Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) & NKC Readings

---

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. ​

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety​.

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
 

Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided, you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it – then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
 

Remember that we deal with alcohol – cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power–that One is God. May you find Him now! 

Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. 

We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than our selves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. 

Many of us exclaimed, “What an order! I can’t go through with it.” Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. 

We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.

Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:

(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half- way through.

- 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.

- We will comprehend the word serenity.

- We will know peace.

- No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.

- That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.

- We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.

- Self-seeking will slip away.

- Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.

- Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.

- We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.

- 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. They will always materialize if we work for them.

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone – even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react  sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been  given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That  is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding  temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of  neutrality – safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead,  the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither  cocky nor are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so  long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.

We do readings from the AA Big Blue Book, which is available to read, download, to listen to below and to purchase directly from AA's online store.

We do readings from the Living Sober book, which is available to read, download below and to purchase from AA's online store.

We do readings from the As Bill See's It book, which is available to read, download below and to purchase from AA's online store.

We do readings from the Daily Reflections book, which is available to read, download below and to purchase from AA's online store.

We do readings from the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions book (12&12), which is available to read, download below and to purchase from AA's online store.

Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appal me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

Just for today I will be happy. Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Just for today I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my 'luck' as it comes, and fit myself to it.

Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out; if anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I don't want to do — just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticise not one bit, not find fault with anything and not try to improve or regulate anybody except myself

Just for today I will have a programme. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.

Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.

Just for today I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can and wisdom to know the difference.