Mark,good to see you digging into the book....
Mark,AA is a way of life,the meetings are just fellowship,but in the end, it is the groups themselves that have the right to decide who the group members are.Every group I have seen gladly takes anyone who wants in,as long as they want to get sober.If the person presents problems that affects others and the group in a bad way,the group suffers,and the group has the right to take whatever action necessary to correct the problem.It is also their responsibility to do so,for several reasons.
One is trad one,unity.Second is trad five,to keep the focus on carrying the message.
Old timers have a saying born out of their many yrs of experience-
if you have a meeting where anything goes,pretty soon,no on will go.
Then if no one goes,no one recovers.Being asked to leave a group is one thing,but being asked to leave all of AA is another.Separate the two if you can.
Anyone can come to my home group if they have been drinking,but we do the talking,not the drinkers.Those currently drinking can`t share with others how they got sober and stay sober,so they need to listen.We allow them to ask questions,and the group answers.Also,as you know,you can`t get sober by drinking alcohol.You first need to separate yourself from alcohol,and then work on getting sober.
When a newcomer has a slip,they get another white chip which means several things,one is they are wanting to be a member of AA again.Why do you think we give out those white chips?
call this number and ask to speak to someone about traditions.They can put it a lot better than I can on a larger scale.
212-870-3400
A.A.W.S.
ever thought of getting a service sponsor who has years of experience in service?I did and it has helped me a lot to better understand the concepts and traditions.