Tradition seven

Tradition seven

“Every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions” In a nutshell: I need to take responsibility for my own recovery! For any newer members reading this, you may be thinking like I did in my early days: “Oh great, a boring discussion about money! Who wants to read that?” And if you think that there is some conspiracy: “I get it, they’re gonna try and take money off me”, the good news is there is no catch: the money that we contribute at the end of AA meetings is not going to some AA fat cat. Nobody’s getting rich because of our contributions. Every last penny we put into the basket or “pot”, “hat” or whatever you like to call it, is going towards keeping AA alive. Alcoholics Anonymous supports itself, and just like any other organisation, it has bills to pay. AA has been keeping me alive for years, so I have a responsibility to keep it alive: it’s as simple as that. As well as that, I also owe it to the still-suffering alcoholic, who needs AA to be there when they are ready to ask for help.  And that means paying what I can at the end of the meeting. This money goes towards everything from the rent, to printing the literature, keeping the AA telephone helpline going and a whole lot more.

It was decided early on, when AA was in its infancy, that we must refuse money from people outside the fellowship. “Whoever pays the piper calls the tune”. Alcoholics Anonymous must stick to its primary purpose: to help the still-suffering alcoholic, so if we accept money from non-alcoholics, we are in danger of being diverted from that, and pretty soon there will no longer be a fellowship left at all.

The money I put into the pot at the end of the meeting isn’t even a fraction of what I used to spend on alcohol on a weekly basis. I always found money for drink, so the least I can do is try and do my bit to keep Alcoholics Anonymous alive and active. I need it more than it needs me.

Road to Recovery Group, Plymouth.

Tradition 5

Tradition five in simple terms states our singleness of purpose. To carry the message which was freely given to us. Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose — that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

The main purpose of an AA group is to share experience, strength and hope to the still suffering alcoholic. In my own personal experience, I am very grateful that I heard the great message of recovery at my first home group meeting.  I am convinced I would not have come back if all I heard was a constant share about drinking and not the solution. For that night I didn’t just hear one message there was a unified message by ALL group member’s.  That was the key for me to keep coming back…. the message!

At my Home group, meetings are run like a well-oiled machine because the group understands the importance of Tradition 5, when a member shares they share for the alcoholic who still suffers not always solely the newcomer. Whenever I am asked to share, I always remember how I felt walking through the doors the very first time and how anxious, nervous I was and full of fear. When the meeting started I heard some amazing shares the message was loud and clear. So I always think of the nervous newcomer and hopefully try and carry a message of recovery to give them hope that there is a solution to their alcoholism.

Doing service and my home group has been an honour and another example of Tradition 5 in action. I absolutely loved the service position of “greeter”, being the very first point of contact to the newcomer, a big smile and a handshake to help put them at ease. Even if I had a terrible day at work, where all things went wrong, I would simply “suit up and smile” regardless of how I felt. By the end of the service I would feel amazing, because I was thinking of others and not myself.  My service position as secretary is a bit like a conductor at an orchestra to ensure-all the elements are running like clockwork.  In the preamble we always have a moments silence to remember Tradition 5. During the shares from the floor I will promptly ring the bell if discussion of "Problems other than alcoholism" are dwelled on.  This is not helpful for the newcomer, they need to  hear that "sobriety, freedom from alcohol through the teaching and practice of the twelve steps" is possible.

Tradition 5 allows me to stay sober, I wouldn’t be able to maintain sobriety if I didn’t give it away.  How can I continue to work the steps and the program of AA and NOT pass this amazing message on? 

R, Road to Recovery Group Plymouth