Big Book Quote

[newby1961]

"The next question they asked was, "You can quit twenty-four hours, can't you?" I said, "Sure, yes, anybody can do that, for twenty-four hours." They said, "That's what we're talking about. Just twenty-four hours at a time." That sure did take a load off of my mind. Every time I'd start thinking about drinking, I would think of the long, dry years ahead without having a drink; but this idea of twenty-four hours, that it was up to me from then on, was a lot of help."

~ Alcoholics Anonymous 1st Edition - 4th Edition Alcoholic Anonymous Number Three pg 188
c Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, INC.

[Tommyh]

that was my story too
what a great perspective

[pipparina]

this concept helped me tremendously. Even though I knew logically that I could never drink again, just getting through 24 hours (or sometimes minutes at a time) took so much pressure off me.

[RobC420]

I can see the power of the "one day at a time" approach for most people, but I don't use it much for me personally. Like the guy in the story, I could go 24 hours a day and wasn't concerned about that. I was, however, scared to death of that moment 4 months down the road where my illness convinces me to drink/use again. I did not join AA to go 24 hours, I joined for lifetime sobriety. My first 90 meetings weren't for keeping me sober for 90 days. It was all insurance for that day that my illness would try to get me to use again. I prefer the phrase from my favorite story "My Chance To Live" (Big Book, 4th edition, pg. 317) in which she says: "The program is a plan for a lifetime of daily living". That made much more sense to me and encompassed my intentions.