Sobriety in Stumptown

Transcription

1 Sobriety in Stumptown Portland Area Intergroup 825 NE 20th Ave., Portland, OR On the Intergroup website, click on the Newsletter tab to find newsletters and print them out. October 2010 Volume 3, Number 10 Monthly Business Meetings Portland Area Intergroup: 2nd Monday, 7:00 PM, 3123 NE 24th Ave., Portland PAI CPC: 4th Wednesday, 7:30pm, Intergroup Office, 825 NE 20th Ave., Ste. 200, Portland PAI Public Information: 4th Wednesday, 7:30pm, Intergroup Office, 825 NE PAI Treatment Facilities: 3rd Monday, 6:30pm, Intergroup Office, 825 NE PAI Bridging the Gap: 3rd Monday, 6:30pm, Intergroup Office, 825 NE PAI Corrections: Call Jason at (503) PDAC: 1st Saturday, 6:00 PM, 1111 SW Country Club, L. O. Dist. 9: 1st Wednesday, 6:30 PM, 24th and Kearney, Portland Dist. 10: Last Monday, 7:00 PM, SW 4th St., Beaverton Dist. 11: Last Thursday, 6:00 PM, Glisan Terrace Clubhouse, NE Glisan, Portland Dist. 12: 1st Tuesday, 6:30 PM, Rose City Park United Methodist Church, 5830 N.E. Alameda Ave., Portland Dist. 15: 1st Wednesday, 6:45PM, 710 6th St., Oregon City Dist. 18: 1st Saturday, 9:30 AM, 215 N 6th St., St. Helens Dist. 23: 1st Tuesday, 6:00 PM, Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, SW Willamette Dr., West Linn Dist. 24: 1st Thursday, 6:15 PM, 2800 SE Harrison St., Portland Dist. 26: 2nd Thursday, 7:00 PM, A N. Lombard, Portland Dist. 27: 1st Monday, 7:00 PM, SE Sunnyside Rd., Clackamas Dist. 31: 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM, 937 NE Jackson School Rd., Hillsboro Dist. 34: 3rd Saturday, 5:00 PM, 485 Portland Ave., Gladstone Dist. 35: 2nd and 4th Saturdays, 7:00 PM, SW Shaw St., Suite A, Beaverton Dist. 36: 2nd Thursday, 6:00 PM, 2025 SW Vermont St., Portland Dist. 37: 2nd Tuesday, SW Town Center Loop East, One of my sponsees asked me to help him work the First Step of AA, apparently expecting a set procedure that I would require him to perform. At first I didn t know how to answer that, since this step appears to be a one-person job. Isn t it just an affirmation? I recognize that I am powerless over alcohol, cannot manage my life, and admit that I am an alcoholic. Isn t that good enough? However, this young man wanted to do more than just say it. Taking an idea I had heard in an AA meeting, I suggested that he could make a list on paper of the things he was powerless over, which he did. I also decided to take the advice I was dishing out, and found it surprisingly helpful. I recalled what my old sponsor, Big John, had said about the things we can and cannot change, and came up with a quick powerless list. Doing the First Step 1. The past: No matter how much I regret it, the past is gone. 2. The future: I can waste time fretting, but the future is not here yet. This leaves me with one day only, and that day is today. 3. Other people: I may think I know what is best for someone else, and at my peril give an opinion, but ultimately I cannot make anyone do anything. 4. Circumstances of nature, luck, or accident: I have no control over any of that, and that too is not my business. 5. My crazy thinking: Sometimes I can t control that either, but hope is around the corner in the Second Step. This list, although brief, cuts away huge blocks of stuff I don t have to worry about any more (although sometimes I still do). What is left is a much lighter load to carry. I do have a postage stamp-sized area of control over my behavior in the present moment, and certainly I am responsible for my attitude and the things I say and do. I have choices today, and that s a big improvement over the nothing I had when I was drinking. The beautiful and simple Serenity Prayer says it so much better. As we have heard many times, the First Step is the only one we need to do perfectly. After all, we are imperfect beings, so even that can be a tall order. Some of us can t do it until we completely run out of alternatives. Alcohol beat me up for 25 years before I could say it, mean it, and act upon it. Since I don t want a refund of my misery, I had best never forget it, and that truthful message I get in every single AA meeting I attend. And that s only the beginning of a life far better than we might have imagined. - Anonymous

2 Sobriety in Stumptown Page 2 Notes From My Desk Central Office Manager Seminar 2010 As was announced at the September 2010 IGR meeting, I was able to attend the 25 th annual Intergroup/ Central Office Manager meeting that was held in St Louis Missouri. I have attended some of the past seminars but not for the last several years. The annual Central Office Manager s seminar fosters support for the central office managers across the United States and Canada. As a result we can all achieve a higher level of service to the AA communities we serve. From very large offices that serve over 1000 groups down to tiny offices that serve 50 groups, we are all able to learn from each other s experiences. There were 147 offices represented. Nearly all had paid managers and staff. A few of the very small offices had an all volunteer office. The offices had a huge range of experience. The newest was only 3 months old and the oldest that was present was the New York City Central Office, which started in 1947, not to be confused with GSO. Their central office functions very much like our office functions. There were many topics discussed in the break out sessions, and I came home renewed and excited to get back to work supporting AA, the newcomer and our valuable AA groups. I am pleased to report that we are not unique and, yes, there are other offices that experience all the trials and tribulations we do and all the successes as well. Every office is very aware of the primary purpose of AA and they are doing all they can to help the newcomer find the help they are looking for from AA. The common thread in these trusted servants is their passion to serve Alcoholics Anonymous in a way that very few can. As a result, they experience every up and down that our founders experienced. The reason for this is quite simple. There are no new questions in AA, just new AA members asking all the old questions! The hotline / or tele-service as many call it, is a service that most offices have responsibility for. With very few exceptions, recruiting is an ongoing practice. A small percent of offices reported a 24hr hour hotline that had AA volunteers on call. Many used answering services for the late night calls. Here are a few examples of how other areas handle the hotline: Indianapolis has a very old system. They get about 600 calls a month. The service passes along any 12 Step calls to volunteers. A committee handles the hotline but at 11pm the calls go to an answering service. Kansas City, Missouri use a pager system. The volunteer carries the pager for a week at a time. When a page comes through, the volunteer returns the call as soon as possible. Miami Dade has a service that picks up the call if the phone rings more than four times. Suffolk county does it all with volunteers. No answering service. A new office opened in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They are 3 months old. The AA hotline was moved to the office from the Alano Club. They were told it was temporary and the club reserved the right to take it back if the office did not handle the phones the way They wanted them to be handled. They are having a huge problem getting volunteers and several recommendations were given to the manager. (Continued on next page)

3 Sobriety in Stumptown Page 3 ( Central Office Manager Seminar 2010, continued) The Oahu office recently went back to the system that worked best for them which was a professional answering service that would connect the caller to an AA volunteer on shift. The answering service they use is named Physicians Exchange. A few members accused the office of forwarding the phones over to Doctors at night! This was our big laugh because so many managers identified with the type of AA member that would make such a complaint. The gratitude I have for the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous and the opportunity to serve AA in the capacity that I do, has been substantially renewed as a result of spending the weekend with my contemporaries. At times when serving as manager of a central office, we can begin to feel isolated. I say that because the challenges we face as managers are not the same challenges we face as AA members. Anyone who has been in AA for a few years knows that just because we are sober, that does not stop us from being other than cordial to our fellow AA s, or, the people that serve the fellowship as special workers (see Tradition 8). After spending a few days in discussion with fellow office managers, we can once again know we are not alone and we all, sooner or later, get lambasted by AA members that think that their way is much better than any way we are doing it! I say this with humor even though it sounds serious in writing. We all laughed at each other s stories of how their offices were being overthrown and the real AA s were going to take charge. Well, in the mean time, the rest of us will continue to serve Alcoholics Anonymous by way of the central service office in any way we can. The last session I will write about in this report was on Concept 10. The primary concern was who has the authority at the office? We were fortunate to have the Chairman of the Board of AAWS (George M.) in the session and he spoke on the topic. He was brief, but to summarize his comments, he said that the board hires the manager of GSO based on their qualifications. Then, they stay out of the way and let him or her do their job. They, (the trustees) do what the concept tries to spell out. George M. said that to better understand the concepts, we should read Concept number 10 before we read the other concepts! The concepts were written with a lot of legal language and they can be quite daunting. George M s recommendation to read the 10 th Concept first was a great suggestion. Everyone in the room clearly understood that the ultimate and final authority is GOD as he may express himself through the group conscience. The groups will always have the final word, and I believe that if it were any other way, we would not be blessed with Alcoholics Anonymous as we know it today! Anytime there is a decision to be made that will affect the fellowship, or make a change of any great magnitude in the Portland area, our Board will always take it to the groups. Rarely are there circumstances that would require immediate action, and AA s experience shows it is always best to go slowly in matters of importance. Feel free to contact me at central office if you would like additional information on the seminar. Gratefully, Garry B. ~ A.A. Tidbit ~ (from the official Alcoholics Anonymous website) AA s Unity Declaration was written for A.A.'s 35th Anniversary International Convention, which was held in Miami Beach, Florida, July The author is unknown. It reads: This we owe to A.A. s future: to place our common welfare first; to keep our Fellowship united. For on A.A. unity depend our lives and the lives of those to come.

4 Sobriety in Stumptown Page 4 Committee News Intergroup committees carry the message of recovery to the still-suffering alcoholic. Please help with this Twelfth-Step work. Sign up by clicking on Service on the Intergroup website. Hotline: Openings for Hotline shifts and for 12th Step volunteers. 12th Step volunteers talk to newcomers who have questions. Cooperating with the Professional Community and Public Information: The two committees are working together to bring the message of recovery to the public and to the professional community healthcare, clergy, legal, educators, social workers and others. Bridging the Gap: BTG is a one-time temporary contact for people transitioning from a treatment center to meetings. Bridging the Gap meets the third Monday of each month at 6:30pm at the Portland Intergroup Office basement, located 825 NE, OR "We Bridge the Gap so alcoholics leaving treatment don't have to walk alone across that scary gap between the beginning of recovery in treatment and the continued recovery in AA." Please contact Stephanie L. at pdxbtg@yahoo.com or call at if you are interested. Portland Deaf Access Committee: The Portland Deaf Access Committee meets on the first Saturday of every month at the United Church of Christ, 1111 SW Country Club Road, Lake Oswego, OR The meeting starts at 6pm (ish) and usually lasts one-and-a-half hours. We welcome people just interested in finding out more about what we do. You don t need to know sign language to help. us at pdxaccess@gmail.com with questions. Corrections: Currently our focus is to carry the AA message to youths in the Multnomah County Detention Center (JDH). We need many volunteers to help bring AA meetings to the facility on a regular basis. Call the Intergroup Office if you are interested. ANNOUNCEMENTS Oldtimers Meeting Sunday Oct 17 th 2010, 1-4pm, Milwaukie Center, 5440 SE Kellog Creek Dr., Milwaukie,OR (Rusk Rd off Hwy 224) Rosa P: 26 yrs., Oregon City Steve L: 23 yrs., Oregon City Please bring cookies to share (no sprinkles); Raffle Prizes; Refreshments provided Sponsored by Dist 15 Contact Stephanie at or Terry Y. at or District15oldtimers@yahoo.com ~ A.A. Jokes ~ (From A Rabbit Walks into a Bar: Best Jokes & Cartoons from AA Grapevine) An anonymous drunk was heard to remark, I feel sorry for AA members. They feel just as good when they get up in the morning as they re going to feel all day. You MIGHT be an alcoholic if...the vodka you re drinking reminds you of the taste of a fine aftershave.

5 Sobriety in Stumptown Page 5 Meeting Updates To find information about new meetings or meetings that have changed since the last meeting schedule was printed, click on Updates on the Intergroup website, Coming Events To find information about coming events, click on Events on the Intergroup website. Become a Published Writer! Submit your story to Sobriety in Stumptown! Share your experience, strength, and hope! You may write a story about your personal adventures before and after, how you came to A.A., an important experience you have had or lesson learned in recovery, someone who has inspired you in your sobriety, a spiritual awakening, or anything else related to your journey in recovery and sobriety. The deadline for articles/stories is the end of each month. Please keep submissions to less than 1,000 words. Also, I am happy to help you if you would like some assistance with editing your story. Submit stories or articles, or address any questions, to Erica M. at newsletter@pdxaa.com. Thank you! In service, Erica M. Step Ten Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Tradition Ten Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy. (Reprinted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.) Portland Area Intergroup, 825 NE 20th Avenue, Suite 200 is open Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.