kobe-ja/AsBillSeesIt · Datasets at Hugging Face

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to twelth-step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional
sobriety.
GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958
When Conflicts Mount
Sometimes I would be forced to look at situations where I
was doing badly. Right away, the search for excuses would
become frantic.
"These," I would exclaim, "are really a good man's faults."
When that pet gadget broke apart, I would think, "Well, if
those people would only treat me right, I wouldn't have to
behave the way I do." Next was this: "God well knows that I
do have awful compulsions. I just can't get over this one. So
He will have to release me." At last came the time when I
would shout, "This, I positively will not do! I won't even try."
Of course, my conflicts went right on mounting, because I
was simply loaded with excuses, refusals, and outright
rebellion.
In self-appraisal, what comes to us alone may be garbled by
our own rationalization and wishful thinking. The benefit of
talking to another person is that we can get his direct
comment and counsel on our situation.
Time Versus Money
Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with
our attitude toward giving money presents an interesting
contrast. We give a lot of our time to A.A. activities for our
own protection and growth, but also for the sake of our
groups, our areas, A.A. as a whole, and, above all, the
newcomer. Translated into terms of money, these collective
sacrifices would add up to a huge sum.
But when it comes to the actual spending of cash,
particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to
turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning
power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have
laid by for emergencies or for education of the kids.
In recent years, this attitude is everywhere on the decline; it
quickly disappears when the real need for a given A.A.
service becomes clear. Donors can seldom see what the
exact result has been. They well know, however, that
countless thousands of other alcoholics and their families
are being helped.
TWELVE CONCEPTS, PP. 66-67
Pain-Killer -- or Pain-Healer
"I believe that when we were active alcoholics we drank
mostly to kill pain of one kind or another -- physical or
emotional or psychic. Of course, everybody has a cracking
point, and I suppose you reached yours -- hence, the resort
once more to the bottle.
"If I were you, I wouldn't heap devastating blame on myself
for this; on the other hand, the experience should redouble
your conviction that alcohol has no permanent value as a
pain-killer."
In every A.A. story, pain has been the price of admission into
a new life. But this admission price purchased more than we
expected. It let us to a measure of humility, which we soon
discovered to be a healer of pain. We began to fear pain less,
and desire humility more than ever.
Toward Partnership
When the distortion of family life through alcohol has been
great, a long period of patient striving may be necessary.
After the husband joins A.A., the wife may become
discontented, even highly resentful that A.A. has done the
very thing that all her years of devotion had failed to do. Her
husband may become so wrapped up in A.A. and his new
friends that he is inconsiderately away from home more than
when he drank. Each then blames the other.
But eventually the alcoholic, now fully understanding how
much he did to hurt his wife and children, nearly always
takes up his marriage responsibilities with a willingness to
repair what he can and accept what he can't. He persistently
tries all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps in his home, often with fine
results. He firmly but lovingly commences to behave like a
patner instead of like a bad boy.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 118-119
Rebellion or Acceptance
All of us pass through times when we can pray only with the
greatest exertion. Occasionally we go even further than this.
We are seized with a rebellion so sickening that we simply
won't pray. When these things happen, we should not think
too ill of ourselves. We should simply resume prayer as soon
as we can, doing what we know to be good for us.
A man who persists in prayer finds himself in possession of
great gifts. When he has to deal with hard circumstances, he
finds he can face them. He can accept himself and the world
around him.
He can do this because he now accepts a God who is All --
and who loves all. When he says, "Our Father who art in
heaven, hallowed be Thy name," he deeply and humbly
means it. When in good meditation and thus freed from
clamors of the world, he knows that he is in God's hands,
that his own ultimate destiny is really secure, here and
hereafter, come what may.
Love + Rationality = Growth
"It seems to me that the primary object of any human being
is to grow, as God intended, that being the nature of all
growing things.
"Our search must be for what reality we can find, which
includes the best definition and feeling of love that we can
acquire. If the capability of loving is in the human being, then
it must surely be in his Creator.
"Theology helps me in that many of its concepts cause me to

to twelth-step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional

sobriety.

GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958

When Conflicts Mount

Sometimes I would be forced to look at situations where I

was doing badly. Right away, the search for excuses would

become frantic.

"These," I would exclaim, "are really a good man's faults."

When that pet gadget broke apart, I would think, "Well, if

those people would only treat me right, I wouldn't have to

behave the way I do." Next was this: "God well knows that I

do have awful compulsions. I just can't get over this one. So

He will have to release me." At last came the time when I

would shout, "This, I positively will not do! I won't even try."

Of course, my conflicts went right on mounting, because I

was simply loaded with excuses, refusals, and outright

rebellion.

In self-appraisal, what comes to us alone may be garbled by

our own rationalization and wishful thinking. The benefit of

talking to another person is that we can get his direct

comment and counsel on our situation.

Time Versus Money

Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with

our attitude toward giving money presents an interesting

contrast. We give a lot of our time to A.A. activities for our

own protection and growth, but also for the sake of our

groups, our areas, A.A. as a whole, and, above all, the

newcomer. Translated into terms of money, these collective

sacrifices would add up to a huge sum.

But when it comes to the actual spending of cash,

particularly for A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to

turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning

power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have

laid by for emergencies or for education of the kids.

In recent years, this attitude is everywhere on the decline; it

quickly disappears when the real need for a given A.A.

service becomes clear. Donors can seldom see what the

exact result has been. They well know, however, that

countless thousands of other alcoholics and their families

are being helped.

TWELVE CONCEPTS, PP. 66-67

Pain-Killer -- or Pain-Healer

"I believe that when we were active alcoholics we drank

mostly to kill pain of one kind or another -- physical or

emotional or psychic. Of course, everybody has a cracking

point, and I suppose you reached yours -- hence, the resort

once more to the bottle.

"If I were you, I wouldn't heap devastating blame on myself

for this; on the other hand, the experience should redouble

your conviction that alcohol has no permanent value as a

pain-killer."

In every A.A. story, pain has been the price of admission into

a new life. But this admission price purchased more than we

expected. It let us to a measure of humility, which we soon

discovered to be a healer of pain. We began to fear pain less,

and desire humility more than ever.

Toward Partnership

When the distortion of family life through alcohol has been

great, a long period of patient striving may be necessary.

After the husband joins A.A., the wife may become

discontented, even highly resentful that A.A. has done the

very thing that all her years of devotion had failed to do. Her

husband may become so wrapped up in A.A. and his new

friends that he is inconsiderately away from home more than

when he drank. Each then blames the other.

But eventually the alcoholic, now fully understanding how

much he did to hurt his wife and children, nearly always

takes up his marriage responsibilities with a willingness to

repair what he can and accept what he can't. He persistently

tries all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps in his home, often with fine

results. He firmly but lovingly commences to behave like a

patner instead of like a bad boy.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 118-119

Rebellion or Acceptance

All of us pass through times when we can pray only with the

greatest exertion. Occasionally we go even further than this.

We are seized with a rebellion so sickening that we simply

won't pray. When these things happen, we should not think

too ill of ourselves. We should simply resume prayer as soon

as we can, doing what we know to be good for us.

A man who persists in prayer finds himself in possession of

great gifts. When he has to deal with hard circumstances, he

finds he can face them. He can accept himself and the world

around him.

He can do this because he now accepts a God who is All --

and who loves all. When he says, "Our Father who art in

heaven, hallowed be Thy name," he deeply and humbly

means it. When in good meditation and thus freed from

clamors of the world, he knows that he is in God's hands,

that his own ultimate destiny is really secure, here and

hereafter, come what may.

Love + Rationality = Growth

"It seems to me that the primary object of any human being

is to grow, as God intended, that being the nature of all

growing things.

"Our search must be for what reality we can find, which

includes the best definition and feeling of love that we can

acquire. If the capability of loving is in the human being, then

it must surely be in his Creator.

"Theology helps me in that many of its concepts cause me to