Sobriety News
December 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.

December 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.

 

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose."
-Robert Byrne-

WORKING WITH OTHERS WEEKEND

The Working With Others Seminar at 16th and Bridge Streets, New Cumberland, held Saturday, November 22, was largely a success. Four panelists shared their experience, strength, and hope about sponsorship and other Twelfth Step work. The speakers included Brian D. from There's More to Life in New Cumberland, Barbara C. from Jenkintown, PA, and Alex and Valerie D. from Richmond, VA. Barbara C. gave an interesting historical summary of sponsorship as it was in the beginnings of AA. The other speakers expanded on that history and shared practical experience with the audience. The format was such that one person would speak for 20-30 minutes, then answer questions from the audience. Some interesting and controversial topics were discussed, including how quickly one should proceed through the Steps (the sooner, the better) and what should be done if an addict shows up at a closed AA meeting. Additionally, a wonderful part of the morning was Becky G.'s insanely good cream cheese spreads. It is hoped 16th and Bridge keeps up the good work, and continues to host events for the good of all groups in the area.

Middletown 14th Anniversary Spaghetti Dinner

It was certainly a celebration for a packed house at the Middletown Spaghetti Dinner and Speaker Meeting for their 14th anniversary. The speakers this year featured Shelly H from Marionville, PA, and Bill C from Halifax, PA. Again this year, better than ever, was the delicious spaghetti dinner. The two speakers were separated with a 15 minute break for us to taste some of the famous Middletown desserts. It was an absolutely joyous evening in sobriety.

Shelly's home group is the Step Sisters, who are happy to hear how your day was, but they want to know what you did about it. They believe in discipline and getting out of self, so they use an egg timer, and when the sand is gone, it's someone else's turn to share. At age 13, she became the teenager from hell. She felt like a square peg in a round hole. She was in parochial school and she would stay home, forge a check, call the beer distributor, say she was her mother, and have beer delivered. She'd sit and watch Captain Kangaroo, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer, until she felt like she could hold her head up in public. As time went on, she was into institutions, windshields, psychiatrist's offices, etc; but when she'd get out, she'd get in trouble again. She did an amazing amount of damage in just a few years, but by the Grace of God, she met a guy who convinced her to go to a half-way house, and it was there that she was introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous. She didn't know she was an alcoholic, but she heard them share about feelings of fear, guilt, and remorse, and it was then that she started to hear. (Her progress was slow, she calls it slowbriety.) These people took time for her and loved her. They taught her that it was her job to love other people, and that resulted in her finally being able to love herself. She has a sponsor, she leads others through the Steps and she absolutely loves AA. It has given her a life. She likes to be surrounded with recovering people who expect her to do her best.

Bill C, from the Winding It Up Group in Lykens, is known to many as a history buff. He briefly shared about the importance of our heritage and spoke of the debt we owe to people like Ebby T and Rowland H, who brought the principles upon which AA is founded to us. He made copies of a brochure available which he had prepared on many of the historic sites in East Dorset, NH. This will eventually be available on the links page, and is included in a different format in the December Sobriety News.

In his usual good humor, Bill shared a story about how in second grade someone had stolen a boy's licorice candy gun from his coat in the cloak room. The teacher said she would keep them until the person confessed. At about 4 o'clock Bill (wanting to get out of there) admitted that he did it, thinking everyone would appreciate him taking the blame so they could go home. But they were all mad at him, and wouldn't believe that he didn't really do it. This was uncovered in his Fourth Step, so many years later, because he had a resentment still; and he learned that like Bill W, he always had wanted to be a big shot. That had led both of them to an alcoholic life. Bill said he tries to be an every day member of AA, which has given him a foundation which taught him this lesson. "The obstacles in front of him are never as great as the power behind him."

19th Street Thanksgiving Day Alcothon and Dinner

The editors were not in attendance but hear that the Alcothon was a big hit.  Meetings, food, fun, and fellowship were the words used by several AA members to describe the day.  This is a wonderful tradition at 19th Street, and we hope one day at a time that next year's will see even more people enjoying this blessed time of giving thanks for our many gifts in sobriety.
 

A.A. is more than a set of principles;
it is a society of alcoholics in action. 
We must carry the message,
else we ourselves can wither and those
who haven't been given the truth may die.
 As Bill Sees It, p. 13

ACTS OF RECOVERY

On Saturday, November 15th, from 12:00-5:00 pm., The Acts of Recovery sponsored four guest speakers in Baltimore, MD.  The first speaker, Lisa R. from Baltimore, MD, spoke about "Alcoholism , The Downward Spiral."  This dynamo speaker with 6 years sobriety, shared her dizzying geographic experiences from Puerto Rico, Canada, France, and (I lost count) multiple U.S. states until she landed in AA.  Now, sober, she's (actually staying) in the Baltimore area and praying her Puerto Rican/Irish family/relatives will find the AA way of life, too.  The second speaker, Jeremiah S. from Boston, MA, shared his experiences about "Alcoholism, The Threefold Disease."  This POWERFUL speaker with ONE year sobriety, shared his life long experiences as
an ex-con/mental patient. This Roman Catholic Irish lad definitely portrays the promises in human form.  His message - and the quality of it - spoke to the heart & blew me away!  The third speaker, Carol R. from York, PA, shared her hope of "Recovery, The Big Book and Steps."  She grew up as a country girl in Adams County.  As a teenager, she moved to AZ and PARTIED!  In/out of rehabs, she moved back to the York area, where she spent 14 yrs sober.  Just recently she moved to CT and shared a heart-breaking story.  She called
the AA hotline...and nobody answered.  Her goal now is to make sure other alcoholics like us, have a connection in CT.  The fourth, and final speaker, Bill Smith from Washington, DC shared his experience about "Working with Others."  Coming from a family of 8 sisters and 2 brothers, this gent with 8 yrs of sobriety, shared his strength of reaching out via phone while incapacitated from neck/back surgery.  He's spreadin' the word, by giving it away, just like Bill W. would say, "Pass it on."

There will be another Acts on January 10, 2004, in York, at the Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 311 Haines Road. As usual, this free conference will start at noon and run till 5:00PM. The first speaker will be Greg W from Harrisburg, "Full Flight From Reality", followed by Liz D from Baltimore, with "The Hole In The Soul". After a free Light Lunch will be Richard M from Ellicott City, MD, "Rocketed Into A Fourth Dimension", and wrapping up this inspiring afternoon will be  Shannon P, from Alexandria, VA, with "Principles In All Our Affairs". See the Flyer on the links page.

There will be another Acts at the Falls Church Episcopal Church, 115 E. Fairfax Street, Falls Church, VA, the following Saturday, January 17. Speakers will be Matt C from York, PA, "Program of Action", Sharon H. from Alexandria, VA, with "New Way of Life", Kolin M from Sacramento, CA, with "Spiritual Awakening", and Bobbie S from Silver Spring, MD, with "Maintenance and Growth". The program will follow the same format as above, and include a break in the middle for a free light lunch. You can get the flyer from the links page.

Hershey Annual Holiday Dinner

The Hershey Group will again host their annual Holiday Celebration with a dinner and speaker meeting, December 13, 2003, at the Derry Presbyterian Church. Dinner of Ham and Turkey will be enjoyed from 6 till 8:00PM with side dishes and desserts provided by gracious guests. The speaker will be Carlos I from Philadelphia who will share after 8 o'clock. Print off the flyer after clicking here, and take it to your group.

Joy Of Living Christmas

As recovering alcoholics we appreciate the efforts of all those who, in making amends for their past or just doing service for God's smaller kids, contribute that the Christmas season may be a little brighter for families that have suffered from the blight of alcoholism.

The Joy of Living is hosting its 4th Annual Christmas Party for children of recovery families on December 20, 2003 at the Fellowship House. Once again, they ask for your support of wrapped gifts to distribute to the children. This year their expected number of children is approximately 140, ages from infant through 15 years of age. When wrapping your gifts, please label it (boy or girl) and put the age limit on the label. This will avoid them opening the gift to disseminate it to the proper age child. They are also looking for anyone who wishes to volunteer to help with the event, including, filling the Santa suit. A flier is available on the links page to invite the families of your group to this event. If you need any further information, please call 234-5390 or 503-5814.

 

"The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are ... but in what direction we are moving"

 

New Meetings and Changes

The Sunday night 6:00PM Never Too Young For Recovery Group, which met at Fellowship House, is no longer meeting, and has been removed from the schedule.

The renovations to the Pine Street Presbyterian Church are completed. The meetings will return to their regular quarters at the Pine Street Group starting December 15. The regular meeting place will be Pine Street Presbyterian, Boyd Center, 234 South Street, Harrisburg. There will no longer be a meeting at the 27 North Cameron address.

There is a new Big Book Study Group started Tuesday September 9th at the Faith United Church of Christ, 1120 Drexel Hills Boulevard, New Cumberland. Bring your Big Book and check it out. Directions: 83 South - New Cumberland Exit 40B turn left at the light. Go straight at the light at 83 overpass, Drexel Hills Blvd is @ one block, where you turn right. Church on the right.

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

The Bridge Street 8:00PM open discussion meeting at the Trinity United Methodist Church is asking for your support.

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

 

Anecdotage (NEW ARTICLE - Please submit your favorites)

Dying of cancer, Gertrude Stein turned to her companion Alice B. Toklas and murmured, "What is the answer?" When Toklas did not reply, Stein simply nodded and continued: "In that case, what is the question?"
 

Pearl of the Month contributed by Charlotte F.  Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition pages 152-153

 You are going to meet these new friends in your community.  Near you, alcoholics are dying helplessly like people in a sinking ship.  If you live in a large place, there are hundreds.  High and low, rich and poor, these are future fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Among them you will make lifelong friends.  You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties, for you will escape disaster together and you will commence shoulder to shoulder your common journey.  Then you will know what it means to give of yourself that others may survive and rediscover life.   You will learn the full meaning of "Love thy neighbor as thyself."


 December Speakers 

The 19th Street speakers for the month of December are Dec 5, Mike R; Dec 12, Kim G; Dec 19, Don A; and Dec 26, Anniversary Night. Dec 13 will be the Hershey Christmas Party with speaker Carlos I from Phila, and Jan 3 will be Rod C from the Philhaven Group. See the Hershey Speaker Flyer on the links page. click here.. The 8:00PM Bridge Street Speakers will be: Dec 7, John S. from Lebanon 10th Street Group; Dec 14, Sarah S. from the E-town Step and Tradition Group; Dec 21, Steve W. from Lebanon 10th Street Group; and Dec. 28, John B. from the Lebanon 10th Street Group.  The speakers at the Middletown Survivors 7:00PM meeting on Thursday December 18th and January 8th  will be those celebrating anniversaries. Speakers for the 10th Street Friday night 7:30PM speaker meeting in Lebanon: 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.

Sojourn into History
 written and contributed by Bill C from Winding It Up


    Friends of Bill W. seeking a genuine spiritual uplift need look no farther than a six-hour drive northeast from Harrisburg to E. Dorset in the southwest corner of Vermont. This, as we know, is where William Griffith Wilson was born on November 26,1895, in a room behind a bar in the village hotel run by his grand-mother.
    What most of us don’t know is that this same hotel, which had fallen into what appeared to be hopeless ruin by 1987, has been 95 percent restored to its original condition and is now open to day visitors and overnight lodgers. In fact, all the buildings and natural sites that played key roles in shaping young Bill Wilson are intact for all to see.
 


Bill’s childhood connections
 

    Rising just to the west of The Wilson House is Mount Aeolus, which all his life drew Bill back to E. Dorset.
    Just across the street to the north from The Wilson House is the Congregational Church which Bill attended as a boy. And next to that is the Griffith House, home of Bill’s maternal grandparents with whom Bill lived from age eleven until he left to serve in France in World War I. Emerald Lake, where Bill is said to have proposed to Lois Burnham, is a short distance north of E. Dorset.
    And seven miles to the south in Manchester, Vermont, are the beautiful summer homes of Ebby Thatcher’s family and Lois Burnham’s father, Dr. Clark Burnham.
The Burr and Burton School, Bill’s high school, is also still there.
But it is the Wilson House itself that is the key focus to those who embark on this spiritual venture.
 

Restoration now 95% finished
 

Now owned by a non-profit foundation, the House underwent massive restoration in 1987 when first steps were taken to preserve the building. At that time, windows were falling out, a large portion of the building was collapsing, and a good-sized tree was growing up through the kitchen floor.
Today, thanks mostly to voluntary donations, the house is nearly back to the way it was when original construction was finished in 1852.
The atmosphere of the building gives heightened meaning to the word "serene".
There are no radios, telephones or televisions in the 14 bedrooms.
The absence of these ultra-modern conveniences enhances the peaceful, quiet spirit of the House, which is ideally conducive to prayer, meditation, reading, and fellowship.
 

    Many members of AA contend that the meeting room in the rear of the hotel is, by itself, worth the trip to E. Dorset. Among its many unique features is the hotel’s old bar, which is suspended from the ceiling near the front of the room. The upper portion of the walls are almost completely covered with old license plates bearing recovery messages. And a large fireplace promises warmth on chilly evenings. Local AA and Alanon groups hold several meetings. Educational seminars are held several times a year, and “Big Book’ studies and step studies are very popular.
    A smaller meeting room adjacent to the main one, permits two functions to be held at the same time.

    The Griffith House, also part of the non-profit foundation, is home to the Griffith Library, an extensive collection
of recovery literature, including original documents from AA's very beginnings. A list of current holdings is available, and contributions of materials are welcomed.
    For more information call Ozzie or Bonnie, caretakers of The Wilson House, at 1-802-362-5524, or e-mail them at wilsonhs@adelphia.net
    Finally, about one and one-half miles south is E. Dorset cemetery where Bill and Lois Wilson are buried side by side. The grave site has been the destination of pilgrimages by untold thousands of men and women who owe their very lives to Bill Wilson and the gift of Alcoholics Anonymous.
   
    You will probably find a small basket at Bill’s head-stone, a basket containing sobriety medallions, prayers, hand-written notes of gratitude, and other mementos. You can add yours to the collection.


                                       
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 TWELVE:  Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

  1. Why is it a good idea for me to place the common welfare of all AA members before individual welfare? What would happen to me if AA as a whole disappeared?

  2. When I do not trust AA's current servants, who do I wish had the authority to straighten them out?

  3. In my opinions of and remarks about other AAs, am I implying membership requirements other than a desire to stay sober?

  4. Do I ever try to get a certain AA group to conform to my standards, not its own?

  5. Have I a personal responsibility in helping an AA group fulfill its primary purpose? What is my part?

  6. Does my personal behavior reflect the Sixth Tradition -- or belie it? (An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.)

  7. Do I do all I can do to support AA financially? When is the last time I anonymously gave away a Grapevine subscription?

  8. Do I complain about certain AA's behavior -- especially if they are paid to work for AA? Who made me so smart?

  9. Do I fulfill all AA responsibilities in such a way as to please privately even my own conscience? Really?

  10. Do my utterances always reflect the Tenth Tradition, or do I give AA critics real ammunition? (Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.)

  11. Should I keep my AA membership a secret, or reveal it in private conversation when that may help another alcoholic (and therefore me)? Is my brand of AA so attractive that other drunks want it?

  12. What is the real importance of me among more than a million AAs?


*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 December 4, at 6:45pm, and the District 36 General Service Rep meeting on Monday December 8, 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.

 

A.A. is no success story in the ordinary sense of the word.  IT is a story of suffering transmuted, under grace, into spiritual progress.


November Intergroup Meeting

At the November meeting of Intergroup, the issue of an insurance policy that covers Intergroup while in the Fellowship House for its meetings was raised.  The vote passed that the policy is unnecessary and therefore should be canceled.

The State Hospital was covered in November by West Shore Women, and Monday Night Men's will take the opportunity in December. The There's More to Life Group will respond to cell phone calls in November and December. The 19th Street Group will be visiting the Gaudenzia Adolescent Center for October, November, and December. Attending the November meeting were: 19th Street, 40th Street, Al-Anon, Any Lengths, Bridge St., Concordia, Central Office, Hershey, Living Sober, Monday Night Men's, Monday Night Trinity Women, Progress Ave., Survivors, Trudgers, The Way Out, West Shore Area, and Winding It Up. Was your group represented?

Groups Continue Supporting Intergroup
Group contributions to the Intergroup Fund during the month of November were $753.50.  We thank the following 8 groups for their contributions: Pine Street Group, West Shore Group, Middletown Survivors and Trudgers, Rebellion Dogs, West Shore Area Women's Group, 19th Street, Carlisle Area Group, and The Way Out Group. 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 men and women's prison meetings, State Hospital visits, Internet Website, meeting schedules, speaker meetings, picnics, 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 mailing list 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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