Slogans --Wisdom
Written in Shorthand!
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Alcoholics Anonymous
AA formally uses these Simple Slogans to assist
members to recover during difficult periods. |
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Al-Anon Family Groups
Al-Anon formally uses the above AA Slogans as well
as these slogans to assist members to recover during difficult periods. |
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Let go and let God
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This too shall pass
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Let it begin with me
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Just for today
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Courage to change
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Reality Checks |
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Where ever you go .......there you are
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You are not alone
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Stay sober for yourself
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Look for similarities rather than differences
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Remember your last drunk, use, bet, etc
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Remember that addiction is incurable,
progressive, and fatal
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It takes time to get better
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Depression is anger toward inward
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The lesson I must learn is simply that my
control is limited to my own behavior, my own attitudes
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The flip side to forgiveness is resentments
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The elevator is broken-------use the 'steps'
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It isn't the load that weighs us
down------it's the way we carry it
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If I think, I won't drink. If I drink, I
can't think
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Sick and tired of being sick and tired
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This is a selfish program
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I drank, ate, gambled, etc: too much---too
often---too long
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Minds are like parachutes----they won't work
unless they're open
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When your head begins to swell your mind
stops growing
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A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the
first step
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When a person tries to control their
addiction they have already lost control
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Staying Abstinent |
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Poor me.....Poor me...... Pour me a drink!
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It's the "first" drink that gets you
drunk
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One alcoholic talking to another........
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Do it sober
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Every recovery from addiction began with one
sober Minute
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The first step is the only step a person can
work perfectly
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you are not required to like it, you're only
required to DO IT
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Your 12 step program will work if you want it
to work
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Keep coming back
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If
you want to drink-----that is your business, if you want to
quit-------that is our business
Don't compare---identify, don't
intellectualize----utilize
Stay away from the First Drink, Drug, Bet (apply your specific
addiction here)
Nothing is so bad, using won't make it worse
Most folks commit suicide with a knife and
fork (Eating disorders)
First we stayed sober because we have to...
then we stay sober because we are willing to.... finally we stay
sober because we want to...
One drink is too many and thousand not enough
Try not place conditions on your sobriety
Bring the body and the mind will follow
We
all have another drunk left in us but we don't know if we have
another recovery in us
Be as enthusiastic about recovery as you
were about your addiction
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Daily Living |
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Be part of the solution, not part of the
problem
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Use the 24-hour plan
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Live in the NOW
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Take the cotton out of your ears and put it
in your mouth
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To keep it (recovery), you have to give it
away
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What goes around, comes around
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Keep an open mind
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If you find a path with no obstacles, it
probably doesn't lead anywhere
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To thine own self be true
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There are two days in every week which we
have no control over----yesterday and tomorrow. today is the only
day we can change.
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When wallowing in your self-pity ...... get
off the cross! We need the wood
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Learn a new dance - the old "Cross - Pot
Shuffle" is out of vogue
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Act as if.........
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It is not the experience of today that drives
people mad----it is the remorse or bitterness for something which
happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
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Get it ---give it---grow in it
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Every day is a gift that is why we call it
the 'present'
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Dry and tighten up (financially)
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Before engaging your mouth, put your mind in
gear!
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Recovery is an education without a graduation
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Easy does it, but do it
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When all else fails, follow directions
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Addicts heal from the outside in.........but
feel from the inside out
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Stick with the winners
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Look after the Little Things
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Keep coming back..........it works if you
work it
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Sobriety is a journey ..........not a
destination
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We are only as sick as our secrets
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Share your happiness
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Share your pain
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Count your blessings
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We're responsible for the effort - not the
outcome!
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Sorrow is looking back, Worry is looking
around
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Formula for failure: try to please everyone
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Humility is our acceptance of ourselves
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Enjoy your Recovery |
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Sober `n` crazy
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How does one become an "old-timer" ? Don't
drink or use and don't die!
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We addict's are 'gifted' people
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We don't carry the alcoholic/ addict - we
carry the message
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The 12 steps tell us how it works; the 12
traditions tell us why it works.........
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Your 12 step program won't ...........keep
you from going to hell.............nor is it a ticket to
heaven............but it will...........keep u sober long
enough.........for you to make up your mind...............which way
you want to go!
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The person with the most sobriety at a
meeting is the one who got up earliest that morning
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Humility is not thinking less of yourself; It
is thinking of yourself less.
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Denial |
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What if.........
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Yeah but......
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If only .......
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Remember when............
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Around recovery or "in" recovery?
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In action we got sympathy-----as long as our
money lasted.
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Your 12 step program never opened the gates
of heaven to let you in, It did open the gates of hell to let you
out
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Danger sign: when your eyes have wandered
from the alcoholic who still suffers and needs help-----to the
faults of those whom the program has already helped!
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There are none too dumb for the 12 step
program - but many are too smart
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I want what I want, when I want it
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Alcoholism is the only disease that tells you
you're all right
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The first step in overcoming mistakes is to
admit them
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Knowledge of "the answers" never made anyone
slip---it was failing to practice "the answers" that were know
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Higher Power |
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I can't .........He can..........I think I'll
let him (steps 1,2,3)
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If it works.........Don't fix it
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Recovery is not something you join, it's a
way of life
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Expect miracles!
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God is never late
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Courage is faith that has said its prayers
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There is a god and I am not it
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Faith is a lighted doorway, trust is a
darkened hall
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We had to quit playing god
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There are no atheists in foxholes
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Possibilities and miracles are one in the
same
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The will of God will never take you where the
grace of God will not protect you
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When we surrender to our higher power, the
journey begins
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I came -I came to - I came to believe
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Faith without works is dead
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Get out of the driver's seat.......let go and
let god
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Fear is the absence of faith
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When man listens, God speaks; when man obeys,
God works
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The task ahead of us is never as great as the
power behind us
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If God seems far away, who moved ?
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If faith without works is dead; then
.........willingness without action is fantasy
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Turn it over, the results are in god's hand
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Willpower = our will-ingness to use a higher
power
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Remember nothing is going to happen today
that you and God can't handle
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Man's extremity is god's opportunity
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AA = Altered Attitudes
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I can't handle it God; you take over
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God answers "knee mails"
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Backsliding begins when knee-bending ends
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Spirituality is the ability to get our minds
off ourselves
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There is no chemical solution to a spiritual
problem
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Faith is our greatest gift; sharing it with
others our greatest responsibility
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Serenity |
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Respect the anonymity of others
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Try to replace guilt with gratitude
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Let go of old ideas
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Change is a process, not an event
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Take what you can use and leave the rest
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The price for serenity and sanity is
self-sacrifice
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You can't give away what you don't have
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There are 12 steps in the ladder of complete
sobriety
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Sponsorship |
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Sponsors: have one-----use one-----be one
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When you are a sponsor, you get out of
yourself
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If I serve, I will be served
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Call your sponsor
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Make use of the telephone therapy
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Call your sponsor before, not after, you take
the first drink
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Help is only a phone call away
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There are no coincidences in recovery
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It works -------it really does !
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Your Big Book is your sponsor too
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Willingness is the key
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More will be revealed
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Be nice to newcomers .........one day they
may be your sponsor
"You will intuitively know" AA Promises
click here to read the AA Promises in full
You will be amazed
12 step programs are a school in which we are
all learners and all teachers
No pain.........no gain
You either is-------or you ain't (clean)
Some of us our sicker than others
We're all here because we're not all there
Alcoholism / addiction is an equal
opportunity destroyer
The road to sobriety is a simple journey for
confused people with a complicated disease
Pass it on
You received without cost, now give without
charge
It's in the book
Before you say: I can't ............say I'll
try
Don't quit 5 minutes before the miracle
happens
Practice an attitude of gratitude
Another friend of Bill W's ( Bill Wilson is
the co-founder of AA )
God will never give you more than you can
handle
Have a good day unless of course you have
made other plans
Decisions aren't forever
90 meetings in 90 days.........90/90
Don't drink, don't think, read the Big Book,
and go to meetings
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Recovery Acronyms and Word Associations |
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H.A.L.T. - hungry, angry, lonely, tired Stop
everything and get back into recovery
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H.O.W - honesty, open-mindedness and
willingness
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Kiss---keep it simple sweetie
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Anger is but one letter away from danger
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Fear is the darkroom where negatives are
developed
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FEAR (f--- everything and run)
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Faith is spelled ...............a-c-t-i-o-n
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We can be positive that our drinking was
negative
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The 7t's ---take time to think the thing
through
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EGO - Edge God Out
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The 3 T's of gratitude to repay for our
sobriety: our time, our talent, our treasure
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Keep your sobriety first, to make it last
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Fear stands for Frustration
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Carry the Message |
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The only thing we take from this
world when we leave is what we gave away
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We give it away to keep it
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Trust god.........clean
house........help others
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There are members who MAKE things
happen there are members who WATCH things happen there are members
who DON'T KNOW anything happen WHICH ARE YOU ?
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Relationships |
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Active alcoholics don't have
relationships; they take hostages
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The lesson I must learn is simply
that my control is limited to my own behavior, my own attitudes
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The Tools Of Recovery |
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12 step Meetings - Attend at least
one meeting a week
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Plan of Recovery - Draw up a
schedule of daily recovery actions with your sponsors help
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Telephone - Use the telephone with
other 12 step members to avoid Isolation and keep clean
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Sponsor - Get a sponsor and Be a
sponsor
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Writing - Put things down on paper
instead of letting them roll around in your head
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Service - Ste up the meeting room,
chair a meeting, clean up the room after the meeting, greet
newcomers.
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Anonymity - Practice the non use of
gossip to make yourself feel better
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Approved Literature - Read the
approved 12 step literature
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Spirituality |
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Spirituality is the ability to get our minds
off ourselves
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Bend your knees before you bend your elbow
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GOD = God Orderly Direction
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Accept your admission and Get a new attitude
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There is no magic in recovery only miracles
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The road to disappointment is paved with
expectation
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A "coincidence" is a miracle in which god
chooses to remain anonymous
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It's a pity we can't forget our troubles the
same way we forget our blessings
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We are not human beings having spiritual
experiences; we are spiritual beings having human experiences
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If it isn't God's will ............I can't
make it happen
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If it is meant to be...........I can't stop
it
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Pain is the touchstone of spiritual growth
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Religion is for those who fear
god.........spirituality is for those who have been to hell and
back
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You are exactly where God wants you to be
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To be forgiven - we must forgive
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Time wasted in getting even can never be used
in getting ahead
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Be careful what you pray for; you're liable
to get it
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If you turn it over and don't let go of it,
you will be upside down.
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Serenity is not freedom from the storm but
peace amid the storm
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Trying to pray is praying
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Sobriety delivers everything alcohol promised
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God taught us to laugh again but God please
don't let us forget that we once cried
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Faith is not belief without proof but trust
without reservation
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Meetings |
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A 12 step meeting is where losers get
together to talk about their winnings
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What you hear and see here, stays here!
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AA is the highest priced club in the
world.........if u have paid the dues, why not enjoy the benefits ?
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Chair a meeting
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Share your experience, strength and hope, not
just your garbage
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Isolation is a killer, use your telephone
list, come to an extra meeting, reach out and help the newcomer or
struggling member.
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Each and every alcoholic / addict ----sober
or not----teaches us some valuable lessons about ourselves and
recovery
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When you do all the talking you only learn
what you already know
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Seven days without a meeting makes one WEAK
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AA has a wrench to fit every nut that walks
through a meeting room door
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12 step programs may not solve all your
problems but are willing to share them
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The time to attend a meeting is when you
least feel like going
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AA Sayings |
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Don't watch the "slippers" but watch those who don't slip closely and watch them go through
difficulties and pull through
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Work the program from the waist up
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Some people are so successful in AA that they
turn out to be almost as good as they used to think they were when
they were drinking.
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AA spoils your drinking!
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In AA we get understanding------for nothing!
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Anonymity is so important it's half of our
name
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Even my worst day in sobriety / clean is
better than my best day drunk / using
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When all else fails.........the directions
are in the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous)
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If we don't grow, we gotta go
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Read AA approved literature. Other books and
materials, while they may be excellent, are usually only one
individuals slant on a subject.
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All you need to start your own AA meeting is
a resentment and a coffee pot!
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Why recovery never ends: the disease is
alcoholISm, not alcoholWASM!
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The AA way of life is meant to be bread for
daily use, not cake for special occasions
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The smartest thing an AA member can say is, "
help me "
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It takes the good and bad AA meeting----the
good and bad AA talk -----to make the fellowship "work"
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3 A's in AA-----affection (thoughtfulness)
-----attention (listening) -----appreciation (gratitude)
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Slippers in AA use the RDP---revolving door
policy
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AA works for people who believe in god AA
works for people who don't believe in god. AA NEVER works for people
who believe they ARE god
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The AA Promises |
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If we are painstaking about this phase of our
development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.
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We are going to know a new freedom and a new
happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on
it.
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We will comprehend the word serenity and we
will know peace.
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No matter how far down the scale we have
gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
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That feeling of uselessness and self-pity
will disappear.
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We will lose interest in selfish things and
gain interest in our fellows.
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Self-seeking will slip away.
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Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will
change.
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Fear of people and of economic insecurity
will leave us.
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We will intuitively know how to handle
situations which used to baffle us.
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We will suddenly realize that God is doing
for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They
are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. The
will always materialize if we work for them.
Reprinted
from Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition p. 84
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The Addict's Paradoxes: |
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From weakness (adversity) comes strength
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We forgive to be forgiven
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We suffer to get well
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We surrender to win
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We die to live
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From darkness comes light
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From dependence we found independence
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