June-July, 2015
Drop the Rock, please!
INSIDE OUR SUMMER ISSUE
Announcements………………….………...2
Editorial: Dropping The Rocks..……..3
Editorial: The everlasting Present…..4
Story: What Rock?.............................5
Step 6 Flow Chart……...…...................6
Step 6 Worksheets…………………………7
Story: Interactive Alcoholism…………9
TAS NEEDS YOU………………………….11
Gratitude Day……………………………….12
History Corner: Doctor’s Opinions....13
BackPage……………………………………...16
­
Ottawa Area Intergroup is an AA service office established pursuant to the Ninth Tradition of Alcoholics
Anonymous to operate on behalf of participating groups in the Ottawa area. It performs functions best han­
dled by a centralized office. The functions aid the groups in their common purpose of
carrying the AA message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
When it was created, Intergroup was designed so that its officers would report their
activities directly to a body of representatives drawn directly from Ottawa groups.
Individual groups may choose or not choose to send a representative to participate in
the monthly meetings. In 1992, Intergroup was incorporated as a non profit company
under the laws of the Province of Ontario. The formal name is "Ottawa Area Inter­
group of Alcoholics Annonymous". Intergroup holds its monthly meeting on the sec­
ond Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM, in Mac Hall at the Bronson Centre. Visitors are welcome to at­
tend.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Recent and upcoming Birthdays:
Westboro Big Book Study:
June 27— Shawna P. 7 years, Yvonne P. (7
years) and Gareth J. (1 year)
Parkwood Hills Group:
May 6— Don S. 36 years
May 18—Paul K. 17 years
Correction from past issue:
Mar 18 - Eleanor A. is 16 years NOT 26
EASY DOES IT Women's Group:
For MAY: Michelle 7 years, Mia 11 years,
Louise 18 years
For JUNE: Ann 3 years, Patricia 4 years,
Brigitte 11 years, Lori 13 years
NOTE: YOU ARE WELCOME TO FORWARD YOUR GROUP ANNIVERSARY
OR SOBRIETY CELEBRATIONS TO
newsletter@ottawaaa.org
Pinecrest:
NOTE: LOCATION AND DAY CHANGE:
The Pinecrest Group will move to Our Lady of
Fatima Church starting Monday June 15th.
The church is on the corner of Woodroffe and
Byron/Richmond Rd.
Ottawa Area Intergroup
of Alcoholics Anonymous needs you!
Can you spare a few hours to carry the message?
 Daytime volunteers
 Evening and weekend volunteers
 12-step volunteer s
To volunteer for any of these service commitments
please contact:
Telephone Answering Service Coordinator
David T. : tas@ottawaaa.org
Or call the General line at (613) 237-6000
Around the Groups:
Heritage:
NOTE: LOCATION CHANGE:
Beginning Tuesday June 16 the Heritage
Group will be meeting at 8pm in the Campbell
Hall of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church (also
home to the New Day AA meeting), it is locat­
ed at 971 Woodroffe Ave. North of the
Queensway. The building entrance and vehicle
parking is located at the rear of the building.
2
Editorial—part One
Dropping the rocks...
Stopping drinking is not enough. If we have done
the first five steps of our program, then we have
conquered a lot:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Admitting we were powerless over alcohol
and that our lives were unmanageable;
Coming to believe in a Higher Power of our
own understanding;
Making a decision to hand our will and our
lives over to that Higher Power;
Making that fearless (and sometimes fearful!) moral inventory;
Admitting everything to that Higher Power
and another Human Being.
But if we stop there, we may not stay sober.
We’ve admitted, believed, decided, written, and
spoken, but we HAVEN’T CHANGED ANY­
THING YET!
Willingness is the key, and becoming willing to
change actually means beginning the process of
change. We must drop our burdens and move
forward.
This is the partial transcript of a talk given by
Sandy B. at a Palm Desert, California AA Con­
vention in 1976:
“If there is anybody new here tonight—and I hope
there are some new people—there’s one last thing
that I think you have to do in order to have the miracle of AA take place. All you have to do if you’re new
is don’t drink, turn your life over to God, and get rid
of all of your old ideas. That’s all we ask, that’s all we
ask that you do. When I heard about turning over all
my old ideas, I realized that all of my old ideas was
my whole game plan for living, my whole plan—
everything, every conviction, every attitude, every
prejudice—everything that I had about the world are
my ideas, and it was like carrying around a 150pound rock.
“But it was my rock. It was mine. I put this thing
together, this was the real me—I was this rock. And I
cam in here and it was like I was in the ocean of alcoholism and AA threw me a life-preserver, but I am
hanging on to that rock—this is my rock and they’re
yelling out there ‘Drop the Rock!’
“’No, man, I can’t drop the rock.’ I’m hanging on to
the life preserver and the boat full of AA members is
coming along and I am going under with the rock
and hanging on and I got the thing and they are going, ‘Hey, drop the rock out there.’ I’m going down
under and everybody’s yelling, ‘It’s great up here!
Come on over!’ And I said, ‘How do I get up there?’
‘Drop the rock and you’ll make it!’ But I don’t want
to drop the rock—it’s mine.
and I dropped it and I was terrified. There goes my
rock! And while I was looking down there, I was like
a water-skier. I came up out of the top of the water
and I’m going along and I’m going, ’What the hell?
Why did I want that rock anyway?’ And you know
that’s why we want to hold on to those old ideas with
a death grip. I’ll never understand it, but it’s one of
the paradoxes in AA.
“And so, if you are new, I hope this happens to you
and I want to be sitting out there next year or the
year after that, whenever it takes place, because this
is how I’ll know about God even more. I want to be
out there when some new person out there is standing up here and you’ve got that sparkle in your eye
and you’ve got that whole vitality going about Alcoholics Anonymous and you’re looking at some new
guy and you’re saying, ’Drop the rock—it’s the greatest!’”
As Earnie Larsen delighted in saying, “If nothing
changes, NOTHING CHANGES!”. Step 6 is
where real change begins, where we find the
courage to be willing to change our behaviours
and our reactions—as the second part of the Se­
renity Prayer says: “The Courage to Change the
Things We Can”. We practice doing the opposite
of what didn’t work for us in the past. We try to
walk through our fears. We try to change.
And when we can’t, that’s when Step 7 comes in
and we humbly ask for help, from our fellowship,
from our sponsors and from our Higher Powers.
And I don’t know about you, but asking for help
was pretty damn difficult for me for most of my
life—the simple act of asking for help with my
fears, my procrastination, my selfishness, or
which ever of my character defects that I had a
hard time letting go of—that was change too.
At any time I felt I was stagnating in my pro­
gram, it was usually because I wasn’t willing to
let go of the burden of my rock—it was MY rock,
after all—it helped define me!
Now I ask for help. I gladly lay down a burden I
no longer have to carry. Sometimes I even have a
sparkle in my eye, especially when I’m saying to
someone: “Drop the rock—it’s the GREATEST!”
Harry B.
“And so finally one day, I don’t know, something
terrible happened ’cause it took may attention away
3
Editorial—part Two
Reflections on the
“everlasting Present”
"The moral task of man is a process of spiritualization. All creatures are go-betweens, and
we are placed in time that by diligence in spiritual business we may grow liker and nearer
to God. The aim of man is beyond the temporal - in the serene region of the everlasting
Present." ~ Meister Eckhart
I saw this and it spoke to me in AA-type lan­
guage. I didn't come to AA in 2003 looking for
God or Spirituality or a Higher Power. I had a
drinking problem and I didn't know what to do - it wasn't "Oh, I think I'll try stopping again" it was more like "oh, sh*t, I'm an alcoholic!"
after passing 17 out of the 20 questions. And so
it was by "circumstance rather than any virtue"
that I was driven to calling
AA and admitting defeat. I
called out of desperation,
not because it was the smart
thing to do. I didn't know
what was possible, and I
didn't know the type of help
that was available.
I didn't have any white-light
experiences. For me, the
"coincidences" and the "god
-moments" eluded me for
the most part. But I gradu­
ally came to understand
that this was a spiritual pro­
gram, and that the goal of
AA was for all of us to be
able to have a "happy and
purposeful life" again, and
that there was a spiritual solution to the prob­
lem.
Time and time again I was shown that the
Twelve Steps comprise a program of action, and
that the end-result of the action was to have a
spiritual awakening. This was indeed a "process
of spiritualization" as Eckhart spoke about.
At times it was a very painful process - making a
decision to let go, and then the moral inventory
and more praying and the honest talk and more
praying and becoming ready to change and
more praying and then making amends and
more prayer and meditation. THIS WAS HARD
WORK!
But it was infinitely better than living in con­
stant fear and resentment and in the special
dark cold hell of an alcoholic's final days of
drinking.
And then everything I worked so hard for had to
be given away if I was to keep it. And so if I am a
"go-between" - if I can give away what I was
freely given, and if I can connect the people who
need to be introduced, then by helping another
alcoholic to get sober and to STAY sober, I can
stay sober myself.
I am not god. You are not god. But We are God.
God is inside us, connects us, and makes us
whole. And maybe that's the best understanding
I will ever have of my Higher Power, but that's
okay - I've been diligent about the effort. My
sponsor once said that he heard and identified
with a "Higher Power of my own understanding
that I don't have to understand".
If my solution is to find se­
renity in the "everlasting
Present" then it's just as
well that I have a program
to help me deal with the
fears of the future, and the
shame and regret and the
guilt of the past. And my
program tells me not to
numb and not to ignore, but
to take action to deal with
these problems, one at a
time, one day at a time, one
moment at a time.
Every moment in times
past, every moment yet to
come, has been or will be
the Present at some time.
So it's not just the smart thing, to "live in the
now", it's the only thing I've got.
I am full of gratitude tonight to be able to share
how I feel, and to say just how incredibly thank­
ful I am that AA is in my life. I escaped death
recently in the streets of Kathmandu, and I am
finally finding my voice again.
And I think good things are about to happen after all, that was my original leap of faith on my
first sober day when I was told that "Everything
is going to be okay". I'm sure now that it will...
Harry B.
4
Drop the Rock?
What Rock?
Marooned for years, a man befriends
a medium sized rock as his only companion. One day, he sees a sailboat
and has an opportunity for rescue, but
the boat can only approach so close.
The man is forced to swim toward the
boat but takes along his ‘rock’. Due to
the weight, he is struggling and keeps
getting bogged down and is unable to
get to the sailboat. The people on the
boat are shouting, ”If you want to be
rescued,
DROP
THE ROCK!”
My character defects
are
very
much
like
that
‘rock’, I have used
them for so long,
they have almost
become part of my
identity. Of course,
they serve no beneficial
purpose,
they are simply a
protection mechanism
that
may
have helped me at
one time but no
longer do. They
are like the rock, just when I have a
chance to change, they bog me down and
can ultimately destroy me, taking me to a
place that is not helpful to anyone, including myself.
In Step 4, I used a process to identify ‘the
exact nature of my wrongs’. The wrong
itself is not the issue here, what drives me
to do what I did is the problem. My instincts are the catalyst, but my character
defects are what underlie the instinct itself. For example: Stealing from my employer…(The
wrong)….Financial
need
(Security Instinct)…FEAR, Deceit, Jealousy, Self-pity, etc…(Character Defect). Of
course, knowing the Asset (opposite) is
just as important; Honesty, Acceptance,
Self-sufficient, etc.
My experience with Steps 6 & 7 have been
primarily; 1) being AWARE of my defects
on a past and present basis, 2) being
WILLING to have them removed, and 3)
being WILLING to have them replaced or
‘right sized’ with Assets.
When I say to myself, ‘I really like this
(Defect)’, essentially I am saying, I am
not WILLING, hence, I am not on Step 6,
so I need to discuss this with someone
and perhaps ask for the Willingness to be
willing.
Personally, I perform these steps on
my knees (Humbly
can mean ‘on bended knee’) and I
then ask for my
Creator to remove
from me every single
defect
that
stands in the way of
my usefulness.
I do not give my
Creator a list, nor
do I tell Him what I
wish to have in its
place, my Creator
knows
EXACTLY
what I need. I only need to be AWARE of
each of these so that I can be prepared
when the time comes. I also do not believe in tests. I feel I will be given opportunities to practice each of these and I can
review my conduct at the end of the day
(Step 10) and then make a plan for the
next time, should I get one. This is all progress, not perfection, I stumble often (or
get bogged down) but I know I have been
given a new design for living, and it’s one
that truly works! Thank you God, Thank
you AA!
Greg L
6
STEP 6 WORKSHEET
Step 6 - We become entirely ready to have God remove all of
these defects of character
Before going any further read the last paragraph on page 75 of the Big Book:
“Returning home we find a place where we can be quiet for an hour,
carefully reviewing what we have done. We thank God from the bottom
of our heart that we know Him better. Taking this book down from our
shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully
reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for
we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last.
Is our work solid so far? Are the stones properly in place? Have we
skimped on the cement put into the foundation? Have we tried to make
mortar with out sand?
If we can answer to our satisfaction, we then look at Step Six. We have
emphasized willingness as being indispensable. Are we now ready to let
God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take them all – every one? If we still cling to
something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing.”
When doing the 6th step it is important to be honest with yourself as you answer these
questions. All to often when people skimp or hide their inner feelings of resentment.
This only leads them to an excuse for relapsing. The more honest we are about ourself
the better chance we will have for success.
Using your 4th Step Inventory, take some time to review the character defects that you
wrote while doing your inventories. Is there one thing that stands out more than another?
Again ask yourself was I totally honest when I was doing the inventory or was I in a
hurry just to get it done. Are your inventories thorough and complete? If not, then go
back and finish that which is missing and review them with your sponsor now.
If you feel certain that you have not left anything out and if your answers to the two
earlier questions are yes, you are
1
ready to for Step Six.
In this box, list your character defects starting with the most relevant to the least:
The Big Book says that alcoholics
don’t always want to give up their
defects. Sometimes it’s easier to
sit in today’s pain than take a
chance on something different.
You know what your pain is like
and you’ve learned to deal with it.
But you don’t know what the future will be like with out that pain
in your life unless you let it go
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
7
completely.
Another reason why it may be hard to give up a defect is that some character defects
are fun just to hang onto. They may cause other people trouble and lead to restlessness and discontent for alcoholics or addicts, but they’re fun and you are unwilling to let
go of them. Some people worry that if a Higher Power removes all their defects, they
won’t have any personality left at all.
What really happens is that character strengths rush in to take their place. But some
people don’t understand or believe that this will happen, so some cling to the old defects they’ve come to know and rely on to get them through a stressful situation.
At this time, list as many defects as you can that you have been clinging to and
why:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Let’s take a closer look at one of
the reasons why some want to
hang on to their character defects: FEAR, Their fear that they
will end up with a “hole” in their
personality. They feel they will
become boring or useless, people
won’t like the “new me”.
This simply won’t happen. Character Defects w ill be replaced
by Character Strengths.
This means that where the defects
used to be, you’ll find love, compassion, and the will of a Higher Power. You’ll also start to
know peace, serenity, and
happiness.
In this next exercise write down the following sentence using the words above and then
say them out loud. “I am filled with ___________ “ Note how just saying this
makes you feel, and why.
When you find yourself in a stressful situation, practice saying these sentences to yourself. Learn to feel the emotional and tension release as you say them in your mind.
Once we start to accept and understand fully that our character defects will be replaced
by character strengths we are truly ready to have a Higher Power remove all of our old
defects - You have taken Step 6 when you have asked that they be removed. Don’t
concern yourself with how to ask, simply ask and you shall be heard. Then practice using the Good Strengths in place of old habits, in time you’ll start to see the natural
changes being made.
8
From Active Alcoholic
to Interactive One
By Paul P.
It only took a few seconds. I texted a sponsee
with information about my home group and sug­
gested we get together for coffee to catch up.
Within minutes, he had responded.
That’s when it dawned on me how much the
world has changed in the past 80 years and how
those changes have affected
Alcoholics Anonymous. Our
11th Tradition speaks of
maintaining anonymity “at
the level of press, radio and
film”. Television was not a
widespread
phenomenon
when Bill Wilson wrote the
traditions in 1946; tweets
and emails and YouTube
were not even the fantasies
of science fiction authors.
These various forms of me­
dia are everywhere these
days and they may be used
to spread the news of recov­
ery from alcohol. Check the
front of the international
directory
or
www.aaintergroup.org to find a list
on online groups. There are
dozens of these meetings,
offering different formats
and serving different audi­
ences.
I remember logging on to
such a group at a rough time in my sobriety. I
was a few days shy of my fourth anniversary but
had been shaken by the suicide of a family mem­
ber. I wrote about my confusion, my mixed emo­
tions and my uncertainty. My inbox was flooded
with responses, mostly from North America but
from other parts of the world as well. I distinctly
recall the reply from one woman who said that
her husband had killed himself on Christmas
Day 16 years earlier.
The online meetings were a Godsend for people
who had difficulties attending meetings in per­
son. Some of our members were women in the
later stages of pregnancy who did not dare navi­
gate the icy streets of their hometowns in the
winter. Others were people in locations that were
remote or where there were few English gather­
ings. One of our group was serving a six-month
posting at a research centre at the South Pole.
His messages would automatically record the
time and temperature at the station. It’s hard to
argue that it’s too cold to go to a meeting in Otta­
wa when you’ve just read a
note from someone who’s
battling temperatures of 50
below (without the wind
chill).
Attitudes on television to­
wards alcohol abuse have
changed dramatically in the
past several years. When I
was a kid, one popular sit­
com featured a character
called Mr. Bender, who
would stagger into the res­
taurant, use the pay phone
and say things like, “Honey,
tell the kids to get off the
street. I’m driving home!”
Such dialogue wouldn’t
pass muster today.
Instead most TV series
seem to have at least one
character who is active in
recovery. Frequently the
actors who portray these
characters are themselves
sober. I took great delight
in one drama where a non-drinker asked the re­
covering alcoholic, “When was the last time you
went to a meeting?”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry that I’ll take a
drink,” he replied.
“I’m not,” she said. “I’m worried that one of us
will kill you.”
The scriptwriter was probably in Al-Anon.
9
Many of those performers, while respecting the
limits of the 11th Tradition, also do their best to
celebrate sobriety. A recently-retired talk show
host often mentioned how he hasn’t had a drink
since 1992, without specifically stating how he
has managed to stay stopped. If his guests were
sober, they were often enticed to discuss their
recovery.
Clancy I. The main AA website (www.aa.org) also
features online presentations. If you go to the
website of our Intergroup (www.ottawaaa.org)
you will find meeting lists, service schedules and
this very publication at your fingertips. Facebook
hosts numerous secret groups where members of
Alcoholics Anonymous can share their experi­
ence, strength and hope.
(Although the host didn’t disclose how he got
sober, he gave broad hints in a book he wrote:
“[T]hose who have recovered from this seeming­
ly helpless condition of mind and body seem to
agree on only a few things. It is cunning. It is
baffling. It is powerful, and it is patient.”)
The scientific changes that have occurred since
Bill and Bob founded AA in 1935 have been mas­
sive. Some have been good—the polio vaccine,
space travel, computer technology. Others have
been bad—nuclear weapons, Agent Orange, Bud
Light Lime. But those that help one alcoholic
carry the message to another are beneficial be­
yond the co-founders’ wildest hopes.
A quick search of YouTube reveals the Joe and
Charlie lessons and talks by Dr. Paul O. and by
10
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: PLEASE
ANNOUNCE THIS AT THE MEETINGS
YOU ATTEND!!!!
Intergroup is looking for service-oriented AA members to answer the phone (in the office or remotely) or who are able to
conduct 12-Step Calls. Suggested sobriety requirement is 1
year. Please contact the TAS Coordinator (David T. at
tas@ottawaaa.org) if you are interested in getting involved!
The new remote telephone system is now in place. You can
take on a shift and answer the phones from home in the evening. All you need is a phone, a computer and the willingness to
be of SERVICE to the still suffering alcoholic who is reaching
out.
Last month, 47 phone shifts were not covered. Here is the opportunity for all members to put Gratitude into Action!
There will be a TAS
Training Session on how
to use the remote telephone system:
AT: the Bronson Centre
ON: Sunday June 21st
AT: 1:00 PM
IN: Intergroup’s Office.
Your life (or someone
else’s) may depend on it!
11
OTTAWA DISTRICTS 54, 58 AND 62 ARE
PLEASED TO WELCOME YOU TO THE
2015 GRATITUDE DAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
OTTAWA CITY HALL – FESTIVALS ROOM
Program
10:00 – 10:15 Welcome
10:15 – 11:15 Joyce S. Area 83 Delegate to New York
11:15 – Noon Ottawa Districts Committees Reports
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 Service Stories
Tickets - $5 (includes lunch)
For more details or to volunteer, please contact
Michel D. at migada2@gmail.com
12
Doctor’s Opinions
SLIPS AND HUMAN NATURE
By William D."Silky" Silkworth, M.D.
A.A. Grapevine, January 1947
The mystery of slips is not so deep
as it may appear. While it does
seem odd that an alcoholic, who
has restored himself to a dignified
place among his fellowmen and
continues dry for years, should
suddenly throw all his happiness
overboard and find himself again
in mortal peril of drowning in liq­
uor, often the reason is simple.
It is very wrong to consider any of
the personality traits observed in
liquor addicts as peculiar to the
alcoholic. Emotional and mental
quirks are classified as symptoms
of alcoholism merely because al­
coholics have them, yet those
same quirks can be found among
non-alcoholics too. Actually they
are symptoms of mankind!
Of course, the alcoholic himself
tends to think of himself as differ­
People are inclined to say, "There
is something peculiar about alco­
holics. They seem to be well, yet at
any moment they may turn back to
their old ways. You can never be
sure."
This is largely twaddle. The alco­
holic is a sick person. Under the
technique of Alcoholics Anony­
mous he gets well -- that is to say,
his disease is arrested. There is
nothing unpredictable about him
any more than there is anything
weird about a person who has ar­
rested diabetes.
Let's get it clear, once and for all,
that alcoholics are human beings.
Then we can safeguard ourselves
intelligently against most slips.
In both professional and lay cir­
cles, there is a tendency to label
everything that an alcoholic may
do as "alcoholic behavior." The
truth is, it is simple human nature.
ent, somebody special, with
unique tendencies and reactions.
Many psychiatrists, doctors, and
therapists carry the same idea to
extremes in their analyses and
treatment of alcoholics.
Sometimes they make a compli­
cated mystery of a condition that
is found in all human beings,
whether they drink whiskey or
buttermilk.
To be sure, alcoholism, like every
other disease, does manifest itself
in some unique ways. It does have
a number of baffling peculiarities
that differ from those of all other
diseases.
At the same time, any of the
symptoms and much of the behav­
ior of alcoholism are closely paral­
leled and even duplicated in other
diseases.
The slip is a relapse! It is a relapse
that occurs after the alcoholic has
stopped drinking and started on
the A.A. program of recovery.
Slips usually occur in the early
states of the alcoholic's A.A. in­
doctrination, before he has had
time to learn enough of the A.A.
techniques and A.A. philosophy to
give him a solid footing. But slips
may also occur after an alcoholic
has been a member of A.A. for
many months or even several
years, and it is in this kind, above
all, that often finds a marked sim­
ilarity between the alcoholic's be­
havior and that of "normal" vic­
tims of other diseases.
No one is startled by the fact that
relapses are not uncommon
among arrested tubercular pa­
tients. But here is a startling fact - the cause is often the same as
the cause that leads to slips for the
alcoholic.
It happens this way: When a tu­
bercular patient recovers suffi­
ciently to be released from the
sanitarium, the doctor gives him
careful instructions for the way he
13
14
is to live when he gets home. He must drink
plenty of milk. He must refrain from smoking.
He must obey other stringent rules.
For the first several months, perhaps for several
years, the patient follows directions. But as his
strength increases and he feels fully recovered,
he becomes slack. There may come the night
when he decides he can stay up until ten o'clock.
When he does this, nothing untoward happens.
Soon he is disregarding the directions given him
when he left the sanitarium. Eventually he has a
relapse.
The same tragedy can be found in cardiac cases.
After the heart attack,
the patient is put on a
strict rests schedule.
Frightened, he natu­
rally follows directions
obediently for a long
time. He, too, goes to
bed early, avoids exer­
cise such as walking
upstairs, quits smok­
ing, and leads a Spar­
tan life. Eventually,
though there comes a
day, after he has been
feeling
good
for
months or several
years, when he feels he
has
regained
his
strength, and has also
recovered from his fright. If the elevator is out of
repair one day, he walks up the three flights of
stairs. Or he decides to go to a party -- or do just
a little smoking -- or take a cocktail or two. If no
serious after effects follow the first departure
from the rigorous schedule prescribed, he may
try it again, until he suffers a relapse.
In both cardiac and tubercular cases, wrong
thinking preceded the acts that led to the relaps­
es.The patient in each case rationalized himself
out of a sense of his own perilous reality. He de­
liberately turned away from his knowledge of the
fact that he had been the victim of a serious dis­
ease. He grew overconfident. He decided he did­
n't have to follow directions.
Now that is precisely what happens with the al­
coholic -- the arrested alcoholic, or the alcoholic
in A.A. who has a slip. Obviously, he decides to
take a drink again some time before he actually
takes it. He starts thinking wrong before he actu­
ally embarks on the course that leads to a slip.
There is no reason to charge the slip to alcoholic
behavior or a second heart attack to cardiac be­
havior. The alcoholic slip is not a symptom of a
psychotic condition. There's nothing screwy
about it at all.
The patient simply didn't follow directions!
For the alcoholic, A.A. offers the directions. A
vital factor, or ingredient of the preventive, espe­
cially for the alcoholic, is sustained emotion. The
alcoholic who learns some of the techniques or
the mechanics of A.A. but misses the philosophy
or the spirit may get
tired of following di­
rections -- not because
he is alcoholic, but be­
cause he is human.
Rules and regulations
irk almost anyone, be­
cause they are re­
straining, prohibitive,
and negative. The phi­
losophy of A.A. howev­
er, is positive and pro­
vides ample sustained
emotion -- a sustained
desire to follow direc­
tions voluntarily.
In any event, the psy­
chology of the alcoholic is not as different as
some people try to make it. The disease has cer­
tain physical differences, yes, and the alcoholic
has problems peculiar to him, perhaps, in that he
has been put on the defensive and consequently
has developed frustrations. But in many instanc­
es, there is no more reason to be talking about
"the alcoholic mind" than there is to try to de­
scribe something called the "cardiac mind" or the
"TB mind."
I think we'll help the alcoholic more if we can
first recognize that he is primarily a human be­
ing -- afflicted with human nature.
Submitted by:
Mike B (History Buff)
Our History is Our Greatest Asset.
15
Insurance Program For Ottawa AA Groups
Ottawa Area Intergroup has been successful in negotiating a Group Insurance Program for AA Groups which are part of Otta­
wa Area Intergroup. Many churches and other facilities require that a group provide proof of insurance coverage in order to
hold their meetings. Some facilities may offer to add your group as an additional insured on their policy in return for a fee. If
this is the case, request a certificate showing that they have done so. But be aware that even if you have been provided coverage
this way, it is not portable (if you move your meeting to another location, you can’t take it with you).
Coverage under this Ottawa Area Intergroup Program is fully portable, and belongs to the individual group.
The Annual Premium FOR $1,000,000 is $50. The Annual Premium for $2,000,000 is $100.
Applications are available at the Intergroup Office or go to www.ottawaaa.org and click on Announcements
and Events and in the Search box, enter the word “insurance”.