The Early Birds

January, 2018 Volume 34 Issue No 9 Rocketing into the “An Intergroup is an A.A. service office that involves partnership among groups in a community, just as A.A. groups themselves are partnerships of individuals. It is Fourth established to carry out certain functions common to all groups . functions which are best handled by a centralized office ~ and it is usually maintained, supervised and Dimension! supported by these groups in their general interest. It exists to aid groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” STEP ONE We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. THE EARLY BIRDS The Unifier is published The bartender poured me another shot of whisky and placed monthly by Brevard Inter- group for the purpose of another bottle of beer on the bar in front of me. It was 6:30 on a Friday communication with the evening and I was nothing but an early bird to her, trying to get a jump on the local fellowship. The con- weekend celebration. Little did she know that I was about to step across the tent is the responsibility of threshold into another world -- a world of sobriety and AA. the Editors and its contribu- tors and does not necessari- The bar had a pool table, and I fancied myself a sharpshooter. ly represent the view of A.A. Unfortunately, my game lacked a little after a couple of beers and I couldn't Please send your article to: seem to sink anything but the cue ball. So I'd sign my name up on the Brevard Intergroup Inc. chalkboard along with the other early birds, slide up to the bar and order another shot and a beer, waiting for my turn to play 720 E. New Haven Ave, again and lose. Then I could sign my name up on the chalkboard along with the other early birds so I could play another #3 game and lose. It was like walking on a treadmill, round and round. Melbourne FL 32901 It was my second bar of the evening. I had stopped off earlier on my way home from work -- not to get drunk, just to Office Hours; M-F, 9-4:30 have one beer. But then, once I'd ordered I thought, what's the point of having just one beer, so I ordered up a shot to go 321-724-2247 or 633-0052 along with it. That started the ball rolling, and before too long I was slurring my words, ogling any woman who walked in, and fax: 321-724-8574 already planning my next move. So, off I went to my local bar, the bar around the corner from my house, the bar with the pool email: table. [email protected] website: But, lo and behold, by the time 7:00 rolled around I was already out of money and working my way into a blackout www.aaspacecoast.org once again. There was a saving grace, however. There was money at home. Money earmarked for the rent and the electricity bill, but money now with which I could continue to drink. As I sat there in the bar, the world starting to spin around For Online AA Meetings me once again, everything suddenly became clear. My path was set. I was going to leave that bar, go around the corner to aa-intergroup.org my house, get the money I was saving to pay the bills, and come back out and drink. I knew for a certainty that this was true. This is what was going to happen. Along with that thought came another thought, a darker, more sinister thought, a thought loaded with fear and despair. I was probably going to die that night -- it wasn't quite clear just how, perhaps stepping in front 2017 BREVARD of a bus on the street drunk, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time and taking a slug in the head, or maybe getting into INTERGROUP BOARD my car and driving it into a wall. But the darkness was just as sure as the fact that I was going to leave that bar, go around Chairperson Too Tall Mike the corner, get the money, and come back out. And in that moment -- it was just a single moment sitting at a bar in the heart [email protected] of Manhattan, staring at the bottles along the back of the bar, lost in the wavering images in the mirror -- I accepted my fate Vice Chair Nicole D. entirely, admitted my powerlessness, and left that bar to get the money so I could continue to drink. [email protected] In that one moment, I was on the threshold of a new and wonderful world. The bartender gave a little wave as I Secretary Tamarah B. staggered off. She figured she'd see me again. [email protected] Treasurer Tim A. On the corner of the block where I live, just as I was about to turn down my street, I ran into an old acquaintance I [email protected] hadn't seen for some time. It was someone I used to drink with, someone with whom I'd shared a harrowing incident a couple of years before when I saw a lady fall out of a building and land on the concrete in front of me. She was dead on impact and I Phone Army Chris F. [email protected] stood there in the street, half drunk, half dazed until the police and the fire department, the ambulance, and the press had all come and gone. I found myself in my local bar that night -- the bar with the pool table -- drinking the image out of my mind, Social Events Pamela LN. [email protected] talking to anyone who would talk to me, telling them my tale of woe. This acquaintance was one of those -- it turned out he had seen the same thing that day, had been one of the onlookers drawn to the scene. We drank together that night, Webmaster Mike J. comrades in disaster, and always had this special bond between us whenever we met. [email protected] Office Manager Bob H. So, it was he who I ran into on the corner of my block. Usually we'd bump into each other in the neighborhood or at Financial Manager Frank C. the bar, but I hadn't seen him there for some time. He greeted me. I greeted him back, hoping this wouldn't take too long Supply Manager Tom W. since I was on a mission to get back to the bar as soon as I possibly could. [email protected] Continued on page 2 J ANUARY , 2 0 1 8 P AGE 2 JANUARY BIRTHDAYS—IF WE STAY GRATEFUL, WE STAY SOBER! SEVEN & SEVEN GROUP Continued from page 1 Mark Mc-1 yr John B-31 yrs SUNRISE GROUP "Where ya goin'?" he said to me. Tom H-39 yrs Leo S-29 yrs Frank H-28 yrs Tracy B-25 yrs "I'm goin' home," I replied. And then, as if to end the Barbara S-18 yrs John D-10 yrs conversation, I shot back, "Where are you goin'?" Joe F-4 yrs Beth K-2 yrs Craig D-1 yr He looked at me with a *Belated Dec* piercing glance, head cocked to one Tom A-1 yr side, as if turning something over in SUNSET GROUP his mind. He paused, leaned his head BAREFOOT BAY GROUP *Belated Dec* Rich S-14 yrs Paul W-20 yrs down close to me, and said, almost in Donna E-42 yrs Capt Bob-52 yrs SUNTREE GROUP a whisper, "I'm goin' to an AA meet- DOUBLE WOW! Terri C-10 yrs Pat N-43 yrs A-OK! ing, do you want to come?" *Belated Dec* Ron H-35 yrs Rosemarie S-11 yrs Emma-2 yrs Carol S-33 yrs *Belated Dec* In that moment, it's as if a Sandy A-35 yrs Corina D-1 yr door opened up, I stepped inside, and BETTER LATE THAN NEVER SUNTREE WOMEN’S GROUP the door closed shut behind me. Sit- Anthony B-1 yr Meredith B-1 yr Beth K-2 yrs Brenda-2 yrs BROWN BAG BUNCH Julie K-4 yrs Maribeth-42 yrs WOW! ting at the barstool just minutes before, I had admitted for the Bob E-35 yrs BarrySolo-20 yrs VIERA GROUP first time in my life that I was powerless over alcohol, that I Evan S-18 yrs Billy-13 yrs Rod S-16 yrs Tom H-39 yrs couldn't possible control it, that I was fated to leave that bar to Daymon-10 yrs Lee D-7 yrs *Belated Dec* get more money only to return and quite possible die. Jon K-6 yrs Jeff D-4 yrs John W-13 yrs Kelli R-3 yrs Marty-1 yr I said yes to my friend, Russell. We walked together Linda-1 yr Jeff L-1 yr down the avenue -- the money, the bar, the darkness, forgot- CONSCIOUS CONTACT GROUP ten in an instant. We got to the meeting well before it started, Dick P-44 yrs GREAT! Dan V-22 yrs Tamarah B-5 yrs and I sat in the back, with some of the other early birds, wait- Dawn F-2 yrs ing for my life to begin. *Belated Dec* David L-27 yrs I don't recall anything that was said at that meeting, EARLY BIRDS GROUP though I do remember that at the break the chairperson asked Mike T-1 yr Donna Lee-33 yrs if there were any newcomers that night.

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