need a history lesson!
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need a history lesson!
I'm looking for any / all information on the serenity prayer. Where did it come from? When did it become well known as an Alcoholics saying? Do non-Alcoholics know it's used for that purpose? I feel like everyone knows it's an alcoholic saying, but am I wrong? And if it is well known as such, when did it become common knowledge? Just looking into some stuff tonight and it has me wondering. 
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Not like there is any science to this but I have the serenity prayer tattood across my upper back. ..I am not an alcoholic nor am I religious (my tattoo is lacking the first generally known word "god") I think you can apply it easily to all of life all of the time. Just my two cents (if they are even worth that. ..)
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An AA member saw it in the news paper in an obituary and brought it into AA from there. It's authorship is usually attributed to Rheinhold Niebuhr, but in interviews he says he got it from somewhere else never saying where and implying it is very old.
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Don't know. First heard it in an AA meeting or rehab and that was nearly 15 years ago. Best part for me is "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.." which is more about me than anyone else. Oh and alcoholism..which I am struggling with again.
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Originally Posted by purechaos 
Not like there is any science to this but I have the serenity prayer tattood across my upper back. ..I am not an alcoholic nor am I religious (my tattoo is lacking the first generally known word "god") I think you can apply it easily to all of life all of the time. Just my two cents (if they are even worth that. ..)
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My mother is not an alcoholic and doesn't have any family or friends who were in the program and she knew the serenity prayer before I ever stepped over the threshold into AA. AA only quotes a partial portion of the complete prayer. I've heard the history as given by BadCompany.
Beautiful prayer..
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