Anyone who has been to more then a few meeting has seen the AA slogans on the wall. Easy Does It (my favorite) Just for today and Think, Think, Think. Most of us have heard the story of the sponser who told his sponsee that the "Think, think, think" didn't apply to him as his thinker was broken, LOL. That alwaws cracks me up as I look at my shelf of recovery books, I thought Recovery was a class in school that you could study for and pass. Recovery isn't about what you think, it's about how you FEEL, about yourself and the world around you and how you act out on those feelings. Many a Man and Woman has thinked (thunked??) themselves right out of these rooms and back into the bottle. So do yourself a favor and don't think too much. Remember your mind is not your friend and a alky alone in his head is in a bad neighborhood.
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Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like no one is watching.
LOL "I think" think think think means to think before you speak or think before you drink,but I could be wrong. Good point though in your post! I remember thinking way too much the first time around when I was in AA,now I keep it simple and go to meeting and not drink. Although I chaired a meeting the other day and I forgot to think before I spoke about on line recovery and the topic was brought up "the importance of meetings", I think they where trying to tell me to make it to more face to face meetings and not be on line so much LOL,but then again I might just think too much.
Well I have a completely different preception of the "Think, Think, Think" Slogan,
Many years ago, I was looking at that for the first time, probably saw it maybe 200 times, but was really seeing it for the First time, LOL, so I asked this man, that had a lot of time, that was sponsoring about 6 young men. And his simple response to me was, that it only means, that we can Think through a thought, or compulsion of picking up a Drink, if we can think it through, like remember how we got here, and where that first Drink would take us.
So, I have always really liked seeing the Slogan now, different stokes for different folks, eh?, but I also agree that generally a lot of thinking, is not a great idea for Alkes.
"My mind is like a real Bad Neighborhood, should not go there alone", is my favorite too.
I guess when we've worked the Steps, we can sort-of start to think a wee bit more clearly. A lot of times, today, my thinking keeps me on the right path... like when I get a really dumb thought in my head like, "It's summer... go have a cocktail... nobody will know... won't it be fun..."
HALT!!!!!!!
And then I think from my newfound-will that is a teeny bit (not always) more in Line with God's "you don't want that, Joni, and you know it. Now get on the phone or get your butt to a meeting. Wanna end up in the pokey again? NOT!!!!"
Now there's some thinking that's a gift of the 12 steps. I never thought it out before... just acted on the first thought. That's why the slogan is not just "THINK"
I had forgotten the Think the drink through aspect and it makes alot of sense in that reguard. The point I was getting at was the over analyzing that some do that prevents them from getting a grasp of this thing. Like I'm powerless but if I stop drinking I have control so I'm not powerless, I'm not powerless so I'm not an Alcoholic, I'm not Alcoholic so it's okay to drink. Scary stuff can happen if you think TOO much. Have a great day. Bob.
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Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like no one is watching.
Well, I do agree with you on that, speaking for myself, I almost analyzed this Drinking problem to Death. Some are Sicker than others, and I sure did know I was one of them.
Somehow it showed up, when I started becoming a Chronic "Newcomer", everytime I walk through the doors. Then the Disease took a turn, a bad turn, and even going to meeting was not an option, I drank 24/7, so there was no time in the day for a meeting, way too busy getting drunk first thing in the morning.
And we see people here over-analyzing this drinking thing like like many including myself did for a long time, but they keep coming back, thank God.
When I had a compulsion, I was in my car, and half way to the store, getting alcohol, and that "Think, Think, Think", Slogan, well I just had no idea that the compulsion could be something that could Actually be "Thought" though. Big "Lightbulb Moment" for this alke.
By the way, I really miss your Signature, "We must surrender to Win" it was my favorite.
I am powerless over Alcohol, and belong to the Group that "Is Powerless over Alcohol" I thank God for that everyday.
Hope you all have a good day, what's left of it. Had a great meeting, topic was "Being Responsible" great, great topic, made for a really great meeting with the different prespectives on what that means, individually to us all.
On page 86 of "Alcoholics Anonymous", in the paragraph beginning with the words "On Awakening" the word "Think" and it's modifiers including "Thinking" occurs three times as well as a number of others words and terms "God gave us brains to use, thoughts, thought-life, etc." as each morning the suggestion is to "ask God to direct our thinking".
The simple approach that answers to questions which originate in A.A. literature (signage is literature) are usually (yet perhaps not always) found in the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" or other A.A. approved literature is consistent with Occam's Razor.
Again, the factor of actually reading the book helps.
Further, A.A. does not wish to engage in controversy (proclamations that all the A.A. literature isn't for select members of AA introduces ideas against the group conscience that approved A.A. literature and secondly it's an abusive insult to the specific A.A.'s God given brain, A.A. is not interested in doing anything but helping alcoholics achieve sobriety). The cost of printing at the time of first printing of the slogan signage was more expensive than it is today and I am reasonably definite the trusted servants in A.A. thought it was important enough to justify printing costs (so: the folks at the time actually thought about it and decided it was good enough to print as approved literature and also suitable for at times a glass or plastic frame).
As always, people are free to believe whatever they want to.
-- Edited by Vagentleman on Thursday 24th of October 2013 10:54:18 AM
Great posts... Gives me a lot to THINK about! Seriously, too much thinking isn't good for me. Thinking before I do something or say something stupid is helpful. My slogan for myself is "if in doubt- don't... ". Think, think, think is a good one to remind myself to keep myself in check. Sobriety is a high maintenance way of life and the AA slogans are often helpful for keeping myself on the right track and they are good for many situations as a tool for staying strong.
One of my friends and I have an on-going conversation about this and have come to the conclusion that it all depends on your personality type... of the Meyers-Briggs sort. That's simply because we know each others and its kind of a hobby. We're both on those forums. Anyway, there are "feeling" types and "thinking" types. Their processes differ. One usually can't even understand the others process actually but just take it for how its described. Personally, I'm an INTP ("T" standing for thinking) so I see the world through thinking. What I think is going to determine how I feel. If my thoughts are negative, then I'll feel like some kind of crap or other. Affirmations are all about this... making us think positively so we feel that way. Cognitive behavioral therapy (talk therapy) is also all about changing thinking to change feelings. She, on the other hand, says she feels first and then thinking falls in line with that. I take her word for it as even she can't explain just how that works. Sorry, I just don't get feeling producing thinking.. its putting the cart before the horse to me... so I probably never will get it.
You get it when you work for it...For me the new awareness and the willingness to learn. I learned the feelings stuff with my VA/AA counselor who assumed I knew about feelings and then found out he was in error. I asked him for "His" definition of an emotion to which he finally responded "An inside reaction to an outside event" I still have his definition...it works for me and it was the first one I ever got. He had asked me how I felt about a certain event which had me response "Like shit" and so he responded "So you feel like a warm, soft, lumpy, smelly pile of dog crap on the front yard"? Yeppers that is what I said and not what I meant. I told him what I meant next...I feel so effing angry I could kick the shit out of someone!! Our next session would not happen he said until I promised that if he ever said something that angered me I would not cross the room and physically violate him. I agreed to that because he had value and my rage had the experience of harming others. I learned that emotions and the awareness and expressions of them, for me, are much more powerful and honest and truthful than my reactive thinking. I respond better with feelings inventory rather than the reactions to my thoughts. Do I think? Do that to.
-- Edited by Jerry F on Monday 27th of April 2015 06:35:55 PM
Hi all, Dean here. I have looked for Think, Think, Think in most of our AA literature and on the Web. I have been sober since 1995 and I know that AA is a spiritual program. But I also realize that most of our information came from the Washingtonians and the Oxford groups. Most of that material came from the Bible. That being said the only place in 22+ years I have found Think Think Think is in the New living Bible by Harvest ministries. It's on pages 805- 806 They say it is in reference to Matthew 12:35-37. Simply put Before you speak THINK THINK THINK, is it true, helpful, inspiring. necessary or Kind? If what you are about to say doesn't pass this test. You may not want to say it.
As I mentioned this is the only place I have found this Slogan in writing. Happy Sobriety everyone, Dean
Welcome to MIP UncleDean ... very good wisdom you shared ... thank you ... When I first came to the AA rooms, my sponsor told me that my 'thinker was broken' which as in the above post, I'm sure many of us heard ... The Big Big book has always carried a message of hope and wisdom ... only if I had realized this at an earlier age, LOL ... Guess it's never too late to learn to do the right thing, huh ... ... ...
Love ya and God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Think think think originated from Romans chapter 12 verse 3 of the king james version of the bible. The word think appears three times. Verses 1-3 of Romans was one of many new testament passages the first 100 AA's often made reference to.
Now that is very interesting, first time Ive heard that.
Here are the three verses:
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
-- Edited by FlyingSquirrel on Sunday 31st of January 2021 03:30:31 AM
-- Edited by FlyingSquirrel on Sunday 31st of January 2021 03:31:00 AM
Regarding someones above interpretation for 1st things 1st. In Dr. Bob & the Good old timers, (& more in the AA Archives on Silkworth.net) 1st Things First was a reminder to do prayer & meditation 1st thing in the morning/ to put God 1st as you begin your day. They ( the pioneers of AA) read a passage from the Bible, meditated on it, did their prayers ( upon awakening) and sat quietly for a while & wrote down their thoughts....
One opinion I heard recently was that it's the opposite of; React, React, React
I kind of like that, as "Think, Think, Think", never made much sense to me. I also like the Romans 12:3 explanation above
