Latest / Sober Readings / ...And No More Reservations
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Welcome back to Sober Readings. Today is Monday, March 23rd. Happy Monday. Today's reading from Daily Reflections. And no more reservations. 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. To be gravely affected, one does not necessarily have to drink a long time, nor take the quantities some of us have. This is particularly true of women. Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years. And that's from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, page 33. These words are underlined in my book. They are true for men and women alcoholics. On many occasions, I've turned to this page and reflected on this passage. I need never fool myself by recalling my sometimes differing drinking pattern. 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. I hope God is as happy with his gift as I am with Today's reading from 24 Hours, March 23, AA Thought for the Day. Strength comes from the fellowship you find when you come into AA. Just being with men and women who have found the way out gives you a feeling of security. 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. So ask yourself, am I receiving strength from the fellowship with other AA members? The Meditation for the Day. God is with you. to bless and help you. His Spirit is all around you. Waver not in your faith or in your prayers. All power is the Lord's. Say that to yourself often and steadily. Say it until your heart sings with joy for the safety and personal power that it means to you. Say it until the very force of the utterance drives you back and puts to naught all the evils against you. Use it as a battle cry. All power is the Lord's. Then you will pass on to victory over all your sins and temptations and you will begin to live a victorious life. Today's prayer for the day. I pray that with strength from God I may lead an abundant life. I pray that I may lead a life of victory. And for today's final reading, we're going to the grapevine from September of 2022. And this short reading is titled, Late One Night at the Diner. When I got to my first AA meeting, I hadn't had a drink in five days. After the meeting was over, I didn't know what to do. I was so afraid I'd go to the liquor store. Right then a man walked up to me and he introduced himself. He gave me a big book and a meeting directory and he talked to me. He spent the next four hours with me at a late night diner, one on one. I shared my story and he got me to laugh. He didn't judge me. He assured me I was in the right place, opened the big book, and prayed with me. If that man had not talked to me that night, I probably would have never come back. Today, he's my sponsor. I've learned many things about myself and why I do what I do, why I think what I think, and how to bring God into my life. That man saved me from myself that night. He showed me what walking the 12 steps accomplishes. and that was written by Joseph G. And that is a great example of how it works in the fellowship. A newcomer coming into the meeting and being surrounded by people that have been in the rooms for a while, taking them out to a diner to eat, spending time with him, telling their story so that the newcomer can relate. And I can tell you that I've spent lots of time in diners, either late at night or early in the morning for breakfast or coffee. with members of the fellowship, with friends from the program, and that's how it works. And it works because it makes us feel like we're a part of something. It makes us feel like we're not being judged. It makes us feel like we're not alone anymore. So I'd love to hear your thoughts and your comments on this. Send me an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com, or you can go to my website and fill out that short form. And if you haven't already, While you're at the website, click that scrolling red link that says follow the show. And if you'd to drop a dollar in the donation basket for today's readings, just click that donate button. So I appreciate it. Thank you again, everyone, for listening. Take care of yourselves and each other. And remember, just for today, don't drink, go to a meeting, and keep coming back. Have a great day. And as my friend Larry says, best day ever.