OCT-NOV 07 - Alcoholics Anonymous Central Office

JANUARY 2011
PO BOX 3075
1748 Independence Blvd., #B2, Sarasota, FL 34234.
SARA-MANA DISTRICT 4, AREA 15
2011 Central
Office Fund
Drive Under Way
The Central Office of SaraMana is much more than books.
It is in fact the central office of
our local AA service structure
and the face of AA in Sarasota
and Manatee County.
It was established in 1986 to
carry the AA message to the
suffering alcoholic as well as
provide information about AA
to the community, supply AA literature and support to people
wanting to be, or already in recovery. It provides an informational web site, a place for Help
line volunteers to answer the
phones, and space for Intergroup, General Services and
their respective committees to
meet and conduct business.
In order to provide these services and a host of others, we
need the help of individual AA
members. Book sales alone can
only supply some of the funds
necessary to keep the doors of
our Central Office open. The rest
of the funds required come directly from our annual fund drive
and your contributions.
This year’s Central Office
Fund Drive with a goal of $25,000
began on Jan. 1 and will run until April 16th.
As you have in the past
please contribute again this year.
All of your contributions large
or small are greatly appreciated.
Fund Drive envelopes will be
available at your meetings and
at the Central Office.
Thanks in advance for your
support
The Central Office
of Sara-Mana
Email: newsletter@aasrq.org
The Gratitude Dinner in November at the Auditorium was well-attended (above), with a turkey dinner prepared by Troyer’s Dutch
Kitchen and served by AA volunteers (right)
A Journey Through the Steps: 1
A long-time member of our
fellowship details her journey
through the steps. This is the
first of 12 articles.
STEP ONE: We admitted
that we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
I knew that I was powerless
over alcohol by the time I got to
AA. It was pretty apparent. My
skin was a lovely shade of orangey yellow, my liver was larger
than a football, and I had just
come out of the hospital. I had
spent a number of days in ICU
with tubes down my throat to
siphon the blood that was leaving me like water from a broken
fire hydrant. When they asked
me for the name of someone to
take my body, I put off giving
them an answer. I uttered the
alcoholic’s prayer, “God, if
you’re there, let me die. If I live,
I just can’t do this anymore.”
Slowly I became stable enough
to leave the hospital, but I knew
Quit complaining about
your group; if it was
perfect, you couldn’t
belong there.
that alcohol had won.
Two weeks later, I choked on
the word “alcoholic” when I attended my first meeting. I didn’t
want to admit to myself, or to
anyone else, the exact nature of
my problem. I just kept repeating, “ I’m a…., I’m annnn…., I’m
a….”, until the AA next to me
said, “That’s okay. You don’t
have to say you’re an alcoholic
until you’re ready.” I really
didn’t have to say it. I looked
like, and was, an alcoholic with
one foot in the grave, so what
was the hesitation? I didn’t
want to admit that I was powerless. I was taught to pull myself
up by my bootstraps and never
ask for help. I was ashamed because I needed help.
I had forgotten what a normal life looked like, so I thought
that I still had a manageable life.
I had lost touch with my family
3 for January
STEP 1
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives
had become unmanageable
TRADITION 1
Our common welfare should
and kids, been twice divorced,
and had people moving in and
out of my house every week. I
was doing fine.
When I started in AA, they
asked me how often I drank.
“Every day”, I answered. “So
you’ll go to a meeting everyday” they said. And so I did. I
learned that I had a disease, I
had no reason to be ashamed of
my need to drink. I learned that
my life was, indeed, unmanageable, and I had to take steps to
correct that. I learned that no
matter how far down the scale I
had gone, I could spend the rest
of my life helping others. And
so my journey toward my new
life began, and I could finally say,
“My name is……and I’m an alcoholic”- without stuttering.
By Anonymous
come first; personal recovery
depends upon A.A. unity.
CONCEPT 1
Final responsibility and ultimate authority for A.A. world
services should always reside in
the collective conscience of our
whole Fellowship.
website: aasrq.org
(941) 351-4818
Many Opportunities to be of Service
You Can Carry the Message: Join a General Service Committee
Below are the various committees that are coordinated by General Services in our area. These are opportunities for volunteering
for helping to “carry the message.” If you are interested in helping to “carry the message,” please attend one of these committee
meetings. All committees meet at Central Office unless otherwise noted.
TRADITIONS COMMITTEE
This committee helps preserve and guard the 12 Traditions. At the
monthly meeting we study one of the Traditions and find ways to
help groups or individuals who have questions. We also perform
the “Traditions Skit,” whose players are all volunteers who like to
perform.
MEETING TIME: The First Wednesday Of Each Month 7:00 pm
eMail traditions@aasrq.org
Dinner. If you like to decorate, hug people, or just have fun and be
involved, please come join us!
MEETING TIME: The Third Wednesday Of Each Month 7:00 pm
eMail events@aasrq.org
TREATMENT FACILITIES COMMITTEE
This Committee takes meetings into rehab and other facilities established to help people to recover from alcoholism. The committee
designates members of the AA community to commit to chairing a
meeting in one of these facilities. If you would like to give away a
little of what you have gotten from AA, please come join us!
MEETING TIME: The Second Wednesday Of Each Month 7:00 pm
eMail treatment@aasrq.org
SPECIAL NEEDS COMMITTEE
This committee attempts to provide assistance/access to AA meetings for those who are unable to manage, for whatever reason. If
you want to help someone less fortunate than you, please join us!
MEETING TIME: Third Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. right before the Events
Committee meeting.
EVENTS COMMITTEE
Serves Central Office, General Service, Intergroup
If you love the “lime light” and the crowds, and love to have parties
. . . this is the committee for you! This committee gets the community involved in getting all of our big functions together including
the Old-Timers’ Dinner, Delegate’s Luncheon, and the Gratitude
WEBMASTER
webservant@aasrq.org
GRAPEVINE COMMITTEE
This committee participates in letting the community know about
the wonderful recovery magazine offered by AA. We also help
groups to build their own Grapevine displays and offer our GrapePUBLIC INFORMATION / COOPERATION WITH THE PROFES- vine displays for community and group functions.
MEETING TIME: The First Friday Of Each Month 7:00 pm
SIONAL COMMUNITY (PI/CPC)
This committee covers a vast area of concerns in our community eMail grapevine@aasrq.org
including schools, professionals, physicians, lawyers, judges,
courts, police departments, clergy, press and other media. We are LITERATURE COMMITTEE
currently working on establishing a speaker bureau. If you enjoy This committee reviews A.A. literature as requested by GSO in NY,
our delegate or our district. If you want to have input on the content
talking about AA and what the program has to offer, to someone
and production of A.A. literature, join us!
who may still be suffering, please come join us!!
MEETING TIME: The Second Wednesday Of Each Month 5:30 pm MEETING TIME: The First Thursday Of Each Month 7:00 pm.
eMail literature@aasrq.org
eMail picpc@aasrq.org
CURRENT PRACTICES COMMITTEE
This committee maintains the history of District 4 Committee passed
CORRECTIONS COMMITTEE
This committee takes meetings to the jails and institutions which motions in “The District 4 Book Of Resolutions,” a chronological
house criminals. Many of these individuals are in their predicament listing of all motions (passed, failed, withdrawn, tabled) in “The
because of alcohol. If you would like to help “pass the message” of District 4 Book Of Motions,” and maintains the “District 4 Guidelines Of Current Practices”.
recovery through the twelve steps of AA by chairing a regular
eMail currentpractices@aasrq.org
institution meeting, please come join us!
MEETING TIME: The First Monday Of Every Other Month 6:15 pm
FINANCE COMMITTEE
eMail corrections@aasrq.org
This committee prepares the annual budget. monitors the financial
condition and maintains Financial Guidelines of District 4 and reports
ARCHIVES COMMITTEE
This committee gathers, displays, and stores historical information, to the District GSR’s. It reviews for approval or disapproval
written requests for additional monies or increases in current budget.
which relates to AA and our recovering community. If you are
one of those people who do not like exposure but would like to give eMail finance@aasrq.org
back a little to the community, please come join us!
LINGUISTIC COMMITTEE
MEETING TIME: The Last Friday Of Each Month 7:00 pm
(Spanish language)
eMail archives@aasrq.org
WEB SITE CHAIR
websitechair@aasrq.org
2
See Our History
Dear Alkie
Archives to Be
Open 2d Sunday
Each Month
Do you like AA History?
Did you know there was an
Intergroup in Sarasota and
Manatee Counties long before
there was a General; Service District and the Central Office was
part of it?
Ever wonder by whom, where
or when your group started?
Did you know that Archives
is not only about old books but
includes all of our documents
that sculpted our AA legacy in
Sarasota/ Manatee County and
South Florida?
Along with all of our records,
we house a collection of Grapevines from 1950 thru today.
If you are interested in our
history and want to read it for
yourself, the Archives room at
Central Office will be open to all
members for viewing or reading
materials on the second Sunday
of each month between the
hours of 1 and 4 p.m.
Come on down and see
where we came from.
—The Archives Committee
Dissolve the
Resentment Link
When you hold resentment
toward another, you are bound
to that person by an emotional
link that is stronger than steel.
Forgiveness is the only way to
dissolve that link and get free.
—Sober friend on Facebook
Correction
New District 4 General Service Officers were listed incorrectly in the November/December newsletter: Following is the
correct lineup of officers who
will serve in 2011-2012:
Chair: Jane D
Alternate Chair: Dave S
Treasurer: Chris L
Registrar: Sue K
Secretary: JoAnne P
Email: newsletter@aasrq.org
“Alkie” is one of our longtime members who believes as
the Big Book says that we are
not a glum lot. Email your questions regarding our fellowship
and/or recovery to
newsletter@aasrq.org
Dear Alkie: I don’t understand this spiritual stuff. How
much of this program of yours
is “Spiritual”?
Alkie: How much of the
ocean is wet?
***
Dear Alkie: Will I stop making mistakes if I follow these
steps of yours?
Alkie: Everyone makes mistakes. Fools repeat or excuse
them while the wise admit and
Joining AA is Like Building a House
profit from them. The Steps made
me a bit wiser.
***
From As Bill Sees It
Dear Alkie: Humility? What
Practicing the A.A. program is like building a house. First I had to
is that?
pour a big, thick concrete slab on
Alkie: Humility is being supwhich to erect the house; that to
plicant to God; humiliation is beme, was the equivalent of stoping supplicant to man.
ping drinking.
***
But it’s pretty uncomfortable
Dear Alkie: All my life I was
October and
living on a concrete slab, unprotaught to get even, to “man up”.
tected and exposed to the heat,
November 2010
Where does that fit in this procold, wind and rain.
Total Calls
596
gram of yours?
So I built a room on the slab
Meeting Time/Location 346
Alkie: If you insist on getting
by starting to practice the proIn Lieu of 12 Step Call
8
even
with someone, make it
gram. The first room was rickety
Actual 12 Step Call
29
someone
who has been kind to
because I wasn’t used to the
Al-Anon Call
32
you.
work. But as time passed, as I
Special Needs
1
***
practiced the program, I learned
Miscellaneous
182
Dear
Alkie:
Why do things
to build better rooms.
Calls to Spanish Line 0
look so much better over there?
The more I practiced, and the
Alkie: The reason the grass
more I built, the more comfortable,
The HelpLine Schedule
is
always
greener “over there” is
and happy, was the home I now
still needs shift volunteers.
because
the
other guy took care
have to live in.
Call 351-4818 to find out
of
his
lawn.
Try working the
which shifts are available.
Steps.
***
AA Blast from the Past
Dear Alkie: OK, I’m going
to your stupid meetings. Any tips
When my AA husband, Tom, and I moved to Sarasota in
on how to change this lousy life
1968, we were taken aback to find Sarasota AAs whooping with
of mine?
delight because “now we can go to a meeting every night” — if
Alkie: If you want to change
we don’t mind going to Bradenton or Venice some of the time.
your life, think of reasons to say
We had just come from a big city (Chicago) where meetings were
yes to requests in AA rather than
more plentiful than that, and this was culture shock. There were,
excuses to say no.
I guess about a dozen meetings in our two counties at that time.
Pretty soon there were 15, then 20. Today, there are more than
300 a week in Manatee and northern Sarasota County.—Lucia T
Sobriety is only a Beginning
Calls to the
HelpLine
website: aasrq.org
(941) 351-4818
HAPPY A.A. BIRTHDAYS!!
(Groups: Put ANNIVERSARIES in the email subject line and send birthday announcements for the most recent month to
newsletter@aasrq.org no later than the last day of the month.
ANYBODY'S GROUP
February
Mike C.
29 years
BAY GROUP
January
Jim M.
Jack B.
Denise W.
Francoise D.
Heather P.
Lance B.
Susan W.
Teresa E.
Sarah M.
Samantha S.
Sam B.
Tom W.
47 years
42 years
26 years
22 years
16 years
14 years
10 years
9 years
8 years
5 years
3 years
2 years
BEE RIDGE EAST GROUP
November
Greta T.
23 years
Walt M.
22 years
Bob R.
3 years
December
Kevin G.
12 years
January
Joan W.
Kathy C.
Neal A.
33 years
29 years
2 years
February
Dick G.
Bill H.
Brian M.
Tom T.
4 years
32 years
36 years
24 years
COURAGE TO CHANGE
November
Bill
27 years
Diane S.
21 years
Kevin D.
9 years
Michael K.
9 years
Dell S.
7 years
December
Joe B.
Richard M.
Carolyn B.
Paul H.
Tom Y.
35 years
25 years
9 years
9 years
9 years
DONUT HOUR
October
Sheila C.
Gary S.
3 years
1 year
November
Pat W.
Kathy F.
John S.
Betty T.
John R.
25 years
24 years
8 years
5 years
1 year
December
Charlie
13 years
EARLY BIG BOOK
December
Nancy
32 years
Gretchen
19 years
Kunell
15 years
Judy
12 years
Kimberly
5 years
GULF GATE NOON GROUP
November
Art F.
21 years
Chris L.
4 years
Nancy F.
4 years
December
Jim S.
Jack V.
17 years
14 years
Deborah D.
Nancy C.
21 years
19 years
December
Dana H.
Allyson C.
John B.
Priscilla P.
Jill
13 years
5 years
SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE
December
Ken
32 years
Biker Betty
28 years
Paul
26 years
Jim F
14 years
Dottie
10 years
Debra B.
6 years
Hank
3 years
Lee R.
1 year
OPEN DOOR GROUP
January
Rene L.
52 years
Bobbi F.
31 years
Bob H.
25 years
Freda L.
20 years
Dave T.
19 years
Judy B.
1 year
February
Carmen D.
Ally B.
Colleen B.
34 years
9 years
1 year
PRIMARY PORPOISE
GROUP
December
Dani
1 year
REMEMBER WHEN
GROUP
July
Tom
29 years
John
26 years
LUNCH BUNCH
October
Tom L. (Sarge) 27 years
Sandy Z.
17 years
August
Jerry G
Katherine
31 years
3 years
November
Jeanine G.
Shirley G.
35 years
26 years
September
Judy M.
Amy R.
Chris
3 years
2 years
2 years
December
Joe Y.
Emily M.
35 years
5 years
Type to enter text
NEW WOMEN GROUP
September
Rosemarie V. 24 years
Susan L.
11 years
Janet T.
10 years
October
Louise S.
23 years
November
Joan P.
34 years
SERENITY GROUP
November
Robert H.
Terry S.
Kim K.
Mila R.
34 years
22 years
7 years
l year
December
Pete F.
Debra B.
Joe P.
Dane S.
Boston Mike
24 years
6 years
5 years
3 years
3 years
HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS TO THE NEWSLETTER: Anniversaries, articles, and meeting
notices may be sent to newsletter@aasrq.org or the editor at edgarc@aol.com. Submit material as
attachments or placed directly into an email. Include your first name, group, and type of item being sent.
Deadlines: The last day of the month is the absolute deadline for all materials submitted for
consideration. Submissions may be edited for length or content. The opinions expressed herein are
those
of the writers and not necessarily those of AA, Sara-Mana Intergroup, or the Central Office, which
"
is located at 1748 Independence Blvd., #B2, Sarasota, FL 34234.
Email: newsletter@aarq.org
phone: (941) 351-4818 website: aasrq.org
2 years
2 years
l year
63rd AVENUE GROUP
January
Bobbie
31 years
David B.
7 years
Charlie
1 year
February
Mike C.
Corinne
29 years
2 years
WOMEN’S ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS GROUP OF
SARASOTA
December
Kathy C.
23 years
Karen
4 years
MEETING CHANGES
The following meetings have
changed:
1. Bradenton; Serenity
Room Sunday, 12 & 12
8:00PM Canceled
2. Bradenton; Serenity
Room Sunday, Discussion
Midnight Canceled
3. Bradenton; Serenity Room
Thursday Discussion
Midnight Canceled
4. Parrish; Thursday Night
7:00PM 12 & 12 Canceled
5. Bradenton; NW Bradenton
Group Tuesday Noon
Canceled
6. Siesta Key; Siesta Sunset
Spiritual is now Siesta Key
Sunset and a CLOSED
DISC.
7. Sarasota; Beginning Jan 1,
Airport Big Book is now
on Thursday same time
and place
Nothing changes
if Nothing changes.