District 15 news - Alcoholics Anonymous Yuma
Transcription
District 15 news - Alcoholics Anonymous Yuma
District 15 news Yuma, Arizona JUNE 2016 24 Hour Hotline (928) 782-2605 OUR THREE LEGACIES History in A.A. on June 10th, 1935 Founders Day During the early 1930’s in America a series of significant events unfolded which culminated in the founding of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. June Step Six: (Recovery) Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Tradition Six: (Unity) An A.A. group ought never endorse, fiancé or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose. Concept Six: (Service) The Conference recognizes that the chief initiative and active responsibility in most world service matters should be exercised by the trustee members of the Conference acting as the General Service Board. Roland H, a hopeless alcoholic from a wealthy family had just returned from Switzerland after his second treatment with the celebrated psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung. Carrying out Jung’s advice to “Seek out a spiritual awakening” Roland allied himself with the Oxford Group which was founded by Dr. Frank Buchman. Impressed by their simplistic spiritual teachings he found the sobriety he had long searched for. Hearing the plight of a fellow sufferer Ebby T., Roland and two other men, Shep C. and Cebra G., intervened in a court hearing and convinced the judge to parole Ebby into their custody. Roland was able to pass on the Oxford Group message to Ebby who started to work at the Calvary Mission on 23rd Street New York. While there Ebby heard of the desperate situation of an old school mate Bill W. He visited Bill. As Bill remembered it “He told 1 me how he had got honest about himself and his defects, and how he had been making restitution where owed, how he had practiced a brand of giving that demanded no return for himself. Then very dangerously he touched on the subject of prayer and God. I was shocked, but in- terested; I had to be for I was hopeless.” Bill continued to drink and arrived at Towns Hospital in New York for the fourth time on December 11th, 1934 where he was separated from alcohol for the last time. After preaching to alcoholics for several months with no success, Bill took the advice of Dr. Silkworth to change his approach by telling his prospects about their Continue on Page 3 Important Meeting Dates 449 Club Business Meeting will be held Wednesday, June 1st @ 6pm June Yuma District 15 Meeting will be held Wednesday, June 15th @ 7:15pm at Gila Mountain United Methodist Church (Foothills) G.O.D. Rebekah T. June 4th 2 Years Gentlemen’s Group Bert G. Brad D. June 13th June 30th Yuma Intergroup Meeting will be held Wednesday, June 15th @ 5:30pm at The 449 Club 33 Years 1 Year Living In The Solution Roni G. June 3rd 2 Years Upfront Group Tina S. Beth C. Sue E. Lacy T. June 2nd June 18th June 20th June 20th 31 Years 27 Years 4 Years 21 Years A.A. Yuma Central Office 1430 S. 4th Ave, Yuma, AZ 85364 Monday & Fridays 11am-2pm Wednesday 4pm-6pm For all your recovery literature and supplies If you would like to have any A.A. news, birthdays, new meetings, meeting changes, events or story to tell please submit to District 15 News please send me an email: Need a night out with the ladies on Monday nights? Come and join us at the women's meeting Living In The Solution Every Monday Night @ 5:30pm Located at Yuma Center for Spiritual Living 781 S. 2nd Ave See you there! [email protected] Jessica C., Editor You can also find District 15 Newsletter on the aayuma.com website! 2 Continued from page 1-Founders Day their illness that condemned them to go mad or die if they continued to drink. Bill soon had an opportunity to test his method when he found himself in Akron, Ohio involved in a proxy fight for control of a small machine tool company. Through a series of phone calls at the Mayflower Hotel Bill spoke to Henrietta Seiberling who arranged for him to meet a local doctor who had admitted having a drinking problem to the local Oxford Group movement. On Mother’s Day 1935 Bill arrived at the gatehouse of the Sieberling Estate to meet Dr. Robert S. Bill said “Bob did not look much like a founder. He was shaking badly. Uneasily he told us he could stay only about 15 minutes.” They talked for six hours. Bob later commented “He was the first living human whom I had ever talked who knew what he was talking about in regard to alcoholism from actual experience, in other words he spoke my language”. Dr. Bob had been sober about two weeks when he attended the American Medical Association Convention in Atlantic City. He started drinking as soon as he boarded the train and stayed drunk until his return to Akron where he was picked up at the railway station by his nurse. Dr. Bob had three days to sober up before he was to perform an important operation. The morning of the operation Dr. Bob was in bad shape. At 4 am he said “Bill, I am going through with it…Bill said “You mean the operation?” Bob replied “I have placed the operation and myself in God’s hands, I am going to do whatever it takes to get sober and stay that way”. In the car park of the hospital Bill gave Dr. Bob one goof-ball [ a barbiturate or tranquilizer] and one bottle of beer to relieve the shakes. Bob was able to perform the operation successfully and then he disappeared. Finally Dr. Bob came home; he had just spent the hours after the operation making restitution to friends and acquaintances in Akron. The bottle of beer that Bill gave him that morning was the last drink he ever had. It is generally agreed that AA began right there on June 10th 1935. This is known in the Fellowship as Founders Day. 3 2016 Arizona Area-03 16th Annual Corrections Conference “The purpose of the Arizona Area Corrections Conference is to encourage and improve cooperation between Alcoholic Anonymous and the corrections professional who administer the facilities. In this way, we hope to better carry the message of Alcoholic Anonymous to those who are incarcerated.” On May 20th and 21st Bill L. District Corrections Coordinator attended the 16th Annual Corrections Conference in Flagstaff. A.A. speakers/presenters were Lilly C. Alternate Area Corrections Coordinator, Mel F. Area Corrections Coordinator, Dave B. Delegate, Bob C. Trustee/Corrections, Pricilla and Clay Navajo Prison. Non-A.A. speakers/presenters were Mar Kuhlman-ADOC, Dr. Val-Exodus Program, and Judge Ted Reed-Drug Court. !We thank you Bill L., and all the volunteers who carry the message to the men in the prisons! Currently they are in desperate need of male volunteers for meetings at the corrections facility!!! There are over 20 meetings a month at ADOC. Requirements are: 3 years of continuous sobriety, be a permanent residence of Yuma and able to pass a background check. If you are interested please contact Bill L. at 928-726-6722 or at the G.O.D. meeting, 8:00pm on Thursday nights The experience will be very rewarding to know you can help someone in need Dinkin’ Thinkin’ A drunk is hanging out in a bar for hours, when he finally decides to leave. He’s so drunk he can hardly walk, and it takes him about 10 minutes to find his car. He finally gets in, starts it up, and takes off down the highway. He doesn't get very far before he gets pulled over by a police officer. The cop walks up to the vehicle and tells the man to get out and walk to the back. The man opens the door and kind of slides the whole way down the side of his car to keep from falling over, then rests his backside against the trunk. “Hay buddy,” says the officer, “I’d ask if you were drinking, but you can’t even walk.” “I know, I know, I can’t walk officer.” replies the drunk, slurring, and stuttering his words. “That’s why I’m driving!” ~Grapevine, September 2014 4