Hope

He had lain awake all night. Down in the pit of his depression, new hope had suddenly been born. The thought flashed through his mind, "If they can do it, I can do it!" Over and over he said this to himself. Finally, out of his hope, there burst conviction. Now he was sure. Then came a great joy. At length peace stole over him, and he slept.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 189

Thought to Consider . . .Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.

AACRONYMS
H O P E
Heart Open; Please Enter

Give love

Thought for the Day

We got a kick out of the first few drinks, before we got stupefied by alcohol. For a while, the world seemed to look brighter. But how about the letdown, the terrible depression that comes the morning after? In A.A., we get a real kick: not a false feeling of exhilaration, but a real feeling of satisfaction with ourselves, self respect, and a feeling of friendliness toward the world. We got a sort of pleasure from drinking. For a while we thought we were happy. But it's only an illusion. The hang over the next day is the opposite of plea sure. In A.A., am I getting real pleasure and serenity and peace?

Meditation for the Day

In God's Hands

"When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands were better than anything we could have planned."

 

"My depression deepened unbearably, and finally it seemed to me as though I were at the very bottom of the pit. For the moment, the last vestige of my proud obstinacy was crushed. All at once I found myself crying out, 'If there is a God, let Him show Himself!
 

Trouble

"There was a time when we ignored trouble, hoping it would go away. Or, in fear and depression, we ran from it, but found it was still with us. Often, full of unreason, bitterness, and blame, we fought back. These mistaken attitudes, powered by alcohol, guaranteed our destruction, unless they were altered . . . Then came A.A. Surprisingly, we found that our troubles could, under God's grace, be converted into unimaginable blessings." Bill W., Letter, 1966 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 110

Thought to Consider . . .
The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills.

                                               AACRONYMS 

                                      W I L L I N G
                             When I Live Life, I Need God

IDENTIFYING FEAR . . .

The chief activator of our defects has been self -
centered fear. . . . .
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 76

When I feel uncomfortable, irritated, or depressed, I
look for fear. This "evil and corroding thread" is the
root of my distress: Fear of failure; fear of other's
opinions; fear of harm, and many other fears.

I have found a Higher Power who does not want me to live in
fear and, as a result, the experience of A.A. in my
life is freedom and joy.

We all have monsters

It's ironic, but until you can free those final monsters within the jungle of yourself, your life, your soul is up for grabs.
  —Rona Barrett

We all have monsters. Maybe it's depression over the past or present circumstances, or resentment about another's behavior, or fear of new situations. Maybe it's jealousy of other women. The more attention we give the monsters, the more powerful they get. The harder we try to resist the jealousy or depression or fear, the greater it becomes.

Depression feeds on itself

Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.
  —Dodie Smith

Depression feeds on itself. With attention it worsens, but there are places for our attention. We can move our focus to a woman/men who is close by, a woman/man who is struggling to determine her/his direction in life. We can offer our ears. Or we can observe attentively, today, all the women, children, and men we see on the streets. When we notice their expressions, we realize they, too, may be suffering.

Bill W. on "BALANCE

The following excerpts from a letter of Bill Wilson's was quoted in the memoirs of Tom Pike, and early California AA member.  Tom did not use the name of the person addressed -- perhaps because he was still living.

Tom said:
Here in part is what Bill Wilson wrote in 1958 to a close friend who shared his problem with depression, describing how Bill himself used St. Francis's prayer as a steppingstone toward recovery:

Dear ...
I think that many oldsters who have put our AA "booze cure" to severe but successful tests still find they often lack emotional sobriety. Perhaps they will be the spearhead for the next major development in AA ...

The Depression Cycle

The Depression Cycle: Depression and anxiety can block us from taking the actions we want and need to take. Read about how to avoid becoming trapped.





Melody Beattie Language of Letting Go