A present decision, renewed as often as needed
“Just for today” brings recovery back to the time a person can carry
Living Sober presents a direct alternative to frightening lifetime promises: stay away from the first drink during the present twenty-four hours. When a whole day feels impossible, the same decision can be made for an hour or even five minutes. When that interval ends, it can be renewed.
“Today is always here. Life is daily; today is all we have.”
Living Sober, “Using the 24-hour plan,” page 7 opens in a new tab
The core A.A. practice
One day at a time begins with the first drink
The immediate task is not to predict every future day or control drinks that follow. It is to avoid the first drink now, use the support available, and let the next decision arrive in its own time.
Read or listen to Living Sober opens in a new tabRelated A.A. readings
“Just for today” appears in several forms
Daily Reflections offers a dated reading; Young People and A.A. describes member experience; and Experience, Strength and Hope explains how a difficult day can be divided into smaller intervals. These are distinct publications joined by attention to the present.
Open today’s Daily Reflection text and audio; opens in a new tabHow the 24-hour plan scales
Day · hour · minutes · renewalA lifetime question is set aside while attention rests on not drinking during the present day.
Listen to “Using the 24-hour plan” opens in a new tabLiving Sober describes dividing the day into smaller parts when the desire to drink is strong.
Living Sober, pages 6–7 opens in a new tabThe shorter interval serves the same purpose: make one honest, practicable decision during the pressure of the present moment.
Living Sober, page 7 opens in a new tabThe plan can begin at any hour. Completing one interval leads to another present decision rather than a prediction about the future.
Experience, Strength and Hope, page 10 opens in a new tabThe method inside the slogan
Avoid · reduce · act · renewAttention returns to the drink that starts the sequence
Living Sober shifts attention away from managing the number of later drinks and toward staying away from the first one.
“Staying away from the first drink” pages 4–5; opens in a new tabThe commitment becomes small enough to carry
Twenty-four hours is the ordinary frame, but an hour or five minutes is fully consistent with the same practice when pressure is immediate.
Listen to the 24-hour plan opens in a new tabThe decision is supported by action and other people
Living Sober describes meetings, telephone contact, sponsorship, rest, changed routines, professional help, and other forms of practical support. One day at a time is not an instruction to struggle alone.
Read the complete Living Sober text and audio; opens in a new tabThe next decision is made in the next present moment
Yesterday’s success cannot make today’s decision, and tomorrow’s uncertainty need not make it impossible. The practice returns to the interval directly ahead.
A.A.’s concise 24-hour explanation P-9, page 10; opens in a new tabA.A. readings for the present day
Practice · reflection · member experienceThe practical plan
Member experience on staying away from the first drink, using a twenty-four-hour plan, and drawing on other forms of support.
- Format
- Booklet, text and audio
- Key section
- 3 · Using the 24-hour plan
- Best for
- Immediate practical orientation
The dated reading
A.A. members reflect on quotations from A.A. literature across all three Legacies: Recovery, Unity, and Service.
- Format
- 366 dated reflections
- Online
- Today or calendar index
- Best for
- A daily literature reading
The member-experience phrase
The pamphlet describes staying away from the next drink one day at a time and includes the sentence “Just for today, we’re not drinking.”
- Format
- Conference-approved pamphlet
- Location
- Printed page 22
- Best for
- Younger-member experience
The reduced interval
The pamphlet says that when twenty-four hours is too long, members may break the period into six hours, one hour, or five minutes.
- Format
- Conference-approved pamphlet
- Location
- Printed page 10
- Best for
- A concise explanation of A.A.
Find the reading that fits the moment
Text · audio · daily access| What you are looking for | A.A. reading | What it offers |
|---|---|---|
| A practical explanation of one day at a time | Living Sober, Sections Two and Three | The first-drink focus and a flexible time interval. |
| A reflection for today | Daily Reflections | A dated member reflection grounded in a quotation from A.A. literature. |
| A reflection for another date | Daily Reflections Index | Direct selection of any calendar day. |
| A listening option | Living Sober audio or Daily Reflections audio | The same material through official AA.org audio players. |
| Help during a difficult hour | Living Sober and Experience, Strength and Hope | Member experience with reducing the interval and reaching for support. |
Read and listen
Complete A.A. material for today
These links open the daily reading, its calendar index, the audio chapter on the twenty-four-hour plan, and the complete Living Sober collection.