AA Newsletter 

Heart to Heart - March 2001

Proud to be an AA Member

Recently, I had a discussion with an educated and professional gentleman about the differences between AA and other, not as well known, recovery programs.

It was an excellent discussion, full of the awe inspiring principles that are active in many AA recovery situations. He asked me, “What concepts are there in AA that are not present in other 12 step programs?”

Immediately four items came to mind:

• The ‘promises’ of AA.
• The ‘Spiritual Experience’ definition.
• The ‘acceptance’ explanation.
• The uncommon spiritual concept of helping yourself by helping others.

Being quite well read and educated on recovery issues, treatments and therapies my conversation partner showed extreme interest. He asked me to explain a bit.

So, we went on to discuss the promises, that order and peace will be restored in a persons life after doing the first nine steps. This is not stressed quite so eloquently in other recovery programs and in some, it is not even mentioned at all. Hence the goal for doing the steps is quite vague.

The idea that peace and serenity come from helping another individual seemed foreign and selfish to my friends training and other educational experiences, but when I explained that Bill W actually visited another drunk - Dr Bob—to save his own sobriety rather than to save Bob … it slowly started to make sense to him. He got very excited!

It seemed to be the answer to some questions that he had been looking for.

We went on to discuss the concept of a spiritual experience.

When, I explained to him that the AA definition of a ‘spiritual experience is simply an attitude change necessary to stop drinking - very simple - it did not require any burning bushes or other lightning bolt experiences, he got very enthused –and - I got very grateful that I was able to comprehend these concepts from the very beginning of my AA experience. ( I had good teachers in the old timers that kept things simple.)

We finished our conversation with a great discussion about how addicts magnify small things to great extents and how these magnifications are explained in the acceptance explanation part of the AA Big Book.

In conclusion, I was very proud to be a member of Alcoholics Anonymous that day and always. DB

Public Information Committee is Busy!

The year 2000 was a busy year for AA in the Regina Area. A Public Information Committee was formed to look after the area of Public Information in the Regina Area.

This committee oversees the AA Regina Website and has developed and distributed a handout to Regina hotels with a meeting list included in it. This list will be updated every six or so months and redistributed to keep the information fresh.

The PI committee has also purchased three conference approved public service announcements - television and radio spots - and will be distributing them to local TV and radio stations for airing in the Regina Area.

These announcements are developed by Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Office in 1998 and are quite current in content.

So if you see or hear an AA ‘commercial’, don’t fret, we are not advertising AA, we are simply carrying the AA message, the AA way.

PI Committee

Lots of new changes at the Office!

We have a new office secretary, her name is Joyce. She is comes to us after a career with Sask Tel and brings many skills and a professional attitude with her. Drop in and say hi!

We have an excellent new supply of approved AA literature, including the special desktop version of “Pass it on” (Daily Reflections for your desk or kitchen table). Drop in and pick one up!

The office no longer has the Phone number 545-9340, new technology has allowed for all calls to be handled by the original 545-9300 number.

The office email address is now : a.a@sk.sympatico.ca or the office may also be reached through office@aaregina.com

The Regina Area AA Website gets a facelift: The new version of the website contains the same information, but navigation and updating is faster and more user friendly. The main intent of our local AA website is to function as a public service announcement that can be accessed by still suffering alcoholics, community members, referring professionals and AA members who may be visiting our area and wish to source a meeting or event.

The website costs less than $200.00 per year to maintain, thereby making it a very cost effective way to carry the AA message

Concepts and Traditions Meeting

Fridays from 7:30—8:45 PM

Al Ritchie Health Action Centre,

• 325 Victoria Ave Regina
• Directly across from Robin’s on Arcola and Victoria
• Open to all AA members.

A wonderful way to learn about our Legacies of Unity and Service, and how they all enhance our personal recoveries.

A POEM

The City and the Country Boy

I feel that I have been put into a jail. As the city has no life for a country boy.

There is no where to run or yell, without someone telling you can’t do that here.

The country does not have all that push and shove, as it has here.

People cannot except to take a wild animal out of the country, and put it in a cage, and have it go tame. This is the same for a country boy; he also can never be tamed.

This was my feeling back when I was only 1 month sober, and a lot has changed. For now I know that anything can be tamed if I am willing to work on it.

Don A.

Regina AA 2001 Roundup

'Every Day Is a New Beginning'

Core Ritchie Centre  2230 Lindsay St Regina

• Everyone welcome 

• Tickets Cost $25.00

• Limited amount of Tickets

Contact the AA office for details

Plan To Attend

May 4, 5, 6th - 2001

Hosted by:

THE AA GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE

NEW YORK

Mark your calendars now  For this important AA event.

RAMADA INN

1818 Victoria Avenue, Regina

Held in Regina Saskatchewan

Friday June 7, Saturday June 8, Sunday June 9

Jokes and Inspirations

Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots; one hung on each end of a pole,

which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pot full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of

this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun

warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its

failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.

I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace

his house."

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

Vibank 11th Annual AA & AlAnon Family Roundup

Saturday April 7th, 2001

"At Peace with Life"

Vibank Community Hall, Vibank SK

• Adults $18.00 15 and under $10.00 

• Dance only  $8.00

Registration Starts at 12 noon

the end