Christmas, and all major holidays for that matter, can be a very stressful time for all of us in recover.
Together we can do what we cannot do alone.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !
Step 9 is really something very special.
We will be amazed before we are halfway through (Step 9) ..
And then, here come the 9th Step Promises on pages 83 and 84 of the A.A. Big Book!!
Let's talk a second about the spiritual experiences we may very well experience when we make our amends.
Appendix II at the back of the A.A. Big Book simply says that a spriritual experience is a change in our relation to life itself and such a change could hardly have been brought about by ourselves.
When we make an amend we are (on the spot) doing something different (a change) in that we are recognizing that for us to get better we must change by making amends. And the 9th Step amends are exactly that, a real change.
One time I was about to get into an arguement with another member of the A.A. Fellowship. Suddenly (instantly) I realized that IF I said what I was thinking of saying then I would owe that member an amend and he who would also know this.
So? I kept my mouth shut and said nothing.
Wow! What a change.
God Bless and Best Wishes on your Spiritual Journey.
I am going to give a talk later and (taa daa) today's topic is :
IT'S IN THE BOOK ..
AND IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..
Please share YOUR own special passages in the A.A. Big Book.
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Why do people drink alcohol?
IT'S IN THE BOOK (The Doctor's Opinion) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME
Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol.
Translation : Men and women drink to change how they feel!
IT'S NOT IN THE BOOK (and I don't hear the below words said in meetings) BUT SHOULD BE..
The purpose of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is to make us feel good about ourselves! The theory being, IF we feel good about ourselves, we don't need alcohol to change how we are feeling. I can't explain why an alcoholic drinks (knowing what is going to happen) to 'celebrate' after their team wins the Super Bowl.
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Stopping drinking isn't the issue, staying stopped is the issue!
IT'S IN THE BOOK (page 553, the final story) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..
It's no great trick to stop drinking; the trick is to stay stopped. To do that, I had to come to A.A. to learn how to handle sobriety -- which is what I could not handle in the first place. That's why I drank.
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What to do about your alcoholism?
IT'S IN THE BOOK (page 58, How It Works) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..
If you have decided you want what we have, and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps.
For me it means to continue to do steps 10, 11 and 12!
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After one has stopped, or is even still in the process of stopping drinking, what is the best action to take?
IT'S IN THE BOOK (page 89, Working With Others and page 15 as well) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..
Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail.
We would not exist if, back in the early days, people with one day of not drinking had not themselves gone to St. Thomas Hospital to help 'the man in the hospital bed'.
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A challenge we all seem to face?
IT'S IN THE BOOK (page 62, How It Works see also page 14, Bill's Story) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..
Selfishness -- self-centeredness. That we think is the root of our troubles.
One of MY solutions..
I focus upon the below sentence of the Third Step Prayer.
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy Will.
Road rage is an example of being selfish and self-centered. Get out of my way! Don't you know I have things to do and places to be!
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Now that I have finished this brief share, I would like each of you to share with the group your own special passages in the A.A Big Book.
By the way, below is a photograph of Doctor Bob's Home in Akron, Ohio, in the United States of America. I hope you enjoy it.
