For those of you who are mathematically challenged, that is just over 9 years of continuous sobriety. There are those in the fellowship today that will scoff at the mere mention of a sobriety date in a meeting as though doing so violates some secret AA law, or perhaps not doing it is an outward sign of humility proving to others that you are better than they. Or, even better yet, if I tell you how...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Alcoholic, Recovering, Recovered?
Posted by justDdotme on 7:44 PM
The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states clearly that we are to identify ourselves as simply "members of Alcoholics Anonymous". However, along the way (I am guessing when this business of you are an alcoholic when you say you are started) we began identifying ourselves prior to sharing in meetings in a way that can not only say who we are but what we are, what school of thought we come from and...
Quantity vs. Quality
Posted by justDdotme on 11:18 AM
Ahhh, the age old debate, though it's been my experience that the only people who truly believe that quality outweighs quantity are those who have themselves experienced quantity and lost it.
It is often those new in the fellowship or back for another round who diminish or down play the legitimacy of length of sobriety in an effort to feel better about their personal position on the ladder...AA...
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Is Sobriety Enough?
Posted by justDdotme on 12:09 PM
When asked recently about the gifts I had received as a result of staying sober my thoughts went immediately on the defensive. While our fellowship is often sold to folks on the premise of being a cure-all to our life's problems, the fact is that Alcoholics Anonymous and more precisely sobriety is about freedom from alcohol.
I was rapidly drawn to the four or five times in my sober experience when...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Meeting makers don't make it...
Posted by justDdotme on 6:01 PM
The central fact in our fellowship today is a generalized yet profound reliance on our fellowship to preserve our sobriety. The idea that meeting makers make it is outlandish at best. In order to clarify this point I must fist make it clear what it takes to make it.
If one wishes to define "making it" as long-term continuous sobriety, then certain things have to change...
Friday, August 27, 2010
Anonymity and the digital age?
Posted by justDdotme on 6:31 PM
Our (the fellowship of AA) 11th tradition states quite clearly that we should maintain personal anonymity at the levels of press, radio and film. With enough foresight our founding fathers would, perhaps of included the internet in this tradition.
Now, I maintain a list of friends on various social networks who share similar views in sober life and are willing to share these. We are friends, we talk,...
Your Truth
Posted by justDdotme on 4:49 PM
Our job as a fellowship (read 12-step group) is to help the individual discover their own personal truth.
Wither or not you were a continuous hard-drinker, a black-out drinker, or a binge drinker, none of these qualify, quantify or otherwise classify you as an alcoholic.
The idea that "you are an alcoholic when you say you are" is a mute point in final argument. Ultimately, the lines...
My name is justD
Posted by justDdotme on 2:41 PM
Here it is, you asked and I gave...
No, but really, this will be my very first blog post and I feel as though there should be something profound I have to say.
The most profound thing I can say is...Silen...
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Sober 3,293 days...