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Letting Go of Denial
(Preview)
We are slow to believe that which, if believed, would hurt our feelings. -- Ovid
Most of us in recovery have engaged in denial from time to time. Some of us relied on this tool.
We may have denied events or feelings from our past. We may have denied other people's problems; we may have denied our own pr...
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Quetzal
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0
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199
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Relapse
(Preview)
Is it rare to see someone my age (25) to come into AA and stay sober for the rest of their lives? I'm just asking because almost everyone in my home meeting has talked about their relapses in the past. Last night a man showed up with 21 years of sobriety...then a recent relapse. So scary.
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cramcj01
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11
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490
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People-Pleasers
(Preview)
Have you ever been around people-pleasers? They tend to be displeasing. Being around someone who is turned inside out to please another is often irritating and anxiety- producing.
People-pleasing is a behavior we may have adapted to survive in our family. We may not have been able to get the love a...
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Quetzal
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3
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1230
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Therapist heal thyself
(Preview)
I have been doing a lot of pondering on how I became a substance abuse therapist who is also an alcoholic and has major problems with self esteem and self-care. I came into AA with a very deep understanding and knowledge that the life I was leading was complete hypocrisy and there was a drastic need to ch...
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pinkchip
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8
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423
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As Bill Sees It
(Preview)
As Bill Sees ItPg. 58Righteous Indignation"The positive value of righteous indignation is theoretical -- especially for alcoholics. It leaves every one of us open to the rationalization that we may be as angry as we like provided we can claim to be righteous about it."<< <<...
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Jane05
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0
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1351
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Daily Reflections ~ No Ordinary Success Story
(Preview)
A.A. is no success story in the ordinary sense of the word. It is a story of suffering transmuted, under grace, into spiritual progress. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 35 Upon entering A.A. I listened to others talk about the reality of their drinking: loneliness, terror and pain. As I listened further, I soon hea...
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Sobrietyspell
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489
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24 Hrs a Day ~ 26th Feb 09
(Preview)
A.A. Thought for the Day When we came into A.A., we came to believe in a Power greater than ourselves. We came to believe in that Divine Principle in the universe, which we call God, and to whom we can turn for help. Each morning we have a quiet time. We ask God for the power to stay sober for the next twenty-f...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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277
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The Necesity of Going to F2F Meetings
(Preview)
Hi all! It has been a while since I have posted. Anyway I have been trying for several years now to stay clean and sober without F2F meetings. What a failure I have been with it. Anyway there is a part in the Big Book that says "No one has ever won in single handed combat without the unaided will&qu...
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nique
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8
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304
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Prayers, Thoughts, for my son.
(Preview)
The kid has been doing so well over the last 5 months! Got his GED, is working FULL time, likes his job, paying his bills, etc. THEN his Girlfriend came home from rehab on Friday! It's been downhill since. He didn't go to work Sunday! They had unprotected sex at his ex stepfather's house (where he's livin...
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Doll
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11
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398
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Daily Reflections ~ The Challenge of Failure
(Preview)
In Gods economy, nothing is wasted. Through failure, we learn a lesson in humility which is probably needed, painful though it is. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 31 How thankful I am today, to know that all my past failures were necessary for me to be where I am now. Through much pain came experience and, in sufferin...
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Sobrietyspell
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1
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354
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Twelve Step Programs
(Preview)
I was furious when I found myself at my first Al-Anon meeting. It seemed so unfair that he had the problem and I had to go to a meeting. But by that time, I had nowhere left in the world to go with my pain. Now, I'm grateful for Al-Anon and my codependency recovery. Al-Anon keeps me on track; recovery has give...
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Quetzal
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1
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272
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Strength
(Preview)
We don't always have to be strong. Sometimes, our strength is expressed in being vulnerable. Sometimes, we need to fall apart to regroup and stay on track.
We all have days when we cannot push any harder, cannot hold back self-doubt, cannot stop focusing on fear, cannot be strong.
There are days w...
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Quetzal
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1
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207
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Staying Alive
(Preview)
AA Thought for the Day February 26, 2009Staying Alive In A.A. we seek so much more than just sobriety. Although sobriety is of extreme importance, along with keeping our side of the street clean and spiritual growth, we are also trying to stay alive. Interestingly enough, just by being sober, our ch...
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Jane05
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0
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242
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Better than Gold
(Preview)
As Bill Sees ItPg. 57 Better than Gold As newcomers, many of us have indulged in spiritual intoxication. Like a gaunt prospector, belt drawn in over the last ounce of food, we saw our pick strike gold. Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds. The newcomer feels he has struck...
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Jane05
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1517
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24 Hrs a Day ~ 25th Feb 09
(Preview)
A.A. Thought for the Day Some people find it hard to believe in a Power greater than themselves. But not to believe in such a Power forces us to atheism. It has been said that atheism is blind faith in the strange proposition that this universe originated in a cipher and aimlessly rushes nowhere. That's...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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265
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H.A.L.T.
(Preview)
AA Thought for the Day February 25, 2009 H.A.L.T. "Don't become too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired." My use of "H-A-L-T" is possible only because of the awarenesses I receive through the use of the Twelve Steps. They remain the hub on my wheel of sobriety. I am trying very hard t...
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Jane05
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2
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1816
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Facing Criticism
(Preview)
As Bill Sees It Pg. 56 Facing Criticism Sometimes, we register surprise, shock, and anger when people find fault with A.A. We are apt to be disturbed to such an extent that we cannot benefit by constructive criticism. This sort of resentment makes no friends and achieves no constructive purpose. Cer...
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Jane05
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1
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567
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Introduce Myself
(Preview)
Hello, my name is Greg and I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Thank you St. Pete Dean for inviting me to this forum. The facts of our stories are often quite different. However the Truths of our stories are the same. The Truth of my story is that my ego took control of my life, my mind and my body earl...
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Deafhawk
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5
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405
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Accepting Imperfection
(Preview)
"Why do I do this to myself?" asked a woman who wanted to lose weight. "I went to my support group feeling so guilty and ashamed because I ate half a cookie that wasn't on the diet. I found out that everyone cheats a little, and some people cheat a lot. I felt so ashamed before I came to the gr...
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Quetzal
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1
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292
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sobriety, day 1.
(Preview)
ok, ill start off with a short story of me. im 20 years old. ive been drinking since i was 13. its only really became a problem these last three years. i drink myself into blackouts and violent stupors. i swallowed a bottle of adivan and 10 vicodin and drank a litre of vodka about a week ago. a little more no...
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medioxcore
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9
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394
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Daily Reflections ~ A Thankful Heart
(Preview)
I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, ones heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37 My sponsor told me that I should be a grateful alcoholic and al...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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320
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24 Hrs a Day ~ 24th Feb 09
(Preview)
A.A. Thought for the Day When we came to our first A.A. meeting, we looked up at the wall at the end of the room and saw the sign: "But for the grace of God." We knew right then and there that we would have to call on the grace of God in order to get sober and get over our soul sickness. We heard speaker...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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304
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As Bill Sees It
(Preview)
As Bill Sees It Pg. 55 Seeking Guidance "Man is supposed to think, and act. He wasn't made in God's image to be an automaton. "My own formula along this lines runs as follows: First, think through every situation pro and con, praying meanwhile that I be not influenced by ego considerations....
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Jane05
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2
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2644
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Sober for a year tomorrow, lonelier than ever, and steadily losing hope.......
(Preview)
I should be happy, but am not. I should be holding my head high, but can't. The pain of coming home to a deserted house is just as painful today as it was 13 months ago. Can't shake the rejection, and I certainly haven't increased the circle of people around me. I mean, who else but an alcoholic can fi...
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mstrmsn66
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16
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2074
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Embarrassed
(Preview)
Jen you were right about waiting. I should have waited, turns out I am biting my tounge in my sleep which is making that sore on my tounge. It still hurts bad but it is not cancer thank God! I am gonna have to get a mouth guard to sleep in. I feel stupid for making such a big deal about it. And for getting dru...
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nique
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9
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520
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fear.....and relapse
(Preview)
I just came back from a month drinking binge, and lost 3 years sobriety...im stuck with that fear of everything...can anyone relate?
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paulym20
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7
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1250
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Screwed up again, 60 days sober, started drinking, black outs, arguments, driving family away
(Preview)
Well I did it again. I was 60 days sober until Thanksgiving.....then decideed I could handle a few....knew it was wrong.....slowly but surely drank more and more until last weekend, when I had a few, was walking blacked out, and flew into a rage. Screaming and yelling temper tantrum..... No I'm going...
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ziacles
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1827
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Wisdom of the Rooms
(Preview)
Wisdom of the Rooms
IF I'M NOT THE PROBLEM, THEN THERE IS NO SOLUTION" When I came into the program, I had a lot of problems and most of them were your fault. My girlfriend didn't understand me; my boss didn't appreciate me; the police didn't like it when I drove after just a few drinks (I was fine!),...
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Jane05
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1
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356
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AA Thought for the Day
(Preview)
AA Thought for the Day February 24, 2009
Adventure If you're new, get in the car and come along for the ride. If you want to stare at the floor it's okay. Those first days and weeks are painful. It hurts. It's frightening. It's lonely at times but you don't have to go through it twice. And slowly but surely...
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Jane05
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211
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Daily Reflections ~ Mysterious Paradoxes
(Preview)
Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of ones old life as a condition for finding a new one. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 46
What glorious mysteries paradoxes are! They do not compute, yet when recognized and accepted, they reaffirm somet...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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307
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24 Hrs a Day ~ 23rd Feb 09
(Preview)
A.A. Thought for the Day Besides our jobs, our families, our friends, and our sobriety, we have something else that many of us found through A.A. That's faith in a Power greater than ourselves to which we can turn for help: faith in that Divine Principle in the universe which we call God and which is on ou...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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446
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Hi,
(Preview)
Just wanted to say hi and to check in, sorry I haven't posted lately, been busy with work, etc....... As well as dealing with a few situations that came about in Late October 2008. That surprisely enough I've been able to deal with it without drinkin or thoughts of drinking. Tomorrow I'm gonna be out al...
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Tina
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6
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312
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Alkiespeak
(Preview)
Alkiespeak - Quote An alcoholic who stops drinking, is like the guy who jumps into the water only to find that he can't swim. And AA isn't the water you jump into when your pants are on fire, AA is a bunch of idiots in a life boat with charred britches who come along and give swimming lessons. - Doug D.
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Jane05
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0
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309
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To Deepen Our Insight
(Preview)
As Bill Sees It Pg. 54
To Deepen Our Insight It is necessary that we extricate from an examination of our personal relations every bit of information about ourselves and our fundamental difficulties that we can. Since defective relations with other human beings have nearly always been the immed...
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Jane05
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0
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392
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Please help...husband in other room drinking
(Preview)
I'm finally back to AA, have 40 sober days. I really want to get it right this time. My husband is a heavy drinker and is in the other room. He's finished 3 martinis and is on to red wine. I actually picked it up and smelled it. Stupid. This is so hard and I'm so scared. Not drinking really puts a distance betwe...
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OHAAT
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11
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984
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Daily Reflections ~ Guidance
(Preview)
this means a belief in a Creator who is all power, justice, and love; a God who intends for me a purpose, a meaning, and a destiny to grow, however haltingly, toward His own likeness and image. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 51
As I began to understand my own powerlessness and my dependence on God, as I understand H...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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1033
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24 Hrs a Day ~ 22nd Feb 09
(Preview)
A.A. Thought For The Day Besides our jobs, our families, our friends and our sobriety, we have something else which many of us found through A.A. That's faith in a Power greater than ourselves, to which we can turn for help: faith in that Divine Principle in the universe which we call God and which is on o...
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Sobrietyspell
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0
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247
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Just got home from a party
(Preview)
The night I've been fearing since I quit drinking (12 days ago) has come and gone, and I came out the other side sober. Whheeew. Several of my friends were there, all of them completely wasted, along with the rest of the crowd. The opportunity and excuse to drink was sooo right there. This was definatel...
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Dodsworth
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9
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493
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ANOTHER DAY SOBER
(Preview)
Woke up today to start another day sober. First thing I thought about was what meeting I was going to go to. Next thing was I wanted a cup of coffee.(Yeah, drinking a cup in the morning and one at a meeting, don't want to get hyper) Last Sat. was mylast day I drank so getting through this weekend was really a b...
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getlow316
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4
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761
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Solving Problems
(Preview)
I ask that You might help me work through all my problems, to Your Glory and Honor.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous
Many of us lived in situations where it wasn't okay to identify, have, or talk about problems. Denial became a way of life -- our way of dealing with problems
In recovery, many of us still fear...
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Quetzal
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1
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245
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WHAT A GREAT DAY
(Preview)
Three inches of snow has fell already, total mess out. But I am sober. I'm in my warm house that I cleaned all day (God knows it needed it) Cooked a good meal, and have my dog (my best freind) sitting by my side. Not to mention i got a F2F meeting in this morning along with an online one and some great chat at my o...
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getlow316
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3
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254
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choice I made
(Preview)
Last night I chose to drink and get drunk. I hate myself for that. But I think I am learning something. I look at myself and see that I am able to stop for days and then it is as though I am rewarding myself with a crappy thing. It is opposite what a reward should be. There have been some good improvements in m...
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Dakota
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5
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352
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Where are some AA CHat places on the web?
(Preview)
I'm in a very remote artea and there are no meetings on the weekends, and only a few during the week. Can someone steer me to some online meetings, if such a thing exists? I went to one supposed online meeting but it had been spammed to death and there was little activity in the last 2 weeks. Thank you and God...
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ziacles
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5
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282
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Alkiespeak
(Preview)
Wondering why I was an alcoholic was like being a man standing on a bridge, looking down at a gently flowing stream beneath. But my pants are on fire. And I'm saying: 'I wonder how these pants got on fire, was it hereditary or environmental?' Who cares. You jump in the water. - Doug D.
From the book: Alki...
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Jane05
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4
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641
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The opposite COFFEE post
(Preview)
The may be the same or totally opposite from GETLOW's post but my coffee drinking is getting out of control and it is resembling my alcoholism completely now. It is screwing up my sleep, making me anxious, giving me heart palpitations, making me want to smoke even more cigarettes (i think). I am get...
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pinkchip
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4
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348
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"Loners"--but Not Alone
(Preview)
As Bill Sees It
Pg. 53 "Loners"--but Not Alone What can be said of many A.A. members who, for a variety of reasons, cannot have a family life? At first many of these feel lonely, hurt, and left out as they witness so much domestic happiness about them. If they cannot have this kind of happines...
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Jane05
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0
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248
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Just a Thought on Forgiveness
(Preview)
When someone does something to harm you, write your hurts in the sand. A parable for today. Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything wro...
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Tomas
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2
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286
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How does an atheist stay sober?
(closed)
(Preview)
I ask this question because it say in the big book that, "there is one who has all power, that one is god may you find him now!" Well, I've honestly lost faith in god. I've got just over five years sober. Have worked the steps with a sponsor, have two sonsees and attened meetings on ver regula...
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therunner
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14
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1815
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Can anyone be an alcoholic?
(Preview)
Can anyone become an alcoholic/addict? I guess I'm wondering that if my path was different in the past, would I have turned out different? I know that environmental factors go into almost everything. I'm not asking to find an excuse, but just out of curiosity. Do you have to be a 'special' (no pun...
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cramcj01
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6
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706
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Pocket Sponsor
(Preview)
Good Morning Friends Day Twenty-one/2:00 PM: Do not project into the future how things are going to be. Tomorrow is today's mystery. If you project a continuum of pain and failure, you only invite that pain and failure. Allow the world to surprise you, because it surely will. Tomorrow is today's mys...
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Jane05
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192
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