Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
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Third Step Prayer
God, I offer myself to Thee-To build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always.
Reprinted with permission by A.A. World Services
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Seventh Step Prayer
"My creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen."
From The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous p. 76
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Eleventh Step Prayer (Also Known as Prayer of St. Francis)
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace! That where there is hatred, I may bring love. That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness. That where there is discord, I may bring harmony. That where there is error, I may bring truth. That where there is doubt, I may bring faith. That where there is despair, I may bring hope. That where there are shadows, I may bring light. That where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort, than to be comforted. To understand, than to be understood. To love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.
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MORNING PRAYER
God direct my thinking today so that it may be divorced from self pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Adapted from The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous p. 86 A Brief History of the Serenity Prayer
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Prayers
The 3 Legacies
12 Traditions
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA unity.
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2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority-- a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
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3. The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.
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4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole.
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5. Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
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6. An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
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7. Every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
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8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
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9. AA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
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10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
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11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.
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12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
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12 Promises
Are these extravagant promises? We think not.
1. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
2. We will not regret the past, nor wish to shut the door on it.
3. We will comprehend the word serenity.
4. We will know peace.
5. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
6. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
7. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
8. Self-seeking will slip away.
9. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
10. Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us.
11. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
12. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
* From the Book ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Chapter 6 - "INTO ACTION" (Page 86) *
1. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
2. We will not regret the past, nor wish to shut the door on it.
3. We will comprehend the word serenity.
4. We will know peace.
5. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
6. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
7. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
8. Self-seeking will slip away.
9. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
10. Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us.
11. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
12. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
* From the Book ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Chapter 6 - "INTO ACTION" (Page 86) *
Letter to Anyone New to A.A.
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your interest in Alcoholics Anonymous. Links on this page are provided to help explain our recovery program and give a general idea of how A.A. works. You will see that the first and most important step in our program is admission by the alcoholic that he or she is powerless over alcohol, and that life has become unmanageable. It is often helpful for the alcoholic to talk with an A.A. member, because it may make it easier to understand the nature of the illness, and to accept A.A. help.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a program of a new way of life without alcohol, a program that is working successfully for millions of men and women throughout the world, and in all walks of life. The experience of A.A. members is that alcoholism is a progressive illness that cannot be cured, but which, like some other illnesses, can be arrested by staying away from the first drink, one day at a time.
We would encourage you to get in touch with the nearest A.A. Central Office or Intergroup to get further information on Alcoholics Anonymous, speak to an A.A. member or find local A.A. meetings. Many of these offices have web sites and email.
A.A. members, as volunteers, are happy to offer help by sharing their experience, strength and hope in staying sober. One of the ways members stay sober is by helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a program of a new way of life without alcohol, a program that is working successfully for millions of men and women throughout the world, and in all walks of life. The experience of A.A. members is that alcoholism is a progressive illness that cannot be cured, but which, like some other illnesses, can be arrested by staying away from the first drink, one day at a time.
We would encourage you to get in touch with the nearest A.A. Central Office or Intergroup to get further information on Alcoholics Anonymous, speak to an A.A. member or find local A.A. meetings. Many of these offices have web sites and email.
A.A. members, as volunteers, are happy to offer help by sharing their experience, strength and hope in staying sober. One of the ways members stay sober is by helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Best wishes, General Service Office
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