Speaker Meeting Rules Response

To whom it may concern,

This is in response to the speaker meeting rules as generated (we assume for lack of confirmation) by the Bradley Center staff.

We appreciate the need for rules and guidelines in any facility such as the Bradley Center. Without rules there would be chaos.

We are concerned, however, that in attempting to protect and care for our fellow alcoholics, the staff at the Bradley Center (at least those who wrote the speaker meeting rules) are propigating a disservice to those clients by attempting to reconstruct and mutilate the AA message of recovery that has restored many thousands to sanity.

The message of AA itself, is by it's very nature is controversial, it would please us so much if there were no basis for contention or argument. We do our best to achieve that ideal. Most of us sense that real tolerance of other people's shortcomings and viewpoints and a respect for their opinions are attitudes which make us more useful to others.

What we talk about is a practical program of action that will bring about a spiritual awakening or personality change sufficient to recover from alcoholism. For the "real alcoholic", as described in the Big Book, there seems to be very little else in the Way of real hope.

With this in mind please consider the points, brought out by real alcoholics, on the attached pages.

Sincerely,

Anonymous Real Alcoholics

Responses to Speaker Meeting Rules

The following are real AA members responses to the "SPEAKER MEETING RULES" obtained from District 13, institutions chair :

IN GENERAL:

[Phil] There is no indication of what facility or organization is responsibile for this sheet of "SPEAKER MEETING RULES". No letterhead. No signature. Who is this from?  
Could be any Yayhoo. Not professional at all.

REGARDING :  RULE #1 "We are invited guests to this facility. It is an honor for us to speak. Treat it as such."

#1. [Tim C.] We are unclear as to the meaning of rule #1. Although we do recognize your responsibility to insure the safety and well being of the clients in your institution, we are unsure of what is meant by "treating it as an honor to be there." If it's a question of adhereing to a decorum of behavior acceptable to any mature human being or if you mean that we should bend and distort THE AA MESSAGE so as not to offend anyone. Please clarify.

#1. [JRL.] We already know we are invited guests and it is an honor to speak to your clients. As you already know that we are also tax paying Minnesota residents who through our tax dollars finance your institution and pay your wages. It's insulting to us, as your first "rule" to point out to us the obvious. What is behind this? This first "rule" sounds paranoid.

#1. [Jim M.]"Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere if you can be helpful. You should not hesitate to visit the most sordid spot on earth on such an errand. Keep on the firing line of life with these motives and God will keep you unharmed." BB pg. 102

REGARDING : RULE #7 Personal Religious beliefs are not to be discussed before, during, or after the meeting. We are here as representatives of A.A. not a church or denomination. We will according to the Big Book speak of God as our Higher Power or God as we understand Him.

#7. [Phil] The Big Book does NOT speak of God as our higher power. It speaks of our higher power as God.

#7. [Tim] Let's start with the dust cover of the third edition Big Book, paragraph 3.

"But the basic text (pages 1 through 164) remains unchanged. This is THE A.A. message, just as it was introduced in the 1939 "Alcoholics Anonymous," the book that gave the young Fellowship its name."  [emphasis added]

#7. [Phil] "We may be the only copy of the Big Book some people ever see."

#7. [Tim] "At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us." BB pg 77

#7. [Jim] "We don't use this as an excuse for shying away from the subject of God. When it will serve any good purpose, we are willing to announce our convictions with tact and common sense." BB pg 77

#7. [Tim] "Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house." BB Pg. 98

#7. [Phil] "Then they outlined the spiritual answer and program of action which a hundred of them had followed successfully. Though I had been only a nominal churchman, their proposals were not, intellectually, hard to swallow. But the program of action, though entirely sensible, was pretty drastic. It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions out of the window. That was not easy. But the moment I made up my mind to go through with the process, I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be." BB pg 42

#7. [Tim] "Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems." BB pg 42

#7. [Jim]"Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?

Well, that's exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem. That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. And it means, of course, that we are going to talk about God.

Here difficulty arises with agnostics. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship. But his face falls when we speak of spiritual matters, especially when we mention God, for we have re-opened a subject which our man thought he had neatly evaded or entirely ignored.

We know how he feels. We have shared his honest doubt and prejudice. Some of us have been violently anti-religious. To others, the word "God" brought up a particular idea of Him with which someone had tried to impress them during childhood. Perhaps we rejected this particular conception because it seemed inadequate. With that rejection we imagined we had abandoned the God idea entirely. " BB pg.45

#7. [Pam]"We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God." BB pg. 46

#7. [Polly]"Tell him exactly what happened to you. Stress the spiritual feature freely. If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that he does not have to agree with your conception of God. He can choose any conception he likes, provided it makes sense to him. The main thing is that he be willing to believe in a Power greater than himself and that he live by spiritual principles." BB pg. 93

#7. [Joe L.]"Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God. " BB pg. 99-100

#7. [Polly] "Outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self appraisal, how you straightened out your past and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your recovery." BB pg. .94

#7. [Phil] "My friend promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator; that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. BB pg. 13

#7. [Phil] "What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, "a design for living" that really works." BB pg. 28

REGARDING : RULE #13 We are not counselors. We do not give advice on any outside issues including marraige or relationships. We only tell what it was like, what happened, and what it is like now.

#13. [Jim ] "Having had the experience yourself, you can give him much practical advice." BB pg 96

#13. [Polly] "We realize that we have been giving you much direct advice. We may have seemed to lecture. If that is so we are sorry, for we ourselves, don't always care for people who lecture us. But what we have related is based upon experience, some of it painful. We had to learn these things the hard way. That is why we are anxious that you understand, and that you avoid these unnecessary difficulties. " BB pg. 121

#13. [Pam] "Now, the domestic problem: There may be divorce, separation, or just strained relations. When your prospect has made such reparation as he can to his family, and has thoroughly explained to them the new principles by which he is living, he should proceed to put those principles into action at home." BB pg. 94

#13. [Tim] "We avoid hysterical thinking or advice." BB pg. 70

#13. [Phil] "If he does not want to stop drinking, don't waste time trying to persuade him. You may spoil a later opportunity. This advice is given for his family also." BB pg. 90

#13. [Joe L.]"Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God. " BB pg. 99-100

The Big Book does NOT speak of God as our higher power.
It speaks of our higher power as God.

The term Higher Power is used twice in the textbook "Alcoholics Anonymous".

God occurs 132 times and pronouns for God (He, Him, His) occur 80 times.

Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power. BB pg. 43

WORKING WITH OTHERS

Both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen. When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands were better than anything we could have planned. Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances! BB pg. 100

HOW IT WORKS

Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power- that One is God. May you find Him now! BB pg. 59

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

BB pg. 59

Three pertinent ideas:

(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.

(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.

(c) That God could and would if He were sought.

BB pg. 60

The twelvth promise.

We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

BB pg. 84

Tradition 2 : For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority-- a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. BB pg. 564

(This is the only Tradition where the long form is exactly the same as the short form.)

Any changes to the Twelve Traditions require the written consent of three-quarters of all the directory-listed A.A. groups in the world who would actually vote on any such proposals, and the considerable time of six months is allowed for careful deliberation.

Warranty 6 of Concept 12 : "That though the Conference may act for the service of Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that, like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain democratic in action and spirit." The A.A. Service Manual pg.73

(The last three paragraphs of the explanation, summarizing the warranties, the concepts and the conference charter itself. )

"The sum of these several attitudes and practices is, in our view, the very essence of democracy -- in action and spirit.

Freedom under God to grow in His likeness and image will ever be the quest of the Alcoholics Anonymous. May our General Service Conference be always seen as a chief symbol of this cherished liberty.

To a man, we of A.A. believe that our freedom to serve is truly the freedom by which we live -- the freedom in which we have our being."

The A.A. service Manual pg. 74

CONCEPT XII

Rewrite Status

".....................In part, the Charter is an elastic document; its first eleven Articles can be readily amended by the Conference itself at any time.

But Article 12 of the Charter stands in a class by itself. an amendment or a cancellation of any of its vital Warranties would require the written consent of three-quarters of all the directory-listed A.A. groups who would actually vote on any such proposals, and the considerable time of six months is allowed for careful deliberation. although changes in the Warranties of Article 12 thus have been made difficult, they have not been made impossible.

It is clear that all of these Warranties have a high and permanent importance to A.A.'s general welfare. This is why we believe we should permit change in them only upon positive evidence of their defectiveness and then only by common consent of the A.A. groups themselves. We have ranked them therefore with A.A.'s Twelve Traditions, feeling that they are quite as important to A.A.'s world services as the Traditions are to A.A. as a whole." The A.A. Service Manual pg.61

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