SOBRIETY NEWS 2000

 

November, 2000

Carve up the bird...it's Alcothon time!
    The 19th Street Group will once again hold a Thanksgiving Alcothon at Fellowship House from midnight to midnight Thanksgiving Day.  And from the looks of things, the group's going all out to put on a spread that'll out-do anything ever seen at an Alcothon in these parts. The eatin' will start at 2 p.m. But you have to help, of course.   Right now, the group is still looking for folks to provide turkeys, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, gravy, rolls, and pies.  There's a list on the bulletin board at Fellowship House, indicating how many of what is still needed.

Holiday insurance
        Recovering alcoholics, be they newcomers or old-timers, often experience unusual pressures at holiday times.  Families not yet back together, memories of Thanksgivings or Christmases ruined by a binge, longings for estranged loved ones---all these things and many more can send us spinning into depression that can pose a real threat to recovery.  Fortunately, we all have insurance:  a busy slate of AA activities, countless friends who understand our needs if we are but willing to open our hearts to them, and the bedrock AA program that has brought us out of the depths of darkness.  In addition, of course, we have the Thanksgiving and Christmas alcothons, which provide added insurance because they offer service opportunities that can keep any of us occupied for days in constructive and protective fellowship.

Fall Ball November 18th
        The 19th Street Group Activities Committee---already busy with preparations for the Thanksgiving Dinner at Fellowship House---has also planned a gala Fall Ball, to be held from 7 p.m. to midnight on November 18 at the Oberlin Fire Hall. This is a big one.  It'll start off with an "all you can eat" roast beef dinner (they're sparing Big Bird for one more week), followed by dancing to music provided by DJ Ron G. The tab for the whole night is just $10 per person, probably half of what you'd pay for the dinner alone anywhere else. For tickets, see any 19th Street Group member or ask your intergroup rep for more info.  Do it now; you won't be able to get a ticket at the door.  And while we're at it, here's a huge tip of the hat to this group for all the great activities they provide for the whole fellowship.  Untold hours of work on the part of a whole lot of people living out an AA legacy and staying sober themselves, of course, in the process.

Go to Jail!
    Many recovering alcoholics have spent some time behind bars (jail-cell bars, that is,) and we know what a devastating experience that can be.  Now it can be richly rewarding---if you're willing to go in as a recovering alcoholic and share the AA message with those who are still incarcerated.  Many are already doing that---in county jails, work release programs, and state prisons---but they need help. Your Intergroup rep can tell you how to get started.  Remember, there was a time when someone saved each of our lives by holding out the hand of AA.  Now it's our turn.

Get to a meeting---on line
    There's no real substitute for showing up for a live AA meeting, but in a pinch---or as just one more weapon in your recovery arsenal---you can go to a meeting on line.  There are many sites, and we'll bring them to your attention from month to month.  One of the popular ones, however, is on AOL (America On Line).  You can go to weekday meetings at 7 and 10 a.m., noon, and 3, 5, 8, and ll p.m.  Weekend meetings are at 7 and 11 a.m., and 5, 8, and 11 p.m., with night owl meetings on both Saturdays and Sundays at 2 a.m. These meetings can be a real blessing if you're sick at home, traveling, or living in an area that sometimes doesn't have access to a whole lot of meetings.  So if you have AOL, go to Keyword: AAOnline.  There are beginner meetings, too.

Sunlight of the Spirit Conference
    It probably seems a little early to be plugging this event, but it's not.  The Sunlight of the Spirit Conference is slated for August 17-19, 2001, at the Holiday Inn on Arsenal Road in York.  Some of your favorite "national circuit" speakers will be there---including Johnnie H. from Long Beach, CA.  and Clancy I. from Los Angeles just to name a couple.  Registration is $20 per person and rooms are $69 per night.  This is a favorite with many in the Harrisburg area recovering community, so you'll want to get your registration in early to help the folks in York do their planning.  Cutoff for room reservations is July 27, 2001, but you can take care of that later.  If you want more info or a registration form, call Bill or Linda M. at 717-741-9012.  If you wish, you may just send your $20 check (made out to SOS Conference, PO Box 3538, York, PA, 17402).  Include your name as you want it to appear on your name badge.

Pennscypaa hosting post-Thanksgiving bash
        Pennscypaa (Pennsylvania Conference of young people in AA) will stage a pot-luck Turkey dinner November 25 at the Union Deposit Fire Hall at 5 p.m. (doors open at 4 p.m.) You bring your favorite side dish or dessert and three bucks and the Pennscypaa folks will provide the turkey---all you can eat.  The dinner is a fundraiser for Pennscypaa XIII, the statewide conference slated for Harrisburg in 2001.  You get a lot more than the dinner, too.  Bring along your favorite board game, because after dinner there'll be an AA Family Fun Time. Notice that the Saturday date will eliminate any possible conflict with the Alcothon at Fellowship House Thanksgiving Day, so you can hit both of them and get a double dose of fun and fellowship. You can get tickets from any Pennscypaa XIII Committee member.  Monthly events will follow: Dinner with Santa Claus, December 16; Monte Carlo Night II, January 6; Dinner-Dance with Rosie and the Naturals, February 10; and Murder Mystery Dinner, March 10. It should be obvious by now that this gang is pulling out all the stops to make the state conference a big success.  They deserve all the support they can get.

Joy of Living celebrates joy of giving
        The Joy of Living Group will host its second annual Christmas Party December 17, 4-7 p.m. at Fellowship House for children who have a family member in recovery. Here's a chance for all of us to make a kid happy.  Most of us can remember how bare the cupboard was at Christmas, especially in our early recovery.  Well, there are still a lot of kids out there who won't get a visit from Santa unless we help.  So pick up a gift---a toy, an article of clothing, whatever---wrap it up and put a tag on it indicating that it's for a girl or boy of such and such age.  Tina H. will put up a flyer soon to tell you where to take the gift and when. If you can't deliver the package yourself, call 503-5814 to make arrangements for a pickup. The group also needs music, games, or other entertainment for the kiddies. Of course, no Christmas party would be complete without goodies, so you might help out on that score, too.  The party will be followed by a speaker meeting at 6 p.m. Mark it on your calendar and show up for a good time. Santa and Mrs. Santa will be there if the group can find clothes for them.  It'll be a great day; the Fellowship House gets decorated that day, too.  Mark it on your calendar and show up for a good time.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste...
Submitted by Chet A., Carlisle
By Max Herman

        Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.  Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.  If you compare yourself with others, you may become bitter or vain, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.  Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
        Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.  Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.  But do not distress yourself with imaginings.  Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.  Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.  You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.  Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.  Be cheerful.  Strive to be happy.
 
 
 
 
 

Speakers...and some short snorts
    Speaking at  meetings of the Bridge Street Group, 8 p.m. in Trinity United Methodist Church, 421 Bridge Street, New Cumberland, will be Suzanne M., November 5; Larry L., November 12; Joyce T., November 19; and Bob D., November 26.  All are from 19th Street Group. Speaking December 3 will be Ed H., of the 7 a.m. Attitude Adjustment Group. Louise M., of the Living Sober Group, will speak at the Joy of Living Meeting at 6 p.m. November 29 at Fellowship House...A big thanks to Ed H. for sitting in the chairperson's place at the October Intergroup meeting.  He always seems to be where you need him in an emergency.....Barry S. sends along this information for those who have had trouble buying medallions and other supplies. You can get just about anything you need in this line at One Day At A Time Gift Shop, 11 Somerset Street, Ocean City, MD, 21842.  And Barry says the prices are right. The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.  Alex B. is the proprietor.  If you can't get down there, you can call him at 410-289-6917.....The Women's Spiritual Retreat Committee is selling Christmas plants to pay for scholarships for their retreat next fall.  You're sure to see flyers or come face-to-face with someone selling them.....The Fisherville Group in Upper Dauphin is looking for another group that would be interested in joining up for an exchange---go to Fisherville one week and have Fisherville join you at another time.  Could be a regular thing or just once in a while.  Get in touch with Bill C. at wcampbel@epix.net.....Pretty neat. Bud W., of the Winding It Up Group in Lykens, recently celebrated 25 years of sobriety, so the folks put together a newspaper full of special memories of Bud, along with a whole lot of stuff that was going on 25 years ago.  Made for some good reading, and it served as a sign of the fondness with which each person holds the other in that close-knit group.....Late Night Group is keeping the light in the window, just for you.  Join them Sunday through Friday at 11 p.m. and Saturdays at midnight.....Beth, the registration chairperson for Pennscypaa XIII still needs help.  Contact her at registerme@springmail.com or call her at 558-9134.

Pearl of the month...the home group
       Knowing how important the home group is to our recovery---especially a newcomer's recovery---we asked Jim S. to pick a couple of his favorite writings on that subject.  Here they are:
        "You can be very sure that every AA member in that room deeply understands exactly how you feel, because we remember vividly our own hangover miseries, and how it felt the first time we ever went to an AA meeting.  If you are shy, kind of a loner---just like many of us---you'll find the AA members willing to let you pretty much alone if that is what you really want and it makes you feel more comfortable.  However, most of us found it more beneficial to hang around for a bite and chat after the meeting.  Feel free to participate in the socializing, or 'eyeball-to-eyeball sharing' just as much, or as little, as you wish."                                                                                 Living Sober, p 78

        "It is widely believed in AA that a new AA member fares best by getting in the habit of regularly attending the meetings of at least one group (home group) as well as visiting other groups from time to time.  This not only provides a big choice of AA ideas; it also helps bring into the problem drinker's life a measure of orderliness, which helps combat alcoholism."                                                                                                    Living Sober, p. 82
 
 
 
 
 

Carlisle gets Pennsylvania State AA Convention...twice
    Planning meetings are well underway for the 2001 and 2002 Pennsylvania State AA Conventions, to be held at the Clarion Convention Center in Carlisle (formerly The Embers).  The 2001 session will be held August 3-5; a firm date will be set for the 2002 convention.  This means there's a lot of work to be done in just a short time, and a lot of help is needed.
    The Convention Planning Committee has asked that local AAs staff the Hospitality
Committee.  Cumberland Valley Intergroup has indicated that while this will be coordinated with Harrisburg Area Intergroup and District 36, Carlisle folks will probably organize members to serve as greeters and local resource guides and hospitality suite staff.  All AAs are invited to help.
    The next planning meeting for the convention is scheduled for Saturday, December 8 at 11 a.m. at the Clarion.  If you'd like to get involved, call Mike B. at 243-5195.

Eastern PA Convention
    Although the deadline has long since passed for the 42nd Annual Eastern Pennsylvania General Service Convention and Assembly, you can still attend meetings and other functions.  The convention is slated for November 10-12 at Mountain Laurel Resort in Whitehaven, PA., and will feature AA and Alanon meetings, workshops, displays, literature sales and "Grapevine" materials.  A drive up there would provide what is probably your last chance to take in the fall foliage.  From Harrisburg, take I-81 north to I-80, and go east to exit 42.  At bottom of the ramp, make a left turn for Mountain Laurel.