THE BOND OF SELFLESSNESS – “Make us servants of Your will and grant us a bond of selflessness, that this may truly be Your work, not ours – in order that no addict, anywhere, need to die from the horrors of addiction.” (The Basic Text,p. xi on the self)
NO TIME TO WASTE. JUMP INTO ACTION & OCCUPY LOVE TODAY! “But if a willing start is made, then the great advantages of doing this will so quickly reveal themselves that the pain will be lessened as one obstacle after another melts away.” (12 & 12, pp. 77 – 78)
“We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.”
– Patrick Henry (1738-1799) U.S. Revolutionary War Statesman
ACCESSING OUR H.P. IN THE NOW – “Our actions may have left permanent physical or emotional scars… . We must somehow learn to live with such things.” “We may have difficulty in forgiving ourselves, but we can ask for the forgiveness of a loving God [or H.P.]” (It Works, How & Why, pp. 64 – 65)
Today’s SFZ
“THE TRIANGLE OF SELF-OBSESSION” – “People, places, and things cannot possibly fill the emptiness inside of us, and we react to them with resentment, anger, and fear. Resentment, anger, and fear make up the triangle of self-obsession. All of our defects of character are forms of these three reactions.” (NA Information Pamphlet #12 on being selfish)
“When it comes to ego deflation, few Steps are harder to take than Five. But scarcely any Step is more necessary to longtime sobriety and peace of mind than this one.” (12 & 12 p. 55)
“Money has always been a problem for us. We could never find enough to support ourselves and our habits.” (12 & 12, p. 130)
“Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.”
– Lucius Annaeus Seneca (BCE 3-65 CE) Roman philosopher
TO ACCEPT YOURSELF BEGIN IN THE HEART –
“Changing such self-
defeating attitudes is es-
sential to recovery … .” “We
are seeking genuine change,
not denial. And the first step in
changing our attitudes is be-
coming aware of them, a pro-
cess that rarely happens
overnight.” (How Al
Anon Works, p. 77)
CUZ “PNP” (PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION) GETS US WHERE WE NEED TO BE –
“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 ra
ther than spiritual per
fection.” (The Big
Book, p. 60)