurable -- like some other illnesses.
It cannot be "cured" in this sense: We cannot change our body chemistry
and go back to being the normal, moderate social drinkers lots of us
seemed to be in our youth.
As some of us put it, we can no more make that change than a pickle can change itself back into a cucumber.
- Living Sober p. 8

If I don't change, my sobriety date will.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Instincts

We find that our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions. . .
We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives.
If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment.
-- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 114


Once we understand ourselves, the rest of living falls in line.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Old Sea Parable

There's an old sea story about a ship's Captain who inspected his sailors, and afterward told the first mate that his men smelled bad.

The Captain suggested perhaps it would help if the sailors would change underwear occasionally.

The first mate responded, "Aye, aye sir, I'll see to it immediately!"

The first mate went straight to the sailors berth deck and announced, "The Captain thinks you guys smell bad and wants you to change your underwear."

He continued, "JJ you change with Jimmie, Richard you change with George and Don you change with Wayne ."

THE MORAL OF THE STORY:

Someone may come along and promise "Change",but don't count on things smelling any better.

Fear

The problem of resolving fear has two aspects.
We shall have to try for all the freedom from fear that is possible for us to attain.
Then we shall need to find the courage and the grace to deal constructively with whatever fears remain.
-- As Bill Sees It, p. 61


The power within me is far greater than any fear before me.


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Hope

In spite of the great increase in the size and the span of this Fellowship, at its core it remains simple and personal.
Each day, somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing experience, strength, and hope.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. xxii


Hope sees the invisible,
feels the intangible,
and achieves the impossible.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Letting Go of Old Ideas

We finally asked ourselves: Wouldn't it be more intelligent to seek out and tap a strength greater than our own rather than persist in our futile solo efforts, after they had time and again been proved ineffective?
We still don't think it is very smart to keep trying to see in the dark if you can simply switch on a lamp and use its light. . .
And the full enjoyment of living sober isn't a one-person job, either.
-- Living Sober, p. 73


Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)