Sobriety News - February 2012
A Service of Harrisburg Area Intergroup

If you would like to add something to the Sobriety News, please send it to info@aaharrisburg.org

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.

Calendar of Events

Looking Ahead

Out of Town

New Meetings and Changes

The Los Amigos group will start meeting again at the Fellowship House, 1251 19th Street, Harrisburg starting Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. FLYER

Starting in January the Big Book Study Group (BBSG) that meets on Tuesdays at 7:00pm will be offering Babysitting! Please print this FLYER and post in your meetings!

Thursday 6:00PM - Children of Chaos is now STILL MEETING!!! They were going to close its doors, but membership has grown and stayed steady. They meet at the Penbrook Church of God 2733 Canby St and provides babysitting!!

New Meeting!! Hershey has a new 7:00am meeting on Saturdays. It's called Sunrise Saturday and it's an open discussion meeting. The new meeting is at the Church of the Redeemer (white church up hill across 422 from Hershey Auto - where the Nooners meet). It's on 500 W Chocolate Ave, Hershey PA. Please feel free to post this FLYER of the new meeting.

Harrisburg Area Intergroup Gratitude Gala (3/24/2012)

The Harrisburg Area Group is sponsoring a Gratitude Gala on Saturday March 24th. Doors open at 5:30 and dinner is at 6:00pm (please bring an appetizer or dessert to share!). Speakers will be Jessica M. and Dave D. and start at 7pm. There will be a Gratitude Sobriety Countdown at 8:30! Dancing with DJ Ron G. until 10pm. Tickets are $5.00 and are limited to the first 225 people. Wear red to show your Gratitude! There will be Door Prizes, Raffles and Surprises!

Speakers Needed!

Russ K. from Fairfield PA likes to ask other areas for speakers and would like to see if anyone from our area would like to speak at meetings in the Gettysburg, Hanover, New Oxford and Fairfield areas If you are interested please contact Russ K at Aw8kning@aol.com or you can call him at 717-701-6947. Thanks!

Sponsorship Workshop 3/17/2012

The Harrisburg Area Group and District 36 is sponsoring a Sponsorship Workshop on Saturday March 17th. Doors open at 10:00am. The featured speaker will be Karen M. and there will be a panel on sponsorship. The workshop will be held in New Cumberland at Faith United Church of Christ on 1120 Drexel Hill Boulevard. Lunch will be provided. This is a free workshop! FLYER

Dauphin County Work Release Program

The Dauphin County Work Release Program is looking for speakers to share their experience, strength and hope. You must have at least 1 year clean time. The meetings occur on Saturday mornings at 10am at the Dauphin County Work Release Building #2. Anyone that is interested, please call Greg M at 564-6227 (home) or his cell at 579-2414. Men and women speakers are welcome. THANKS!! FLYER

Harrisburg Area Intergroup Voting for Officers (2/2/2012)

It's that time of year again when the yearly nominations have been made and now the voting will happen at Feb 2nd's Harrisburg Area Intergroup meeting this Thursday. At the next meeting votes will be accepted for Secretary, Treasurer and co-chair. Please make it a point to join us for this important responsibility! Thanks!

AA Anniversaries!

Harrisburg Area Intergroup would like to restart the tradition of putting anniversaries into the Sobriety News. If you have an AA anniversary, please email us with your first name, last initial, month and date, and the amount of years and we'll be happy to put it into the SN!!
Ron G - 2/3 - 25 years!
Mike Z- 2/16 12 years! Home Group: New Beginnings Carlisle PA

Big Book Quiz

Take this quiz and see how much you know about the Big Book! Answers are at the end!

1. Name the four horsemen.
a) Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, and John Wayne
b) Bill W., Dr. Bob, Dr. William Silkworth, and Dr. E.M. Jellinek
c) terror, bewilderment, frustration, despair

2. What is the baffling feature of alcoholism?
a) it affects people of all ages and nationalities
b) this utter inability to leave it alone, no matter how great the necessity or the wish
c) we don't have a cure for it

3. What is the `number one' offender?
a) Resentment
b) Dishonesty
c) Self-centeredness

4. Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as what?
a) intensive work with other alcoholics
b) attending A.A. meetings
c) socializing with members of the A.A. fellowship

5. If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be what?
a) no alcohol in our apartment or homes.
b) no attendance at social events where alcohol is served.
c) no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion, that someday we will be immune to alcohol.

6. What is the distinction between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic?
a) Social drinkers never experience negative consequences from drinking.
b) If, when you honesty want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic.
c) non-alcoholics never become alcoholics

7. What are the essentials of recovery?
a) recovery, unity, and service
b) willingness, honesty, and open mindedness
c) abstinence, service, and fellowship

8. What do we think is the root of our troubles?
a) Alcoholism, of course!
b) Shame above all else!
c) Selfishness--self-centeredness!

9. ...The actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of what?
a) moral or religious conviction
b) self-knowledge
c) self-will

10. Step 10 advises that we continue to watch for what?
a) selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, fear
b) our relapse triggers
c) a better sponsor of A.A. meeting

11. The alcoholic has a daily reprieve from drinking contingent upon what?
a) going to meetings
b) working with others
c) the maintenance of our spiritual condition

12. What is the central fact of our lives today?
a) we are not drinking
b) the absolute certainly that Our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous
c) we are members of Alcoholics Anonymous

13. Each day, somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing what?
a) reading from the Big Book
b) their working of the 12 Steps
c) experience, strength and hope

ANSWERS WITH REFERENCE:
1. c) page 151, paragraph 2, line 9
2. b) page 34, paragraph 2, line 11
3. a) page 64, paragraph 3
4. a) page 89, paragraph 1
5. c) page 33, paragraph 1, line 91
6. b) page 44, paragraph 1, line 4
7. b) page 568, paragraph 3, line 2
8. c) page 62, paragraph 1
9. b) page 39, paragraph 1, line 5
10. a) page 84, paragraph 2, line 9
11. c) page 85, paragraph 1, line 4
12. b) page 25, paragraph 2, line 5
13. c) page xxii, paragraph 4, line 3

Taken from: Big Book Quiz

WHAT DOES “CONFERENCE-APPROVED LITERATURE” MEAN?

What It Means to You
The term “Conference-approved” describes written or audiovisual material approved by the Conference for publication by G.S.O. This process assures that everything in such literature is in accord with A.A. principles. Conference-approved material always deals with the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous or with information about the A.A. Fellowship.
The term has no relation to material not published by G.S.O. It does not imply Conference disapproval of other material about A.A. A great deal of literature helpful to alcoholics is published by others, and A.A. does not try to tell any individual member what he or she may or may not read.
Conference approval assures us that a piece of literature represents solid A.A. experience. Any Conferenceapproved booklet or pamphlet goes through a lengthy and painstaking process, during which a variety of A.A.’s from all over the United States and Canada read and express opinions at every stage of production. How To Tell What Is and What Is Not Conference-approved Look for the statement on books, pamphlets and films: “This is A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature”
All “A.A. Literature” Is Not Conference-approved Central offices and intergroups do write and distribute pamphlets or booklets that are not Conference-approved. If such pieces meet the needs of the local membership, they may be legitimately classified as “A.A. literature.” There is no conflict between A.A. World Services, Inc. (A.A.W.S. – publishers of Conference-approved literature), and central offices or intergroups – rather they complement each other. The Conference does not disapprove of such material. G.S.O.

In AA the only mistake you can make is not coming back.

Gratitude is the streetcar to a better attitude.

As Bill Sees It

Better Than Gold
"As newcomers, many of us have indulged in spiritual intoxication. Like a guant prospector, belt drawn in over the last ounce of food, we saw our pick strike gold. Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds

The newcomer feels he has struck something better than gold. He may not see at once that he has barely scratched a limitless lode which will pay dividends only if he mines it for the rest of his life and insists on giving away the entire product."
Alcoholics Anonymouse, pp. 128-129

The catch-22 of recovery:
You've got to change your thinking
To change your drinking.
But to change your thinking,
You've got to change your drinking.

We Are not a Glum Lot!

Harrisburg Area Intergroup (HAI)
1251 S. 19th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17104
January 5, 2012 Meeting Minutes
www.aaharrisburg.org

Representatives Present: 19th Street Group; 40th Street Group; Al-Anon; Big Book Study Group; Cumberland Valley Women's Prison; Children of Chaos; Dauphin County Men's Prison; Desire Group; Dillsburg Group; District 36;Fellowship House; Harrisburg Men's Group; Hershey Group; Hershey Nooner Group; Living Sober Group; Middletown Survivors Group; Middletown Trudgers Group; Out of the Dark Group; Pine Street Group; Serenity Women's Group; The Way Out Group; There's More to Life Group; West Shore Women's Group; Big Book Study Group East; Any Length Group; West Shore Group; Empty Jug Group; Up the Creek Group; Sunrise Sunday Group; Winding It Up Group.
The meeting was opened at 6:30 p.m. with The Serenity Prayer.
The Twelve Traditions were read by Kurt R.
Chairman's Report: Chairman Alicia S. asked meeting attendees to introduce themselves to help place faces with names/groups. She then asked new HAI representatives to introduce themselves: Jennifer W, Sunrise Sunday Group; Ben S, Big Book Study Group East; Herman B, 40th Street Group; Steve D, Up the Creek Group; and Bill R, West Shore Group. Alicia reported that she confirmed that Cumberland County Prison is still receiving their Grapevine subscription courtesy of the Cumberland Valley Intergroup. She asked for a volunteer to see her after the meeting to help her with the "Meeting in a Pocket" initiative. If any HAI member needs to reach Alicia you can call her at (717) 602-9173 or email her at alshenk@pa.gov.
Secretary's Report: The December HAI meeting minutes were read by Secretary Ed P. The minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer's Report: Kurt R. (for Joyce T) provided the January 2012 Treasurer's report, which was unanimously approved by attending HAI representatives.
Central Office: Terri Z. (for Karen M) reported that the Living Sober group has responsibility for the HAI hotline for the month of January. Terri reminded HAI representatives to review/update their group's hotline contact and 12 Step volunteer information whenever their respective group has the phone.
2012 Group
January Living Sober
February Middletown Survivors
March Dillsburg
April Big Book Study
May Hershey
June Middletown Trudgers
July Bridge St. Sunday Night Speakers
August Harrisburg Mens
September More to Life
Sobriety News: Lisa K. provided an overview of the upcoming events listed in the January SN. Hard copies of the Sobriety News were made available to members on the sign-in table to take back to their respective home group. Lisa reminded members to send all articles they want published in the SN to her via the HAI email address info@aaharrisburg.org .
Literature: Rick H. reported that in December he sold $1037, bought $683 and had a total literature inventory of $3734 available on hand. He also provided a summary report showing HAI literature sales over the past 3 years. Interestingly, annual sales increased by 10% in each of these years. It appears the local AA community is growing stronger! Rick also reminded members they can contact him at holtz24@comcast.net to place advance orders for literature. Lisa K. will make sure Rick's contact information is posted on the HAI web site www.aaharrisburg.org.
Public Information: Rick S. reported that he and Charlie B. contacted Harrisburg area radio and tv stations and provided local and national AA hotline and internet information to be used in public service announcements at their discretion.
Dauphin County Men's: Moses reported that everything is going well. He also asked that HAI provide 6 Big Books and a dozen 12 & 12 books for a new meeting getting started at the Perry County Prison. HAI representatives approved his request unanimously.
Dauphin County Women's: Terri Z. reported that meetings are going well. Although they have a nice bank of volunteers for both the prison and Woodside Work Release meetings, new volunteers are welcome and should contact her or Karen M. for more information.
Cumberland County Men's: Jack P. reported (via Alicia S) that things are going well.
Cumberland County Women's: Lori R. reported that attendance is good and new volunteers are coming in. She asked HAI for an additional 6 Big Books and 6 Living Sober books. HAI representatives approved this request.
Camp Hill Men's: Jack P. reported (via Alicia S) that things are going well.
Activities: Buddy requested that HAI provide $200 seed money for the Northeast Regional Assembly 2013 conference to be held in Lancaster next year. HAI representatives unanimously approved this request. Buddy reported that the spring bus trip to AA Headquarters in NY will cost between $1600-1800 and will seat between 50-60 people, which makes the cost about $30-35 per person. Buddy will pick a date in April for the trip.
Treatment Centers: John H. volunteered to take over the chairman duties for this committee. Welcome aboard John! The following groups have volunteered to cover the Concept 90 meetings for the next several months:
2012 Group
January Dillsburg
February More to Life
March Hershey
April Empty Jug
District 36: Newt reported that District 36 will help out with future HAI sponsored workshops. The next District 36 meeting will be held on January 9th and, as always, all AA members are invited to attend.
Cumberland Valley Intergroup: No report.
Al-Anon: Bonnie B. was recently elected the new HAI Al-Anon representative for 2012. She reported that Dawn T. was elected for a 3 year stint as Al-Anon district representative. She thanked HAI for listing Al-Anon meetings on the local HAI schedule under "other meetings". She will provide an updated Al-Anon POC list and guide for the HAI Hotline folder.
Old Business: The Spring HAI Gratitude Gala date was changed to March 24th and a flyer was provided for HAI members to take back to their home groups. Tickets will be distributed to representatives at the February HAI meeting.
New Business: (1) Nominations for HAI Officer positions were taken for the 2012 election to be held during the HAI February meeting. Nominees include: Chairperson; Alicia S., Co-Chairperson: Kurt R., Treasurer; Joyce T., and Secretary; Bill R.. Voting is restricted to attending HAI group representatives only. (2) The More to Life group volunteered to man the HAI hotline for September 2012. (3) The Empty Jug group volunteered to cover the Concept 90 meetings in April 2012.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

January HAI Financial Report

Please keep in mind the seventh tradition: Every A. A. group ought to be fully self supporting, declining outside contributions. That means Harrisburg Area Group (which includes Central Office) is supported by your group contributions. Thanks for your support!