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Daily Reflections ~ Service & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
Life will take on a new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you. to have a host of friends - this is an experience you must not miss. . . . Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives. A...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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611
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Prayer to Higher Power - Serenity and More
(Preview)
During the wee hours, mind abuzz, I have often used the Serenity Prayer to gain the calmness I need to sleep. During the fall when I was going through a particularly bad patch, the Serenity prayer was not enough. I began to wonder what other things my higher power might grant me and so extended the pray...
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jvian
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2
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1041
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experience can benefit others
(Preview)
Hi my name is Bill I am a recovered alcoholic. How many times I say that in a day.I never wonder what people think when I say that . I also never care what they think when I sit down open my book and start studying.Or if I have some thing heavy and I had to write on it forth step style.the people who have shown me p...
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mental defect
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849
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Beauty and Power
(Preview)
December 7 Every person at some time in life has a spiritual experience of some kind. It may have been no more than a soul-stimulating experience after hearing a beautiful hymn, beautifully sung. Perhaps it is only an undefined hunger within when viewing alone a star-studded sky, or an awe-inspiris...
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Rainspa
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4143
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Awsome AAA weekend.
(Preview)
Had a wonderful weekend with my AA family. The beauty of going on these retreats is that we know so many people. The 400 odd people that fellowshipped had such a nice time. Some I have known for the last 22 years. The Alateens have grown up and many now have children of their own. For me this is recovery at it...
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gonee
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3
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733
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Struggling
(Preview)
That's all I gotta say. I'm struggling. No sponsor, no support at home... Lots of books, got a car to get me to meetings... but my head is playing games w/ me today. Essentially lost my jobyesterday due to the economy... good side of that: Plenty of time for meetings; bad side: feel like a failure even...
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Jeanne
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22
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2 months today!
(Preview)
and what a great feeling! my homegroup (fairly new one we're just getting started) is also doing the Back to Basics. I am very excited to start this process as I haven't really started taking the steps, except Step 1-3...and have struggled with finding a sponsor. Has anyone on the board done this 4 week...
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Jupiter76
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14
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1085
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Upon Awakening.
(Preview)
Upon Self Seekin Give me mine, dam yu and the world Selfishness , Avoid discomfort i was was burned up i saw that it was my -> Self Esteem, ambitions ,pocketbook ,personal relationships - Sexual - security being hurt or threatend bottom of 64 roll over to 86 explore my life with god and expose m...
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Full Flight
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4
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956
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looking at my life on a daily ?
(Preview)
As I opened my eyes this morning.and thanks God that one never get tired .lol I hope you are pleased that I will be bragging on you all day again But first before I get started can you direct my thinking please divorce it from self pity < the fact that I am out of work only gives me more time to serve you and n...
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mental defect
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4
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723
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Satisfaction: I can't get no...
(Preview)
December 6 If you are satisfied with your progress in AA, you are not only an exception but you may be headed for trouble. Remember One Day at a Time, and Easy Does It. Before you measure your advancement, be sure you have an accurate yardstick. Nature is always slow in its development of good things...
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Rainspa
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5027
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When you were new to AA...
(Preview)
Did you expect people who had your number to call and check on you? Or...did you take initiative and call them. I think a lot of newcomers don't understand that they need to get phone numbers off the bat and actually CALL THEM. WE want to hear from you. I have given out my phone number to a bunch of newco...
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pinkchip
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17
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1157
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Daily Reflections ~ True Ambition & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the deep desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 124-25 During my drinking years, my one and only concern was to have my fellow man think highly of me. My ambition in everything I d...
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Sobrietyspell
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1
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1535
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A young man dies.
(Preview)
A young man committed suicide by hanging himself. This has become almost a daily statistic in our area. My heart breaks everytime I think of the pain and suffering that family must endure for the rest of their lives. Alcoholism is killing a lot of younger people today. Our Monday night group consists o...
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gonee
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5
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1114
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Human Power
(Preview)
Won't keep us sober I loved what Steve wrote in another thread SteveP wrote:Reason is a human power and no human power can cure me of my alcoholism. Steve Meetings are a human power The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God. He c...
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LinBaba
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2
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765
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Resentments = Dumb
(Preview)
December 5 A man once ridiculed me in front of a large class in school, and I have hated his guts ever since. That was 35 years ago and I do not know whether he is dead or alive. If he was aware of my intense dislike, it certainly never bothered him. But it certainly bothers me even now. His face springs up in my...
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Rainspa
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3
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4644
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I want to drink beer and right now
(Preview)
I had my last drink last night and now I want to go to the bar and get more beer. My head has been messing with me all day, saying, go get the beer. I want to drink. I think no, I can't. I just want to relax with 6 or 7 beers. I want to go to the bar and right now. I have been praying to God and reading the big book. I stil...
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aprilleaves
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21
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8069
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AA - 3 kinds
(Preview)
I saw this article and thought it was worthwhile. Does anybody have an opinion on this? Gresham's Law and Alcoholics Anonymous by Tom P., Jr.Editor's Note: Gresham's law is commonly stated as: "Bad money drives good money out of circulation". A more correct rendering of Gresham's Law is...
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Rainspa
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3
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1021
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Will AA sustain itself?
(Preview)
Why is AA dying slowly? I have wondered about this in recent years. Many who were on fire for the fellowship have now burnt out. Many who vowed to serve until they die are not even vaguely interested in even attending meetings. For myself I had found very early in my recovery, that if I relied on own power a...
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gonee
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27
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1280
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I am powerless
(Preview)
Greetings from Maine. My name is Thirsty1 and I am an alcoholic. We are powerless over alcohol, our lives have become unmanageable. I am powerless because: I will never be cured of Alcoholism. I will never out grow of being an alcoholic. I will never graduate from Alcoholics Anonymous. Be...
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Thirsty1
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8
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1065
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How to handle new situations
(Preview)
Hello, So I'm doing well... feeling great and strong in the knowledge that I cannot drink without serious consequences... I definitely do not want to pick up that first drink... again. I am here in AA to stay and I mean business. This is my choice, my life and in order for it to keep going well, alcoho...
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Jeanne
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10
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1423
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Welcome to another day of life!
(Preview)
As I start today,sober and free from active addiction by the grace and mercy of the God of my understanding,(I also do the work)I can reflect on the idea that there is some task God has for me to do today and it will remain undone until by faith and obedience I step into God's will..I will also remember th...
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mikef
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4
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1134
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To Your Posts, Everybody!
(Preview)
December 2 Fires, floods and epidemics are nobody's business - they are everybody's business. Alcoholism is equally devastating and just as much a community catastrophe. We in AA are unique in that we are trained veterans in the art of combating this disease. Its prevalence demands the complete co...
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Rainspa
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5
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5029
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Gifts
(Preview)
December 3 I feel good today and I ought to. I slept like a baby last night, had a fine breakfast that I relished, the wife and kids kissed me as I left the house, I arrived at the office whistling and didn't give a damn whether the boss was in a good humor or not. The work, too, seemed so much easier to do and the...
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Rainspa
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2
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4687
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Well it's snowing.
(Preview)
It took me nearly 45 minutes to get home from the meeting. Learnt a lot on the way home, like driving up Harbrough Hill Road, dual carriageway, 40 tonner artic in the nearside lane crawling up at less than walking pace, I didn't want to slow down so went for the overtake, but no, not enough grip. Came to a st...
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bikerbill
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6
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754
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Daily Reflections ~ Into Action & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven't been given the truth may die. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 13 I desperately wanted to live, but if I was to succeed, I had to become active in our God-given progr...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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706
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The ups & downs in the first few months of recovery
(Preview)
Hello... This is my first post to these boards. I am fairly new to AA, having just acknowledged my disease this past Summer. I have been going to meetings as much as I can and doing a lot of reading... trying my best to not pick up. I feel so good when I don't drink. I know for sure I am an alcoholic and hav...
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Jeanne
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14
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1295
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CELEBRATION OF LIFE!
(Preview)
On this date,December 2nd,1984,it was a Sunday morning, I "came to" for the last time, raising my twisted head from the floor and crying out for God's mercy and received His grace....Please join me today in a celebration of life ,26 years of uninterrupted sobriety, a day at a time.To the n...
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mikef
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10
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1923
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Beginner Meetings
(Preview)
Does your part of the world have them? What is the format? And do they tend to be large or small, frequented by both oldtimers and beginners alike? Barisax
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barisax
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6
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4242
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always have a plan B
(Preview)
my sponsor says always have a 'plan B' so you never are "stuck" in a situation with alcohol temptations. and she is right. as soon as i feel uncomforable in a situation, i need to remove myself from it. the stronger i get in my AA program, the less i feel uncomfortable. i do not 'roma...
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jj
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1135
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Working the steps.
(Preview)
OK, here's a question from an 18-monther: Does working the steps mean: A. Marking each step formally, in order, in public or in the presence of a sponsor, by reciting certain phrases verbally. B. Simply using the principles behind the steps as a general philosophy of living. C. Something in betw...
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zzworldontheweb
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8
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1119
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Alcoholic Monkey's Gone Wild! (Funny Video)
(Preview)
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John
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2
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734
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AAA ROUNDUP
(Preview)
Going away for the weekend. It's our annual AA, Alanon and Alateen roundup. My family and I have been going there for the last 22 years. The kids were 6 & 2. They still like to attend. Their friends have grown up with them in recovery. The entire resort on the beach is booked. It's great because we have...
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gonee
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3
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727
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Relapses Get Progressively Worse
(Preview)
A recent thread reminded me that it might be helpful to others if I posted on this topic. During my first several months in AA, I was a chronic relapser. I had always heard that when one relapses after a period of sobriety, you pick up at a point that is as if you had continued drinking the entire time. Alcoh...
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TwelveSteps
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9
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1200
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Daily Reflections ~ Serenity & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
As I continued to go to meetings and work the Steps, something began to happen to me. I felt confused because I wasn't sure what it was that I was feeling, and then I realized I was experiencing serenity. It was a good feeling, but where had it come from? Then I realized it had come ". . .as the result of...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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577
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My 'story' as I see it, 3 months into accepting my disease
(Preview)
So... how did I get here? Not sure... I think I was 'here' all along... as far back as my first drinks as a high school Junior. (My 25th reunion was last night -- I could not go... just not at all ready or stable enough to do so). So here I sit this morning feeling sorry for myself, as I get emails from old...
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Jeanne
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6
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830
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Ah One, and Ah Two..
(Preview)
November 24 Every practicing alcoholic is firmly convinced that the Devil has all the good tunes. It was the music we had wanted and the tunes to which we had attuned our ears. His music was louder, more catchy and, and to our thinking, was prettier. We suspected, however, that it did not have...
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Rainspa
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1917
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My vision is getting...
(Preview)
clearer, wider, deeper more contrasted. When I found out that my blindness was in fact correctable and not inoperable I delighted in the news that the surgery was scheduled for the Thanksgiving holiday, the 24 and 25th. My wife and family didn't think that the best idea however I know from past expe...
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Jerry F
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5
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891
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Right You Are
(Preview)
December 1 There will always be a difference of opinion as long as people have different interests, different prejudices and different mental capacities. To expect people to disagree with you is only sensible and reasonable. If everybody agreed with you, everybody would be as smart as you and you w...
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Rainspa
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1
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1933
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Table Talk
(Preview)
This used to be ubiquitous in AA meetings; it was so common as the way to help beginners get through the steps and seems to have been lost. I think it might prove helpful. It's a bit long, but remember it was the basis of a meeting or talk so would usually be an hour and half or two hours or so. Good way to do ste...
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Rainspa
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0
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1153
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Music with a recovery message or a "how it was" theme
(Preview)
Post up your videos, tunes, lyrics, or poetry, that have a realted message or express old ways of thinking. Here's a couple from SRV's last album "In Step". This came out the year that I got sober and I was lucky enough to see it live. Caught up in a whirlwind, can't catch my breath. Knee...
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StPeteDean
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22
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2079
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I like this!
(Preview)
Recovered because today I drink as much as I want to I just no longer choose to drink alcohol! Recovering is knowing I am one drink away from my next drunk. Recovered is knowing I am one infinitely powered God away from my next drunk.. Not meant to stir controversy or be devisive........ I am an "A...
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mikef
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2
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645
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Daily Reflections ~ "Suggested" Steps & 24hrs a Day
(Preview)
Our Twelfth Step also says that as a result of practicing all the Steps, we have each found something called a spiritual awakening. . . . A.A.'s manner of making ready to receive this gift lies in the practice of the Twelve Steps in our program." TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 106-07 I rem...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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616
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How long to get sober question
(Preview)
Hi everyone. I'm in Alanon, my husband is an A and in AA. I lurk on these AA boards mostly (participate in alanon boards) but today I've decided to speak up, I have a question - I hope it's ok I"m here! :) First some background info: My husb started going to AA about a year ago - he would go once a week, the...
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workingout
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23
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2362
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Solution to Busy
(Preview)
November 30 Many who are active in AA work come to feel they just can't carry on any longer. There is so much to do; so little time that can be spared to do it; so few to do the work. There is a limit to their endurance. After all a guy has just so much strength health, and patience. When burdens get too heav...
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Rainspa
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4630
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How soon should I get a sponsor?
(Preview)
Hello!! As of tomorrow , I am one week sober. I am also attending an out-patient treatment program (I previously attended AA and got my 1 month chip, but never worked the program, and so I drank again). I want to work the program and take a full-on approach to my recovery. How soon should I get a sponsor and...
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Kimmer
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13
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2353
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Cool experiences this Thanksgiving
(Preview)
I traveled home to the DC metro area for the holiday. We spent Thanksgiving on the eastern shore which is about a 2 hour drive from my parents' home in Annapolis. Anyhow, I was feeling kinda squirrely (not like I was going to drink at all, but just sort of all weird and up in my head)...so I got online and w...
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pinkchip
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916
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Don't Know What To Do
(Preview)
Hi I am an alcoholic, and so is my husband. I live in a small town, and do not want to go to a meeting there, because i don't feel that it would be anonamous. Does anyone have any suggestions. I do not trust myself, and am afraid i will never quit drinking.
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countrygirl
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10
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991
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Seek, and....
(Preview)
November 29 We find in life exactly what we are looking for. In your drinking days, you courted trouble constantly and you probably found more than your share of it. Today we are looking for a better way of life and this, too, we find at every turn. We get what we want if we put forth sufficient effort to loo...
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Rainspa
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0
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4765
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Realization?
(Preview)
Hello All, I am in a battle with my mind. I have a very close friend that told me I have a serious drinking problem and I need help. I trust and believe in him as we are very close friends seriously like brother and sister. My problem with his comment is, I am not in total agreeance. I drink on weekends and I do...
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peaches1
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11
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1145
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A wee little What it Was Like, etc.
(Preview)
What it Was Like... I got frustrated...drink-drank-drunk. I felt resentment...drink-drank-drunk. I felt exuberent...drink-drank-drunk. Any darn excuse at all...drink-drank-drunk. What Happened... Drunk as a lifestyle choice doesn't really work for me. Never has. Never will. (one dow...
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Aquaman
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750
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