Sobriety News
 JUNE 2005

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.

June Calendar of Events*

Jun  2  Thursday 6:45PM    Harrisburg Area Intergroup meeting
Jun  3  Friday 8:30PM         19th Street speaker Jersey Dave
Jun  4   Saturday 8:00PM     Hershey Speaker Duke and Ginny from the Palmyra Group
Jun  5  Sunday 8:00PM       Bridge Street Speaker Kevin B from 40th Street
Jun 10  Friday 8:30PM        19th Street speaker Sheila W
Jun 11  Saturday 12 - 5PM  York Acts of Recovery at Eastminster Presb Church**
Jun 12    Sunday 8:00PM      Bridge Street Speaker Jim Doc" D from Harrisburg Men's
Jun 13  Monday 6:30PM    District #36 General Service meeting
Jun 17  Friday 8:30PM     19th Street speaker Lisa L
Jun 16 - 18    Weekend         35th Area 29 Maryland State Convention
Jun 19  Sunday 8:00PM     Bridge Street Speaker Bill L from 40th Street
Jun 23   Thursday 7:00PM    Middletown Speakers Jim W & Adam S    
Jun 24  Friday 8:30PM      19th Street Anniversary Night
Jun 26  Sunday 8:00PM        Bridge Street Speaker Jeremy M from Harrisburg Men's
Jun 30   Thursday 7:00PM    Middletown Speaker - California Cathy
Jun 30   Thursday till         70th year AA International Convention in Toronto
to Jul 3  Sunday

LOOKING AHEAD

Jul 2             Saturday 8:00PM   Hershey Speaker Julie M from Big Book Study Group
Jul 10           Sunday 9:00AM     Out Of The Dark Picnic & Speaker Meeting**
Aug  6           Saturday Noon      HAI 20th Annual Picnic at New Cumberland Borough Park
Aug 19 - 21    Weekend               8th Annual Sunlight of the Spirit Conference**
Jul  2008                                      Al-Anon International Convention in Pittsburgh, PA

To links and current events

The Links Page

    The AA blue button above will take you to the links and current events page. Did you know that the links page also has links to Flyers of events, other AA websites and meeting schedules, and to back issues of Sobriety News? 
    You can make flyers of your group's activities available to others for printing off the internet by e-mailing a copy to FLYERS.  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.
    

Greater Harrisburg Meeting Schedules

There is a link to the Meeting Schedule here (or if you have Microsoft Word, click the coin at right, so you can print out the schedule . 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.

There are links to meeting schedules on the links page for Lebanon Area, and York. We hope to soon be able to add the Lancaster schedule also.

 

Announcement
 The meeting scheduled at Fairview Twp. Firehouse on Sunday mornings is moving!
 The last meeting is Sunday July 3, 2005.
Beginning Sunday July 10, 2005 the new meeting location is 122 Geary Ave. In New Cumberland.
A new Firehouse is slated to be finished construction in March of 2006. The meeting may or may not return to that location. Stay tuned.
You may contact Richard W. 717-329-8320 Or Andrew B. 717-697-6319 with any questions. You may also email aa@aaharrisburg.org. Link to full information.

Carrying The Message

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.

We recover by the Steps we take,
Not the meetings we make.   

AA Radio Meeting is now streaming at:  Check it out!  http://www.live365.com/stations/312363?play Discussion of AA Radio Meeting can be found at http:// radioaa.blogspot.com /
Help for Hearing Impaired?

If anyone in our AA community knows sign language and is willing to be of service, there is a need in the Harrisburg Area for their help. If you are willing to help a hearing impaired person, please notify Intergroup through you Intergroup Rep.

INTERNET SOURCE FOR RECORDED AA TALKS

 There is a new source for some good AA recordings of talks from the Harbor City Speakers, Acts of Recovery, South College Speaker Group, Steps in Action, Unity in Action, White Rose, and various others. These are free for you to download in MP3 format on your computer. The web address is http://greatfact.org You can hear speakers from the Greater Harrisburg Acts of Recovery that you may have missed.

The surest path to acquiring more,
Is in the learning of desiring less.

Acts of Recovery

The Acts of Recovery are spreading rapidly across the country, making it possible for those new in parenting, or in the job market, to obtain the flavor of conferences that can otherwise cost hundreds of dollars.  These events, condensed into five hours, provide four quality messages of experience, strength and hope, and a lunch, free of cost. Of course , you don't have to be new in recovery to take advantage of these opportunities.  You can participate in this experience by attending the York Acts on June 11, with four great speakers who will be: Grace E. from Kennett Sq. whose topic is "Professional Cooperation"; David L from Wilkes-Barre, who will talk of the "Downward Spiral"; Agnes S. from Baltimore with "God's Blessings"; and Joe T. from Dover, DE. will wrap up with Simplicity and Consistency". See the flyer .

Acts of Recovery at Middletown (05/07/05)

Brian Q, Young Peoples Meeting of PA (York) 
Brian started drinking at 16.He used drinking to help him find friends and fit in with the crowd.  Back then it was a great time and exactly what he needed.  Drinking was indeed the solution. He finally felt comfortable in his own skin.  He later dropped out of high school, worked, and drank for approximately 3 years.  He lived in a broken down camper, pulled by a broken down pickup, and thought he was having a ball.  He finally got into a DUI Accident and lost his license. It was at this time that he felt “Alcoholism” kick in.  He sporadically went to AA, stopped drinking periodically, and went on marijuana maintenance. This lead to pass out drinking, blackouts, and hitting his bottom. His moment of clarity was when he realized that he had burned all bridges, had no where to go, and no hope.  This lead to de-tox, lock-ups, white knuckling, and eventually a rehab. He finally listened, got a sponsor, began reading the big book, and praying.  Belief in a higher power began with an experience with nature, and he now could look people in the eyes without feeling guilt.  Brian states that some days he is a shining example of AA, and others he just doesn’t drink. He is happier than any other time in his life. He is rewarded when helping others.

Paula P, Hershey Group
Paula had many religious experiences in the early days trying to find out what was wrong with her. She always felt different from others. She began with drugs and went down hill very fast while still in high school. She always felt that the only thing she was good at was partying. Early intervention did not help because she was not finished having fun. She later was to find that her greatest joy in life was being a mother, and mothers don’t do drugs. This lead to alcoholic drinking which also proved to be unmanageable. Through self discovery she became fearful and loathed herself.  Finally, reaching out, wanting to change and not knowing how, and with the help of her AA husband, she started rehab seriously. She began going to meetings and listening, believing in God and His Plan, and her life finally began to take shape.  Today, in addition to being a mother, Paula’s greatest joy in life is helping newcomers aim in the right direction, and choose the right paths.

Vicky N - Baltimore
Vicky owes her life to AA, and hopes that she will always remember where she came from. Growing up in an Alcoholic Home in South Baltimore, she was born an alcoholic just waiting for the drink to happen. She had alcoholic thinking long before her first drink at 14.  Vicky’s moment of clarity came upon realizing that she was about to take her own life but then found herself on the AA Hotline. When an AA member met her at her door, she found she was alive, but wasn’t supposed to be.  Desperation and becoming willing to do what ever it took to relieve the pain of the past, soon relieved the compulsion to drink. She used to drink to relieve Vicky of Vicky, now the steps do that. Vicky’s favorite phase from the big book is, “We have found heaven – We have been rocketed into the 4th dimension.”

Tom F, Harbor City Speakers (Baltimore)
Alcohol wasn’t the problem, it was the solution, yet life always got worse. Every day was dull, gray, and always hopeless. Yet alcohol had taken Tom to many places and experiences. Tom even knew how to make a lot of money, but he never knew how to live life until he discovered AA. With daily guilt, shame and broken promises, even to God, and with no one or nowhere else to go, he finally gave up and came to AA. With desperation, the father of willingness, he was finally done, ready to listen, and to work the steps of AA. Tom emphasized the importance of a strong daily relationship with God, ever reminding us that there will come a time in AA when we will have nothing but our spiritual condition against a drink.

Article contributed by Doug M of Hershey Group

A Middletown Shot of Enthusiasm (05/21/05)

The Middletown Presbyterian Church was the site of another of those Shots of Enthusiasm by the Middletown Groups. Two speakers shared about their experience strength and hope and how through Alcoholic Anonymous they were able to start living a life beyond their wildest dreams.

Bob D of “The Specific Group” of Las Vegas started off with a Spiritual Workshop about the “Spiritual Malady and the Solution”. After 4 ˝ years of sobriety he felt himself dying and leaving AA, “one judgment at a time”. He had an opinion about everything including “What you were thinking” He knew he needed a revitalization of the spirit or he wasn’t going to make it, so at the turning point he stopped looking everywhere else and started looking within. By using the principles of “Uncovering, Discovering and Discarding” he was able to start to get in touch with the inner spirit. The key became subtraction instead of addition; he knew he needed to get rid of some “stuff” in order to go forward. Following through on the decision made in step 3 and working steps 4 through 9 he was able to develop a conscious contact with God. Today Bob is sober 26 ˝ years.

After a short break to sample those scrumptious Middletown desserts, Leslie S from Ephrata shared about her 10 years of drinking trouble. She shared about starting drinking at age 12 which also was her first blackout which lasted 3 days, to the day she entered rehab, kicking and screaming. This was the same rehab her alcoholic stepfather, who she swore she would never be like, had been dragged away to, years before. After 28 days she was still kicking and screaming but this time it was to stay. Instead she went to a halfway house where she stayed for 3 months until she was asked to leave because “I started to take my will back” Through the fellowship of the program she was able to establish relationships with the women in her area who looked out for her and got her involved in AA. The promises kept her coming back and now she celebrates 23 years of sobriety. It hasn’t been easy in those 23 years; she went through a major crisis at 12 years sober but came through it stronger.Those promises did come true.

A “Freeze Dried Alcoholic waiting for Alcohol”, so began Bob D’s story. Bob knew something was different about him from day one, “it was always about me” At age 12 the alcoholism in him was released for the first time and he just loved the ease and comfort it brought, but each time he sobered up he was back to being Bob. Within 4 years that ease and comfort brought him in front of the juvenile judge for the 3rd time. For the next 12 years through multiple rehabs, AA, therapy, jail, halfway houses, he continued to search for that ease and comfort but could never find it without finding trouble. While living in a halfway house and being sober for 10 months, feeling lonely and needing some fun, he ventured into a bar. 2 ˝ days later he was in jail for a DUI hit and run in a stolen car. After spending 6 months in jail and facing a 2 year state prison term he was released to a halfway house. Still unable to surrender, suicide seemed like the only choice. Standing on a bridge he couldn’t bring himself to jump, so he starting running from the law and wound up in a detox in Las Vegas. This time he was ready to listen to AA and most importantly surrender and all he needed to surrender was his judgment. By working the steps, being of service to others and keeping a conscious contact with God, Bob has remained sober 26 ˝ years.

Sunday Afternoon at 19th St.

Father Mark, a recovering alcoholic spoke to a room of ninety plus people at the biannual SAM (Sunday Afternoon Meeting) at 19th St.  He spoke of his drinking days in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, and how he has been on both sides of the confessional.  When Father Mark was in seminary school he met Father Bill, a recovering alcoholic, who told him "You don't have to live like this anymore"  Father Mark eventually entered a rehab on December 26th and Father Bill told him he was pathetic; "No good alcoholic would be there over the holidays".  After Father Mark got sober he went on to be assigned to a parish.  Going to meetings regularly, he still felt disconnected from suffering alcoholics.  He prayed to God about it and shortly after, he received a phone call from Father Bill asking him if he would be interested in working for a local rehab.  Father Mark left parish work to work in the rehab.  Now he has the best of both worlds, carrying the message for his love of God and to help the sick and suffering who are dying of alcoholism.

Article submitted by Mary J of 19th St.        

Out of the Dark Picnic & Speaker Meeting

The Out of the Dark Group is hosting an open speaker meeting and picnic on Sunday, July 10, at 9:00 a.m. We will meet in Lemoyne at the Negley Park pavilion along Cumberland Road.   Come and enjoy fellowship in the great outdoors with man; Eileen S. from the Out of the Dark group sharing her experience, strength, and hope.  They will provide ham, drinks, and plenty of coffee. Covered dishes are appreciated. Negley Park overlooks the Market Street Bridge and the River from high on the hill in Lemoyne. If one comes West across the River on the Market Street Bridge and continues to the left up thru the "bottleneck", take a right turn at the traffic light at Third Street go one block and turn right on Walnut Street and continue on to the Park. For additional information call Kris K 566-4780.  

20th Annual HAI Picnic

Mark your calendar for Saturday August 6th so you remember the HAI 20th Annual Picnic at New Cumberland Borough Park. Get your tickets from your Intergroup Rep before July 7th so that a barbeque chicken will be waiting for you. There will be games for the kids, and for the adults. The doings begin at noon and clean up at 6:00PM. Bring dessert or salad if you'd like. Tickets will be available from your Intergroup Rep for $5.00 (Children are free). Barbeque chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers will be proffered. Bring a desert, salad, or covered dish to share if you wish. Have fun and stay for the AA open discussion meeting at about 4:00PM. Bring a comfortable chair if you don't enjoy picnic benches. This is always a fun affair.

 

Primary Purpose Weekend

The 2nd annual Primary Purpose Weekend will be held on September 16th and 17th at the Camp Hill Presbyterian Church (101 N.23rd St Camp Hill).  Speakers are Valerie D from Richmond, Va. and Gerry W from Cleveland, OH.  More information is available at
http://www.bbsgpa.org/PPWOFFICAL.htm  

Recognizing someone else's human dignity
Can not cost you your own!

Anecdotage  

Dancing with God

When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE, I kept seeing "dance at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word GUIDANCE. When I saw "G" I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance. God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon us this day and everyday. May we abide in God as God abides in us. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide us through each season of our lives.

from "Conscious Contact", April 2005, Central Ohio Group Fellowship, Inc. by Marge K.

New Meetings and Changes
 You are invited to come out and support the Chapter 9 Family Group, which meets in West Fairview, Saturdays at 8:00PM. The meeting is happening in Saint Mark's Lutheran Church (At meeting room/kitchen in back on left side) by the Uni Mart at the intersection of Rts 11 & 15 and Market Sts. in West Fairview (Just South of Enola). See the flyer, take it to your group.

The Big Book Study Group, by group conscience, has voted to discontinue the Friday night meeting. The Tuesday Big Book Study will continue meeting at Faith United Church of Christ at 1120 Drexel Hills Blvd, New Cumberland, Tuesday at 7:00PM.

There is a new meeting in Loysville, Perry County on Saturdays at 7:00PM at the Centre Presbyterian Church on Route 850 in Loysville. See the Flyer for more details and directions. Welcome to the District #36 family "Empty Jug" Meeting of Loysville!

The Double Trouble Meetings on Wednesday and Friday at 7:30PM are at a new location at Gaudenzia New View, 1728 North Second Street (rear), Harrisburg, and starting on May 8,  an additional meeting has begun at 6:00PM on Sundays. All three are closed discussion, non-smoking.

The journey is the destination.

This-n-That

Don't forget the Harrisburg Area Intergroup meeting Thursday June 2, at 6:45pm, and the District 36 General Service Rep meeting on Monday June 13, 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. 


May Intergroup Meeting
At the May 5th meeting of Intergroup, Chairperson RC  opened the meeting with the serenity prayer. Several issues were discussed 

The State Hospital was covered by the Way Out Group who'd volunteered for May. (Because of impending changes in the Harrisburg State Hospital Operations, there will no longer be a Tuesday or Thursday Meeting. There will be a Sunday 2:00PM meeting for the foreseeable future). The Big Book Study Group will fulfill that obligation in June. The Middletown Groups carried the cell phone during May, and the  There's More To Life has asked to take this commitment for June. The 40th Street Group volunteered to help out with the Gaudenzia Juvenile Facility meeting on Wednesday evenings for a limited time. Volunteers for the various county and state prison and Gaudenzia Juvenile facilities continue to carry the message to those who hope to change their lives through a more spiritual way of living; if you'd like to benefit from this 12th Step opportunity, see your Intergroup Rep, or leave a message with the hot line at 234-5390.

The price on all literature items, except for the Big Book  will increase in July.  

Groups represented at the May meeting were: HAI Officers, 40th Street, Big Book Study, Dauphin County prison meetings, District 36 Gen Service, Fellowship House, Hershey, Millersburg, Pine Street, Survivors, TMTL, Trudgers, The Way Out, Up the Creek, and Winding It Up. Was your group represented.

Growing old is inevitable,
Growing up is optional,
Growing spiritually is up to you.

Traditions Checklist

TRADITION SIX: An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
  1. Should my fellow group members and I go out and raise money to endow several AA beds in our local hospital?
  2. Is it good for a group to go out and lease a small building?
  3. Are all the officers and members of our local club for AAs familiar with "Guidelines on Clubs" (which is available free from GSO)?
  4. Should the secretary of our group serve on the mayor's advisory committee on alcoholism?
  5. Some alcoholics will stay around AA only if we have a TV and card room. If this is what is required to carry the message to them, should we have these facilities?


*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

 

When I let go of what i am,
I become what I might be.

 

Pearl of the Month ©  AA Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 27

"That I had to admit that AA showed results, prodigious results. I saw that my attitude regarding these had been anything but scientific. The minute I stopped arguing, I could begin to see and feel. . . I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day I came to believe in a Power greater than myself, but I certainly have that belief now. To acquire it, I only had to stop fighting and practice the rest of AA's program as enthusiastically as I could."

With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

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. Why not share something of yourself with our readers?

Knock! Knock! - Who's There?

We have finally had all the fun we can stand. We have bought the ticket that is required for admission to Alcoholics Anonymous; that longing, that yearning, that burning desire to quit drinking for good and all. Wouldn't we like to know who is going to be there to answer that most important question, "What do I have to do to avoid death or insanity from drinking? What other legitimate reason is there for seeking help through Alcoholics Anonymous? There is none. The ONLY requirement for membership in Alcoholics Anonymous is a desire to stop drinking. It doesn't say "and a" anything nor does it say  "or~~"  anything. Just a burning desire to stop starting. What's the answer to that question, "Who will be there to help the serious drinker? It appears that in many groups, there will be five (5) types of folks the one seeking help will encounter. They are:

1. There will be the "Players". These are the ones who have the answer because they KNOW what is in the Basic Text for Alcoholics Anonymous. They will KNOW because they have and do study the Text and apply the directions they find there to their lives day in and day out. They have RECOVERED and have been given the Power to help others. They are the ones who not only are the real leaders of their Group but they are the ones who go to the "wind-up" places searching out, going to, approaching the suffering serious drinker to try to carry the message, "I have been where you are. I truly understand. I have had a spiritual awakening as the result of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and I'd like to help you, if you will let me." They make for the kind of Sponsors we all wish we could find. Unfortunately, in today's Fellowship, they are few.

2. Then there are the "Sayers". They have read the Big Book, the Twelve & Twelve and probably a lot of other stuff. They sound real good in meetings. They know all the right things to say. But their time is far too important to go to the Alano Clubs, Salvation Army, Soup Kitchens, Shelters, etc. They believe it is best to sit in the comfort of their meeting place and wait for the ones seeking help to show up. The message they have to pass on is varied but most likely will NOT be, "Are you willing to go to any length for victory over alcohol? If you are, let me explain the problem (alcoholism) as it is described in the Doctor's Opinion' and then we'll talk about the Solution we have found . No, they will most likely suggest that you don't drink and go to meetings and maybe you can recover by osmosis. Just sit and listen to us talk.

3. Then there are the "Fakers". They may have had a little trouble with drinking at some point in their life but they are not alcoholic. They are described several places in the Big Book, specifically on pages 20 - 21. They might be a hard drinker or a "drunk . The main difference between the "real alcoholic and the "drunk" is very simple. The "drunk" could quit drinking if they would. The "real alcoholic" would quit drinking if we could. They do not have to take the action outlined in the Twelve Steps to stay away from drinking. They are strong for "don't drink and go to meetings or far worse, "you should go to 90 meetings in 90 days~~. You shouldn't rush into taking the Steps. Take your time until you figure out what this thing is all about. I've never had to take the Steps and I haven't had a drink since God dug the river."  They are the ones my good friend in Houston calls the, "Get out the tissues -- I've got some issues" bunch. These phonies are bad enough but we have one other type of individual sitting in our meetings and they are:

4. Those who have absolutely no business of sitting in a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. They have never had a problem with drinking alcoholic liquids. They may have problems with drugs or narcotics or gambling or dependency on other people or sex or any number of other types of problems. But a problem with alcohol is not one of them. And, unfortunately, in some groups, they are permitted to talk about whatever is bothering them at that moment.

5. Then there are the "undecided . They are the newcomers who sit in meetings trying to figure out what the "Program" is all about. They see the "Steps" and "Traditions" on the wall but are unsure of what it takes to recover. The more they listen in meetings, the more confused they become. Many of us have qualified for membership in Alcoholics Anonymous because we have hit that point in our life where we are willing to go to any length to never have to try to sober up ever again. We are asked the question, "What do I have to do to never go through this misery again? Is the answer they are given, "Just keep coming back." , or "Don't drink and go to meetings" or "You really need to go to 90 meetings for 90 days."  But they might even hear someone say, "If you really want to whip this drinking problem, let's get you a Big Book, read it and then I'll help you take the action those recovered alcoholics report they took and see if this Program will work for you as well as it did for them and for me. But that voice is in the minority. When over 90% of the folks who are in meetings or sitting around drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and telling how awful their drinking was but haven't had to take the Steps to recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind an body, who will the newcomer listen to?

Well, the undecided are the ones our meetings are suppose to be for. To help them understand the difference between the alcoholic and the nonalcoholic and if they are, in fact, real alcoholics, here is our Solution. The question is then asked, "Are you willing to go to any length for victory over alcohol?" If the answer is 'yes', let's get busy in taking the Steps so you too can become a recovered alcoholic. That is what we are here for. To protect our sobriety by trying to carry "this message" , "Yes, I have had a spiritual awakening as the result of taking the Steps and I'll help you if you want what I have.  What do I have? I know a new freedom and a new happiness. I don't regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. I comprehend the word serenity and I know peace. No matter how far down the scale I had gone, I see how my experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity has disappeared. I have lost interest in selfish things and gained interest in my fellows. Self seeking has slipped away. My whole attitude and outlook upon life has changed. Fear of people and economic insecurity has left me. I normally intuitively know how to handle situations that used to baffle me. Today, I fully realize that God is doing for me what I could not and can not do for myself. If that is what you want more than anything on earth, I'll help you get it."  Be a "PLAYER !!!

Thanks to Julie M from the BBSG for forwarding this for thought. (She received it from The Primary Purpose Group of Dallas, TX.  

This Month in AA History

1935 - Dr. Bob's last drink and the official recognized founding date of Alcoholic Anonymous

1935 - Dr. Bob, Bill W and Eddie R visit Bill D (AA #3) @ City Hospital.  A prominent attorney in Akron, Bill D had been hospitalized 8 times earlier in the year because of his drinking.  It took him 5 days before he could admit he couldn't control his drinking.  Bill D got sober on June 26 and never took another drink.  He died sober in 1954. 

1938 - The name Alcoholics Anonymous is first used.  

1944 - Volume 1, No. 1 of the Grapevine is printed.  A yearly subscription cost $1.50.  Six volunteers started the grapevine as a 8 page newsletter for members in the NYC area and GIs overseas.

1945 - Cleveland, OH hosted a 2 day "Big Meeting" at the Cleveland Music Hall and Carter Hotel to celebrate AA's 10th anniversary.  An estimated 2500 people attended from 36 states, 2 Canadian provinces and 1 from Mexico.

1949 - Dr. Bob's wife, Anne Ripley Smith (age 69) dies at St. Thomas Hospital.  Bill W wrote that Anne was "quite literally, the mother of our first group, Akron Number One" and "In the full sense of the word she was one of the founders of AA"   

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

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Those who anger me, conquer me.

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