ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS – NH - DISTRICT 12 NEWSLETTER –

MAY/JUNE 2019

Serving the towns of: Bedford, Goffstown, Hooksett, Manchester, New Boston

As time went on, I was entrusted with greater responsibility in service. Someone gave me keys to a THE church! Then, when some friends and fellows decided to form a Group, they asked me to take part and elected me their Group Service Representative (GSR). The business meetings taught me patience, love, and tolerance, yes - VOICE but the District and then Area meetings also taught me just how big the Conference structure and this Fellowship really is, that I was a part of a huge and altruistic movement, with a democratic structure, and that we all WITHIN had a voice in reasonable proportion to our responsibility. Service has also taught me some humility. One of the many definitions of this elusive concept states that its basic ingredient is the willingness to seek and perform God’s will. Well, service taught me that my higher power SERVICE – HOW WE CARRY makes his will known through the group conscience - of which I can be a part of at my home group, my District, or THE MESSAGE my Area business meetings. If I am being of service, I know I am a trusted servant - and not the master, who is the one in charge. Service has also taught me that service works. Year after ervice is an anchor, my Service Sponsor year, I see the same people, who put great effort into told me. No, not something that weighs service and maintain their smiles, their sobriety, and their serenity. I think for them, service is working well as an you down, but something that keeps you anchor, keeping them close to the program. Actually, I Swhere you need to be in rough seas. For recently learned that most of the work in keeping a ship me, that place is right in the middle of Alcoholics near anchor is done by the (very long) chain, which is far Anonymous. heavier. Maybe that huge chain is made up all the fellow servants I encounter, of the camaraderie and unity I My first job was as a coffee maker. This job kept me from experience as we work together to make more and better even entertaining the idea of not showing up to my Twelfth Step work possible. meeting. It also taught me punctuality - showing up early Dan L. - Sobriety date: 5/10/2010 to brew the coffee and to talk to fellow members, and staying late to clean up and wish them good night. It Home Group: Friday Night Live taught me that - now sober - I could be responsible, and Service Positions: District 12 Alternate DCM and reliably show up to do something for others. This created Area 43 Treasurer a spark of self-worth, where before there was only a darkness of self-loathing, shame, and guilt.

A.A.’s Legacy of Service by Bill W. Our Twelfth Step — carrying the message — is the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die. Hence, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer — ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.’s General Service Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service.

1 rinciples before SERVICE LITERATURE: District 12 Service Manual http://www.district12nhaa.org/wp- Personalities content/uploads/2016/03/District-12-Service- When I first started in AA and joined a group, Manual-V5-1-.pdf I heard the saying, principles before Responsibility Card https://nhaa.net/useful- Ppersonalities, when attending my home group business links/responsibility-card/ meetings. I simply thought that the saying meant that traditions and concepts should be spoken without Box 459 - Spring 2019 - Our Great Responsibility: Rediscovered Wisdom from A.A.’s Co-Founder personality. For example, principles shall be facts of the https://www.aa.org/newsletters/en_US/en_box459_ literature only and spoken in a monotone voice without spring19.pdf point of views or opinions. The more meetings I attended and the more I got involved in service I started to hear and The Twelve Concepts for World Service (Illustrated) experience AA’s personalities. When the topic of money How Bill W. explained the spiritual principles that undergird A.A.’s structure and how the parts work came to play everyone seemed to have an opinion on together. https://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p- what to do with any money, where it should go and what 8_thetwelveconetps.pdf AA member will execute the decision. In this topic I could truly see AA members’ personalities come out and my The AA Service Manual Combined with Twelve journey in AA service was happening before I even Concepts for World Service by Bill W. realized it. As my life in AA service grew and my https://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/en_bm-31.pdf knowledge of the traditions was inspired and practiced in Inside A.A. - Understanding the Fellowship and its my life, I could understand more why we have this Services https://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/district- quote principles before personalities. committee-member-dcm/p-18-inside-aa Over the years I Your A.A. General Service Office Tradition 12 – “Anonymity is the have found https://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/f- spiritual foundation of all our asking myself 6_yourAAGSO.pdf traditions, ever reminding us to some simple Circles of Love and Service place principles before questions https://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p- personalities.” helped me in my 45_circleoflove.pdf service work AA's Legacy of Service by Bill W. when https://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p- personalities and principles were rearing. “Am I hearing 44_AAWSlegacy.pdf their personality or the tradition they are trying to explain?” “Do I not agree with him/her because of the personality or is their view of the tradition skewed?” “Do I only agree with him/her only because they are expressing a tradition in a calm and collected language, even if the tradition is no being honored?” “Am I fearful of expressing my true opinion or is my fear getting in the way of my decisions?” “When can I share my thoughts and add good to this discussion or will it cause more chaos in this discussion?” I know there is no monotone voice in beautiful AA personalities, and I must see past one’s tone, attitude or emotion and listen exactly to the tradition or concept they are portraying In my service work if I continually study the traditions, and concepts and I am right with God, then I can continue to pass the message to others. Reneé C. – Sobriety date: 12/25/11 Home Group: Women’s New Beginnings Group Service Position: District 12 District Services

2 when it comes to service work too. I can’t help it; I really love it. I get frustrated at times sure, but I get so much WHY I LOVE SERVICE WORK more out of it that the good way outweighs the bad. What has service work given me? Here’s a quick list: a When I first came into AA, I had no idea what it was or larger circle of friends, a huge network of AAs, a better what I would have to do. I just wanted to get everyone working knowledge of the AA structure, self-esteem, off my back and I was given the choice of Concord State self-confidence, a sense of purpose, increased patience Hospital or AA. So, I reluctantly tried going to AA. and tolerance, introduction to people I would never get to meet anywhere else, travel for NERAASA and All I was capable of doing the first few months was to go networking there, being proud of myself and so much to meetings and not drink. That was a difficult enough more. This list could go on even more, but I think it task at that point. My first job in AA was being a coffee makes my point. maker at a Saturday morning meeting in Raymond. I was “volun-told” for the position at the first business There are so many different ways to give back to AA and meeting I went to. I knew you guys were bug-nuts when at different levels. There are always committees you gave me a key to a church. What was wrong with needing help. Go check them out, see what they you people?! Didn’t you know I was a terrible human do. Try out different things. AA gives us this opportunity being and no one trusted me anymore?!?! What I to do outside of the halls, so why not try it inside of the learned later was the people in AA had way more faith in halls too? Join Functions and help put on a dance. me than I did in myself. They gave me an opportunity to Take a meeting into a treatment facility like Farnum. (I be of service to that group and helped to build up my go on the first Monday of the month with my home self-esteem, which was non-existent when I entered the group.) Take a commitment into the jails or prison. I do doors. My second service job was as “chip-chick”. I that a few times a month and it feels incredible! (See, loved doing the coffee, but I broke my leg and could no told you I was an alcoholic about service work…) longer physically do the job. Chips became my favorite The only reason I’m alive today is because of AA. That job and to this day I truly believe it is the best job to have is a fact. I would have been dead over 11 years ago if it in all of AA. It’s fun, easy, takes less than 5 minutes and wasn’t for AA. So, what am I willing to do for AA? it’s always a good thing when someone picks up any Anything that I can. chip. So just try it. What do you have to lose? Think of all the I quickly fell in love with AA and everything that it had to things you can gain instead. offer. I got involved with multiple groups and have held almost every service position in my home group. I finally Yours in love and service, found a place where I belonged and where people “got me”. AA saved me and gave me a new life. So, what Addie - Sobriety date: 1/21/08 was I willing to do to keep staying sober? What was I Home Group: Manchester Original Group willing to give back to this amazing program that gave Service Position: District 12 Registrar and me a purposeful and happy life? (Two things I never Area 43 Secretary thought I’d ever have in my life.) When I was about 5 years sober, I went to my first District meeting, just to check it out. Next thing I know I’m being asked to stand for a position as an LCM. I had no idea what the job was. When they asked me to stand for the position my first question was, “Do I actually have to stand?” I knew nothing obviously, but I quickly learned what the position was and what I had to do. Since that time, I’ve been an LCM, Alcathon Chair, Secretary and currently I serve as your Registrar for the District. I’m also the Secretary for the Area, which is the state of NH and Kittery, ME. So, here’s my crazy alcoholic mind. When I was asked if I wanted to stand for the LCM position, my first thought was, “What if I go back out?!?” I was just so kind to myself… That was my fear whispering its negativity and telling me I wasn’t good enough. I chose not to listen to it and I am so glad that I made that decision. AA taught me that when alcohol isn’t controlling my life, I get to make my own choices. I get to have that freedom. As you can probably deduce by the number of service positions I’ve held and currently hold, I’m an alcoholic

3 In a Grapevine article in October 1965, the Responsibility Statement is discussed, and Bill W. expresses his views: Two major thoughts stood out in the remarks of RESPONSIBILITY the many speakers, alcoholic and nonalcoholic, at AA's July Toronto Convention. The first was STATEMENT admiration and gratitude for AA's startling success in sobering up hundreds of thousands of lost- I am responsible… cause drunks. The other was concern that the When anyone, anywhere, success which has come to AA over the thirty reaches out for help, I want years since its start in Akron, Ohio in 1935 would not lead us to any complacency about the size of the hand of A.A. always to be the job still to be done. there. The theme of the Convention was: Responsibility. And for that: I am responsible. "I am responsible. . .when anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA 1965 A.A. International Convention - Toronto always to be there. And for that: I am responsible." AA's co-founder, Bill, in his talk to over 10,000 attending the major sessions of the Convention, stressed the need for cooperation with all who work on the problem of alcoholism, the more than 100 agencies in the United States and Canada alone now engaged in research, alcohol education and rehabilitation. "Too often, we have deprecated and even derided these projects of our friends just because we do not always see eye to eye with them," Bill said. "We should very seriously ask ourselves how many alcoholics have gone on drinking simply because we have failed to cooperate in good spirit with these many agencies. No alcoholic should go mad or die merely because he did not come straight to AA in the beginning."

OUR TWELFTH STEP — CARRYING THE MESSAGE — IS THE BASIC SERVICE THAT THE A.A. FELLOWSHIP GIVES; THIS IS OUR PRINCIPAL AIM AND THE MAIN REASON FOR OUR EXISTENCE. THEREFORE, A.A. IS MORE THAN A SET OF PRINCIPLES; IT IS A SOCIETY OF ALCOHOLICS IN ACTION. WE MUST CARRY THE MESSAGE, ELSE WE OURSELVES CAN WITHER AND THOSE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN GIVEN THE TRUTH MAY DIE.

For District 12 events and announcements and a digital version of this newsletter, visit our website http://www.district12nhaa.org/

All issues of The Voice Within are sponsored through the 7th Tradition. Length and Format: The newsletter may publish works of different lengths, from snappy one-liners and one-paragraph anecdotes, to full page articles (500-1000 word count). Text or attachments sent by e-mail should be submitted in word. Handwritten text can be delivered to myself, or your GSR, who can deliver them to the next district meeting. Articles are reviewed, selected, and edited by the editorial team. The contents appropriateness is at the sole discretion of the newsletter committee. Newsletter Chair: Michelle S. (603) 247-3775; email: [email protected] ALL CONTENT HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM AA MEMBERS AND AA GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE-APPROVED LITERATURE.

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