Ever have one of those days???

“Some will object to many of the questions posed, because they think their own character defects have not been so glaring. To these it can be suggested that a conscientious examination is likely to reveal the very defects the objectionable questions are concerned with. Because our surface record hasn’t looked too bad, we have frequently been abashed to find that this is so simply because we have buried these self-same defects deep down in us under thick layers of self-justification. Whatever the defects, they have finally ambushed us into alcoholism and misery.” 12 & 12, …read more

Doctor Bob’s Nightmare, page 175;
“I was between Scylla and Charybdis now, because if I did not drink my stomach tortured me, and if I did my nerves did the same thing.”
Can you relate???
Scylla and Charybdis are two sea monsters of Greek mythology situated on opposite sides of a narrow channel of water, so close that sailors attempting to avoid Charybdis will pass too close to Scylla and vice versa. The phrase “between Scylla and Charybdis” has come to mean being in a state where one is between two dangers and moving away from one will cause you to be in …read more

Are you? Bill Wilson was…

 
The Language of The Heart reveals what Bill says about his fourth and fifth steps on page 239;
“Step Four and Step Five, dealing with self-survey and confession of one’s defects, have not been overly difficult, either.
Of course, my self-analysis has frequently been faulty. Sometimes I’ve failed to share my defects with the right people; at other times, I’ve confessed their defects, rather than my own; and at still other times, my confession of defects has been more in the nature of loud complaints about my circumstances and my problems.
Nevertheless, I think I’ve usually been …read more

From the book “Back To Basics” (though I’m certain these definitions might be found anywhere…)
To be used as a guide for a Fourth Step – Liabilities and their definitions.
Resentment – “When we are angry or bitter toward someone for an extended period of time over some real or imagined insult, we are feeling resentment. It is a hostile or indignant attitude in response to an alleged affront or personal injury.”
False Pride – “is either feeling better than or less than someone else. Feelings of superiority include prejudice about race, education or religious beliefs, and sarcasm – putting someone else down …read more

“Indeed, the attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of A.A.’s Twelve Steps. For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all. Nearly all A.A.’s have found, too, that unless they develop much more of this precious quality than may be required just for sobriety, they still haven’t much chance of becoming truly happy. Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose, or, in adversity, be able to summon the faith that can meet any emergency.”
You said you wouldn’t darken my door again. You came back and tried to darken it with …read more

Yeah, I’m sure many will say they are… and I’d be tempted to refer them to the poem JJ shared with us in a recent post.
Self-delusion. Masks.
Of course! Some truly are! How about you?
“We are convinced God wants us to live happy, joyous, and free.” Why did they feel compelled to say this in our Big Book? I believe they knew because they’d been there and many, no doubt, were still there.
“I give you the impression that I’m secure, that all is sunny and unruffled with me, within as well as without.”
Kudos to whomever it was that first offered us …read more

It is my personal hope that I can continue to remain teachable in the light of continuous judgment, character assassination and perpetual anger and hate. Which is why today’s reading is an affirmation, to me…
Learning To Love Ourselves
“Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were surrounded by people who loved us…. We were trying to find emotional security either by dominating or by being dependent on others…. We still vainly tried to be secure by some unhealthy sort of domination or dependence.” As Bill Sees It, pg 252
Ego-maniac with an inferiority complex.
This time, the person who has responded says …read more

From AA’s pamphlet “Questions and Answers On Sponsorship”
What Is Sponsorship?
“An alcoholic who has made some progress in the recovery program shares that experience on a continuous, individual basis with another alcoholic who is attempting to attain or maintain sobriety through A.A”

Fear
Back to the Big Book, pg. 67;
“This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we didn’t deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling? Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble.”
Do you recall what it says in the Third Step about self-sufficiency? It says (on pg. 37 12&12) : “The philosophy of self-sufficiency is not paying …read more