Daily Reflections: A.A.'s Meditation Book, Explained

Daily Reflections is A.A.'s book of daily readings by members — a quotation and a reflection for every day of the year. What it is and how to use it.

Need help with this? Talk to someone now. Free and confidential. For you, or for someone you're worried about.

Key takeaway

Someone said, just read your Daily Reflections, and you are not sure what you would be reading. It is A.A.'s book of meditations: one short entry per day of the year, a quotation from A.A. literature paired with a reflection by a member. It has run on the calendar since 1990, and aa.org posts each day's reading free.

Last updated: Sat Oct 17 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

"Read your Daily Reflections" — people say it the way they say drink water, and you nod without knowing what you agreed to. Maybe you picture a heavy devotional and a God you do not believe in, and you have enough of both already. The reality is smaller and easier: Daily Reflections is a book of short daily readings written by A.A. members, one for each date of the year. Today's entry is free on aa.org, and it takes about two minutes.

What the book is

A.A.'s literature catalog lists it as item B-12, with the full title Daily Reflections: A Book of Reflections by A.A. Members for A.A. Members. The catalog's own description: a collection of readings that moves through the calendar year one day at a time, in which A.A. members reflect on favorite quotations from the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous. The volume covers all Three Legacies of the program — Recovery, Unity, and Service — and it is General Service Conference-approved literature. It has been in print since 1990.

Each day gets one entry: a quotation from A.A. literature — the kind of passage you would meet in the Big Book or Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions — and beneath it, a member's short reflection on what that quotation means in an ordinary life. That is the whole design. A quotation you would meet in a meeting anyway, and then one person's honest paragraph about it.

You do not have to own the book to try it. aa.org's Daily Reflections page posts the current day's reading, with an option to have it read aloud. If you want the paper book, the A.A. online bookstore sells it — but reading it is not a purchase gate, and there is no rule that you read it in order, at dawn, or at all.

How members actually use it

Some read it with morning coffee as the first quiet minutes of the day — part of the daily practice members connect to Step 11, prayer and meditation to improve conscious contact. Some read it at night. Some open it to the day's date only when they are rattled, and let the entry do the steadying. None of these is the right way; A.A. has no clergy assigning devotions.

It shows up in meetings too. A.A. notes that the background for many topic meetings derives from A.A. literature — the Big Book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, As Bill Sees It, Daily Reflections, the Grapevine — so the entry you read at home may be the topic the room discusses that night. If you keep hearing a meeting referenced as a "Daily Reflections meeting," that is a format the group chose, and how A.A. meetings are formatted is worth a skim before you walk in.

When you want the drug version of this

Narcotics Anonymous has its own daily meditation books, listed on na.org — Just for Today and A Spiritual Principle a Day, each with the day's entry posted. Members of NA read them the same way A.A. members read theirs. If your history is with drugs and the God language of A.A. keeps snagging you, it is fine to start in NA's rooms and books. The fellowships are separate, and choosing one is not a betrayal of the other.

One honest limit: a daily reading is not treatment. NIDA describes mutual-help groups like A.A. as peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not clinical treatment. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when heavy drinking over time stops suddenly. If tonight that is your situation rather than a reading problem, take care of your body first: call 911 if it is an emergency, or call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis.

If you need a treatment referral, call or text (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you; treatment providers pay for the referral. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and answered in English and Spanish.

Tonight, read one page

Open today's entry on aa.org and read it once. If it lands, read tomorrow's tomorrow — the calendar does the scheduling for you, which is the book's whole quiet trick. If it does not land, try a personal story in the Big Book instead, or simply go to a meeting and listen. The reading is one tool among several, and using a different one tonight is still using the program.

Additional Resources

Sources cited on this page:

Common Questions

What is the book Daily Reflections?

Its full title is Daily Reflections: A Book of Reflections by A.A. Members for A.A. Members. A.A. describes it as a collection of readings that moves through the calendar year one day at a time, in which A.A. members reflect on favorite quotations from the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous, covering all Three Legacies — Recovery, Unity, and Service. It is General Service Conference-approved literature, and the copyright dates from 1990.

What does one day's entry look like?

Each date pairs a quotation from A.A. literature with a short reflection by a member writing about what that quotation means in their life. aa.org posts the day's entry on its Daily Reflections page, where it can be read aloud. The entries are brief — most people read one in a couple of minutes.

Is it only for people who believe in God?

No. The reflections cover all three of A.A.'s legacies — recovery, unity, and service — and are written by members across a wide range of beliefs. A.A.'s only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. If one day's entry does not speak to you, tomorrow's is a different member on a different quotation.

Do meetings read from Daily Reflections?

They can. A.A. says the background for many topic meetings derives from A.A. literature such as the Big Book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, As Bill Sees It, Daily Reflections, and the AA Grapevine. Groups set their own formats, so some meetings open with the day's reading and some never touch it.

Does NA have something like it?

Yes. Narcotics Anonymous publishes daily meditation books, including Just for Today and A Spiritual Principle a Day, with each day's entry on na.org. If your problem was drugs rather than alcohol, [finding an NA meeting](/guides/how-to-find-na-meetings/) is a better first stop than an A.A. book.