Daily Reflections reading March 31st
No One Denied Me Love
On the A.A. calendar it was Year Two . . . . A newcomer appeared at one of these groups . . . . He soon proved that his was a desperate case, and that above all he wanted to get well. . . . [He said], “Since I am the victim of another addiction even worse stigmatized than alcoholism, you may not want me among you.” TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 141-42
I came to you — a wife, mother, woman who had walked out on her husband, children, family. I was a drunk, a pill-head, a nothing. Yet no one denied me love, caring, a sense of belonging. Today, by God’s grace and the love of a good sponsor and a home group, I can say that –through you in Alcoholics Anonymous — I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a woman. Sober. Free of pills. Responsible. Without a Higher Power I found in the Fellowship, my life would be meaningless. I am full of gratitude to be a member of good standing in Alcoholics Anonymous.
© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My
thoughts on March 31st Reading
The third tradition is a powerful
statement It tells every alcoholic in the world that he may become and remain a
member of AA so long as he says so, AA has no membership rules we do not wish
to erect the slightest barrier between ourselves and the alcoholic who still
suffers
We know that society has been demanding
that they conform to laws and conventions, because of the alcoholic malady they
have been unable, or unwilling to conform to either the laws of man, or they
were hooked because of the disease and became alcoholics
We can't deny anyone love, if we raise
obstacles for helping they might stay away and perish, they might be denied
their priceless opportunity to recovery and a new way of life free from their
addiction many are made to feel they are not allowed to share about their drug
addictions
Some old-timers would stand up and say
stop the sharing about your addiction to drugs, this sure is denial of the love
of the fellowship, when a person in compelled to identify as an alcoholic only
and does not identify as an addict they are more likely to relapse
They also have the right to share all of
there experiences, AA has been the refuge of last resort for millions of
desperate alcoholics who have hit bottom, we have always been free for the
taking and is testament to our revolutionary Twelve Steps
AA Fifth Tradition dictates that each
group's primary purpose is to help the alcoholic who still suffers many groups
follow this literally not allowing the dual addicted to openly share, the irony
is that people talk about everything in AA
All the ugliness and degeneration of
family and friends that comes with the use of alcohol and the struggles of
living sober, as one member put it you can talk about stealing, cheating, going
to jail, being abusive, prostitution, lying you name it we talk about it
But
you wouldn't want to offend anyone by talking about your addition to another
type of drug, why do old timers insist that people not talk about drugs if it's
part of their problem, its mass denial in AA that dual addicted people can not
share all their experiences and it's faulty thinking
Most people in AA today are dually
addicted, alcohol and drugs were just a symptom, it's a recovery program for
all of us to share our experiences, strengths, and hope, all of who we are
today it's hard enough for newcomers ashamed and destroyed just to walk in
They are not equipped to judge whether
they will be getting what they need and we must give them the same
unconditional love that we all receive when we came into the hall I know that
no one denied me love when I walked thru the door
I feel that the principles are the same
whether abusing alcohol, or drugs, being an alcoholic my self and also having
had both types of abusers in my family life, the program will not change
technically alcohol is a drug, I have yet to meet an alcoholic who can play
with drugs or vice versa
The feelings and malady are the same, so
are the recovery techniques, simply apply the twelve steps in to our lives,
reach out to help deny someone else the love we all had been given by those who
came before us to find recovery
God bless you Al M
Please feel free to mail
suggestions or comments
