Note: Although we have first hand experience of this dreadful illness called alcoholism (PastorBilly is a recovering alcoholic) the following articles are for informational purposes only.
The articles come from a variety of sources and we strongly advise seeking professional help, should you, or someone you know, suffer from alcoholism.
If you have experience of alcoholism either by yourself, partner, or relative and would like to share your experience with us, then please email your story-testimony to......... PastorBilly@K2Lministry.com
We would love to hear from you, and if your story is acceptable (most will be) we can devote an entire page to you.What Is Alcoholism?Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:
- Craving--A strong need, or urge, to drink. - Loss of control--Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun. - Physical dependence--Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking. - Tolerance--The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high." For clinical and research purposes, formal diagnostic criteria for alcoholism also have been developed. Such criteria are included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association, as well as in the International Classification Diseases, published by the World Health Organization. (See also "Publications," Alcohol Alert No. 30: Diagnostic Criteria for Alcohol Abuse and Dependence.)
Is Alcoholism A Disease?
Yes, alcoholism is a disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems.
Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle.
Is Alcoholism Inherited?
Research shows that the risk for developing alcoholism does indeed run in families. The genes a person inherits partially explain this pattern, but lifestyle is also a factor. Currently, researchers are working to discover the actual genes that put people at risk for alcoholism. Your friends, the amount of stress in your life, and how readily available alcohol is also are factors that may increase your risk for alcoholism.
But remember: Risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn't mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. Some people develop alcoholism even though no one in their family has a drinking problem. By the same token, not all children of alcoholic families get into trouble with alcohol. Knowing you are at risk is important, though, because then you can take steps to protect yourself from developing problems with alcohol.Can Alcoholism Be Cured?
No, alcoholism cannot be cured at this time. Even if an alcoholic hasn't been drinking for a long time, he or she can still suffer a relapse. To guard against a relapse, an alcoholic must continue to avoid all alcoholic beverages.
Can Alcoholism Be Treated?
Yes, alcoholism can be treated. Alcoholism treatment programs use both counseling and medications to help a person stop drinking. Most alcoholics need help to recover from their disease. With support and treatment, many people are able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives.
Which Medications Treat Alcoholism?
A range of medications is used to treat alcoholism. Benzodiazepines (Valium® , Librium®) are sometimes used during the first days after a person stops drinking to help him or her safely withdraw from alcohol. These medications are not used beyond the first few days, however, because they may be highly addictive. Other medications help people remain sober. One medication used for this purpose is naltrexone (ReVia™). When combined with counseling naltrexone can reduce the craving for alcohol and help prevent a person from returning, or relapsing, to heavy drinking. Another medication, disulfiram (Antabuse®), discourages drinking by making the person feel sick if he or she drinks alcohol.
Though several medications help treat alcoholism, there is no "magic bullet." In other words, no single medication is available that works in every case and/or in every person. Developing new and more effective medications to treat alcoholism remains a high priority for researchers.Does Alcoholism Treatment Work?
Alcoholism treatment works for many people. But just like any chronic disease, there are varying levels of success when it comes to treatment. Some people stop drinking and remain sober. Others have long periods of sobriety with bouts of relapse. And still others cannot stop drinking for any length of time. With treatment, one thing is clear, however: the longer a person abstains from alcohol, the more likely he or she will be able to stay sober.
Do You Have To Be An Alcoholic To Experience Problems?
No. Alcoholism is only one type of an alcohol problem. Alcohol abuse can be just as harmful. A person can abuse alcohol without actually being an alcoholic--that is, he or she may drink too much and too often but still not be dependent on alcohol. Some of the problems linked to alcohol abuse include not being able to meet work, school, or family responsibilities; drunk-driving arrests and car crashes; and drinking-related medical conditions. Under some circumstances, even social or moderate drinking is dangerous--for example, when driving, during pregnancy, or when taking certain medications.Are Specific Groups Of People More Likely To Have Problems?
Alcohol abuse and alcoholism cut across gender, race, and nationality. Nearly 14 million people in the United States--1 in every 13 adults--abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. In general, though, more men than women are alcohol dependent or have alcohol problems. And alcohol problems are highest among young adults ages 18-29 and lowest among adults ages 65 and older. We also know that people who start drinking at an early age--for example, at age 14 or younger--greatly increase the chance that they will develop alcohol problems at some point in their lives.
How Can You Tell If Someone Has A Problem?
Answering the following four questions can help you find out if you or a loved one has a drinking problem:
Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking? Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
One "yes" answer suggests a possible alcohol problem. More than one "yes" answer means it is highly likely that a problem exists. If you think that you or someone you know might have an alcohol problem, it is important to see a doctor or other health care provider right away. They can help you determine if a drinking problem exists and plan the best course of action.
Can A Problem Drinker Simply Cut Down?
It depends. If that person has been diagnosed as an alcoholic, the answer is "no." Alcoholics who try to cut down on drinking rarely succeed. Cutting out alcohol--that is, abstaining--is usually the best course for recovery. People who are not alcohol dependent but who have experienced alcohol-related problems may be able to limit the amount they drink. If they can't stay within those limits, they need to stop drinking altogether.
If an alcoholic is unwilling to get help, what can you do about it?
This can be a challenge. An alcoholic can't be forced to get help except under certain circumstances, such as a violent incident that results in court-ordered treatment or medical emergency. But you don't have to wait for someone to "hit rock bottom" to act. Many alcoholism treatment specialists suggest the following steps to help an alcoholic get treatment:
Stop all "cover ups." Family members often make excuses to others or try to protect the alcoholic from the results of his or her drinking. It is important to stop covering for the alcoholic so that he or she experiences the full consequences of drinking.
Time your intervention. The best time to talk to the drinker is shortly after an alcohol-related problem has occurred--like a serious family argument or an accident. Choose a time when he or she is sober, both of you are fairly calm, and you have a chance to talk in private.
Be specific. Tell the family member that you are worried about his or her drinking. Use examples of the ways in which the drinking has caused problems, including the most recent incident.
State the results. Explain to the drinker what you will do if he or she doesn't go for help--not to punish the drinker, but to protect yourself from his or her problems. What you say may range from refusing to go with the person to any social activity where alcohol will be served, to moving out of the house. Do not make any threats you are not prepared to carry out.
Get help. Gather information in advance about treatment options in your community. If the person is willing to get help, call immediately for an appointment with a treatment counselor. Offer to go with the family member on the first visit to a treatment program and/or an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
Call on a friend. If the family member still refuses to get help, ask a friend to talk with him or her using the steps just described. A friend who is a recovering alcoholic may be particularly persuasive, but any person who is caring and nonjudgmental may help. The intervention of more than one person, more than one time, is often necessary to coax an alcoholic to seek help.
Find strength in numbers. With the help of a health care professional, some families join with other relatives and friends to confront an alcoholic as a group. This approach should only be tried under the guidance of a health care professional who is experienced in this kind of group intervention.
Get support. It is important to remember that you are not alone. Support groups offered in most communities include Al-Anon, which holds regular meetings for spouses and other significant adults in an alcoholic's life, and Alateen, which is geared to children of alcoholics. These groups help family members understand that they are not responsible for an alcoholic's drinking and that they need to take steps to take care of themselves, regardless of whether the alcoholic family member chooses to get help.
The Twelve Steps To Recovery (from Alcoholics Anonymous)
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. 11. Sought though prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Biblical References For The Twelve Steps Step One: We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and dysfunctions
and that our lives had become unmanageable.--For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:
for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is
good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil
which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not,
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. --Romans 7:18-20
Genesis 4:7
Psalm 6:2-4
Psalm 10:14
Psalm 13:1
Psalm 18:6
Psalm 22:1-2
Psalm 25:16-18
Psalm 30:10
Psalm 31:22
Psalm 38:1-9
Psalm 40:17
Psalm 44:15-16
Psalm 69:1-3
Psalm 69:33
Psalm 88:1-4
Proverbs 14:12
Proverbs 26:12
Matthew 9:36
John 8:34-36
Romans 3: 10 & 23
Romans 7:5-6
Romans 7:24-25
Romans 8:9-10
1 Corinthians 10:13-14
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Ephesians 2:1-2
1 Peter 5:6-7Psalm 5:1
Psalm 6:6-7
Psalm 12:5
Psalm 16:4a
Psalm 18:27
Psalm 22:11-13
Psalm 28:1-2
Psalm 31:9-10
Psalm 34:18
Psalm 39:4-5
Psalm 42:6-8
Psalm 55:4-8
Psalm 69:20
Psalm 72:12-13
Psalm 102:1-7
Proverbs 18:14
Proverbs 28:26
Mark 4:35-41
John 15:5
Romans 6:23
Romans 7:18-20
Romans 8:1-2
1 Corinthians 8:2
2 Corinthians 1:9
Galatians 5:19-23
James 2:10
2 Peter 2:19STEP 2 - Came to believe that through Jesus Christ we could be restored to right relationship with God the Father, and subsequent sanity and stability in our lives.
--Jesus said unto him,
If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears,
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.--Mark 9:23-24
Exodus 14:14
Psalm 18:1-3
Psalm 20:7-8
Psalm 33:18-22
Psalm 71:1-3
Psalm 107:41-43
Psalm 119:123-125
Psalm 121
Psalm 139:1-6
Psalm 149:14
Proverbs 2:2-12
Matthew 9:12-13
2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Mark 5:35-36
Luke 9:56
Luke 13:10-13
John 3:3-6
John 3:14-18
John 6:28-29
John 6:68-69
John 8:12
John 10:37-39
John 12:46
Acts 3:16
Acts 16:31
Romans 10:1-4
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
2 Corinthians 4:13-14
2 Corinthians 5:21
Philippians 2:13
Hebrews 2:14-18
James 1:17-18Isaiah 1:18-20
Psalm 18:16-19
Psalm 27:13-14
Psalm 46:1-3
Psalm 107:27-31
Psalm 109:21-27
Psalm 119:162-166
Psalm 130
Psalm 142
Proverbs 1:7
Proverbs 15:16
Matthew 20:29-34
Galatians 1:4
Luke 1:37
Luke 11:5-13
Luke 18:35-43
John 6:40
John 5:37-40
John 6:63
John 7:37-39
John 10:9-10
John 11:25-26
John 14:6
Acts 4:12
Romans 8:11, 38-39
Romans 10:13
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Ephesians 2:4-5
Colossians 2:12-14
Hebrews 7:24-25
1 John 4:10
Revelation 3:20Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
--A Psalm of David.
The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want.He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. --Psalm 23
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Psalm 3:5-6
Psalm 9:9-10
Psalm 28:6-9
Psalm 56:3-4
Psalm 62:5-7
Psalm 86:11-13
Psalm 94:17-19
Psalm 143:8
Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs 16:3
Matthew 6:31-34
Matthew 11:28-30
Luke 9:57-62
Luke 24:46-47
John 3:16-18
John 5:24
John 8:1-11
John 12:26
Acts 2:21
Romans 4:20-25
Romans 5:8-11
Romans 6:12-14
Romans 10:9-13
Philippians 3:7-9
Ephesians 1:3-14
Hebrews 4:1-2
1 Peter 1:3-5
1 John 5:4-5Psalm 4:8
Psalm 17:6-8
Psalm 31:19-20
Psalm 61:1-4
Psalm 68:19-20
Psalm 91:1-4
Psalm 116
Psalm 147:11
Proverbs 14:26-27
Matthew 10:37-39
Matthew 16:21-26
Luke 11:2-4
John 1:12-13
John 3:36
John 6:35-40
John 10:17-18
John 17:3
Romans 3:21-24
Romans 5:1
Romans 5:17
Romans 8:1
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Ephesians 2:8-9
Hebrews 4:1-2
1 Peter 1:13-16
1 John 4:15-17
1 Peter 2:24-25Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
--All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes;
but the LORD weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the LORD,
and thy thoughts shall be established. --Proverbs 16:2-3
Psalm 66:18 Psalm 73:21-22
Proverbs 5:3-6
Proverbs 13:13
Proverbs 15:11
Proverbs 16:2-3
Proverbs 20:1
Proverbs 21:9
Proverbs 23:27
Proverbs 25:28
Proverbs 29:1
Proverbs 29:20
Proverbs 30:11-12
Matthew 5:27-32
Mark 7:20-23
Luke 11:33-36
Luke 12:1-6
Luke 16:14-15
Romans 6:16
Romans 8:5-9
Romans 13:11-14
1 Corinthians 4:19-20
1 Corinthians 7:3-16
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
2 Corinthians 10:12
2 Corinthians 13:5
Galatians 6:3-5
Ephesians 5:18
James 2:2-8Psalm 90:8
Proverbs 10:17
Proverbs 14:14-15
Proverbs 15:31-33
Proverbs 19:19
Proverbs 20:19-20
Proverbs 22:24-25
Proverbs 23:29-35
Proverbs 26:20-22
Proverbs 29:11
Proverbs 29:22-23
Ezekiel 36:26-27,31
Matthew 23:23-28
Luke 12:1-6
Luke 12:15
Luke 17:3-6
Romans 7:15
Romans 12:1-3
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
1 Corinthians 15:34
2 Corinthians 7:10
Galatians 5:13-21
Ephesians 5:3-7
Ephesians 5:22-23
1 Timothy 5:8
1 John 1:8
Ephesians 6:1-4Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
--Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,
that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much.--James 5:16
Psalm 32:3-5 Psalm 38:17-18
Psalm 41:4
Psalm 62:8
Psalm 119:66-67
Proverbs 21:2
Proverbs 30:32
Matthew 23:12
Luke 15:4-7
John 3:19-21
Romans 14:12-13
1 Corinthians 11:27-32
Ephesians 4:14-15
Colossians 3:5
James 4:7-8
1 John 1:8-10Psalm 40:11-13
Psalm 51:3-4
Psalm 69:5
Proverbs 16:18
Proverbs 27:17
Proverbs 28:13-14
Luke 5:31
Luke 15:17-20
Acts 19:18
Romans 14:22
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Ephesians 4:25
Hebrews 4:12-16
James 5:16
1 John 2:1-2Step Six: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
--Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,
and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children,
not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
--1 Peter 1:13-16
Psalm 4:4-5 Psalm 16:7-11
Psalm 32:9-11
Psalm 119:10-12
Psalm 139:23-24
Proverbs 3:11-12
Matthew 3:8
Matthew 7:24-27
Romans 6:1-4
Romans 12:1-2
1 Corinthians 15:57
2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Galatians 5:16-17
Ephesians 2:3-5
Ephesians 4:31-32
Colossians 3:5-8
2 Timothy 2:15
Philippians 4:13
James 1:5-6
1 Peter 2:1-2
1 John 2:28-3:3
1 John 4:18Psalm 19:12-13
Psalm 94:12-13a
Psalm 119:28-40
Psalm 141:3-4
Proverbs 17:10
Matthew 5:3
Acts 3:19
Romans 6:11-12
Romans 12:22
2 Corinthians 5:17
Galatians 1:3-5
Ephesians 1:7
Ephesians 4:17-23
Ephesians 5:8-10
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
Titus 2:11-14
Hebrews 6:11-12
James 1:21
1 Peter 2:24
1 John 3:9-10
Revelation 3:19-20Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
--I sought the LORD,
and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears
They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard [him], and saved him out of all his troubles.
--Psalm 34:4-6
Psalm 10:17 Psalm 25:8-11
Psalm 32:6-8
Psalm 37:4-6
Psalm 39:7-8
Psalm 51:10
Psalm 91:14-16
Psalm 119:133
Proverbs 15:33
Proverbs 22:4
Matthew 7:7-11
Matthew 21:21-22
Luke 18:9-14
1 John 5:14-15
Hebrews 12:5-11
1 Peter 5:6-7
1 John 1:9Psalm 32:1
Psalm 34:15
Psalm 37:23-24
Psalm 51:1-13
Psalm 79:9
Psalm 103:2-5
Proverbs 1:7
Proverbs 18:12
Matthew 3:1-2
Matthew 15:22-28
Matthew 18:1-4
Acts 3:19
Philippians 4:19
James 4:6
1 John 3:4-9
1 John 3:22-24Step Eight: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
--Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity,
I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries,
and all knowledge; and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity,
it profiteth me nothing.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;
whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge,
it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child,
I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;
but the greatest of these is charity. --1 Corinthians 13
Psalm 133
Proverbs 14:1
Matthew 5:43-48
Matthew 7:1-5
Matthew 22:36-40
Luke 6:27-28
Luke 10:25-37
John 13:34-35
Romans 12:9
Romans 12:17
Romans 14:7-10
1 Corinthians 13
Philippians 4:5
2 Timothy 1:7
James 5:9
1 Peter 3:8-12
1 John 2:9-11Proverbs 10:12
Proverbs 14:30
Matthew 6:14-15
Matthew 18:21-35
Mark 11:25
Luke 6:37-38
Luke 19:8
Romans 2:1
Romans 12:14
Romans 13:8-10
1 Corinthians 4:5
Philippians 2:3-4
1Thessalonians 3:12-13
James 4:11-12
1 Peter 2:19-23
1 Peter 4:7-8
1 John 4:19-21Step Nine: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
--Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar,
and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way;
first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
--Matthew 5:23-24
Psalm 51:14-17
Proverbs 3:27
Proverbs 15:1-4
Proverbs 16:20-24
Psalm 126:5-6
Matthew 5:9
Matthew 12:35-37
Romans 12:18-21
Romans 15:2
1 Corinthians 8:1-3
Philippians 1:9-11
Colossians 3:12-13
Colossians 4:5-6
Philemon 8-17
James 3:17-18
1 Peter 1:22Psalm 90:17
Proverbs 12:18-20
Proverbs 16:6-7
Proverbs 25:11
Ezekeil 33:14-15
Matthew 7:12
Luke 6:27-30
Romans 14:19
Romans 15:5-6
Galatians 6:7-10
Philippians 4:2
Colossians 3: 18-21
1 Thessalonians 5:15
Hebrews 12:14-15
1 Peter 3:13
1 John 3:17-19Step Ten: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
--For I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt
to every man the measure of faith. --Romans 12:3
Psalm 24:3-5
Psalm 85:8-9
Psalm 103:8-18
Matthew 5:8
Mark 14:38
Luke 12:1-3
John 17:15-17
Romans 12:16
1 Corinthians 3:11-16
1 Corinthians 10:6-13
1 Corinthians 14:4-7,11
Galatians 4:9
Ephesians 5:15-16
Colossians 3:1-3
2 Thessalonians 3:3-5
2 Timothy 2:14-16
Hebrews 2:1-3
Hebrews 9:13-14
Hebrews 12:25
James 1:13-14
1 Peter 1:22-23
1 John 1:9
1 John 2:1-3
2 John 8Psalm 68:5-6
Psalm 101:2-4
Proverbs 12:1
Matthew 26:71-75
Luke 6:41-42
Luke 14:25-35
Romans 12:3
Romans 16:19-20
1 Corinthians 6:12
1 Corinthians 10:23-24
2 Corinthians 10:17-18
Ephesians 4:26-32
Philippians 2:14-15
1 Thessalonians 5:17-22
2 Timothy 2:4-7
2 Timothy 2:20-26
Hebrews 3:7-13
Hebrews 10:35-38
Hebrews 12:28
James 1:19
1 Peter 2:11
2 Peter 3:17-18
1 John 2: 15-17Step Eleven: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
--Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
--Philippians 4:5-7
Psalm 1:1-3 Psalm 50:14-15
Psalm 84:5-12
Psalm 127:1-2Psalm 55:22
Psalm 105:1-4
Proverbs 3:5-6Matthew 5:6 Luke 6:20-26
Luke 12:27-34
Luke 22:42
John 4:13-14
John 14:12-21
John 16:23-27
Romans 5:3-5
Romans 12:10-13
1 Corinthians 14:20
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
2 Corinthians 5:6-9
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Galatians 2:20
Ephesians 1:17-19
Ephesians 5:19-20
Philippians 1:20-21
Philippians 3:7-14
Colossians 3:14-17
1 Thessalonians 3:9-12
2 Timothy 1:12-14
2 Timothy 3:14-17
Titus 3:14
James 1:22-27
1 Peter 5:8-10
1 John 1:7
1 John 5:18-21Luke 6:46-49
Luke 17:7-10
John 3:30
John 8:31-32
John 15:4-11
Acts 20:28-32
Romans 8:26-28
1 Corinthians 10:31
1 Corinthians 15:58
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Galatians 6:14
Ephesians 3:14-20
Ephesians 6:10-18
Philippians 1:27-29
Colossians 2:6-10
Colossians 3:23-24
2 Thessalonians 3:16-17
2 Timothy 2:15
Titus 3:1-7
Hebrews 13:1-16
1 Peter 4:7-11
2 Peter 1:2-8
1 John 5:4-5Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps,
we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.--Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. --Matthew 5:16
Psalm 96:1-2
Luke 12:35-40
John 16:33
Romans 10:14-15
1 Corinthians 15:10
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
2 Corinthians 5:10-11
Galatians 6:1-2
Philippians 1:6
Colossians 1:27-29
1 Thessalonians 2:3-4
1 Thessalonians 5:14
1 Timothy 1:12-16
Hebrews 10:24-25
James 5:19-20
1 Peter 3:15-16
Psalm 40:1-8
Psalm 92:1-4
Psalm 106:1-3
Psalm 111
Proverbs 31:26-31Mark 5:18-20
John 4:34-36
Romans 1:14-17
1 Corinthians 9:22-27
1 Corinthians 16:9
2 Corinthians 4:1-2
2 Corinthians 5:18-20
Ephesians 2:10
Colossians 1:9-13
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12
1 Timothy 1:5
Titus 2:7-8
James 5:7-8
1 Peter 2:9-10
Psalm 22:22-26
Psalm 78:4
Psalm 96:1-2
Psalm 107:1-2
Psalm 145Copyright (C) 1995, 2004 Christians in Recovery, Inc.
Just For Today (from Alcoholics Anonymous)
Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle all my problems at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
Just for today I will be happy. Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Just for today I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires, I will take my "luck" as it comes, and fit myself to it.
Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.
Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out; if anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do a least two things I don't want to do--just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.
Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, keep my voice low, be courteous, criticize not one bit. I won't find fault with anything, nor try to improve or regulate anybody but myself.
Just for today I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.
Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself, and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.
Just for today I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.
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