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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ultimate Authority

Meeting on Monday night was on the 2nd tradition.

We discussed how and when we turn towards God as the Director of our lives... and how we do the same at the group level.

How do you know if your Group Conscience is in line with God's Will?  Where does minority opinion play in here?

Whom Governs your group?  Is it Central Office?  New York?  The members with some "time"?  How about the newcomer?  If it's God, then how does your group facilitate this?  Is it done through Group Conscience?  If so, how many of your group shows up for it's own Group Conscience?  Maybe it's in your meeting itself.  If so... if God and the Power is present in your meetings, do you show up at least once a week if you can?  Is there fire and passion in your meeting?  Do you bring good topics?  Do folks do steps in your group?  When someone doesn't show up does it hurt the group?  Does your group let you know how much you are missed when you don't make it?

Is it too much to ask to show up to a group meeting once per week?  Granted, I missed my homegroup for over 6 months.  They almost disbanded.  But they didn't.  My work schedule changed and I'm back.  I like to think that God and my intent to make it back may have had something to do with it. 

We had a new guy come check out our meeting a few weeks ago... and another one just this last week.  We'll see if any of them can make that dreaded 2nd meeting.  Our group is not too popular.  But for the size of the group, it packs a wallop of a punch.  I'd say there's a bit of heat.  But nothing like a group that's got say 40-50 people.

14 comments:

  1. In our group the collective conscience of the members governs the group, and the majority of our home group members want the least amount of AA politics and the maximum amount of aa meeting. A typical HG meeting last about 5-7 minutes, treasurer's report, books to order, sign up chair person for the month, the end! Most of us have been through, and resigned from, the anal retentive-ax to grind- no one works the program right except us-mentality-society. We generally don’t do the 10 minute, infomercial, all 164 pages of the Big Book-we hate treatment centers, share's.

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  2. Yup. I kind of like that kind of meeting.

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    1. I belong to 2 home groups. One is a men's closed discussion w/ about 15 home group members. Normal attendance is around 30 guys. Our business meeting are held very infrequently (don't remember the last one) but guys always show up to set up, money gets collected, rent's paid, books bought etc without any problems. We just all sort of agree on everything.

      The other is an open discussion with 5 home group members and around 25 attendees every week. We have a quarterly meeting that lasts about 5 minutes. Like Colter's, treasurer's report is handed out and if any business needs to be discussed we do it quickly.

      There are no politics in either group nor does anyone have an agenda. We just keep to the 5th Tradition.

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    2. Why do you belong to a group that excludes women?

      Are not some women alcoholics too? Do they nag too much? Does the thing between their legs distract you?

      Was this God's decision?

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    3. I'm 67 years old, Patrick. Far past the point where "things" bother me.

      The whole atmosphere of the men's meeting is different than a meeting where women are present, and I really can't come up with an answer as to why that is. Maybe it's just this group of guys. Other men-only meetings I've been to suck.

      This particular group can really get down and dirty (no pun intended) in the discussions. We're a tight crowd, and that includes the others who aren't part of the home group itself but always show up at meetings.

      As to your question of women being alcoholics too, about 33% are from what I understand. And there are a lot of women-only meetings in this area too.

      Remember, there are over 300 meetings per week around here. A lot of women I know in the program say they feel more comfortable sometimes at such meetings, although they don't restrict themselves to them. There are also some women who only attend women-only meetings. That's their choice.

      My second home group has five members, 4 men and one woman. Attendance at that meeting averages about 20 men and 5 women. It's a fairly consistent group of attendees, but lacks the tight-knit feeling of the men's group. But I don't think that has do do with the gender of the alcoholics, just the people themselves.

      I doubt that God really cares about any of this. He only cares that we get sober. Men/women/mixed meetings? That's up to us. AA is AA, "...a fellowship of men and women..." If we decide to get into our own little groups sometimes, who cares? The 5th Tradition doesn't say anything about gender.

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    4. +1 on the men's meetings.

      I go to two a week.

      The old 'men with the men' quip is very wise.


      Women are often a distraction. An enjoyable one mostly, but since we're talking about life and death and since women aren't attracted to dead mean nearly as much as the living, an hour or two a week among your own gender is probably worth the sacrifice.

      Instead of checking out the skirts when the speaker gets long winded you just have to see if old Fred remembered to trim his ear hair. That tends to bring you back to the topic at hand.

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  3. Good answer.

    I have been to some stag meetings that were good.

    Our little group isn't a men's meeting but you would think it was.

    There's four of us guys who attend regularly.

    We're the group a lot of folks tell their pigeons to not attend. Once in a while, a gal or a couple come to our meeting... say they like it... and never come again.

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  4. "Does the thing between their legs distract you?"


    It depends.

    Strangely enough, all those little things
    I've ever seen look the same.

    But what's around it makes all the difference.......

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  5. What do you think those girls talk about at the women's meetings anyway?

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  6. I'm thinking they're talking about us.

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  7. No. Unlike us, their problems are NOT of their own making.

    They are victims and THEY are special.

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  8. This is what we are saying when we feel the need to segregate ourselves from our female counterparts... much less our fellow alcoholics in crime.

    Do women need a separate church than men as well?

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