Sobriety News
August 2003

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

    The Sobriety News is a publication of the Harrisburg Area Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is written, edited, and read by AA members, and those interested in the AA program of recovery from the disease of alcoholism, linking one alcoholic to another.
    Our desperation to find relief from the bondage of alcoholism has led us to this program as a new "design for living". Many members utilize meetings, sponsorship, self examination, amends, prayer, meditation, AA literature, service to fellow alcoholics, and many other tools to maintain their recovery. This publication is intended as one more tool to live a life of recovery. Because each AA member has an individual way of working this program, divergent views to recovery, within the concept of the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous, are welcome. An effort is made to print all viewpoints in this forum. Articles are not intended to be statements of AA policy, nor does publication of any article imply endorsement by AA or the Harrisburg Area Intergroup.

August Calendar of Events*

 

LOOKING AHEAD*

* Look for more information about these events in Sobriety News.
** See links page for flyer

To links and current events

Your Help for the Calendar of Events

A complete Calendar of Events depends on our active members contributing information about their coming events, participation of Intergroups in surrounding Districts, and our ability to gather information. We feel it is worth trying. Let us know what you think. Often, we miss opportunities within the fellowship because the message didn't get out. We all want to carry the message to other alcoholics. This will be one more way we can accomplish that.

OUR FACE IS CHANGING

    Sobriety News is updated during the course of the month, so events can be added to the Calendar. You may, therefore, find it helpful or informative to check back to the website periodically to see what has been added.
    The HAI index page has links to flyers of coming events, or you can click on the AA blue button above. Did you know that the links page also has links to other AA websites and to back issues of Sobriety News? Also there is a link to the Meeting Schedule (or click the coin at right) so you can print out the schedule (if you can access Microsoft Word) on a single sheet of 8 1/2X11 paper. This schedule is current with the latest information available. If you see an error, or information for your meeting has been changed, the schedule will be updated if you notify us  at aa@aaharrisburg.org, or if you notify an Intergroup Officer,  or mail the info to HAI, Fellowship House, 1251 S. 19th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17105. This current schedule can be duplicated for group purposes from this link or by clicking on the chip at the right.
    Flyers will be added as they become available and removed when an event passes. If you are looking at this on the Internet, you will see that many of the insert pictures are links you can click on to get added information or flyers. Keep checking.
   

   

    The above suggested service opportunity to bring internet information back to the group could also be broadened to include flyers, and current meeting schedules. The printed schedules and flyers will still be available but may continue to have their current disadvantages too.

To forgive is to set the prisoner free,
And then discover that the prisoner was you.

SUNLIGHT OF THE SPIRIT CONFERENCE

The SOS Conference in York will be held this year August 15th to 17th at the York Holiday Inn. Registration is $20 and well worth the price. Speakers will be: Friday at 8PM, Patricia C from Alexandria, VA; Saturday at 9AM, Harold G from Annapolis, MD; 11AM, Wayne B from Santa Monica, CA; 4PM, Polly P from Cypress, CA; and 8PM, Tom I from Southern Pines, NC; and Sunday morning at 9AM, Sandy B from Tampa, FL. There will also be an ice cream social on Saturday Night. This event is always superb, don't miss it. The Flyer is available by clicking on the SOS logo at left.

Hawaiian Luau & Pig Roast

The 19th Street Group's Activities Committee is pleased to announce their Luau and Pig Roast on August 23, starting with the Pig at 5:00PM. After the food (you are encouraged to bring covered dishes) there will be a guest speaker at 7:00PM. At 8:30PM it will be time to shake the grass skirts with music by Ron g Ho. Tickets are available from many 19th Street Group members. If you have questions, or if you want to help, call Bill P at 215-8377.

Annual Summer Picnic at Campbelltown

The Hershey Group and the Harrisburg Area Intergroup are going to jointly serve up the annual summer speaker meeting and picnic on September 6, 2003. This year will feature two guest speakers: Dickie N at 11:30AM,whose home group is the Mustard Seed in Aston, PA, and at 2:00PM will be Cindy J of the Friday Candlelight Beginners Meeting in Binghamton, NY. Between 12:30 and 2:00PM the Hershey group will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, and drinks; you can bring side dishes, salads or desserts. After the second speaker (@ 3 PM) there will be softball, horseshoes, and volleyball - bring your ball glove .

FIRECRACKER ROUND UP

....AA was very much alive in Philly over the 4th of July weekend, with over 500 guests at the Firecracker Roundup! Hats go off to all those who gave it their best to bring in some awesome speakers and share the gift of freedom of bondage that very special holiday weekend. Robbie from NJ is a fine example of how young people come in and grow in recovery as well as service to our program. Patti from California shared how she had her masters degree and didn't remember getting it. Tom I shared how a drunk can go from being a jailhouse regular to holding a very high position in the prison system. Sandy B shared how when we come to AA we need to let the spirit come out of us and not sit and wait for it to come in to us. All the speakers were very very good and you could see, feel, and hear the recovery in them all. A very special gift to all Sat afternoon was a visit from Dr Bobs son. Talk about an eye witness to the birth of AA and you can't find any better! Smitty took us on a walk down memory lane and gave this drunk so much gratitude for the work Dr Bob and Bill did for us. Not to mention the part Ann and Lois played in the big picture. If you closed your eyes it almost felt like you were there sitting with Bill and Bob.
 Thanks to John B from Lebanon for contributing this report
 

If I cannot be grateful
for what I have,
What makes me think
I'd be happy with more?

ACTS OF RECOVERY

HERSHEY hosted the Acts of Recovery on July 19 at the Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Hershey.  These events condense four speakers into one day so that newcomers, as well as longtimers, can afford to attend, and to help other suffering alcoholics, by bringing a message of hope. 

The first speaker of the day was Al D. from The Way Out Group at 21st and Derry Sts. in Harrisburg. Al grew up feeling as if he did not measure up. Al was most comfortable being by himself. His perception, when attending family functions, was that he did not play with the other children. Pictures tell another story. When Al found alcohol all that changed. The feeling of being different disappeared and he finally fit in. The problems that occurred in Al’s life were by no fault of his own and certainly were not brought on by drinking. Everyone else was to blame. Then the unimaginable happened, a car crash that took the lives of several of his friends. Al was sentenced to 9 to 18 years in prison and even then believed the sentence to be too harsh. After all it was an accident. While in prison Al became friends with a man serving a life sentence. He could not understand how someone in those conditions, knowing he would never see the outside of a prison again, could remain so serene. This friendship changed Al’s life. His thought process changed. This man taught him the 12 Steps of A.A., how to live a day at a time, and to look at life from the inside out. Change yourself, help others and your perception of the world around you will change. Al left prison after nine years, attended his first A.A. meeting in Middletown and lives a life beyond any he could have imagined. The promises come true if you surrender yourself to 12 simple steps and let God run the show.

Alice from the Trudgers and Survivors Groups in Middletown was the next speaker.  Alice did not grow up around alcohol and only dabbled with it while attending nursing school. It was not until she had been married for quite some time and raised her children that the Manhattans began to consume her life. At first she just had a couple with her husband when he came home from work. After a while the bottle was hidden in the closet and that’s where Alice drank (literally in the closet). Now it was before her husband came home from work. The straw that broke the camel’s back came during her husband’s retirement party. Alice is grateful her daughter was there. Things could have ended up much more humiliating than they were. After a trip to rehab (they thought she was admitting her son not the opposite), Alice came to A.A. She had no comprehension of what she had heard during those first few meetings but she "kept coming back." Alice got a sponsor, began working the steps and has become an integral part of the Middletown meetings and the lives of the members that attend them. Alice doesn’t miss her meetings and when anniversary night comes around once a month supplies the cake and lights the candles. She is still married, still lives in the same house she raised her children in, and so grateful to A.A. and all the members for teaching her the steps and "keeping her out of the closet"

The third speaker was Joe D. from the Concordia Group in Hummelstown. Joe reflected on the freedom this program has given him. As Joe said, "If we admit we are powerless over alcohol and the manageability of our lives, then who has the power?" For Joe the power comes from God. Joe’s life changed when he became willing to change and accept the steps as the way he lives his life. Turning his will and his life over to God has relieved the burden of self-will. Joe mentioned that if there were one gift he could give to those struggling in this program it would be willingness. Just become willing to listen and open your heart and mind even if you don’t understand. Give A.A. a chance. He did and the promises have come true. Joe is leaving us for Ft. Myers, Florida the beginning of August. Joe, we all wish you well in your future endeavors. You have touched many of our lives and your message will not be forgotten.

The last speaker of the day was Dottie from The Hershey Group. Dottie’s drinking propelled her into several relationships, some of them abusive. She raises a mentally handicapped child now in her twenties with the performance level of an infant. Through this program Dottie has learned to cope one day at a time and at least for today does not have to drink. Her second husband has been in and out of rehabs. and struggles with his alcoholism. The people in A.A. and the steps have taught her that she doesn’t have to be in a relationship to substantiate her own existence. Dottie told us that A.A. has taught her to love herself and that she can’t help anyone unless they want to help themselves. This is even more difficult when that person is extremely close to you. It’s hard to watch someone you care about walk the path of self-destruction and be powerless over it. You can never let anyone come between you and your sobriety, even if that means going it on your own. God only gives us what we can handle and Dottie is a perfect example of that.

The Hershey Group brought Acts of Recovery to this area with the hope that one person still struggling would hear something that would prevent them from stepping out five minutes before the miracle. Just as the promises, these four speakers fulfilled that wish far beyond all expectations. Look forward to similar events in Hershey during the coming months. The next meeting is scheduled for November.

Thanks to Rich F from the Middletown Groups for contributing this article

18th Annual Harrisburg Area Intergroup Picnic

The HAI 18th Annual Picnic at New Cumberland Borough Park held July 26 was a big success. Many expressed great pleasure at having the opportunity to attend, including patients from the State Hospital who all had a wonderful experience, unlike their usual days. There was barbeque chicken, dogs, burgers, and side dishes, and though apologies are offered for running out of chicken, knowing how many will be needed is not manageable by alcoholics. However, there was certainly plenty to eat. There were games for the kids, and for the adults. The doings began at noon and everyone helped clean up at 6:00PM. Of course there was the usual stimulating open discussion meeting at about 4:00PM. Special thanks to Cathy S, Elaine S, Bill P, Bill C, Joe, Reenee, and all the others who helped make this large scale bash a hoot..

New Meetings and CHANGES

A new speaker meeting will be starting Sunday April 27 at Fellowship House at 2:00PM. On the last Sunday of each month the 2:00PM meeting will be a regular speaker meeting. The speaker on August 31 will be Albert D from the Way Out Group.

PLEASE ANNOUNCE AT EACH MEETING: THE BUILDING WHERE THE PINE STREET NOON MEETING IS HELD WILL BE UNDER RENOVATION FROM JUNE 2, 2003. UNTIL AROUND SEPTEMBER 15, 2003 THERE WILL BE NO MEETING HELD THERE BY THE PINE STREET GROUP UNTIL AFTER THE RENOVATIONS. The meetings will still be held under the same format at 27 North Cameron Street at the Corrections Center (across from Appalachian Brewery). Monday is a closed Step meeting, Friday is closed Big Book, and Tues thru Thurs is closed discussion.

The fledgling 7:00PM Sunday night Way Out Group which meets at the Epworth United Methodist Church at 21st and Derry Streets will be providing BABYSITTING, starting with the August 3, 2003 meeting. For those needing a meeting and a way to assure that the children are safe and not a distraction, this service may be their answer. See the flyer on the links page, or click on the thumbnail at the left; take a copy to your group. Come see what's happening - be a part of, not apart from.

The Millersburg meeting has dissolved and has been removed from the schedule.

There has been yet another change to the meeting schedule at the Colonial Park Any Lengths Group. The Wednesday night 7:00 p.m. open men's meeting is changing. Starting on Wednesday, May 7th the meeting will become a closed step and traditions meeting. Both men and women are welcome and as is their policy, smoking is permitted.

The New Day Dawning Group at Sixth St and Linglestown Road, which meets at 7:00AM on Wednesdays needs support. This is a handy spot for people coming down the river to get some morning inspiration before tackling the realities of a workday.

The Joy of Living Group restarted April 23rd and they need support. The meeting is held at Fellowship House at 6:00PM on Wednesdays.

Note that the contact telephone number for Al-anon has been changed to (877) 501-1205, and that the Alateen Wednesday evening meeting has been discontinued.

The Progress Group's Wednesday 8:30PM Mystery Topic Meeting at the Ridgeway Community Church at Elmerton and Progress Avenue will no longer meet, and has been removed from the schedule. 

The 7:15PM Step & Tradition Meeting at the Ridgeway Community Church at Elmerton and Progress Avenue could use your support.

Forgiveness of others,
is a gift to myself.

Pearl of the Month contributed by Jim M, c. Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions, page 78

     Right here we need to fetch ourselves up sharply. It doesn't make much sense when a real tosspot calls a kettle black. Let's remember that alcoholics are not the only ones bedeviled by sick emotions. Moreover, it is usually a fact that our behavior when drinking has aggravated the defects of others. We've repeatedly strained the patience of our best friends to a snapping point, and have brought out the very worst in those who didn't think much of us to begin with. In many instances we are really dealing with fellow sufferers, people whose woes we have increased. If we are now about to ask for forgiveness for ourselves, why shouldn't we start out by forgiving them, one and all?

 AUGUST SPEAKERS

The 19th Street speakers for: August 1 is Larry L with 24 years; Aug 8 is Jim H with 18 years; Aug 15, Joe G from Monday Night Men's; Aug 22 will be Dave R from 19th Street; and Aug 29 is Anniversary Night. The Hershey speaker for Saturday August 2 will be Pat W from Selinsgrove, and September 6 will be Jim S from TMTL Group. The 8:00PM Bridge Street Speakers will be: Aug 3, Joe G from MNMG; Aug 10, Jared L from E-Town; Aug 17, Randy M from West Shore Group; Aug 24, John V from MNM Group. The speakers at the Middletown Survivors 7:00PM meeting on Thursday August 21 & 28 will be selected later. Speakers for the 10th Street Friday night 7:30PM speaker meeting in Lebanon: Aug 29th - Bill M,  York,Pa; Sept 26th - Tom F, Baltimore; Oct 31st - Joe R, NYC; Nov 28th - Jane L, E-Town; and Dec 26th - Jared L, Elizabethtown.
 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Contributions are made to Food For Thought by recovering alcoholics who have this outlet to share feelings and opinions about living in recovery. The material included does not necessarily express the views of Harrisburg Area Intergroup, or Alcoholics Anonymous. It is simply an opportunity for recovering alcoholics to express thoughts they would like to share.

Here are some things that have helped me over the years in Sobriety.

1).  I had to come to understand, if I'm an alcoholic, my problem is NOT alcohol. If my problem is alcohol, I am NOT an alcoholic.   

2).  If all you do is take alcohol out of the alcoholic, all you have left is "ic".

3).  Three character defects that even the newest of newcomers can start to work on are: Dishonesty, Closed-Mindedness, Unwillingness

4).  The moment alcohol starts working FOR you, that's the beginning of alcoholism. That is I believe, what we mean by "crossing the invisible line"    By the time it starts doing something TO you, it's already too late.  

5).  Working the steps with a Sponsor is the heart and soul of the program. The age of miracles is still with us!! 

6).  There is no secret so evil and sinful that it doesn't have a name. Someone has done it before you.  You're not unique.

7).  A.A. Conventions are cool.  A.A. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS are REALLY COOL!!!

8).  Did rainy weather or a ball game on TV ever keep you from drinking?

9).  While you're asleep, A.A. gremlins are rewriting your Big Book. 

10).  All the Third Step is, is the decision to go forward with the rest of the steps.

11).  The best sponsor is the kind that continues to work the steps with HIS/HER sponsor!

12).  Time is a drinking alcoholic's worst enemy. Eventually, it will get worse. Time is a sober alcoholic's best friend. Eventually, it will get better.  

Contributed by Bob S from the Concordia Group

                                       
Service to another Alcoholic
Bob B has assumed the duties of managing the office and getting our answering service running smoothly. He will certainly appreciate your help in assuring that the hand of AA is there for the struggling alcoholic, or the traveler who needs meeting information. Why not give Bob a call at 838-9117 to offer a helping hand or volunteer to identify changes that could benefit users at both ends of the line. Central Office needs phone volunteers to handle the phone during the day to help reduce the burden on the cell phone volunteer.

Traditions Checklist

TRADITION NINE: AA , as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

  1. Do I still try to boss things in AA?
  2. Do I resist formal aspects of AA because I fear them as authoritative?
  3. Am I mature enough to understand and use all elements of the AA program --- even if no one makes me do so --- with a sense of personal responsibility?
  4. Do I exercise patience and humility in any AA job I take?
  5. Am I aware of all those to whom I am responsible in any AA job?
  6. Why doesn't every AA group need a constitution and bylaws?
  7. Have I learned to step out of an AA job gracefully --- and profit thereby --- when the time comes?
  8. What has rotation to do with anonymity? With humility?

*The Traditions Checklist Questions were originally published in the AA Grapevine in conjunction with a series on the Twelve Traditions that began in November 1969, and ran through September 1971. Sobriety News prints the Checklist for the number of the month that corresponds to the number of the Tradition that it deals with, because of the prohibitive length of all twelve. It is important that we be aware of the Twelve Traditions in our lives of recovery, because they help assure that AA will continue to be here for us, and for others who want it.
Printed by permission. THE AA GRAPEVINE INC., PO BOX 1980, GRAND CENTRAL STATION, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10163-1980

 

This-n-That

Don't forget the Harrisburg Area Intergroup meeting Thursday September 4th at 6:45pm, and the District 36 General Service Rep meeting on Monday September 8th at 6:30; both meetings need your support. The Intergroup Bookstore is still open for business following the HAI meeting and on Saturday mornings from 10:00 till 11:15 for Groups to restock their literature cabinets with books and pamphlets.

 

Change is inevitable,
Growth is optional.

July Intergroup Meeting

At the July meeting, chairperson Bill C expressed his concern that attendance was so meager to represent more than 50 groups; suggesting that maybe the commitments to continue to cover cell phone, hospital, Gaudenzia and other service work should be reviewed. Joe G from the Monday Nite Men's Group will visit groups to encourage them to participate in the efforts of Intergroup to provide those services to alcoholics that no individual group is prepared to handle. Bob B reported that the Hot line handled 541 calls from January to May.

The State Hospital was covered in July by the Way Out Group , and the Out of the Dark Group volunteered to be there in August. The Monday Night Men's Group will be responding on the cell phone to hotline calls in July. The Middletown Groups continued bringing a meeting to the Gaudenzia Boys facility through June, beyond their thirteen week commitment. The 40th Street will do the honors in this rewarding service for July, August and September.

 The July meeting was attended by Reps from 19th Street, 40th Street, Bridge Street, Hershey, Monday Night Men's,   Progress Group, Trudgers, Way Out, Winding It Up. Did you and your group have a voice?

Groups Continue Supporting Intergroup
Group contributions during the month of July to the Intergroup Fund were $ 365.00. We thank the following 4 groups for their contributions: West Shore Area Women, Hershey, 19th Street and Rebellion Dogs-Monday Noon. Of course, we also would like to thank all the groups and members who continue to donate time toward Intergroup's activities. These activities include speaker meetings, picnics, men and women's prison meetings, State Hospital visits, Internet Website, meeting schedules, literature, the AA Hotline, and the many other vital AA functions that help alcoholics recover in our community. Intergroup performs those services for our community which no single group is prepared to handle, and it coordinates activities between the 56 groups it serves. Remember that we can do together what none of us could do alone.

SOBRIETY NEWS is published monthly, and is usually available on the website the Tuesday night before the first Thursday of each month, so paper copies can be distributed to Reps at the Intergroup meeting. You can locate this newsletter, as well as lots of other stuff that would interest members of groups belonging to the Harrisburg Area Intergroup, at http://www.aaharrisburg.org

INTERNET SOBRIETY NEWS SUBSCRIPTIONS

Sobriety News is e-mailed monthly to free subscribers who have indicated a desire to receive it. You may indicate a wish to be added to the mailinglist by clicking on Subscribe and then clicking on send. There is no charge for this service. It is normally mailed the Tuesday before the first Thursday of the month by BCC (blind copy) to protect the anonymity of recipients. You need to notify us if you change e-mail addresses, and you may not receive it, if your computer or internet service provider screens out mail that does not have your name in the To: box.

REMOVAL
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