Editorial November 2020

WELCOME to our November issue. The eleventh month, a time of bonfire smoke and hearty meals. Thoughts of Step Eleven come to mind. Taking time to improve our conscious contact with our own version of a Higher Power and to improve our spiritual life. As the Big Book says, “For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead.” (BB p.14). My own experience has shown me that we all need to work these Twelve Steps to get sober and maintain our sobriety but we often work them in many different ways. Helping others is very much a part of this Step. This includes passing on the message of AA and service within the Fellowship as perhaps group secretary or as an on-line host, an officer of intergroup or a telephone responder. But we can also work this Step by helping those around us. Some members volunteer to help a charity, get shopping for an elderly neighbour or are the chief cook for their family meals. Any activity which gets us out of self is helpful for us in recovery. But it does need to be an action. We find that thinking up grand schemes and ideas is a bit of old behaviour; recovery is very much about action and yet more action.

It looks like we are going to be in a time of restricted movement for a while due to Covid 19. But the AA Fellowship continues to be very active with on-line meetings, telephone support, AA literature sales and much more. We know that alcoholism does not take a break, for a holiday or a crisis. But then neither does the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Download the full issue here or read the articles below.