Favorite/Least Favorite Slogan

If Not For Grace · Jul 20, 2011

I'm sponsoring a new kid in our group (one I honestly don't have alot of hope for) so

I had had to remind mysel of an oldie but a goodie

"KEEP AND OPEN MIND" and the one I have the hardest time with "EASY DOES IT"

blue fire · Dec 22, 2011

Let go, Let GOD. Its on my keychain.

Autumnleaf · Dec 29, 2011

One of the guys I know says, When you do the take what you need and leave the rest just be sure you remember where you left it because if you're like me eventually you'll probably need it later in sobriety.

Sometimes, 'Keep a plug in the jug.' annoys me.

If Not For Grace · Feb 19, 2012

Live and Let live is one I need up on the wall this week. I have always said there should be a semi-colon after the word live. If I am busy living I am too busy to be involved in things that are just not my business. So in my case

Get busy and Get Better might be better suited. I have been having a self pity party because I have been sick and people are not petting me the way I wish they would and I just need to get over it (another of my favorite slogans) and move on.

One I really struggle with is surrender to win, I still have the concept that surrender means defeat and I have never wanted to be defeated. I don't have a problem following those who I deem wiser and consider it smart not to reinvent the wheel but if I call it "surrender" it just brings up all kinds of negative connotations. Too much ego I guess

Godsappointedtime · Mar 6, 2012

"You wont care how much I know unless you know how much I care"

GBTWC · Mar 24, 2012

"god of our own understanding" ...the book says "God as we understood Him"

RUKiddingme · Apr 17, 2012

If you google................400 slogans...................you get exactly that. It's a trip

devonian · May 2, 2012

I dislike almost all the slogans, many of them contradict the Big Book, and some of them can kill you:

Put a plug in the jug: This implies that we have the power to do it, we don't God does.

Play the tape through: Implies that the fear of our last drunk will keep us sober, it doesn't, the steps do.

Think through the drink: Implies that our own knowledge can help us. It rarely does.

If you don't drink today, you're a winner: Not too bad, but it implies that willpower is what is needed. Willpower rarely works.

90 in 90: Not a bad idea, but it is the steps that we need, not meetings.

Take what you like and leave the rest: This contradicts the Big Book.

Do a step a month, stay on the first step a year: The Big book says to "launch out on a course of vigorous action"

The problem with the slogans is that some people actually think that they are the 12 steps. They distract people from the real way to recover, by doing the steps.

But I do like: Let go and let God.

tigersgrowl1093 · May 29, 2012

I really love "Progress, not perfection." That is my favorite. Also, don't think this is an official slogan, but "trust your journey." I also like "How important is it?" but I have a difficult time applying it to my life Same with "Let go and let God." Letting go FULLY is such a hard thing, but the burden I cannot bear, I know Jesus can.

There aren't too many I don't like. Some that may not apply to this specific part of my journey, but I can see how they are useful.

madison1101 · Jun 1, 2012

devonian said:
I dislike almost all the slogans, many of them contradict the Big Book, and some of them can kill you:

Put a plug in the jug: This implies that we have the power to do it, we don't God does.

Play the tape through: Implies that the fear of our last drunk will keep us sober, it doesn't, the steps do.

Think through the drink: Implies that our own knowledge can help us. It rarely does.

If you don't drink today, you're a winner: Not too bad, but it implies that willpower is what is needed. Willpower rarely works.

90 in 90: Not a bad idea, but it is the steps that we need, not meetings.

Take what you like and leave the rest: This contradicts the Big Book.

Do a step a month, stay on the first step a year: The Big book says to "launch out on a course of vigorous action"

The problem with the slogans is that some people actually think that they are the 12 steps. They distract people from the real way to recover, by doing the steps.

But I do like: Let go and let God.

I totally agree with you about some of the things that are said at meetings, or by sponsors to newcomers. I always hear "Don't drink, and make a meeting" is all you have to do. They always tell newcomers this, and I believed that for years.

I relapsed after six years of sobriety, and the relapse was made worse by my gastric bypass surgery, because I get drunk on one glass of wine. I shared at a meeting that I had let my meeting attendance lapse and then picked up. A wise old timer shared that it is not meeting attendance that keeps us sober. It is the Steps, as outlined in the Big Book, chapter 5, that gets and keeps us sober. He would share that at every meeting he was at. When I was in rehab, I realized I had not completed ALL 12 Steps. When I got out of rehab, and have gone through the Steps, all of them this time. And I got to work immediately on all of them, including the amends Steps. I checked in with my sponsor on a regular basis to discuss what Step I was working on, and to get her guidance and experience on them. I now have two and a half years of sobriety, and praise God, I was released from the obsession to drink in rehab. I was able to do the first three there, and totally surrender my life to the Lord.

Thanks for reminding me of this. Now, when I share at meetings, I always mention that it is only by working ALL 12 Steps of the program that gets and keeps us sober. Newcomers need to hear that.

madison1101 · Jun 1, 2012

tigersgrowl1093 said:
I really love "Progress, not perfection." That is my favorite. Also, don't think this is an official slogan, but "trust your journey." I also like "How important is it?" but I have a difficult time applying it to my life Same with "Let go and let God." Letting go FULLY is such a hard thing, but the burden I cannot bear, I know Jesus can.

There aren't too many I don't like. Some that may not apply to this specific part of my journey, but I can see how they are useful.

I totally relate to your love of "Progress, not perfection," appreciation. I used to be an all or nothing thinker. Once this saying sunk in, I realized that the only Step I had to work perfectly was the Step One. I have to remember that I am powerless over not only alcohol, but all my addictive behaviors. The other Steps, I do my best each day, and some days are better than others. By God's grace, and through His strength, not mine, I stay sober, "One Day at a Time." That saying is a Biblical concept. Jesus said that we should not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will take care of itself.

I also understand your struggle with "Let Go and Let God." I was always able to let go of the little things. I just could not surrender my will and my life to our Lord. When I was in rehab, after a horrific relapse, I had to deal with a decision that was totally out of my control. My counselor was trying to get me a few more days of rehab from my insurance. I wanted to get out of there. I met with a brother in the Lord each morning for prayer and devotions from the Life Recovery Bible. He encouraged me to give it to the Lord and we prayed together, and I released and surrendered my life to the Lord, and prayed to accept whatever decision the insurance made. When my counselor met with me, he told me that my insurance gave me a week. He was shocked that they gave me that many days, but the guy at the insurance had my record up, and he saw how long I was in outpatient treatment. Since I surrendered in rehab, two and a half years ago, I have been sober, and totally free of the obsession to drink.

ElijahProphet · Feb 24, 2013

Favorite Let go and let GOD

If Not For Grace · Feb 24, 2013

GBTWC said:
"god of our own understanding" ...the book says "God as we understood Him"

Thank you for pointing that out-cause it does change the whole perspective-how have I not picked up on that BF?

If Not For Grace · Mar 18, 2013

Pg. 79 in Courage to Change- Reading for Mar. 19

"I came to Al-Anon with a compulsion to focus on other people. I had a clear idea of how everyone should behave in every situation and felt very self-righteous when they didn't follow my rules of conduct. When I realized that my own life was being neglected because all my attention was elsewhere, I had to make some major changes.
... Today, I still have to be vigilant about minding my own business. I know that when my thoughts begin with "He should" or "She shouldn't" I am probably in trouble. I don't have the answers for other people. I don't make the rules for appropriate behavior, good business conduct, driver courtesy, or common sense. I don't know what is best for others because I don't know the lessons their Higher Power is offering them. I only know that if I'm caught up in what they should or should not do, I have lost my humility. I have also ceased to pay attention to myself. Nine times out of ten, I am focusing on someone else to avoid looking at something in my own life."

Today's Reminder

I grow in my ability to relate to others when I allow them to be exactly as they are. The greatest gift I can give to myself is my own attention.

If Not For Grace · Mar 20, 2013

Probably the most famous Slogan of all 12 Step Programs is ODAT-One Famous AA Member Kris Kristofferson helped write a song about it that was made famous by Christy Lane some years back. One of the Daily Readers is named One Day at A time..

Sweet Time...the stuff life is made of or at least measured by...

~ WALK IN DRY PLACES ~

LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME

Time Management

Its surprising that some alcoholics learn how to live one day at a time while drinking. It had to work that way, or their drinking life would have been even more intolerable. It was convenient to shut off thoughts of tomorrow if one had enough money to drink today. It was also convenient to blot out thoughts of yesterday, which only meant remorse.

In sobriety, living one day at a time is an excel-lent way to focus our minds so we can pour our energies into the work at hand. In reviewing the wasted yesterdays, we can always find ways that we could have been more productive and effective. But we missed opportunities because we were still struggling with regrets or fearing what might hap-pen in the future.

Its never too late to change all that.

We need neither regret the past nor fear the future.

The AA secret is to make the best of todays challenges. It may mean just chipping away at a massive problem that seems insurmountable. Living just for today, we can do todays job well.

Ill live comfortably and happily in the here and now. This means releasing the past and accepting the future as something Ill deal with at the proper time.

If Not For Grace · Mar 23, 2013

"call things that be not as though they were"

~ WALK IN DRY PLACES ~

ACT AS IF (or Fake it until you Make it)

Finding Direction

Though it sounds like a game or a trick, theres great power in acting as if. This means acting as if weve already succeeded, acting as if we expect everybody to cooperate with us, acting as if weve already reached whatever goal were seeking.

The principle behind this approach is that such acting helps focus our minds and energies on goals. Its also important to believe that our success is inevitable if we are truly on the right path.

We should not employ this principle superstitiously or assume its a substitute for intelligent work and good judgment. It will be a substantial aid, however, in helping us eliminate the self-doubt and pessimism that dog so many alcoholics during their quest for sobriety. Too often, low self-esteem and a faulty belief that nothing will turn out right have led us to sabotage our own efforts.

We should go into any venture with the idea that weve already succeededthat much good is going to come out of it, even if the exact outcome is somewhat different from what we had in mind. Acting as if is just what we might need to summon our powers for the duties ahead.

An old saying affirms that if God be for me, who can be against me? Ill carry on today with the confidence that my Higher Power is guiding all my efforts in the right direction.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation

If Not For Grace · Mar 28, 2013

Prehaps it is the most famous for a reason ODAT

If Not For Grace · Mar 28, 2013

JFT

If Not For Grace · May 10, 2013

Fully Relying On God

You are reading from the book Twenty Four Hours a Day Hardcover (24 Hours)

Thought for the Day

We alcoholics used so little self control when we were drinking; we were so absolutely selfish, that it does us good to give up something once in a while. Using self-discipline and denying ourselves a few things is good for us. At first, giving up liquor is a big enough job for all of us, even with God's help. But later on, we can practice self-discipline in other ways to keep a firm grip on our minds so that we don't start any wishful thinking. If we daydream too much, we'll be in danger of slipping. Am I practicing enough self-discipline?
...
Meditation for the Day

In material things, you must rely on your own wisdom and that of others. In spiritual things, you cannot rely so much on your own wisdom as on God's guidance. In dealing with personalities, it is a mistake to step out too much on your own. You must try to be guided by God in all human relationships. You cannot accomplish much of value in dealing with people until God knows you are ready. You alone do not have the power or wisdom to put things right between people. You must rely on God to help you in these vital matters.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may rely on God in dealing with people's problems. I pray that I may try to follow His guidance in all personal relationships.

If Not For Grace · May 19, 2013

You are reading from:

~ WALK IN DRY PLACES ~

PRINCIPLES ARE ENDURING Problem Solving

We often emphasize Principles before personalities in Twelve Step programs, sometimes without fully understanding what's involved. The real message of this slogan is that we should treat people equality while following certain guidelines in our own actions.

While we are influenced by strong personalities, we cannot rely on them for complete guidance and direction. People can betray us or simply fail us through no fault of their own. Principles, on the other hand, are enduring and will be with us long after personal relationships wither away.

One unfailing principle for living is to live each day remembering that God is guiding and directing all actions and outcomes. While we will be grateful for the assistance and cooperation of others, we will not hold them responsible for our successor failures.

I'll live today with the belief that God's good plan is working gin all people's lives. I will not expect too much or too little of others, but rather will deal wit them fairly and decently.

Favorite/Least Favorite Slogan

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Newbie

Legend

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Watching for His return

God bless the Working class

Newbie

Junior Member

Looking Towards the East.

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Newbie

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Legend-but then so's Keith Richards

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency