Why this addiction destroys many lives

Another example of destruction at the hands of this horrible disease...

Local man sentenced to 8 - 20 years

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Rules for Failing in Gamblers Anonymous Meetings

November 30 - If you're a negative thinker and are not yet ready to do an about face, here are some guidelines that can keep you miserable for just as long as you wish to remain so.  First, don't go to GA meetings.  If you somehow find yourself at a meeting, keep your mouth (and your mind) shut and your hands in your pockets.  Don't try to solve any of your problems, never laugh at yourself, and don't trust other people in the Program.  Above all, under no conditions should you try to live in the Now - just keep feeding your fantasies about the future with unrealities.

Am I aware that negative thinking means taking myself deadly seriously at all times, allowing no time for laughter, or for living?

Today I Pray - If I am feeling negative, may I check myself in the mirror that is the group for any symptoms of a closed mind:  tight lips, forced smile, set jaw, straight-ahead glance - and no glimmer of humor.  God, grant me the ability to laugh at myself - often - for I need that laughter to cope with the everyday commotion of living.

Today I Will Remember - To laugh at myself.

My apologies

Dear Readers ~

Sorry I've been behind on a few posts.  I hope you've still found comfort in your gambling free life, and have remained free of your addiction.  I have been clean now 10 months with your help (My Higher Power), and just busy with living!  But always GA is in the forefront of my life and I will continue to stay on top of this blog, to help you and to help me!

~GA of Grand Rapids

Let Go and Let God, Gamblers

November 29 - Contrary to what some people think, the slogan "Let Go and Let God" isn't an expression of apathy, an attitude of defeatism, or an unwillingness to accept responsibility.  Those who turn that backs on their problems are not "letting go and letting God," but, instead, are abandoning their commitment to act on God's inspiration and guidance.  They neither ask for nor expect help; they want God to do it all.

In seeking God's guidance, do I realize that the ultimate responsibility is mine?

Today I Pray - May I not allow myself to be lazy just because I think God is going to do everything anyway. (Such apathy reminds me of my old powerless self, the one that moaned that the world was going up in smoke, civilization was going down the drain, and there wasn't a think I cold do about it.)  Neither may I use "letting God" do it as my excuse for shrugging off my problems without even trying.  May God be my inspiration; may I be an instrument of God.

Today I Pray - God guides those who help themselves.

Faith in GA should never falter

November 28 - Our faith in God's power - at work in us and in our lives - doesn't relieve us of responsibility.  Instead, our faith strengthens our efforts, makes us confident and assured, and enables us to act decisively and wisely.  We're no longer afraid to make decisions; we're not afraid to take the steps that seem called for in the proper handling of given situations.

Do I believe that God is at work beyond my human efforts, and that my faith and trust in Him will bring forth results far exceeding my expectations?

Today I Pray - May my trust in my Higher Power never falter.  May my faith in that Power continue to shore up my optimism, my confidence, my belief in my own decision making.  May I never shut my eyes to the wonder of God's work or discount the wisdom of His solutions.

Today I Will Remember - Our hope in ages past, our help for years to come.

Turn Dreams into Useful Creativity

November 27 - The Gamblers Anonymous Program shows us how to transform the pipe dreams of our pasts into a comfortable reality and true sense of purpose, together with a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives.  It's all right to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, we're taught, but our feet should remain firmly planted here on earth.  Here's where other people are; here's where our work must be accomplished.

Do I see anything incompatible between my God-consciousness and a useful life in the here and now?

Today I Pray - May my new "reality" include not only the nuts and bolts and pots and pans of daily living, but also my spiritual reality, my growing knowledge of the presence of God.  May the new reality have room, too, for my dreams, not the mind-drifting fantasies of the past or the remnants of my delusions, but the products of a healthy imagination.  May I respect these dreams, anchor them in earth's possibilities, and turn them into useful creativity.

Today I Will Remember - Heaven has a place in the here and now.

Free of the Chains that Bind You

November 26 - During our first days of Gamblers Anonymous, we got rid of the trappings and environments of gambling.  We had to get rid of these, for we knew they surely would have killed us.  We got rid of the situations, but we couldn't get rid of our addiction until we took further action.  So we also had to learn to toss self-pity, self-justification, self-righteousness, and self-will straight out the window.  We had to get off that rickety ladder that supposedly was the easy way to money, property, and prestige.  And we had to take personal responsibility.  To gain enough humility and self-respect to stay alive at all, we had to give up our most familiar possessions - our driven ambition and our unrealistic pride.

Am I well rid of the weights and chains that once bound me?

Today I Pray - May I give credit to my Higher Power not only for removing my gambling compulsion, but for teaching me to remove my old demanding, pushy "self" from all my spiritual and earthly relationships.  For all the things I have learned and unlearned, for my own faith and for the grace of God, I am fully and heartily thankful.

Today I Will Remember - Gratitude for the grade of God.

Not a Kid's Hand in a Candy Dish

November 25 - "What you have may seem small; you desire so much more.  See children thrusting their hands into a narrow necked jar, striving to pull out the sweets.  If they fill the hand, they cannot pull it out and then they fall to tears.  When they let go a few, they can draw out the rest.  You, too, let your desire go; covet not too much", wrote Epictetus.  Let me expect not too much of anyone, particularly myself.  Let me learn to settle for less than I wish were possible, and be willing to accept it and appreciate it.

Do I accept gratefully and graciously the good that has already come to me through the Gamblers Anonymous Program?

Today I Pray - May I search my soul for those little hankerings of want that may keep me from delighting in all that I have.  If I can just teach myself not to want too much, not to expect too much, then when those expectations are not satisfied, I will not be let down.  May I accept with grace what the grace of God has provided.

Today I Will Remember - I, alone, can grant myself the "freedom from want."

Freedom of Gambling Brings Peace

November 24 - Although we came to GA to deal with a specific problem, we soon became aware that we would find not only freedom from addiction, but freedom to live in the real world without fear and frustration.  We learned that the solutions are within ourselves.  With the hlep of my Higher Power, I can enrich my life with comfort, enjoyment, and deep down serenity.

Am I changing from my own worst enemy to my own best friend?

Today I Pray - May I praise my Higher Power for my freedoms - from gambling addiction, from spiritual bankruptcy, from loneliness, from fear, from the seesaw of pride and humiliation, from despair, from delusions, from shallowness, from doom.  I give thanks for the way of life that has given me these freedoms and replaces the empty spaces with extra goodness nad peace of mind.

Today I Will Remember - To give thanks for all my freedoms.

You are not the only actor

November 23 - Before I came to Gamblers Anonymous, I was like an actor who insisted on writing the script, producing, directing, and, in short, running the whole show.  I had to do it my way, forever trying to arrange and re-arrange the lights, lines, sets, and, most of all, the ohter players' performances.  If only my arrangements would stay put, and people whold behave as I wished, the show would be fantastic.  My self delusion led me to believe that if they all would just shape up, everything would be fine.  Of course, it never worked out that way.

Isn't it amazing how others seem to be "shaping up" now that I've stopped trying to manage everything and everybody?

Today I Pray - May I talk myself out of that old urge to control everything and everyody.  Time was, if I couldn't manage directly, I would do it indirectly, through manipulation, secret conferences, and asides.  May I know that, if I am the one who is always pulling the strings on the marionettes, then I am also the one who feels the frustration when they collapse or slip off  the stage.

Today I Will Remember - I can only "shape up" myself.

Fear, Selfishness, or Greed is not all Bad

November 22 - "We succeed in enterprises which demand the positive qualities we possess," wrote de Tocqueville, "but we excel in those who can also make use of our defects."  We learn in Gamblers Anonymous that our defects do have value - to the extent that we use them as a starting point for change and a pathway to better things.  Fear can be a stepping stone to prudence, for example, as well as to respect for others.  Fear can also help us turn away from hate and toward understanding.  In the same way, pride can lead us toward the road of humility.

Am I aware of my direction today?  Do I care where I'm going?

Today I Pray - I pray that my Higher Power will show me how to use my defects in a positive way, because neither - not even fear or selfishness or greed - is all bad.  May I trust that every quality that leads me into trouble has a reverse side that can lead me out.  Pride, for instance, can't puff itself up unduly without bursting and demonstrating that it is, in essence, only hot air.  May I learn from my weaknesses.

Today I Will Remember - Good news out of bad. 

Happy Thanksgiving

A Happy Thanksgiving to all our Members ~ remember the holidays are hard.  If you have urges, call someone on the phone list.  We will answer.  We will help.  We will help you enjoy this day gambling-free day!  Call us!

Wishing you a peaceful, thankful, and giving holiday. 

~always in our thoughts

Online support for gambling issues

I stumbled across a great site to share:

http://www.gamtalk.org/

Check it out.  They are out of Canada.  Great stories, great motivation, great help!

We are never alone!

Adversity can help you grow and heal

November 21 - Adversity introduces man to himself, a poet once said.  For me, the same is true even in imagined adversity.  If I expect another person to react in a certain way in a given situation - and he or she fails to meet my expectation - well, then I hardly have the right to be disappointed or angry.  Yet I occasionally still experience feelings of frustration when people don't act or react as I think they should.  Through such imagined - or, better yet, self-inflicted-adversity, I come face to face again with my old self, the one who wanted to run the whole show.

Is it finally time for me to stop expecting and start accepting?

Today I Pray - May I stop putting words in people's mouths, programming them - in my own mind - to react as I expect them to.  Expectations have fooled me before: I expected unbounded love and protection from those close to me, perfection from myself, undivided attention from casual acquaintances.  On the adverse side, I expected failure from myself, and rejection from others.  May I stop borrowing trouble-or triumph either - from the future. 

Today I Will Remember - Accept.  Don't expect. 

Measure success differently now you are free of gambling

November 20 - I've come to measure success in a whole new way.  My success today isn't limited by social or economic benchmarks.  Success is mine today, no matter what the undertaking, when I tap the power of God within me and allow myself to be an open channel for the expression of His good.  The spirit of success works through me as increased vision and understanding, as creative ideas and useful service - as efficient use of my time and energy, and as cooperative effort with others.

Will I try to keep my mind centered int he realization that within me is the God-implanted power to succeed?

Today I Pray - May I develop a new concept of success, based on measurements of the qualities that come from God's treasured-filled bank of good.  To draw from that bank, all I have to do is look within myself.  May I know that God's riches are the only kind that are fully insurable, because they are infinite.  May I look in God's bank for my security.

Today I Will Remember - Spiritual "success" is my security.

Material wants often lead to compulsive gambling

November 19 - I no longer argue with people who believe that satisfaction of our natural desires is the primary purpose of life.  It's not our business in Gamblers Anonymous to knock material achievement.  When we stop and think about it, no group of people ever made a worse mess of trying to live by that "la dolce vita" formula than we did.  We always insisted on more than our share - in all areas.  And even when we seemed to be winning, that only fueled our compulsion so that we dreamed of still greater winnings.  Our compulsion was never satisfied. 

Am I learning that material satisfactions are simply by-products and not the chief aim of life?  Am I gaining a perspective that puts character-building and spiritual values first?

Today I Pray - May I recognize that I never did handle excesses very well, based on my past experience, I have been apt to "want more" of whatever it is I have - love, winnings, money, property, things.  May the GA Program tech me that I must concentrate on my spiritual, rather than my material bounty.

Today I Will Remember - It's okay to be spiritually greedy.

Learn success when free of gambling

November 18 - "Nothing is enough to the man for whom enough is too little," wrote the Greek philosopher Epicurus.  Now that we're free from gambling,and are building our self-respect and winning back the esteem of family and friend, we have to avoid becoming smug about our new-found success.  For most of us, success has always been a heady brew; even in our new life, it's still possible to fall into the dangerous trap of "big-shotitis."  As insurance, we ought to remember that we're free today only by the grace of God. 

Will I remember that any success I have today is not only mine but God's?

Today I Pray - May I keep a constant string on the finger reminder that I have found freedom through the grace of God - just so I don't let my pride try to convince me I did it all myself.  May I learn to cope with success by ascribing it to a Higher Power, not to my own questionable superiority.

Today I Will Remember - Learn to deal with success. 

Pride can destroy a Gamblers recovery

November 17 - Many of us recovering compulsive gamblers stubbornly cling to false ideas and positions simply because we fear we'd be left defenseless if we admitted having been wrong.  The thought of "backing down" still seems distasteful to some of us.  But we come to learn that our self-esteem soars when we're able to push pride into the background and truly face the facts.  Chances are that people with true humility have more genuine self-esteem than those of us who are repeatedly victimized by pride.

Does pride, either blatantly or deviously, keep me from thorough and continuing attention to the Tenth Step?

Today I Pray - May pride stay out of my way, now that I've found a road to follow.  May I avoid that familiar, destructive cycle of pride - the ego that balloons up out of all proportion and then deflates with a fizzle.  May I learn the value of "backing down."

Today I Will Remember - Pride is the arch-enemy of self-esteem.

Remain Confrontable, Remain Teachable

November 16 - We sometimes hear humility defined as the state of being "teachable."  In that sense, most of us in the Gamblers Anonymous Fellowship who are able to stay free of gambling have acquired at least a smattering of humility, or we never would have learned to stay away from that first bet.  Humility, I have come to know, is being open to listening to others, continuously open to learning. 

Do I see humility as a pathway to continuing improvement?

Today I Pray - Now that I have made a start at developing humility, may I keep it up.  May I open myself to the will of God and the suggestion of my friends in the group.  May I remain teachable, confrontable, receptive, and conscious that I must stay that way in order to be healthy.

Today I Will Remember - To remain confrontable.

Pride in Gamblers Didn't Work...Try Humility

November 15 - As a newcomer to Gamblers Anonymous, I was told that my admission of my powerlessness over gambling was my first step toward freedom from its deadly grip; I soon came to realize the truth of that fact.  In that regard, surrender was a dire necessity.  But for me that was only a small beginning toward acquiring humility.  I've learned in GA that to be willing to work for humility, as something to be desired for itself, takes most of us a long, long time.

Do I realize that a whole lifetime of self-centeredness can't be shifted into reverse in a split second?

Today I Pray - May I search for my own humility as a quality that I must cultivate to survive, not just an admission that I am powerless over my compulsive gambling.  Step One is just hat, step one in the direction of acquiring an attitude of humility.  May I be realistic enough to know that this may talk half a lifetime.

Today I Will Remember - Pride blew it; let humility have a chance. 

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Another Chance for Gamblers

Fellow gambler, take my hand;
I'm your friend, I understand.
I've known your guilt, your shame, remorse;
I've borne the burden of your cross.
I found a friend who offered ease;
He suffered, too, with this disease.
Although he had no magic cure,
He showed me how we could endure.
We talked together side by side;
We spoke of things we had to hide.
We told of sleepless nights and debts;
Of broken homes and lies and threats.
And so my weary gambler friend;
Please take this hand I now extend.
Take one more chance on something new;
Another gambler helping you.

Complulsive Gamblers Must Find Humility

November 14 - First search for a little humility, my sponsor urged me.  If you don't, he said, you're greatly increasing the risk of going out there again.  After a while, in spite of my lifelong rebelliousness, I took his advice; I began to try to practice humility, simply because I believed it was the right thing to do.  I hope sincerely that the day will come when most of my rebelliousness will be just a memory, that then I'll practice humility because I deeply want it as a way of life.

Am I willing to try humility today, if only for a moment?  Will I learn to hunger for the feeling I get from it?

Today I Pray - Since I -  like so many compulsive gamblers - am a rebel, may I know that I will need to practice humility.  May I recognize that humility does not come easily to a rebellious nature, whether I am out and out defiant, dug in negative, or, more subtly, determined in a roundabout way to change everything else but myself.  I pray that by practicing humility it will become instinctive for me.

Today I Will Remember - Get the humble habit.

With Humility, Comes Responsibility

November 13 - All progress can be boiled down and measured by just two word:  humility and responsibility.  It's said that our entire spiritual development can be precisely measured by our degree of adherence to those standards.  Only by abandoning my self-centeredness and maintaining contact with a Higher Power can I achieve true humility.  Only by regaining contact with reality can I develop responsibility. 

Am I trying my honest best to live my standards of humility and responsibility?

Today I Pray - I pray that of all the good words and catch phrases and wisps of inspiration that come to me, I will remember these two above all:  humility and responsibility.  These may be the hardest to come by - humility because it means shooing away my pride, responsibility because I am in the habit of using my gambling addiction as a thin excuse for getting out of obligations.  I pray that I may break these old patters.

Today I Will Remember - First humility, then responsibility. 

Group Power Can Be a Higher Power

November 12 - There are a few "absolutes" in the Gamblers Anonymous Twelve Steps of Recovery.  We're free to start at any point we can, or will. God, as we understand Him, may be defined as simply a "Power greater"; for man of us in the Program, the group itself was the first "Power greater."  And this acknowledgment is relatively easy to make if a newcomer knows that most of the members are free of compulsive gambling and he or she isn't.  This admission is the beginning of humility.  Perhaps for the first time, the newcomer is a least willing to disclaim that he himself - or she herself - is God.

Is my behaviour more convincing to newcomers than my words?

Today I Pray - May I define and discover my own Higher Power.  As that definition becomes clearer and closer to me, may I remember not to insist that my interpretation is right.  For each must find his or her own Higher Power.  If a newcomer is feeling godless and alone, the power of the group may be enough for now.  May I never discredit the power of the group.

Today I Will Remember - Group power can be a Higher Power. 

Humility helps with addiction

November 11 - What, exactly, is humility?  Does it mean that we are to be submissive, accepting everything that comes our way, no matter how humiliating?  Does it mean surrender to ugliness and a destructive way of life?  On the contrary.  the basic ingredient of all humility is simply a desire to seek and do God's will.

Am I coming to understand that an attitude of true humility confers dignity and grace on me, strengthening me to take intelligent spiritual action in solving my problems?

Today I Pray - May I discover that humility is not bowing and scraping, kowtowing, or letting people walk all over me - all of which have built in expectations of some sort of personal reward, like approval or symphony.  Real humility is awareness of the vast love and unending might of God.  It is the perspective that tells me how I, as a human being, relate to the Divine Power.

Today I Will Remember - Humility is awareness of God. 

Humility gives you intelligence

November 10 - When I first came to Gamblers Anonymous, I thought humility was just another word for weakness.  But gradually I learned that there's nothing incompatible between humility and intellect, just as long as I place humility first.  As soon as I began to do that,I was told, I would receive the gift of faith - a faith that would work for me as it has worked and continues to work for countless others who have been freed of their gambling addiction and have found a new way of life in the GA Program.

Have I come to believe, in the words of Heine, that "the actions of men are like the index of a book; they point out what is most remarkable in them"?

Today I Pray - May I never let my intelligence be an excuse for lack of humility.  It is so easy, if I consider myself reasonably bright and capable of making decisions and handling my own affairs, to look down upon humility as a property of those less intelligent.  May I remember that intelligence and humility are both God-given.

Today I Will Remember - If I have no humility, I have no intelligence. 

Find time for prayer

November 9 - As time passes, daily communion with God is becoming as essential to me as breathing in and out.  I don't need a special place to pray, because God always hears my call.  I don't need a special place to pray, because God always hears my call.  I don't need special words with which to pray, because God already knows my thoughts and my needs.  I have only to turn my attention to God, aware that His attention is always turned to me.

Do I know that only good can come to me if I trust God completely?

Today I Pray - May my communion with God become a regular part of my life, as natural as a heartbeat.  May I find, as I grow accustomed to the attitude of prayer, that it becomes less important to find a corner room, a bedside, a church pew, or even a special time of day, for prayer.  May my thoughts turn to God automatically and often, whenever there is a lull in my day or a need for direction.

Today I Will Remember - Let prayer become a habit. 

Bring your Bucket

November 8 - My conscious contact with God depends entirely on me an don my desire for it.  God's power is available for me to use at all times; whether I decide to use it or not my choice.  It has been said that "God is present in all His creatures, but all are not equally aware of His presence."  I'll try to remind myself every day of how much depends on my awareness of God's influence in my life.  And I'll try to accept His help in everything I do.

Will I remember that God knows how to help me, that He can help me, and that He wants to help me?

Today I Pray - May I be aware always that God's power and peace are a bottomless well within me.  I can draw bucket after bucket from it to refresh and purify my life.  All I need to supply are the buckets and the rope.  The water is mine - free, fresh, healing, and unpolluted.

Today I Will Remember - The well is God's; I bring the buckets. 

Reserve a Place for Prayer

November 7 - There are those in the Gamblers Anonymous Program who, at the beginning, shun meditation and prayer as they would avoid a pit filled with rattlesnakes.  When they do finally take the first tentative and experimental step, however, and unexpected things begin to take place, they begin to feel different.  Invariably, such tentative beginnings lead to true belief, to the extent that those who once belittled prayer and meditation often become walking advertisements for its rewards.  We hear in the GA Program that "almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never really tried it."

Is there an obstinate part of me that still scoffs?

Today I Pray - May I learn, however irreverent I have been, that prayer is not to be mocked; I see the power of prayer effecting miracles around me, and I wonder.  If I have refused to pray, may I look to see if pride is in the way - that old pride that insists on doing things on its own.  Mow that I have found a place for prayer in my life, may I reserve that place - religiously.

Today I Will Remember - Whoever learns to pray keeps on praying.

Emotional Balance with Meditation

November 6 - There is no boundaries to meditation.  It has neither width, depth, not height, which means that it can always be further developed without limitation of any soft.  Meditation is an individual matter; few of us meditate in the same way, and in that sense, it is truly a personal adventure.  For all of us who practice meditation seriously, however, the purpose is the same:  to improve our conscious contact with God.  Despite its lack of specific dimensions and despite its intangibility, meditation is, in reality, the most intensely practical thing that we can do.  One of its first rewards, for example, is emotional balance.  What could be more practical than that?

Am I broadening and deepening the channel between me and God?

Today I Pray - As I seek God through daily prayer and meditation, may I find the peace that passes understanding, that balance that gives perspective to the whole of life.  May I center myself in God.

Today I Will Remember - My balance comes from God.

Eleventh Step Meditation

November 5 - For many months after I came to Gamblers Anonymous, I paid little attention to the Eleventh Step, to the practice of serious meditation and prayer.  I felt that it might help me meet an emergency - such as a sudden craving to return to gambling - but it remained among the lowest levels on my list of priorities.  In those early days, I equated prayer and meditation with mystery and even hypocrisy.  I've since found that the result of prayer and meditation are more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.  For me today, the harvest is increasingly bountiful, and I continue to gain peace of mind and strength far beyond my human limitations. 

Is my former pain being replaced by tranquility?

Today I Pray - May I find my own best way to God, my own best technique of meditation - whether I use an oriental mantra or the name of Jesus Christ, or just allow the spirit of God, as I understand Him, to settle into me and give me peace.  By whatever means I reach my God, may I learn to know Him well and feel His presence - not only in these quiet times, but in everything I do.

Today I Will Remember - Meditation is opening myself to the spirit of God.

GA helps find Spirituality

November 4 - In the words of Teilhard de Chardin, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience."  Even though we acknowledge in theory that we are spiritual beings, most compulsive gamblers had to experience some sort of spiritual awakening before we were willing to turn our lives over to a Higher Power.  It was then that we could finally say we were spiritual beings.  For some of us, it was as though we had experienced spirituality for the first time in our lives.  But, no matter what our spiritual base had been previously, once we discovered this new sense of spirituality, it became an experience and a feeling we wold not soon be willing to leave behind.

Am I grateful for the "awakening" that has put me in touch with my Higher Power - and with my own spiritual essence?

Today I Pray - May I not forget how my outlook toward life, myself, friends, loved ones, and God had deteriorated prior to coming to Gamblers Anonymous.  May I do whatever it takes to keep my spiritual life from hitting bottom again.  May I keep growing spiritually - a day at a time.

Today I Will Remember - Let my spirituality guide my humanity.

Gamblers Highest and Finest Qualities

November 3 - The Gamblers Anonymous Red Book says: "The word spiritual can be said to describe those characteristics of the human mind that represent the highest and finest qualities, such as kindness, generosity, honesty, and humility.  Inasmuch as the Gamblers Anonymous Fellowship advocates consideration of these principles as a way of life, it is said that ours is a spiritual fellowship."  I have begun to understand that my spirituality has to do with my wholeness - the healthy congruency of truths, as I now perceive them, and my inner self.

Do I continue to strive for qualities that will bring me the greatest long-term happiness?

Today I Pray - May I work toward taking into myself those "highest and finest qualities" that define my spiritual being.  May I know the joys that come through living the GA way, until all life becomes a celebration shared especially with others who, like me, are trying to live up to these God-inspired principles.

Today I Will Remember - From spiritual holes to spiritual whole.

Manage Hurt Pride

November 2 - The more self-searching we do, the more we realize how often we react negatively because our pride has been hurt.  Pride is at the root of most of my personal problems.  When my pride is hurt, for example, I almost invariable experience resentment and anger - sometimes to the point where I'm unable to talk or think rationally.  When I'm in that sort of emotional swamp, I must remind myself that my pride - and nothing but my pride - has been injured.  I have to pause and try to cool off until such time as I can evaluate the problem realistically.

When my pride is injured or threatened, will I pray for humility so that I can rise above myself?

Today I Pray - May I know that if my pride is hurt, the rest of me may not be injured at all.  May I know that my pride can take a battering and still come back for more, stronger than ever.  May I know that every time my pride takes a blow, it is liable to get more defensive, nastier, more unreasonable, more feisty.  May I learn to keep my upstart pride in another place, where it will not be so easily hurt - or so willing to take credit.

Today I Will Remember - Humility is the only authority over pride.

Pride Can Be Dangerous

November 1 - Those whom I most respect in Gamblers Anonymous - and, in turn, those from whom I've learned the most - seem convinced that pride is, as one person put it, the "root-sin."  In moral theology, pride is the first of the seven deadly sins.  It is also considered the most seroius, standing apart from the rest by virtue of its unique quality.  Pride gets right into our spirtual victories.  It insinuates itself into all our successes and accomplishments, even when we attribute them to God. 

Do I struggle against pride by working the Tenth Step regularly, facing myself freshly and making things right where they've gone wrong?

Today I Pray - May I be on guard constantly against the sneakiness of pride, which can creep into every achievement, every triumph, every reciprocated affection.  May I know that whenever things are going well for me, my pride will be on the spot ready to take credit.  May I watch for it.

Today I Will Remember - Put pride in it's place.