Daily
Reflections reading January 25th
What We Need- Each other
A.A.
is really saying to every serious drinker, “You are an A.A. member if you say
so . . . nobody can keep you out.” TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 139
For
years, whenever I reflected on Tradition Three (”The only requirement for A.A.
membership is a desire to stop drinking”), I thought it valuable only to
newcomers. It was their guarantee that no one could bar them from A.A. Today I
feel enduring gratitude for the spiritual development the Tradition has brought
me. I don’t seek out people obviously different from myself. Tradition Three,
concentrating on the one way I am similar to others, brought me to know and
help every kind of alcoholic, just as they have helped me. Charlotte, the
atheist, showed me higher standards of ethics and honor; Clay, of another race,
taught me patience; Winslow, who is gay, led me by example into true
compassion; Young Megan says that seeing me at meetings, sober thirty years, keeps
her coming back. Tradition Three insured that we would get what we need – each
other.
© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My thoughts on January 25th 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, does not wish to
erect the slightest barrier between ourselves and the alcoholic who still
suffers
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
If we raise obstacles for helping they
might stay away and perish, they might be denied their priceless opportunity to
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
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
AA has always been free for the taking
and is testament to the Twelve Steps the program has been successfully adapted
over the years to over 40 fellowships, but in its 74 years AA has shown a
marked history of mistreatment of dually addicted alcoholics
That is not in keeping with AA's own
criteria for membership and the spiritual principles the program suggests we
have a flaw built into the Traditions born of the limitations of time, the
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 lies stealing cheating going to jail being abusive
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 are 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 not judge them I feel that the
principles are the same whether abusing alcohol or drugs being an alcoholic and
also having had both types of abusers in my family
The program has not changed technically
Alcohol is a drug I have yet to meet an alcoholic who can play with drugs or
vice versa I have been sober sense Feb 6th 1974 the feelings and malady are the
same and so are the recovery techniques simply apply the 12 steps in to our
lives
Please feel free to mail
suggestions or comments
