JAN 2, 23 .. HAPPY SOBER NEW YEAR TO ONE AND TO ALL

The Holiday Season is now over and behind us. Time to return to our Program of Recovery that has carried us through another Holiday Season sober.

And ??

Let's not drink today !

DEC 25, 22 .. MERRY AND SOBER CHRISTMAS WISHES FOR ONE AND ALL

 Christmas, and all major holidays for that matter, can be a very stressful time for all of us in recover.

Together we can do what we cannot do alone.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !

Reach out to another member, attend meetings, practice our principles in all of your dealings with others.

SEP 15, 22 .. THE NINTH MONTH .. THE NINTH STEP

 Step 9 is really something very special. 

We will be amazed before we are halfway through (Step 9) .. 

And then, here come the 9th Step Promises on pages 83 and 84 of the A.A. Big Book!!

Let's talk a second about the spiritual experiences we may very well experience when we make our amends.

Appendix II at the back of the A.A. Big Book simply says that a spriritual experience is a change in our relation to life itself and such a change could hardly have been brought about by ourselves.

When we make an amend we are (on the spot) doing something different (a change) in that we are recognizing that for us to get better we must change by making amends. And the 9th Step amends are exactly that, a real change.

One time I was about to get into an arguement with another member of the A.A. Fellowship. Suddenly (instantly) I realized that IF I said what I was thinking of saying then I would owe that member an amend and he who would also know this.

So? I kept my mouth shut and said nothing.

Wow! What a change.

God Bless and Best Wishes on your Spiritual Journey.

JUL 27, 22 .. IT'S IN THE A.A. BIG BOOK .. AND IT MEANS A LOT TO ME

When I give a talk, I make sure to very clearly name a topic. It is frustrating when a speaker just wanders around in their share and then fails to name a topic.

I am going to give a talk later and (taa daa) today's topic is :

IT'S IN THE BOOK .. 

AND IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..

Please share YOUR own special passages in the A.A. Big Book.

- - - - - - - -

Why do people drink alcohol?

IT'S IN THE BOOK (The Doctor's Opinion) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME

Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol.

Translation : Men and women drink to change how they feel!

IT'S NOT IN THE BOOK (and I don't hear the below words said in meetings) BUT SHOULD BE..

The purpose of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is to make us feel good about ourselves! The theory being, IF we feel good about ourselves, we don't need alcohol to change how we are feeling. I can't explain why an alcoholic drinks (knowing what is going to happen) to 'celebrate' after their team wins the Super Bowl.

- - - - - - - - 

Stopping drinking isn't the issue, staying stopped is the issue!

IT'S IN THE BOOK (page 553, the final story) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..

It's no great trick to stop drinking; the trick is to stay stopped. To do that, I had to come to A.A. to learn how to handle sobriety -- which is what I could not handle in the first place. That's why I drank. 

- - - - - - - -

What to do about your alcoholism?

IT'S IN THE BOOK (page 58, How It Works) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..

If you have decided you want what we have, and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps.

For me it means to continue to do steps 10, 11 and 12!

- - - - - - - -

After one has stopped, or is even still in the process of stopping drinking, what is the best action to take?

IT'S IN THE BOOK (page 89, Working With Others and page 15 as well) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..

Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail.

We would not exist if, back in the early days, people with one day of not drinking had not themselves gone to St. Thomas Hospital to help 'the man in the hospital bed'.

- - - - - - - -

A challenge we all seem to face?

IT'S IN THE BOOK (page 62, How It Works see also page 14, Bill's Story) and IT MEANS A LOT TO ME..

Selfishness -- self-centeredness. That we think is the root of our troubles.

One of MY solutions..

I focus upon the below sentence of the Third Step Prayer. 

Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy Will.

Road rage is an example of being selfish and self-centered. Get out of my way! Don't you know I have things to do and places to be!

- - - - - - - -

Now that I have finished this brief share, I would like each of you to share with the group your own special passages in the A.A Big Book.  

By the way, below is a photograph of Doctor Bob's Home in Akron, Ohio, in the United States of America. I hope you enjoy it.

Sign me as .. Your Ally In Sobriety..

DEC 26, 21 .. SOBER HOLIDAY GREETINGS TO ONE AND ALL

Our 'virtual' holiday decorations in a shopping mall.

HAPPY,

JOYOUS, 

AND SOBER 

HOLIDAY GREETINGS

It seems like, no matter where you are in the world, no matter what your personal beliefs are, for most of us, this is a Holiday Season. 

And?

It seems like, no matter where you are in the world, no matter what your personal beliefs are, there is a lot of drinking around you and in your community at large.

And?

For some of us, especially in the business world, we are expected, and actually under some pressure, to attend gatherings where there is a lot of drinking.

What to do?

First, each of us must want sobriety no matter our surrounding.

Second, we need to 'go to any length' to remain sober.

But how?

Have a plan!

Make up your mind that, at some point, you will depart the event. Depending upon the attendees and the event, it could be relatively early, and it could be later, a point will come when you will see that others are getting drunk! 

This is the point to excuse yourself and leave. To leave, you must have a plan that includes transportation away from the event. Yes this could be a challenge especially if the event is away from the center of your city and personal transportation is necessary to reach the event. You need to have your own vehicle, or, attend the event with someone else who wishes to depart the event early. 

But again, and this is foremost, you must want sobriety at any cost.

For some of us this may mean a job change. For others, we must endure some friction with fellow family members who are intent on serious holiday drinking and want you to remain present.

But, when the (call it) critical point arrives, when others are getting drunk and unruly and noisy, the chances are good no one is going to miss you!

Trust me and many other members, it is possible to remain sober 'come what may' during the holidays.

GOOD LUCK AND BEST WISHES FOR A SUCCESSFUL AND SAFE AND SOBER HOLIDAY SEASON. 

JUL 30, 21 .. HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING DURING THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

 I saw the below questionnaire and got a chuckle out of it.

Judging from the location of the X in the above response, it looks like the respondent has indeed been drinking.

It is O.K. to get a little chuckle out of the above questionnaire but make no mistake, the Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected not only alcoholics, but the entire population of the world.

July is the seventh month and I would be remiss not to mention Step 7 and our humbly asking our Higher Power to assist us.

JUN 28, 21 .. ZOOM MEETINGS AND LIVE, IN-PERSON HYBRID MEETINGS

Zoom A.A. meetings here in the United States were an entirely new concept to me commencing in March of 2020 when the Covid-19 virus caused many meetings to be shut down and the doors closed.

I have since learned that, in the business world, zoom meetings have been ongoing since Zoom Video Communications was founded by Eric Yuan on April 21, 2011, in San Jose, California, in the United States.

HYBRID MEETINGS

Let's begin with this statement from Wikipedia : A hybrid event is a tradeshow, conference, seminar, workshop or other meeting that combines a 'live' in-person event with a 'virtual' online component.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_event

Now that we are seeing a vigorous return to 'live' in-person meetings here in the United States, many members who live in remote areas with few (if any) 'live' in-person A.A. meetings, have been supported in their quest for sobriety through zoom online meetings. These members are fearing their zoom meetings are going to disappear and are very concerned.

A.A. Tradition 5 states : Each group has but one primary purpose -- to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

To this end, to continue to try to support the zoom meeting population, quite a few 'live' in-person meetings here in the United States are striving to continue both their zoom online meetings and coupling them with the members sitting in the 'live' in-person meetings. 

Thus the term HYBRID MEETINGS has come to be a reality here in A.A.

Change can be difficult for all of us. 

Recently some members here in the United States have stated that Hybrid Meetings are in violation of both Tradition 11 : Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films, and Tradition 12 - Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

The other side to this opinion is the belief that Zoom meetings are NOT open to the public so Tradition 11 does not apply. To find and to enter a zoom meeting, you must first have a zoom meeting identification number and, in some cases, a password and then you must wait in a waiting room until the zoom meeting host allows you to enter the meeting.

Finally we come to Tradition 4 : Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole. The A.A. conference approved book, The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, states on page 146, that every A.A. group can manage its affairs exactly as it pleases, except when A.A. as a whole is threatened and further that every group has the right to be wrong.

I think the Hybrid Meetings are a great solution to helping those in small and remote communities maintain their sobriety.