NOW AND THEN, I hear a recovering alcoholic refer to the AA program as a selfish program. I fear that such a statement may hinder rather than help our efforts to stay sober and to find the peace of mind and contentment that, as the Big Book says, each of us can enjoy by workingContinue reading “Staying Away From One Defect One Day at a Time – Grapevine Article March 1983 by P.B.”
Category Archives: Wisdom
The Serenity Prayer – Grapevine Article January 1950
…it’s origins are traced… AT long last the mystery of the Serenity Prayer has been solved! We have learned who wrote it, when it was written and how it came to the attention of the early members of AA. We have learned, too, how it was originally written, a bit of information which should layContinue reading “The Serenity Prayer – Grapevine Article January 1950”
The Great Fact – As Bill Sees It #331
We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order.But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven’t got.Continue reading “The Great Fact – As Bill Sees It #331”
Surrender – Grapevine Article June 1974 by T.C.
Some paradoxes in the AA way of life By not hiding my defects, I find them hidden,and by revealing my faults, I see them dissolved. In losing face, I get grace,and the way up is down. In making amends, I am amended,and in dispensing right, right comes to me. By giving it away, I keepContinue reading “Surrender – Grapevine Article June 1974 by T.C.”
We Pay The Piper – Grapevine Article April 1982 by W.H.
Tradition 7 – Every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions A BIG WORD–emancipation. Whatever does it have to do with whether I put something in the basket at an AA meeting? Why do I have to put anything in the basket in the first place? Groups went out of their way,Continue reading “We Pay The Piper – Grapevine Article April 1982 by W.H.”
Dr. Bob The Fundamentals – In Retrospect – Grapevine Article September 1948
It is gratifying to feel that one belongs to and has a definite personal part in the work of a growing and spiritually prospering organization for the release of the alcoholics of mankind from a deadly enslavement. For me, there is double gratification in the realization that, more than thirteen years ago, an all-wise Providence,Continue reading “Dr. Bob The Fundamentals – In Retrospect – Grapevine Article September 1948”
Neither Dependence Nor Self Sufficiency – As Bill Sees It #265
When we insisted, like infants, that people protect and take care of us or that the world owed us a living, then the result was unfortunate. The people we most loved often pushed us aside or perhaps deserted us entirely. Our disillusionment was hard to bear. We failed to see that, though adult in years,Continue reading “Neither Dependence Nor Self Sufficiency – As Bill Sees It #265”
Keeping It Simple – Grapevine Article March 1979 by C.R.
She learned to live her way into good thinking BEFORE I came to AA, I centered my life around intellectual accomplishments and analytic thinking. You name it–I analyzed it! My favorite topics included: (1) me, myself, and I: (2) me and my relationships with other people; and (3) me vs. society and its injustices. YouContinue reading “Keeping It Simple – Grapevine Article March 1979 by C.R.”
The Search For Self-Approval – Grapevine Article October 1967 by M.D.B.
How the AA program deals with our need for self-approval and recognition by others OBSERVE an alcoholic at the ripest point of a bender, and you’ll see a pretty complete demonstration of proven ways to lose friends and alienate people. Almost anything he does, from talking too loudly to burning holes in a hostess’ carpet,Continue reading “The Search For Self-Approval – Grapevine Article October 1967 by M.D.B.”
Self-Pity Can Kill – Grapevine Article February 1973 by J.W.
We can weep, whine, or get drunk–or we can learn to accept OVER AND OVER, through the gaiety of the preholiday season in December 1965, I chanted this litany of despair: “I gave all I had to give, and it wasn’t enough.” And on Christmas night, I made a drunken and almost successful suicide attempt.Continue reading “Self-Pity Can Kill – Grapevine Article February 1973 by J.W.”