Santa Monica Sober Living, Detox & Treatment Directory

“On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day.” — Alcoholics Anonymous (1939) · Chapter 6 · Into Action

From the Step 11 instructions in Chapter 6 — the original morning routine of the program, written years before “morning routine” was a phrase anyone used.

The book’s morning practice is almost embarrassingly simple: before the day starts, pause and think about the next twenty-four hours. Not the next twenty-four years. Old-timers call it setting the sail before leaving the harbor. A minute of quiet direction in the morning beats an hour of damage control at night. Try it tomorrow before you pick up the phone.

Quote from the 1939 first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (public domain). Reflection original to santamonicasober.com. This site is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.