(1) Get to a meeting early and help set up.
(2) Talk to the people before and after the
meeting. Specifically, ask them about their day, actually listen when they tell
you, and ask God to show you what experience of yours could help them. Perhaps
you will just need to listen and be compassionate. Perhaps you can match their
story with a similar experience (coupled with how you were given help in AA).
Perhaps you have been shown a solution that could help them.
(3) In particular identify newcomers or people who
have not been to the meeting before. Show them where everything is. Exchange
numbers. Introduce them to others. Find out if they need any literature. Get
them a cup of tea or coffee.
(4) Ask the group secretary if there is something
you can read out.
(5) During the meeting, ask God to show you what
you can contribute: talk about the solution you have been shown in the Book
‘Alcoholics Anonymous’, talk about your experience, and talk about your
difficulties and how you were given help. “We want to leave you with the
feeling that no situation is too difficult and no unhappiness too great to be
overcome.” (104:4). This should be your aim.
(6) After the meeting, approach anyone who was
looking visibly troubled or shared some difficulty and seek if you can be there
for them and offer relevant experience or just a compassionate ear.
(7) Help clear up afterwards.
(8) Go for fellowship after the meeting with others
from the group.
(9) Throughout the whole meeting, pray to be shown
how you can be useful to others.
Outside meetings
(1) If you are doing the above at meetings, you
will soon have a long list of AA members of varying lengths of sobriety. Text
them. Call them. Email them. Be there for them in the manner described above.
(2) Become a member of an Internet forum where the
AA solution is discussed with enthusiasm and contribute regularly.
(3) Write an article for the
Grapevine/Share/Roundabout magazine.
(4) Take these attitudes into every endeavour:
“If it is a happy occasion, try to increase the
pleasure of those there; if a business occasion, go and attend to your business
enthusiastically.” (102:1)
“Every day is a day when we must carry the vision
of God’s will into all of our activities. “How can I best serve Thee—Thy will
(not mine) be done.” These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We
can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use
of the will.” (85:1)
“Giving, rather than getting, will become the
guiding principle.” (128:0)
“Father feels he has struck something better than
gold. For a time he may try to hug the new treasure to himself. He may not see
at once that he has barely scratched a limitless lode which will pay dividends
only if he mines it for the rest of his life and insists on giving away the
entire product.” (129:0)
The risk of being crippled by self-absorption and
crushed under the weight of your own personality is something that any of us
can run, no matter how long we have been sober.
The answer is always placing ourselves in the
service of God to be of use to others.
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