Keep it simple aa series#

Furthermore, it may insult some of the more religiously inclined AA members to hear their faith reduced to nothing but fear. To be fair, it does sound rather egotistical for anyone to compare their life of excessive partying to a netherworld of fire and brimstone. Some people replace the word “spirituality” with “AA.” Either way, those who dislike this slogan tend to focus more on the aspect of living in Hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there.” You’ve probably heard this one before: “Religion is for people who are afraid of Hell. Your religion-or even lack thereof-has no bearing on your ability to seek a spiritual remedy.

And if you can’t accept that, then you’re precisely the type of person who might benefit from letting go every once in a while. But if you maintain an atheistic or agnostic point of view, simply remember that God doesn’t define this slogan. If you believe in God, then you shouldn’t struggle too hard with this slogan. We can maintain faith in the universe without defining our Higher Power as some extraterrestrial deity. We must remember, however, that faith is not exclusively religious. Those who dislike AA slogans such as this one often find the word “God” offensive. After that, it’s up to fate.įate, of course, represents God in this slogan. We do our part, and then we hope for the best. Perhaps we need to find a job or a place to live, but we cannot make these things happen by sheer force of will. But when used properly, this slogan reminds us that we cannot control everything. So in some cases, this slogan may not apply to us. If we find ourselves homeless or out of a job, we cannot simply “let go.” In such cases, we must take control of our lives. This is another one of the AA slogans targeted by Whitney as potentially useless for many addicts and alcoholics. Like feathers drifting on the breeze, some things are beyond our control. We must respect that process, or else we risk falling flat. This slogan reminds us that change is a process. Naturally, those who enter recovery often wish to turn their lives around as fast as possible. Perhaps we try to get a new job or enter a new relationship, despite the recommendation that we do not seek new commitments for our first year of recovery. We try to make amends long before reaching Step Nine. In this regard, it bears some similarities to “one day at a time.” When we first enter recovery, we sometimes try to get ahead of ourselves. It’s hard to simplify an already simple slogan, but the main point of this particular adage is that we must take things slowly.

We see it on signs in meeting halls, and we hear people saying it without driving home any sort of a point.īut surely it means something, right? After all, who would repeat such a phrase if they truly believed it lacked substance? Brian Whitney, writing for The Fix, includes it in a list of the worst AA slogans for no other reason than its constant repetition. This might take point as one of the more contentious AA slogans in existence. It’s okay to stop and take a deep breath every once in a while. Lose sight of this, and you just might find yourself picking up a slip chip at the next meeting. Continue to focus on what’s right in front of you, and you can continue to live with a clear conscience. Every moment of every day, we must choose to do the next right thing. It may sound like they’re joking, but quite often they are not. While this most prominent of AA slogans tell us to take life one day at a time, we often hear AA members say that they must take life one hour or one minute at a time.

Keep it simple aa series#

Second, we must realize that life is little more than a series of moments. By focusing on the now, we forgo this trouble and allow ourselves to maintain our sobriety on a daily basis. We worry that we may never amount to anything, and we respond by throwing in the towel. When we worry so much about the future, we can often become despondent. It’s easy for us to wonder if we’ll ever achieve the same as them. We often meet people with decades of sobriety, and this feels imposing. But we can control our own actions right now. We cannot see the future, and we cannot control the universe. One of the most common AA slogans is “one day at a time.” This simple phrase carries two essential messages. We must take life one day at a time, one moment at a time.