TOPICS – 7 / 1 / 2025
1.THE BEST FOR TODAY
The principles we have set down are guides to progress.
Just as a sculptor will use different tools to achieve desired effects in creating a work of art, in Alcoholics Anonymous the Twelve Steps are used to bring about results in my own life. I do not overwhelm myself with life’s problems, and how much more work needs to be done. I let myself be comforted in knowing that my life is now in the hands of my Higher Power, a master craftsman who is shaping each part of my life into a unique work of art. By working my program I can be satisfied, knowing that “in doing the best that we can for today, we are doing all that God asks of us.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 60
2.SELF LOVE AND HEALING
In the journey of recovery, self-love plays a vital role. It involves accepting oneself, embracing imperfections, and finding happiness within. Letting go of internal biases and material dependencies are essential steps towards healing and personal growth.
3.RIGOROUS HONESTY
Being rigorously honest doesn’t just mean truth-telling — it’s also about self-examination and being honest with self. Take courage to practice rigorous honesty with yourself, God, and others. Speak the truth about yourself with no wiggle room. As you are freed from protecting the past, you then can begin moving forward with your future, honestly recovering your day-to-day thoughts and actions in your relationships with others. The truth will indeed set you free.
4.COPING WITH ANGER
“Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. A burst of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These ‘dry benders’ often led straight to the bottle.”