Unity, Recovery, Service Hudson Mohawk Berkshire District 5 Newsletter October 2016
WELCOME TO THE HMB DISTRICT 5 NEWSLETTER
The District 5 Newsletter is published monthly and is distributed as an e-mail in an effort to be more eco-friendly, as well as to reduce postage and printing costs. Please feel free to forward this e-mail, because we are unable to reach all our District 5 members, especially at the group level. If you want your contributions to be included in the
newsletter, please e-mail us at [email protected]. The District 5 Newsletter Committee will do its best to make this a valuable resource for communication, and to allow the members of our District to keep in touch with
each other, further strengthening the unity of our fellowship.
We ask Group Chairs and GSR’s to bring this Newsletter to their Group Meetings. (Please print copies and distribute them at your groups)
We hold a monthly business meeting for GSRs and committee members to discuss service needs in our district and to report on World Services on the First Friday of every month at the First Baptist Church, 45 Washington St. (corner of Railroad Pl. and Washington St., 2 blocks up from Starbucks), Saratoga Springs, at 7:00 pm. All members are welcome to attend.
HELPFUL LINKS OF INTEREST
SARATOGA TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE (STAS) 518 - 587- 0407 GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE NYC http://www.aa.org/ GRAPEVINE WEBSITE
http://www.aagrapevine.org/
AREA 48 HMB WEBSITE A.A. Area 48 HMB Hudson Mohawk Berkshire AREA 48 HBM DISTRICT 5 HOME PAGE District 5 Home Page HMB AREA 48 MEETING SCHEDULE SEARCH
http://meetings.aahmbny.org/
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ONGOING EVETS
District 5’s Service Development Committee TRADITION Study (FLYER ATTACHED)
FALL BACK TO BASICS (FLYER ATTACHED)
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 8TH – AREA 48 OCTOBER ASSEMBLY (FLYER ATTACHED) st rd October 21 – 23 - HMB Area 48 Convention (FLYER ATTACHED)
October 27TH – Carrying The Message of AA Behind The Walls (FLYER ATTACHED)
October 28 – 30th - ESCYPAA III Empire State Convention (FLYER ATTACHED)
OCTOBER 29TH - HALLOWEEN DANCE (FLYER ATTACHED) November 12th - Bill W. Dinner, “Beyond Your Wildest Dreams” (FLYER ATTACHED)
GROUPS IN NEED OF SUPPORT But For The Grace Of God Friday’s - 7:30PM Saints Luke’s On The Hill Episcopal Church 40 McBride Road, Mechanicville, NY (O – D) Young Adults In Recovery Wednesday’s - 7:30 PM First Baptist Church, 45 Washington St, Saratoga Springs, NY (Corner of Railroad Pl. and Washington St., 2 blocks up from Starbucks) (O – BB)
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS New Meeting Zion Dire Super Church Thursday’s – 6 PM 222 Crescent Street, Saratoga Springs, NY (O - BB) Women Sharing In Sobriety Group Meeting time has changed from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM New England Presbyterian Church 24 Circular Street, Saratoga Springs, NY (C – D)
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AA Principles of the Month
Step 10 – Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Tradition 10 – No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues-particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion. The Alcoholics Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerning such matters they can express no views whatever. Concept X – Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority, with the scope of such authority well defined.
Tradition 10 Checklist
Do I ever give the impression that there really is an “AA opinion” on Antabuse? Tranquilizers? Doctors? Psychiatrists? Churches? Hospitals? Jails? Alcohol? The federal or state government? Legalizing marijuana? Vitamins? Al-Anon? Alateen? Can I honestly share my own personal experience concerning any of those without giving the impression I am stating the “AA opinion”? What in AA history gave rise to our Tenth Tradition?
Have I had a similar experience in my own AA life?
What would AA be without this Tradition? Where would I be? Do I breach this or any of its supporting Traditions in subtle, perhaps unconscious, ways?
How can I manifest the spirit of this Tradition in my personal life outside AA? Inside AA?
Concept X Checklist
Do we understand “authority” and “responsibility” as they relate to group conscience decisions by G.S.R.s, D.C.M.s and our area delegates?
Why is delegation of “authority” so important to the overall effectiveness of A.A.? Do we use this concept to define the scope of “authority?”
“Slips and Human Nature” WILLIAM DUNCAN SILKWORTH, MD, JANUARY 1947
“There is a tendency to label everything that a alcoholic may do as ’alcoholic behavior’. The truth is simply human nature. … Emotional and mental quirks are classified as symptoms of alcoholism merely because alcoholics have them, yet those same quirks can be found among nonalcoholics, too. REPRINTED FROM THE BEST OF THE GRAPEVINE ,VOLUME 1 WITH PERMISSION OF A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC
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BENEFITS OF STEP TEN
As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the adventure of a new life. But when we approach Step Ten we commence to put our A.A. way of living to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we stay sober, keep in emotional balance, and live to good purpose under all conditions? REPRINTED FROM TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, P. 88 WITH PERMISSION OF A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC
For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong. REPRINTED FROM TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, P. 88 WITH PERMISSION OF A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC
Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. REPRINTED FROM ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, BIG BOOK P. 84 WITH PERMISSION OF A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC
When we retire at night, we constructively review our day . . . On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead . . . Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. REPRINTED FROM ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, BIG BOOK P. 86 WITH PERMISSION OF A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC
Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all of our activities. REPRINTED FROM ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, BIG BOOK P. 85 WITH PERMISSION OF A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC
We will want the good that is in us all, even in the worst of us, to flower and to grow. REPRINTED FROM AS BILL SEES IT P. 10 WITH PERMISSION OF A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC
Finally, we begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means. REPRINTED FROM TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, P. 88 WITH PERMISSION OF A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC
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