CarolD

Sober25

Great promises, but it's rare to hear someone put them in context when they are read at a meeting. When I'm asked to read them I always say that they come after the ninth step in the Big Book. Some folks seem to think it's automatic just for coming to meetings. It just ain't so.

jimhere

We dangle them as carrots and make doing the work a selfish thing, like they are something to get, rather than a result of taking some action. In a lot of the meetings around here, the promises are read out of context as "The A.A. Promises," or "The Twelve Promises." When the line saying "Are these extravagant promises?" is read, most of the room chants back in unison "We think not!" I always say that they can be extravagant promises if they are the goal.

The whole program is more about what am I willing to get rid rid of rather than what I am going to get.

And what it ends being is that my sobriety is not for me, it is for you. I used up my life on me and it nearly killed me and hurt quite a few others as well. If it were for me and what I'm going to get, the idea that we lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows would not line up with that. If it were for me, the line about seeing how my experience can benefit others wouldn't be there. My experience isn't for me. In fact, my (drinking) experience never did me any good, certainly never kept me sober. It only has value if I use it to connect with another alcoholic.

Big Book references from Alcoholics Anonymous, First Edition

BP44

Whenever I read the promises I always say, "These are the 9th step promises and this is not a we think not meeting". There are still those that will chant. I was taught to keep my mouth shut during readings. Whenever a lead a discussion on "the promises" I rarely discuss the 9th step promises. Usually other step promises, and very often with the first promise to be found in the book......first sentence in the first paragraph in the foreward.