"WHERE BOOKS ARE BURNED...
...MEN ARE SOON TO FOLLOW".
-Heinrich Heine
It would seem that the battle to stifle the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous', our original text, is alive and well and thriving in Ireland.
http://aamo.info/dl/IrelandNewsSheet01-09.pdf
|...today was day 89/90. I have pneumonia and had to leave the house to get some medicine this morning but found a few minutes to make the clubhouse and was so glad I did. These past 89 meetings have helped my understanding how truly important the 12 traditions are, and why I can never be part of a place like that. So many lambs being lead to slaughter!http://aamo.info/dl/IrelandNewsSheet01-09.pdf
An Open Letter to GSO in Dublin, Ireland from the Editor of this Blog dated 11.15.2009:
Dear Sir or Madam:
I have in my possession and attached hereto a most vile and disturbing document claiming to be a 'news sheet' from the GSO office in Ireland dated January 2009. This periodical came into my posesion after a sponsee of mine, looking for a Big Book meeting by calling the GSO office in Ireland, was told 'we don't do that sort of thing over here'.
Please tell me that this document is in fact not from your office. If so, what kind of show are you folks putting on over there? Is it not enough that the recovery rates in the UK are among the lowest in the industrialized world? Are you now tossing into the bonfire the only piece of literature we have that actually has specific and clear cut directions on how to recover from alcoholism?
Apart from being terribly written (English is still the official language of the United Kingdom, is it not?), this rag there contains much hullaballoo and a great sense of alarm over the disturbing trend of groups gathering together to study - excuse me - the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. This may be hard for you to fathom, but people who study books are actually trying to LEARN what's in them, not CHANGE them or interpret them. Our job is to teach the newcomers the steps, remember? READ TRADITION FIVE FOR MORE INFO ON THIS.
Please - cut it out. When God visits you in the middle of the night and you have your own white light experiences, you can write your own book and start your own fellowship. In the meantime, while you're in this one, act like it and stop interfering with our right to recover from alcoholism. If you wish to recover from alcholism like the rest of us, stop the witch hunt and buy a book. In the meantime, lead, follow or get out of the way. If you revile the most basic literature of your fellowship, maybe it's time to find a new one.
Yours in love and service,
-Anonymous
I have in my possession and attached hereto a most vile and disturbing document claiming to be a 'news sheet' from the GSO office in Ireland dated January 2009. This periodical came into my posesion after a sponsee of mine, looking for a Big Book meeting by calling the GSO office in Ireland, was told 'we don't do that sort of thing over here'.
Please tell me that this document is in fact not from your office. If so, what kind of show are you folks putting on over there? Is it not enough that the recovery rates in the UK are among the lowest in the industrialized world? Are you now tossing into the bonfire the only piece of literature we have that actually has specific and clear cut directions on how to recover from alcoholism?
Apart from being terribly written (English is still the official language of the United Kingdom, is it not?), this rag there contains much hullaballoo and a great sense of alarm over the disturbing trend of groups gathering together to study - excuse me - the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. This may be hard for you to fathom, but people who study books are actually trying to LEARN what's in them, not CHANGE them or interpret them. Our job is to teach the newcomers the steps, remember? READ TRADITION FIVE FOR MORE INFO ON THIS.
Please - cut it out. When God visits you in the middle of the night and you have your own white light experiences, you can write your own book and start your own fellowship. In the meantime, while you're in this one, act like it and stop interfering with our right to recover from alcoholism. If you wish to recover from alcholism like the rest of us, stop the witch hunt and buy a book. In the meantime, lead, follow or get out of the way. If you revile the most basic literature of your fellowship, maybe it's time to find a new one.
Yours in love and service,
-Anonymous
AA is not the place to talk about drinking . In my humble view, people who need to drone on incessantly about drinking are either trying to convince everybody else that they belong in AA, or are trying to convince themselves.
In his pamphlet entitled (appropriately enough) 'Problems other than Alcohol', Bill writes that ...'the sole purpose of any AA group is the teaching and practice of the 12 steps'. This means that we are not there to talk about drinking - we are there to talk about recovery. Let them rant about their pathetic war stories - it's their past and they are welcome to wallow in it. I for one choose to look forward, and take anyone who is willing to 'drop the rock' with me.
COG, 1st Cl.|
Posts
,%20I%20can%20also%20say%20that%20this%20has%20been%20-%20bar%20none%20-%20the%20greatest%20learning%20experience%20in%20all%20my%20years%20in%20AA.%C2%A0%20First%20and%20foremost%20I%20am%20a%20better%20carrier%20of%20the%20our%20message%20-%20not%20a%20great%20one%20yet,%20but%20a%20better%20one.%3C/span%3E%20%20%3Cspan%20style=%22font-family:%20Arial;%22%3ELastly,%20it%20has%20been%20proven%20to%20me%20yet%20again%20that%20as%20long%20as%20the%20book%20Alcholics%20Anonymous%20is%20available,%20you%20can%20get%20sober%20anywhere,%20even%20in%20the%20most%20sordid%20spot%20on%20earth.%3C/span%3E%20%20%3Cspan%20style=%22font-family:%20'Helvetica%20Neue',%20Arial,%20Helvetica,%20sans-serif;%22%3EThough%20I%20am%20certain%20that%20it%20is%20necessary%20and%20proper%20for%20that%20clubhouse%20to%20be%20delisted%20from%20the%20local%20meeting%20list%20(real%20alcholics%20are%20getting%20hurt%20there)%20it's%20not%20my%20business.%C2%A0%20I%20get%20to%20simply%20vote%20with%20my%20feet%20and%20move%20on.%20%3C/span%3E%20%3Cspan%20style=%22font-family:%20Arial;%22%3EGod%20bless%20us%20all,%20every%20one.%3C/span%3E%20%3Cspan%20style=%22font-family:%20Arial;%22%3E%20COG,%201st%20Cl.%7C%3C/span%3E){kind=link}
Yes, Irish AA is a sham really.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are great groups of folks, here and there, around the country....overall, it is in a miserable state.
If you introduce yourself as recovered, and try to carry the message that saved your own life... You will be ostracized and made to feel like you are an enemy. These pathetic control freaks who have taken over here are killing folks, it really is that simple.
Thanks for putting the spotlight on their bs once again, I don't know why people here have let them get away with this, but you can see the same thing happen at a political level.....just roll over n die.
The sad truth is that Ireland is just the tip of the spear - pretty much you introduce yourself as 'recovered' you will get the same reaction. Sighhhh - it's 3o years of rehabilitation treatment therapy taking over AA with the psychobabble claptrap. The good news is the rehabs are dieing, and we're just a few death's away from the message coming back to life.
ReplyDeleteYours in love and service,
-Anonymous
By the way, I hope you are feeling better
ReplyDelete:)
Good on you, mate. Them bastards in Dublin have been trying to get rid of the Big Book for years.
ReplyDeleteThank you, but unfortunately the trend to have our Book removed as our basic text is a disturbing world wide trend. There is a great group on Yahoo Groups called 'GSO Watch' that follows this very thing.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
COG. 1st Cl.