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Life Is Amazing Today

Audio Version 

My name is Paul and today I’m a very grateful alcoholic. Those are very powerful words for me and most times I’ve said them it’s been in the comfort and safety of AA company or in an AA meeting knowing I’m almost never alone. I’ve never gone into a live, face-to-face meeting and not felt safe. Groups are well organised and the people are so welcoming. The beauty of it is, if I don’t know anyone when entering the meeting, I know for certain I will leave having gained new friends. Since the beginning, a pair of legs and a ‘Where to Find’ were the only tools I needed to attend a meeting.

Then March 2020 arrived and with it, lockdown. The doors of the AA meetings closed and an unknown fear grew from within – how would the message of AA be carried? How was I going to hear the message that had always been so freely given? That fear eased a little when online meetings started and for me, they’ve served a purpose. The ‘Zoom babies’ are testament to that – the new life blood of this Fellowship.

I still had a little fear and after speaking with my sponsor we got to the bottom of it. I was fearful of who could see my screen and hear my microphone. We agreed to bring up the subject of safeguarding at our next group conscience meeting and there was a full discussion regarding safety and safeguarding as well as the principles and Traditions of AA. The online Anonymity Card has been around since long before Zoom meetings and we agreed to share it on the screen before each of our online meetings.

This is relevant not only to our behaviour and attitudes while on an online meeting but a reminder about being careful when we share across other social media platforms. Everyone has the choice about what they do with their own anonymity but we have to be ever mindful of other people’s anonymity. We have no right to break another member’s anonymity.

At my home group our hosts are ever vigilant about identifying people coming into our meeting and knowing these checks are in place helps create that feeling of safety. At yet another group conscience meeting we discussed the pitfalls and dangers (yes, dangers) of WhatsApp groups. As a group we had set up one place where we could post about meeting details and general AA information, encouragement for those struggling and even have a laugh. We had to learn that we could be too trusting. If someone joined our group, we just added them to our WhatsApp group chat. We hadn’t fully considered the implications of freely trusting another individual, though I have to say the majority of people deserved that trust. We had to learn that occasionally someone may come along who abuses that trust and as a group we have a responsibility to protect and look out for each other.

We must ensure the safety of everyone in the Fellowship before we allow someone into a meeting, press the send button, or simply add someone to our phone app group. As the slogan and the old-timers keep telling us, THINK – THINK – THINK!

Life is amazing today. I love AA and I love being sober. I can do this for myself but I can’t do it by myself.

Paul

Blantyre Young Peoples (non-restrictive) Tuesday