"Odds are you won't make it..."
Guest
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 184
Page 34 - The Big Book (4th Edition)
"We think few, to whom this book will appeal, can stay dry anything like a year. Some will be drunk the day after making their resolutions; most of them within a few weeks."
This is a very discouraging quote to me, but very true too. I love proving people/things/"facts"/statistics etc... wrong
"We think few, to whom this book will appeal, can stay dry anything like a year. Some will be drunk the day after making their resolutions; most of them within a few weeks."
This is a very discouraging quote to me, but very true too. I love proving people/things/"facts"/statistics etc... wrong
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: kansas
Posts: 61
court?
Originally Posted by JohnBarleycorn 
That's easy to answer - this happens because your group signs court slips.
If you don't want to deal with this, find a group that doesn't sign court slips, or suggest that this practice be stopped at the next group conscience.
Many groups have already stopped this practice altogether as a result of group conscience.
I find it unlikely that this will stop, but the real members of AA who want to save it might do well to seriously re-consider this practice and it's implications.
It not only necessarily dilutes the message, but by making AA complicit in punitive coercion, it also keeps AA perpetually in the cross-hairs.
If you don't want to deal with this, find a group that doesn't sign court slips, or suggest that this practice be stopped at the next group conscience.
Many groups have already stopped this practice altogether as a result of group conscience.
I find it unlikely that this will stop, but the real members of AA who want to save it might do well to seriously re-consider this practice and it's implications.
It not only necessarily dilutes the message, but by making AA complicit in punitive coercion, it also keeps AA perpetually in the cross-hairs.
They arrive, get one of each of the pamphlets, buy the Big Book, and all the tapes on the spot, delete all the old drinking friends numbers off their cell phones and replace them with the list of phone numbers of all the contact members.
Then they find the man or woman in the room that has fifteen years of 12 step recovery, get them for a sponsor, and schedule their first through nine step over the next four weeks.
They stay after the meeting and sweep the floor, put chairs away, empty the ashtrays, and drop ten dollars in the kitty.
The reason the courts send alcoholics, those irresponsible, sick, decietful, persons to AA is because somehow the courts think that the members of AA are compassionate, helpful, patient and can help the alcoholic in important ways that jail and the court cannot.
Maybe the courts and judges are wrong, but when I am sitting in a meeting and there are court ordered members, I do my best to make them feel welcome and let them vent in a respectful manner.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 617
I hated that too. It plants a negative seed in your head from the getgo. Newcomer's don't need to be hearing that- it develops "what's the use?" attitude that will wreck your sobriety. You can DEFIE (?) the odds. Don't let anyone tell you different. I've living proof that a miracle can occur.....................
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Wappingers Falls, NY
Posts: 618
Re:"Odds are you won't make it..."
The odds might be against me but who cares about statistics anyway. "Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety". Any alcoholic who had a sense about him would take a gander at the first tradition before acclimating himself to any position of authority. The first tradition is as follows: "One—Our common welfare should come first; personal recover depends upon A.A. unity". Nothing more needs to be said...period.
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