I look back and think how fortunate it was for me to come into this program. After all I came and was welcomed, because I was an alcoholic. I had to be grateful, because I was so desperate, and had just escaped death. I was greeted as someone, who fit this program perfectly.
But what about those, who have an alcoholic problem, but are tripping over things, which means that they are not perfect for this program. I mean, here we have the First Tradition which is about staying in the program because it’s about alcohol and alcoholism. Any help for those, who have additional problems? And the answer is “YES!”,
Two things, which had the early old timers blocked off. One was the question of spirituality. The other was other habits or addictions, other than the disease of alcoholism. Over time in here things changed.
The first had to do with those, who were angry at religions and the concept of a Higher Power or God. And that was addressed by the few, who in the beginning were atheists. They were the ones, who were able to change the titles in the 12 Steps. They removed the language, which used the name “God”. They inserted the use of a Power greater than ourselves, and God as we understood Him. That lessened the pressure to expect others to grow along spiritual lines, as the religious, persons, who believed in prayer and meditation. Not that non believers didn’t have to conceive of something that the religious persons and those who were very spiritual did. But it left it up to each individual. In fact the BB tells us that we’re not here to instruct people in what we believe, It’s up to them to come to terms with whatever they decide. Not us.
The second, and seemingly larger issue, falls into the category of addiction to drugs. “Pure” addicts are a different problem. AA doesn’t have a solution for them. That’s for other programs. However, if those addicted to drugs have an alcoholic problem, the disease, then they are welcome. The only thing is that they need to not speak of them in AA group meetings. The presentation at meetings is about alcohol only. Yet there are those in here, who have these problems, who are sober and drug free, who will reach out and help them to put this program into action in their lives.
I can remember how AA was crowded with veterans after the Viet Nam war, who had double trouble problems. They came in and changed and got sober and free. Yet none of them ever, as far as I remember, mention anything else in meetings other than alcohol. Since then, especially after treatment centers, this has become a problem.
And I think this is where our First Tradition comes in. Unity of purpose, which has kept this program alive. The authors were very much aware of what happened the the first attempt at helping alcoholics in the Washingtonians. I think it was a group of 250 thousand alcoholics, at that time, back just before the Civil War. Yet it fell apart, when they got involved with a host of things, which tore them away from their primary purpose, to stay sober. That’s when the members in here became aware that they were beginning to be in danger of doing the same thing the Washingtonians fell into. And they voted to stay focused on one thing, no matter what. Alcoholism.
Anyway I was thinking about this today. In many groups around the Nation the statement that this program is about alcoholism and we’re to stay focused on this. Otherwise this program, could very well end up like the Washingtonians. And I know from everyone in here, whom I have grown to know over the years that we never want to go back to drinking alcohol ever again. But we need each other and this program to stay sober a day at a time. Makes me grateful for all those old timers, who put this thing together for those of us, who have suffered from this disease.