April 2023

Our additional theme this month is ‘Special Occasions’. Over the last few months, while reading your wonderful submissions, I realised that today is a special occasion. In this amazing journey of recovery every ‘today’ without alcohol is special – because I am an alcoholic. Every night, as I put my head on my pillow without having resorted to alcohol, is a celebration of my return to sanity and a balanced, productive life. Such is the power of the AA Programme of recovery that we no longer need to resort to alcohol to help us deal with life’s challenges or consequences. What a gift – every day.

Of course, as with everything in life, to achieve this gift, I have to play my part. In Step Four, I had to truly understand that I have to be totally honest and utterly fearless about my part in my life’s journey – blaming other people, places and things wasn’t going to cut it. Yes, I can be aware that during my life things happened that were beyond my control, but it was so important for me to focus on my part, my reaction, my actions. 

One of the other things I started to realise was that, while Tradition Four states each group should be autonomous, I wanted to know the bigger picture of what AA stands for and what each group is autonomous from! The AA Programme of recovery is not just Twelve Steps - there are Traditions and Concepts, intergroups, Regions and Conferences. Luckily, there is no requirement to know everything about everything in AA but the opportunity to learn – by word of mouth, Conference-approved literature, AA websites etc - is there for anyone who is curious about our Fellowship and wants to know more.

As a result, each and every one of us can find our own path in recovery while remembering we are not alone. The more I learn, the more I want to know; the more I honestly share my experience, strength and hope, the more I learn about others; the more I listen to others, the more I learn about me. My life evolves as does the AA Fellowship – and so, ‘Today is a Special Occasion’
 

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