Hope is knowing that “this too, shall pass.” Hope is knowing that no mater how afraid we are, God will be with us. Hope is believing good will, even in bad times.

If anything, we have tended to be people who have wanted it all now.

“Acting as if” is just what we might need to summon our powers for the duties ahead.Īn old saying affirms that “if God be for me, who can be against me?” I’ll carry on today with the confidence that my Higher Power is guiding all my efforts in the right direction. that much good is going to come out of it, even if the exact outcome is somewhat different from what we had in mind. We should go into any venture with the idea that we’ve already succeeded…. Too often, low self-esteem and a faulty belief that nothing will turn out right have led us to sabotage our own efforts. It will be a substantial aid, however, in helping us eliminate the self-doubt and pessimism that dog so many alcoholics during their quest for sobriety. We should not employ this principle superstitously or assume it’s a substitute for intelligent work and good judgment. It’s also important to believe that our success is inevitable if we are truly on the right path. The principle behind this approach is that such acting helps focus our minds and energies on goals. Though it sounds like a game or a trick, there’s great power in “acting as if.” This means acting as if we’ve already succeeded, acting as if we expect everybody to cooperate with us, acting as if we’ve already reached whatever goal we’re seeking. “If this Conference was ruffled, if individuals were deeply disturbed–I say, ‘This is fine.” What parliament, what republic, what democracy has not been disturbed? Friction of opposing viewpoints is the very modus operandi on which they proceed. in trouble, in impossible trouble, in hopeless trouble. was born out of trouble, one of the most serious kinds of trouble that can befall an individual, the trouble attendant upon this dark and fatal malady of alcoholism. And it has converted that trouble into an asset, into some growth, and into a great promise. “I think that this particular General Service Conference holds promise and has been filled with progress–because it has had trouble. I pray that I may lead a life of victory. I pray that with strength from God I may lead an abundant life. Then you will pass on to victory over all your sins and temptations and you will begin to live a victorious life. Say it until the very force of the utterance drives back and puts to naught all the evils against you. Say it until your heart sings with joy for the safety and personal power that it means to you. Waver not in your faith or in your prayers. Am I receiving strength from the fellowship with other A.A. You listen to the speakers, you talk with other members, and you absorb the atmosphere of confidence and hope that you find in the place. Just being with men and women who have found the way out gives you a feeling of security. Strength comes from the fellowship you find when you come into A.A. I hope that God is as happy with His gift as I am with mine. I need never fool myself by recalling my sometimes differing drinking patterns, or by believing I am “cured.” I like to think that, if sobriety is God’s gift to me, then my sober life is my gift to God.

On many occasions I’ve turned to this page and reflected on this passage. They are true for men and women alcoholics. Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years. To be gravely affected, one does not necessarily have to drink a long time nor take the quantities some of us have. We have seen the truth again and again: “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.” If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol.

Aa daily reflection