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

Tradition Four

When I came to Alcoholics Anonymous I asked a man to sponsor me and with his help I took the twelve steps. On their completion I found that I had recovered, and at this point my sponsor encouraged me to take responsibility for my membership of AA and my Homegroup by reading the 12 Traditions and trying to develop an understanding of how they are applied, in the running of our groups and the undertaking of our various levels of service.

The fourth tradition – Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole – is one that at first glance appeared quite clear, but which upon further consideration has required a bit of thought, reading and discussion to fully understand.

Initially, tradition four implied to me that any AA group can do exactly as it pleases, providing that in doing so neither other groups nor AA as a whole are compromised or threatened. Basically, I was right – or at least on the right track – for as Bill simplifies it at the opening of his piece on this tradition in the 12 and 12: ‘Autonomy is a ten-dollar word. But in relation to us, it means very simply that every AA group can manage its affairs exactly as it pleases, except when AA as a whole is threatened’ (12 and 12: 150).

It wasn’t long however, before I realised that the challenge in developing a working understanding of this tradition lay in understanding what, in the context if AA, might constitute ‘affecting other groups or AA as a whole’.

Again, initially, it occurred to me that pretty much everything that an AA group does could be seen to ‘affect’ AA in the wider sense, simply by dint of the newcomers ‘impression’ of AA being largely determined by the group, or groups, that they first attend. Similarly, could not many of the actions many AA groups take, be seen to ‘affect’ other groups? In my group, members sometimes share that ‘this is a great group,’ that ‘I love this group,’ or that ‘I dread to think what could have happened if I had not taken the 12 steps when I arrived in AA.’ Does this mean that they are suggesting that their group is ‘better’ than other groups, or that a group that does not advocate taking the steps as soon as possible is ‘wrong’, and are thereby ‘affecting’ them? No, it does not – this was not the sort of thing that Bill was referring to at all. When people share such things they are simply expressing enthusiasm for AA and the group in which they found sobriety and trying to impart to the newcomer the importance they place on taking the steps to find recovery.

When Bill talks about the principle of ‘autonomy’, he is referring primarily to the notion of ‘affiliation’. He explains in his writings the way in which the fledgling fellowship learned through (often bitter) experience that along with its ‘singleness of purpose’, AA’s principle of ‘non-affiliation’ is amongst the most vital in ensuring its long-term survival. This draws things close to the territory of the sixth tradition, but in the context of the fourth, Bill makes it clear that the main way in which a group’s autonomy is compromised is through its conscience and governance becoming ‘affiliated’ with something, or somebody, outside the sphere of its own direct membership. This is why a group ought not accept funds from non-AA members or outside sources (Tradition 7), or become embroiled in matters of public policy around, for example, education and the medical treatment of alcoholics (Tradition 10).

In simple terms, ‘autonomy’ refers to a ‘self-governing community’. Anything that might negate an AA group's ability to operate in this way, such as influence from, or obligation to, outside agencies or policies, should be avoided.

Bill does go on to say however, that the AA groups right to ‘autonomy’ and governance through its own conscience should not incur ‘great injury’ to AA as a whole. It would seem to me that by far the simplest and easiest way to ensure that a group does not - in its actions and procedures - greatly injure AA, is to abide by the principles of all 12 Traditions. A group who, for example, decided that it would accept large financial contributions from outside sources to further its 12th Step work, and then, for whatever reason closed down, with the money ‘disappearing’ in the process and invoking the wrath of those who made the donations, could very well cause a public (and legal) scandal that would injure AA a great deal. Similarly, a group that decided to produce, publish and distribute a bi-monthly magazine, detailing all they ‘don’t like’ or ‘disagree with’ regarding the supposed actions and policies of other groups, might very well provoke a public break-down in unity (Tradition 1) that could have grave consequences for the fellowship as a whole.

In short, the fourth tradition suggests that each AA group maintains the right to determine its own practices and policies through the workings of its own group conscience. This right ought not however be extended to the taking of actions that involve establishing outside affiliations or allegiances, or making policy decisions that veer so far from the spirit or AA’s traditions that injury to AA and/or other groups' results.

Ultimately, as Bill puts it, under the auspices of Tradition 4, each group has the ‘right to be wrong’. I may not like how another group does things – I may even disapprove, but short of the above, they have every right to proceed as they wish, and should not be excluded for doing so.

Road to Recovery Group Plymouth Alcoholics Anonymous

Willing to do Service

There was good reason why I found it utterly impossible to hold down a permanent job for long, and also good reason why I applied for jobs I had absolutely no training in, and made little attempt to learn about once I was there. There was also very good reason why my personal relationships were absolutely in tatters, seemed utterly pointless and brought me very little joy, looking back there was one very permanent feature of my life that ruined everything I ever touched: almost every situation brought out the “what can I take?” aspects of my personality, I could never sustain the “what can I give?” point of view.

The basic premise of AA is that the “what can I give?” attitude is the only way for an alcoholic to live happily. We can be assured of safety in any social, business or personal endeavour as long as we are guided by this principle (page 101-102 Basic Text). This paradigm shift from taking to giving leads to great fulfilment for all of us:

“These men had found something brand new in life.
Though they knew they must help other alcoholics if they would remain sober, that motive became secondary. It was transcended by the happiness they found in giving themselves for others.” (AA page 159)

I was told how to give of myself from the beginning, it was explained what I could do. My sponsor explained that I should shake hands with people at meetings, introduce myself, stop being a wallflower; try and make a little small-talk.

Then I was given a service position to do, I became the cleaner for my home group. I made sure there were no cigarette ends out side the venue after the meeting, this kept us on good terms with the hall owners.

After doing the tea and then carrying literature, I became the secretary, it happened in due course, not especially quickly or slowly, just as part of the normal progress from one position to another.

Now and then I felt horribly self-conscious up there in front of everyone. The old disease would re-surface. What could I do? Alone in the spotlight! The position we all crave and yet most often feel horribly uncomfortable with once we are there….when I felt like this I would quickly remember why I was there, not for my ego, not to impress or dazzle or gain acclaim for myself, but to serve other people, to run the meeting as smoothly as possible, I would suddenly think of something I should be doing; counting heads, keeping an eye on the drunk guy at the back, or rehearsing interventions in case they were needed. I would begin to relax again, concentrating on what I should be doing for the meeting, looking outwards at what I can do for others instead of thinking about myself.

In it’s most general sense service is anything that helps carry the message of recovery to the still suffering alcoholic. So service can be a phone call, meeting for coffee, making sure a newcomer has a lift to a meeting and so on. Returning my focus towards service is always the solution to feelings of discomfort, because I am trying to think of other people’s needs instead of my own. Ultimately whenever I become unhappy it’s almost always because I’ve been thinking about myself too much: “Selfishness--self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles” as page 62 puts it. The answer: to think of someone else and try to help them instead.


So that’s it then, the answer is to go forth and be a better, more useful and considerate person, well then why the need for AA? Surely I can do all that anyway?

The truth of my life is that I often knew very well that I was a low kind of individual. I often felt very remorseful at my behaviour and sometimes felt very strongly that I was going to try and be a better person. Now and then I even followed through and temporarily became a better person…..but I never stayed that way. I always reverted back to type.

In all my drinking career I almost always had the will to be a better person, but not the power. I never had the ability to change, my human resources failed utterly. It has only been through working the twelve steps that I have been able to change and stay changed, to keep trying and to gradually accumulate some real permanent change, to have become a more giving and useful person.

Also I’ve been able to meet each new failure to be a better person with a new resolve to try again and try harder at times as well. I haven’t thrown my hands up and given up. The reality of a higher power in my life is evidenced by this continuous change.

With a sponsor and the twelve steps I have forged a lasting relationship with a loving God who helps me change a little more each day.

In order to grow in recovery I must be willing to serve, unconditionally, and whenever I can. But in order to serve I must have a higher power to change my selfish nature and keep it changed.

Plymouth Road to Recovery Group of Alcoholics Anonymous

A Short Walk through the 12 Concepts of Alcoholics Anonymous

In the book Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, Bill W wrote about ‘Mr. Grassroots’ – your ‘average Joe’ member of AA. The structure of AA in Great Britain is built on the thousands of Grassroots who carry the AA message in groups from John ‘O’ Groats to Lands End. This structure is not built on what Conference Delegates or Board Trustees do at Conference and it’s not built on those people doing sterling work at the General Service Office (GSO) and on the Share magazine. The work people do in these areas is vitally important, but where do they come from? Concepts 1 and 2 tell us that they come from the Grassroots. We are not ‘us’ and they are not ‘them’. We are one.

Our service structure in the UK reflects what Bill W realised early on; that the ultimate authority and responsibility for AA’s services must reside in the AA groups. Bill knew that after he and Dr. Bob had passed away there would be no effective link between the grassroots members and the Board of Trustees, which had been co-ordinating AA’s early efforts to produce a uniform literature, maintain an effective public relations policy, and manage finances and public information. This board of trustees was little known to the AA members at large, so what if the trustee’s operation were to break down? To whom would they be accountable? Concepts 1 and 2 describe how the groups’ ultimate responsibility and authority is delegated to the General Service Conference, which in Great Britain meets once a year in York. The Conference is effectively the conscience of AA as a whole and it is this body of elected delegates that holds the trustees to account on our behalf.

The process of delegating our responsibility to Conference begins when a group elects a Group Service Representative (GSR). It is the GSR to whom group members delegate their authority and responsibility so that the GSR can vote at Intergroup on their behalf. The GSRs at Intergroup vote for Intergroup Region Representatives, to whom responsibility and authority is delegated so that they can vote at meetings of Region on our behalf (there are 15 Regions in the UK). The Region Representatives participate in electing a region’s delegates to attend the General Service Conference. These delegates are entrusted with delegated authority and responsibility to vote for the interests of AA as a whole.

It is clear that we need to trust each of these servants in the chain that runs from groups to the General Service Conference and the Trustees. If a group really trusts its GSR, it will allow the GSR the right to vote as he or she sees fit at meetings of Intergroup. For example a GSR might know that the group wants them to vote for Mr. X as an Intergroup Region Representative. However, at the Intergroup meeting it might become apparent to the GSR that Mrs. Y would be a more appropriate choice. In this case the GSR will have to explain to the group why he voted for Mrs. Y. The group quite rightly will need to decide whether the GSR has done the right thing, but it should remember that a trusted servant should necessarily be granted this ‘right of decision’ and that the conscience of Intergroup will invariably be superior to that of a group, because Intergroup will have more experience and information to hand. This right of decision is the essence of Concept 3 and it is the mechanism by which each trusted servant participates in the AA structure, from GSR to Conference Delegate and General Service Board Trustee. As tradition 2 says, our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.

Tradition 3 says that I am a member of AA as soon as I say so. Concept 4 allows me a voting participation in AA the minute I become a member of a home group. When it comes to doing service in AA Bill saw, through experience of AA’s early service structure, that those elected to do service as PI, probation, health, prison and employment liaison officers would only work effectively and enthusiastically if they had a right to vote in proportion to the responsibility their jobs entailed. Today this means that these officers have a right to vote at service meetings such as Intergroup and Region. It means also that all members have a right of participation in the service structure in this country. Bill guarded this principle because he felt that we all have a spiritual need to belong and that there should be no second class AA citizens. It is by truly being able to participate, i.e. having a vote, that those doing service for us are truly trusted servants.

Having a right of decision and a right of participation means that my conscience will sometimes put me in the minority on certain issues that are being considered at meetings of my group, Intergroup, Region or at Conference and at Board level. Concept 5 recognises that minority views and the minority position should be protected as part of our safeguard against occasionally hasty or angry majorities. In AA this means that we should continue to debate important issues until a really substantial majority is in favour. This usually means establishing a 2/3 majority, as in the case of electing delegates to Conference. When a potential delegate receives a 2/3 majority vote they know they have real backing and are not just the winners of a contest. In the case of elections, and voting on other important issues, establishing a substantial majority means there can be no disgruntled minority left in its wake, because the minority knows that the matter has been thoroughly debated. Unity is therefore strengthened. This respect for the minority view is part of the checks and balances built into the service structure that helps to prevent a misuse of delegated authority.

AA services include important activities carried out on a national level such as public information, probation, employment liaison, prisons, health and the publication of existing and new literature as well as overseeing the constantly active General Service Office (GSO) and Share and Roundabout teams. It is much easier and more efficient for a dedicated team of people to run these affairs. This smaller group is the General Service Board (GSB) of AA based in York. Via the elected Conference we Grassroots delegate authority to the GSB to run these enterprises, which they do using the principles of right of decision, participation and deference to the minority opinion already discussed. In fact we hold the GSB mainly responsible for overseeing the day-to day operation of these activities and we hold the GSB to account for all the actions the Conference requires it to take on our behalf. This is mainly what Concept 6 is a about.

Not only do we grant the Trustees of the GSB this authority, they are also governed by a charter that gives the Board the legal right to manage the General Service Office any way it likes, including the legal right to use our money (The Board manages over £???? of the Fellowship’s money every year). Concept 7 explains why and how these undoubted rights need to be balanced by the power of the elected Conference, which should always have the ultimate authority because it is the effective voice and conscience of AA as a whole. What it boils down to, is that the GSB has the legal right to veto every decision that the Conference makes, even if a 2/3 majority of Conference delegates vote to have the Board carry out some specific task. However, in practice this legal right will almost never be exercised. As well as the traditional power of the General Service Conference Charter, which, unlike the Board’s charter, is not a legal document the Conference has the power also to withhold the AA Groups’ financial contributions from the GSB. In circumstances where the will of the Board departs seriously from the will of the Conference, the withholding of funds would eventually bring the Board into line. This principle, like all the principles of the 12 Concepts, can be applied throughout our service structure. For example, if your group believes that Intergroup is acting inappropriately, the group could decide to stop sending Intergroup its tradition 7 contributions.

Concept 8 describes the GSB’s relationship with GSO. While the Board oversees the work of GSO, it should not get involved in the day to day business of the Office, which is duly granted the freedom to operate without constant recourse to, or interference from the Trustees. It is GSO that implements the actions resulting from Conference recommendations and Board initiatives, such as mounting a new advertising campaign. The Trustees take care of overall matters of policy, finance and public relations, but it is the constantly active service office that is given the authority and responsibility to get things done. This makes for a more efficient operation. In the UK the job of General Secretary at GSO is the lynch pin of the Office and the direct contact Trustees have with what goes on. The Board has effective oversight of the GSO through its ability to hire the General Secretary.

Bill considered the idea of leadership in AA to be so important he devoted Concept 9 to this ‘ever vital need’. The preceding concepts describe a structure of service in AA and associated principles, such as the ‘rights’ of decision, participation and minority opinion, that help us to operate effectively and carry the message at all levels to the alcoholic who still suffers. However, the best structure isn’t much use if there are no capable and willing leaders to fill the service positions. This concept reminds us that we are to put aside our differences and vote people into service that are the best people for the particular job, whether it be that of GSR, Intergroup liaison officer or rep, Region Chair, Conference delegate or Board Trustee. Nothing less will do for the potential new man or woman. This concept includes a discussion on leadership put forward by Bill, who identifies some of the qualities a leader should have, such as vision – the ability to see what course of action will be best for AA in the long term. For example, your group may be considering whether to become a multi-meeting group and some vision will be required to estimate the future demand for another meeting night. While this concept tends to focus on the Trustees as World/national Service Leaders, it applies to anyone active in AA service including sponsors, who, like all leaders in AA, lead by example. This means that there are leaders in AA - most groups have leaders that we willingly follow.

Concept 10 reiterates that responsibility should be matched by a corresponding authority. Let’s say I am elected as a share finder for my Group. The Group gives me responsibility for maintaining a steady flow of sharers to speak at group meetings. Along with that responsibility I need authority from the group to choose the sharers and this authority should not be undermined by interference from group members that might be trying to influence my decisions, or just “making sure” that I am doing the job properly. This is where the “right of decision” (concept 3) and “trusted servant” principles are so important. Similarly, the Groups delegate some of their ultimate authority to delegates, who vote at Conference according to the dictates of their own conscience. If this delegated authority is misused then the groups can exercise their ultimate authority by electing new delegates. Leaders in service, such as Conference delegates will have to decide which matters they should deal with on their own conscience in this way, and which matters they should refer back to the Groups for consideration. The same principle can be exercised by Intergroups and Regional assemblies.

Concept 11 is concerned with ensuring that the people who do the main body of the work at GSO are well qualified and that the systems for obtaining these workers and relating them with each other are effective. Although the structure described in this essay is based on the US model, the principles in it hold for the GB structure, too. For example the Trustees are ably assisted by standing committees that include non-trustee volunteers. Such volunteers need to be suitably qualified and committed, as on the Literature Committee, which deals with the important task of producing new literature for the Fellowship. In our country the main ‘executive’ position at GSO is held by the General Secretary, who has to put in a great deal of work running the Office and advising Trustees. The Board hires the General Secretary then lets them get on with the work. This concept also describes the important difference between service workers at GSO carrying out established plans and policies and actually making new plans and policies. The qualities required of an executive (in our case the General Secretary) are also highlighted (this issue relates back to Concept 9, on leadership). Another principle is that we should well recompense paid staff at GSO: as Bill says, ‘cheap labour is apt to feel insecure and be inefficient’. This concept looks also at the differences between AA services and the outside commercial world, for example what to do about rotation among paid staff workers and how such workers should be able to participate in the service structure. Rotation among service workers is also a means by which we prevent one person from accumulating too much power, which invariably leads to its misuse.

Concept 12 is essentially article 12 of the Conference Charter and is considered so important to the spirit of AA service that it can only be changed by the agreement of a significant majority of the AA groups world wide. The six ‘warranties’ it contains exemplify spiritual qualities such as prudence in spending of AA money and prudence and humility in our relations with each other and the outside world that serve to align our actions with the 12 Traditions and keep us united as a Fellowship. The warranties spell out the great freedom and liberties of AA members while at the same time enjoining us all to conform to the Traditions.

Finally, while much of the 12 Concepts refer specifically to the General Service Conference and the General Service Board, these valuable principles are applicable at any level of service.

Plymouth Road to Recovery Group of Alcoholics Anonymous

Service: Constant Thought of Others

Service.  It's not one of those words which I used to use on a regular basis, or understand.  For me, service was something that I did on an infrequent basis to my motorbike.   Service means more to me everyday now; I have learnt the other meaning of the word in Alcoholics Anonymous.  My service career started when I walked through the doors of my first meeting.  Right from the start I was encouraged to take an active, grass roots part in my home group.  I started ‘to serve’ for Alcoholics Anonymous and put myself second for a change.  It has taken me sometime to understand the concept of selfless commitment to a group.  The practice of putting others' needs and wants before mine was a totally alien and seemingly ridiculous idea before I reached AA.   In service, I am encouraged to think of others by positive action and not thought or word alone.  This positive action can be anything from cleaning in my home group to serving on Intergroup or Region committees.

The change from selfish to selfless has not been obvious or definite.    I am not claiming that I am a deeply spiritual man who is committed to acts of love and kindness, that would just be downright dishonest.  I know what I am committed to though; I am committed to staying sober and happy, for sure.  If I give myself to this simple program, then I become less selfish and self-seeking through service, as the very essence of serving is to discount my own wants, desires and needs.  Then, as if my magic, my own wants, desires and needs are taken care of.  That is the genuine paradox of Alcoholics Anonymous, the more I think of others, the more my own life improves.   So, I have gradually realized through sometimes painful experience, that whatever the state of play is in my little life, service is the way forward.

One of the other many benefits of service is the confidence and sense of belonging that it instills in the alcoholic.  When I was drinking, in a matter of seconds,  I could swing from arrogant self-based confidence to total suicidal despair.   I either felt elated or crushed.  I also suffered from a sense of displacement and a lack of belonging in any given situation.  What a cocktail for living! It was no wonder I turned to alcohol as a solution to these problems.   The service structure of Alcoholic Anonymous has enabled me to become a useful member of society, rather than a loser and a waster. 

As I said before, I am lucky to be in a home group which suggests that we all partake in some form of service.  I came into AA without any confidence, substance or moral fibre.  All the service positions I have taken on have encouraged me to work with others and become useful within a team of people.  I was never a ‘team player’ before, it was always me against the world.  It would not be an understatement to say that my AA service has been the making of me.

For me the Traditions and service are the strong glue which holds our fellowship together.  As I stated before, I am privileged to be in a group which takes it service very seriously.   If the men and women who have all served as shining examples to me had decided that they couldn’t be bothered with service, there is a strong possibility that my AA group would not be as attractive and active as it is today.  With good leadership and role models, I have made the direct link between how I am feeling and what I am doing.  If I carry on doing the right and honest thing within the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, I know that every aspect of my life will carry on getting better.

Road to Recovery Group, Plymouth Alcoholics Anonymous

Here I am at my desk, clean and tidy in a freshly tidied flat. These days it takes a couple of weeks to degenerate into a chaotic mess, instead of 48 hours, like before AA.

I was brought to my AA home group by a stranger in the fellowship who could tell I needed to hear a clear unified message. I was doing the rounds of various meetings back then and I couldn’t tell what AA was supposed to be about, people talked about all sorts of unrelated stuff.

It was a warm sunny August and I had just got sober again, shaky and very nervous I was extremely glad to get a lift there with this considerate stranger. A group reunion was in full swing, but I didn’t know this and I thought I had stumbled into some kind of underground revolutionary movement by mistake because it seemed like such a huge meeting. Over100 People from all over England and Ireland wandered about with cups of tea, saying ‘hi’ and chatting.

The sharers spoke about ‘doing service’ with a knowing glint in their eyes, I imagined they must mean some kind of military induction, the way the meeting was so well organised – these guys had obviously undergone rigorous training!

As the alcoholic fog lifted with a couple more meetings and a sponsor for me, I realised that service was those great jobs of leadership like Secretary and GSR, that I had learnt so much about when I was eating out of dustbins, and was so well suited for - lucky for these guys were that I had come along to help.

Soon enough I was able to exercise my great leadership skills as the cleaner for my group, because thankfully, in AA no one was going to put any responsibilities onto my shoulders that I wasn’t able to handle. I have seen quite a few other groups put newcomers up as GSR and inevitably the newcomers end up getting overwhelmed, they often get the idea that they are bad at service, and drop out of AA in discouragement.

Fortunately I started out as a cleaner and  once I had gone through some of the other service positions, like tea maker, ‘scroll man’ and secretary, when I had a better idea what AA and service was all about.

In fact my sponsor introduced me to service from day one, because he told me to get there early, help set up, to shake everyone’s hand and say hello, and to help put the chairs away afterwards. Like it says in AA Comes of Age “An AA Service is anything whatever that legitimately helps us to reach fellow sufferers.” (P.140) He gave me other service based suggestions too: to phone 2 newcomers a day and meet people in the fellowship for coffee when I could.

Embarrassed, sweaty and nervous I did it all. Within 2 weeks people newer than me appeared and immediately I was doing my bit to welcome them to my home group and this amazing new life I had been shown – a life that was bearable without alcohol. I met them for coffee and phoned them daily and I still do all this stuff today as well, I didn’t realise it back then but this is all service, thinking of others and carrying the message to the still suffering alcoholic, it takes me out of my self obsession and frees me from the ‘bondage of self’.

Whenever I take the time to do some service, whether it’s meeting a newcomer or writing this article, I always feel calmer, happier and more content and stable afterwards.

Service has given me a great opportunity to practice being an adult. Being adult often means doing things you don’t want to do because you know you need to or should do or you have to - oddly enough I have found that doing service I didn’t want to in AA has finally made me happy, when I lifetime of doing what I wanted made me miserable.

So when it felt like a pain to get to the meeting on time with the scrolls, in the winter when I had to walk and I was tired and missing the T.V. it didn’t stop me from doing it, it just made me pray harder… and through concentrating on delivering my service and not my feelings I have finally begun to grow up and feel like an adult. Maybe I feel just like that considerate stranger who saved my life with a simple act of service over six years ago. He extended the hand of friendship, and made a personal effort to ensure that I got a strong message of recovery, he went that little bit further to carry the message and I always try to do the same.

One last thing I would like to mention about service is that it exemplifies the fact that we get well by taking actions. I haven’t been able to think my self better and I didn’t talk myself better either. I do talk with my sponsor, but the important thing is I do as he says. Like the Service Manual says, (P.6)

“A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action.”

Road to Recover Group Plymouth, Alcoholics Anonymous