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“Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.”
“Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.” — Alcoholics Anonymous (1939) · Chapter 5 · How It WorksWhere it comes from
From the opening paragraphs of Chapter 5, immediately before “Half measures availed us nothing.”
Today’s reflectionNot mostly. Not eighty percent. The old ideas — that we could manage it, that one day we’d drink like other people, that asking for help was weakness — kept producing the same result no matter how we rearranged them. The result was nil. Letting go absolutely sounds terrifying until you remember what you’re actually letting go of: ideas with a perfect losing record. What old idea are you still keeping a copy of, just in case?
Read the original passage · How It Works, 1939 →Step 1 · SurrenderQuote from the 1939 first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (public domain). Reflection original to sanantoniosober.com. This site is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
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