HOPE

Definition of Hope:
A feeling of expectation and desire

Synonyms of Hope:
Aspiration, desire, wish, expectation, ambition, plan, dream, etc.

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs. Readers are encouraged to click external links for more detail. We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.
By working our program, we gain confidence and new vision.

As our faith grows, so does our connection to God. God is the source of hope, of all the strength and understanding we need for any challenge or creative endeavour.  –In God’s Care/Karen Casey | More…

Step Two became a reinforcement with God, and I now realize that my insanity and ego were curiously linked. To rid myself of the former, I must give up the latter to One with far broader shoulders than my own. –Daily Reflections | More…

I look at the world and I discover an order, a pattern to life, a balance within the system. In this observation I find hope. If I continue to go with the flow of life, I will find peace and stability. –Father Leo’s Meditations | More…

There is a time when we first come into program when we need to just sit back and receive. We come in a desperate state, empty of love and acceptance, with nothing to guide us and no place to go.

We learn to feel our emptiness and to accept resting on others and being supported. Then we begin to “get it.” The tingling excitement of hope is aroused in us. A source of power to live is discovered inside of ourselves. –One Day At A Time 05/09 | More…

As using addicts, despair was our relentless companion. In a sense, our First Step admission of powerlessness was an acknowledgment of despair.

Steps Two and Three lead us gradually out of that despair and into new hope, the companion of the recovering addict. Having accepted that so many of our efforts to change have failed, we come to believe that there is a Power greater than ourselves.

We believe this Power can—and will—help us. We practice the Second and Third Steps as an affirmation of our hope for a better life, turning to this Power for guidance. As we come to rely more and more on a Higher Power for the management of our day-to-day life, the despair arising from our long experiment with self-sufficiency disappears. –Just for Today | More…

Our relationships were dying.
This is because addiction is death.

And recovery is life!
The Steps breathe life into us.

Our groups breathe life into us.
We start to heal because we once again feel hope.

As our hope grows, others feel it too.
We’re starting to slowly rebuild our world. We’re building our world on the Twelve Steps and their message of hope. –Keep It Simple | More…

Most of us have seen death close up… but we also have known the sort of hope that makes the heart sing…. If you are a problem drinker, you already know enough about pain and loneliness. We’d like you to find some of the peace and joy we have found in meeting the reality of life’s ups and downs with a clear head and a steady heart. –Living Sober | More… (p.86)

What makes A.A. work? The first thing is to have a revulsion against myself and my way of living. Then I must admit I was helpless, that alcohol had me licked and I couldn’t do anything about it.

The next thing is to honestly want to quit the old life. Then I must surrender my life to a Higher Power, put my drinking problem in His hands and leave it there.

You are so made that you can only carry the weight of twenty-four hours, no more. If you weigh yourself down with the years behind and the days ahead, your back breaks.

God has promised to help with the burdens of the day only. So forget that which lies behind you and breathe in the blessing of each new day. –24 Hours | More…

It’s not up to us if anyone accepts the message or not. This keeps us from playing God. We just gently deliver the message. We don’t force the program down people’s throats.

In general, Step Twelve tells us, “Be helpful to those we can help.” Step Twelve reminds us that we make a difference. We have hope to give the world.  –Keep It Simple | More…

Gradually, as we become more God-centered than self-centered, our despair turns to hope Our First Step admission of powerlessness was an acknowledgment of despair. Steps Two and Three lead us gradually out of that despair and into new hope, the companion of the recovering alcoholic. Having accepted that so many of our efforts to change have failed, we come to believe that there is a Power greater than ourselves. We believe this Power can—and will—help us. –Just For Today |More…