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Welcome to the Transitions Daily Podcast. Transitions Daily is an online recovery group that
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offers a daily distribution of popular recovery resources accompanied by a secret Facebook
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group for discussion. We hope you enjoy today's readings.
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This is Transitions Daily from March 10th, read by Kurt L. from Albuquerque, New Mexico,
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USA, AA Thoughts for the Day, Life on Life's Terms. For years, I was sure the worst thing
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that could happen to a nice guy like me would be that I would turn out to be an alcoholic.
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Today, I find it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. This proves I don't know
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what's good for me, and if I don't know what's good for me, then I don't know what's good
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or bad for you or for anyone. So I'm better off if I don't give advice, don't figure
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I know what's best, and just accept life on life's terms. As it is today, especially
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my own life, as it actually is, before AA, I judge myself by my intentions, while the
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world was judging me by my actions. Alcoholics anonymous page 449-450.
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Thought to consider, I am liberated from dreaming the impossible dream, and free, finally,
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to start living the possible dream. Acronyms, do's, desperately using everything but
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sobriety. Just for today, agnostics from we agnostics. Some of us have been violently
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anti-religious, to others the word God brought up a particular idea of Him with which someone
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had tried to impress them during childhood. With that rejection, we imagined we had abandoned
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that God, idea entirely. We were bothered with the thought that faith and dependence upon
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a power beyond ourselves was somewhat weak even cowardly. We look upon this world of
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worrying individuals, worrying theological systems, and inexplicable calamity with deep
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skepticism. How could a supreme being have anything to do with it all? And who could comprehend
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a supreme being anyhow? Yet in other moments, we found ourselves thinking when enchanted
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by a starlit night. Who then made all this? There was a feeling of awe and wonder, but
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it was fleeting and soon lost. Yes, we have agnostic temperament have had these thoughts
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and experiences. We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express
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even a willingness to believe in a power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results,
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even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that power,
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which is God. Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 45, 46. Daily Reflections, today it's my choice.
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We invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self,
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which later placed us in a position to be hurt. Alcoholics Anonymous, page 62. With the
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realization and acceptance that I had played at part in the way my life had turned out,
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in a dramatic change in my outlook, it was at this point that the AA program began to
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work for me. In the past, I had always blamed others, either God or other people, for my
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circumstances. I never felt that I had a choice in altering my life. My decisions had been
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based on fear, pride, or ego. As a result, those decisions led me down a path of self-destruction.
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Today, I try to allow my God to guide me on the road to sanity. I am responsible for my
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action or inaction, whatever the consequences may be. As Bill sees it, giving without demand.
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Watch any AA of six months working with the 12-step prospect. If the newcomer says to the devil
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with you, the 12-stepber only smiles and finds another alcoholic to help. He doesn't feel frustrated
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or rejected. If his next drunk responds and in turn starts to give love and attention to other
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sufferers, yet gives none back to him. His sponsor is happy about it anyway. He still doesn't
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feel rejected. Instead, he rejoices that his former prospect is sober and happy. And he well
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knows that his own life has been made richer as an extra dividend of giving to another without
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any demand for a return. Great by January 1958. Big book quote. Try to remember that God has
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wrought miracles among us. We should never belittle a good doctor or psychiatrist. Their services
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are often indispensable in treating a newcomer and in following his case afterward. Alcoholics
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anonymous, the family afterward, page 133. 24 hours a day. AA thought for the day. We also
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strengthen our faith by working with other alcoholics and finding that we can do nothing
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ourselves to help them, except to tell them our own story of how we found the way out. If the
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other person is helped, it's by the grace of God and not by what we do or say. Our own faith
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is strengthened when we see another alcoholic find sobriety by turning to God. And finally,
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we strengthen our faith by having quiet times every morning. Do we ask God in this quiet time
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for the strength to stay sober this day? Meditation for the day. My five senses are my means of
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communication with the material world. They are the links between my physical life and the material
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manifestations around me. But I must sever all connections with the material world when I wish
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to hold communion with the great spirit of the universe. I have to hush my mind and bid all my
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senses be still before I can become a tune to receive the music of the heavenly spheres.
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Prayer for the day. I pray that I may get my spirit in tune with the spirit of the
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universe. I pray that through faith and communion with them I may receive the strength I need.
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Hazled in Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, Minnesota 55012. This is Kurt. I'm an alcoholic.
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We hope you enjoy today's readings. You can also receive Transitions Daily via email and discuss
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today's readings in our secret Facebook group. So for more information, go to dailyAAemails.com
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Other than the 24 hours a day reading, unless otherwise specified, all quotes copyright
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alcoholics anonymous World Services Inc. 1952 through 2001.