http://www.RA-News.org/ The E-Newsletter of Recoveries Anonymous; the Solution Focused Twelve Step Fellowship en-us http://www.RA-News.org/RA-News.gif http://www.RA-News.org/ 86 78 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/13/NL_4-Apr13.htm When someone is new to a Twelve Step program, the idea that they will have to make amends is often daunting. They are often overwhelmed by the prospect of having to go to the people they have hurt and apologize for the harm they have done. They may even think they need to implicate other people when they make their amends. However, newcomers often don't know that the original name of the Ninth Step was the "Restoration Step." April, 2013 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/13/NL_3-Mar13.htm It is not unusual for a potential newcomer to our program to believe that they can still control their problems and behaviors. This illusion persists, even though they have spent years trying, and failing, to get results on their own. In the Big Book on page 96, the pioneers give us "clear-cut directions" about what to do is this situation. They say, "Do not be discouraged if your prospect does not respond at once. Search out another alcoholic and try again. You are sure to find someone desperate enough to accept with eagerness what you offer. We find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not work with you. If you leave such a person alone, he may soon become convinced that he cannot recover by himself." March, 2013 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/13/NL_2-Feb13.htm Many people do not know that Bill and Dr. Bob met because they were both members of a spiritual program that was popular at that time, the Oxford Group. In the A.A. pamphlet, "The Co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous," starting on page 11, Dr. Bob says, "We had both been associated with the Oxford Group, Bill in New York, for five months, and I in Akron, for two and a half years. Bill had acquired their idea of service. I had not..." Bill was sober. On page 12, Dr. Bob goes on to say, "But I got tight every night, and I mean that. It wasn't once in a while — it was practically every night." In the next paragraph, Dr. Bob says, "I couldn't understand what was wrong. I had done all the things that those good people told me to do. I had done them, I thought, very faithfully and sincerely. And I still continued to overindulge. But the one thing that they hadn't told me was the one thing that Bill did that Sunday — attempt to be helpful to somebody else. February, 2013 http://www.ra-news.org/Newsletters/13/NL_1-Jan13.htm In other programs, it is sometimes said that their goal is to simply hang on, one day at a time. Occasionally someone will say that on some days their knuckles are less white from hanging on than on other days. Sometimes these programs go further and say that those working their program will be as sick when they finish it, as when they started. While no one has to agree with us, in R.A. we believe that the pioneers of the program have an entirely different perspective. January, 2013 http://www.ra-news.org/Newsletters/12/NL__12-Dec12.htm We have often heard it said, in other programs, that the Big Book is a storybook. People in these programs are told the Big Book was designed to allow people to identify with pain and suffering of the pioneers. In fact, this view even made its way into the Big Book. In the last paragraph of the Preface that was added in 1976, on page xii, it says, "If you have a drinking problem, we hope that you may pause in reading one of the forty-four personal stories and think: 'Yes, that happened to me'; or, more important, 'Yes, I've felt like that'; or, most important, 'Yes, I believe this program can work for me, too.' " December, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL__11-Nov12.htm In the Big Book on page 76, in the first paragraph, in regard to the Sixth Step, the pioneers share, "We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take them all — every one? If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing." November, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL__10-Oct12.htm In the Big Book on page 133, in the top paragraph, the pioneers share, "We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it once was just that for many of us. But it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn't do it. Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence." October, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_9-Sep12.htm It might not be obvious at first, but the pioneers tell us that there are two distinct parts to the program. In the Big Book on page 9, in the last full paragraph, Bill shares how his friend Ebby described his introduction to the program. Bill says, "In a matter of fact way he told how two men had appeared in court, persuading the judge to suspend his commitment. They had told of a simple religious idea and a practical program of action. That was two months ago and the result was self-evident. It worked!" September, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_8-Aug12.htm Powerlessness! It is a simple concept. However, R.A.'s experience is that many people from other programs only give lip service to this concept. They readily say they are powerless. But, deep in their hearts, they still believe that they are responsible for controlling their problems and behaviors. This is not unusual. Bill Wilson, in his essay on the First Step in A.A.'s Twelve and Twelve on page 21, explains it by saying, "Who cares to admit complete defeat? Practically no one, of course. Every natural instinct cries out against the idea of personal powerlessness." August, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_7-Jul12.htm In the Twelve Step program, people often discuss personal responsibility. They question what part of their lives they are responsible for, and what part of their lives God is responsible for. While no one has to agree with us, in R.A. we believe that the pioneers of the program resolve this debate. In the Big Book, on page 85, in the first full paragraph they say that, "Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. 'How can I best serve Thee--Thy will (not mine) be done.' These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will." July, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_6-Jun12.htm Prayer and meditation are important to living a spiritual life. They are also vital to working the Twelve Step Program of Recovery. However, many people are confused by all the different kinds of prayer and meditation that are available. In the Big Book on page 85, starting in the bottom paragraph, it says, "Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly. It works, if we have the proper attitude and work at it. It would be easy to be vague about this matter. Yet, we believe we can make some definite and valuable suggestions." June, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_5-May12.htm The Pioneers of the program repeatedly use the word "common," in the Big Book, to describe their experiences. They talk about how they are bound by the "common peril" they shared. They tell us how they escaped disaster together by going on a "common journey." They also speak at length about how every one of them discovered their "common solution." However, many people in other Twelve Step programs seem to have a different perspective. Instead of focusing on the pioneers' "common solution," they try to build their program around the expression, "Take what you need, and leave the rest." May, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_4-Apr12.htm In other programs, it is common to sometimes hear a quote presented as if it is from the Bible. This quote is, "God helps those who help themselves." However, even though this quote originated in ancient Greece, it is not in the Bible. While no one has to agree with us, in R.A. we believe that this quote makes no sense in our program. How can someone be able to help him or herself, and then take the First Step, which requires them to admit that they are powerless? Does it really make sense that a Loving Creator would refuse to help those who can't help themselves? In fact, In the Big Book on page 84, the last of the Promises assures us that when we work the Twelve Steps, "We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves." April, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_3-Mar12.htm Recoveries Anonymous welcomes our family and friends to fully participate in every aspect of our fellowship and our meetings. This was common practice in the early days of the program. In R.A. we have discovered that giving our friends and significant others the option of joining us produces many benefits for them and for us. In the Big Book, in the chapter "To Wives," on page 116, in the second paragraph, the pioneers say, "We have elsewhere remarked how much better life is when lived on a spiritual plane. If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, he can solve your problems too." March, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_2-Feb12.htm Many people do not know that the pioneers of the program use the Big Book to describe the different kinds of people in the program. On page 20, starting in the fifth paragraph, it says, "Moderate drinkers have little trouble in giving up liquor entirely if they have good reason for it. They can take it or leave it alone." It goes on to say, "Then we have a certain type of hard drinker. He may have the habit badly enough to gradually impair him physically and mentally. It may cause him to die a few years before his time. If a sufficiently strong reason--ill health, falling in love, change of environment, or the warning of a doctor--becomes operative, this man can also stop or moderate, although he may find it difficult and troublesome and may even need medical attention." On page 21, in the first paragraph, the pioneers then ask the question: "But what about the real alcoholic?" February, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/12/NL_1-Jan12.htm Almost everyone in the program is familiar with this quote from the Big Book. On page 84 in the first paragraph it says, "Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us--sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them." This quote is referring to the promises that the pioneers tell us will begin to happen before we are halfway through the Ninth Step. However, the pioneers tell us, as a result of following their "clear-cut directions" many of the other Twelve Steps also have their own promises. January, 2012 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL__12-Dec11.htm It's a simple mistake, and it's easy to make. Many people make it every day. When they are asked to quote the Second Step, they say, "Came to believe in a Power greater than ourselves." However, the Second Step actually says, "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." December, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL__11-Nov11.htm In other programs, people are often told that they have nothing to give if they are not doing well in their own recovery. After all, how could someone who is plagued by waves of self-pity and resentment share a message of hope, sanity, and recovery? Sometimes a sponsor in another program will be told to let go of the people they are working with if that sponsor is no longer doing well. However, the program in the Big Book gives us a different perspective. For example, in the Big Book, on page 15, in the first paragraph, Bill writes, "I was not too well at the time, and was plagued by waves of self-pity and resentment. This sometimes nearly drove me back to drink, but I soon found that when all other measures failed, work with another alcoholic would save the day. Many times I have gone to my old hospital in despair. On talking to a man there, I would be amazingly lifted up and set on my feet. It is a design for living that works in rough going." November, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL__10-Oct11.htm There are two very simple words that are often misunderstood within the Twelve Step programs. They are "shortcomings" and "wrongs." At first look, it would seem as though the meaning of these words is clear. Failures, imperfections, deficiencies, and weaknesses are often used to define "shortcomings." Misdeeds, crimes, and sins are often used to describe "wrongs." Not understanding these simple words can become a roadblock to working the program because the Fifth Step says, "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs." October, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL_9-Sep11.htm In other programs, well-meaning people will sometimes think that newcomers should not be told about the spirituality of the program. They believe this might scare them off. Other people believe that telling newcomers about the Twelve Steps might confuse them. However, the Big Book gives us explicit instructions for what we are to say on our first visit with a newcomer. In the top paragraph on page 93, it says, "Tell him exactly what happened to you. Stress the spiritual feature freely." September, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL_8-Aug11.htm The pamphlet, "The Co-Founders of A.A." contains Dr. Bob's last talk. On page 7, in the bottom paragraph, Dr. Bob describes why Bill, in program for five months, had been successful in his search for recovery, while he, Dr. Bob, in program for two and a half years, says he went home and "got tight every night." Continuing on pages 8 and 12, Dr. Bob goes on to say that, "the one thing" Bill had "learned in New York and I didn"t learn in Akron until we met" was to work the program in an "attempt to be helpful to somebody else." In other words he says that, "Bill had acquired their idea of service. I had not..." August, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL_7-Jul11.htm One of the basic foundations of the Twelve Step Program is the concept of carrying its message to others. We believe that this idea started with the original Twelfth Step. In the Multilith Big Book, the original manuscript for the Big Book, the original Twelfth Step says, "Having had a spiritual experience as the result of this course of action, we tried to carry this message to others, especially alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." July, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL_6-Jun11.htm Many people do not know that the entire discussion of the Seventh Step in the Big Book is contained in one paragraph. On page 76, in the second paragraph, the Seventh Step Prayer says, "My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen." June, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL_5-May11.htm It may surprise some people to learn that the Big Book is not full of the pioneers' theories, dreams, or wishes. Instead, it is a book of their experiences. The pioneers of the program detail what had actually happened in their lives. After four years of working the program, they described everything that all of them had to do for them to recover. They wrote a book that they hoped would be so compelling that nothing else would be needed to encourage people to work the Twelve Steps. The pioneers thought that, once someone read their experiences, they themselves would be convinced." May, 2011 http://www.ra-news.org/Newsletters/11/NL_4-Apr11.htm The Fifth Step says, "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs." This step raises two interesting questions. First, what do the pioneers mean when they say the "exact" nature of our "wrongs"? Second, what do they mean by the term "wrongs"? While no one has to agree with us, in R.A. we believe that the pioneers give us the information we need to answer these questions. In the Big Book, on page 72, in the first paragraph, the pioneers say, "that we have admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our defects." April, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL_3-Mar11.htm In the Big Book on page 63, starting in the bottom paragraph, it says, "Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions." March, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL_2-Feb11.htm The pioneers, in the Big Book, make it clear that our defects of character"the flaws in our soul"cause us to hurt others and ourselves. They tell us that holding on to them can poison us. In the Big Book on page 66, in the second paragraph, the pioneers say that, "If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison." February, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/11/NL_1-Jan11.htm Most of us in a Twelve Step program have heard the expression, "Take what you need, and leave the rest." However, the Pioneers of the program seem to have a different perspective. In the Big Book they repeatedly use the word "common" to describe their experiences. They talk about how they are bound by the "common peril" they shared. They escaped disaster together going on a "common journey." They also speak at length about how every one of them discovered their "common solution." January, 2011 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL__12-Dec10.htm Henrietta Seiberling is the Oxford Groups' member who introduced Bill Wilson to Dr. Bob. She is quoted in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, on page 159. "In the early days," she recalled, "Bill said to me, 'Henrietta, I don't think we should talk so much about religion or God.' I said to him, 'Well, we're not out to please the alcoholics. They have been pleasing themselves all these years. We are out to please God. And if you don't talk about what God does and your faith and your guidance, then you might as well be the Rotary Club or something like that, because God is your only source of power.' Finally, he agreed." December, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL__11-Nov10.htm In the Big Book on page 62, in the first paragraph, it says, "Selfishness--self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt." November, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL__10-Oct10.htm Sister Ignatia worked with Dr. Bob in the early days of the program. In DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, on page 194, she says that, "There was one thing that always irritated Doctor." In the same paragraph she goes on to say that, "Some people who were on the program for a length of time would come up to him and say, 'I don't get the spiritual angle.' I heard him say time and again, 'There is no spiritual angle. It's a spiritual program.'" October, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_9-Sep10.htm We suspect that most of the people who have been in a Twelve Step program for a while have heard that it is dangerous if we "rest on our laurels." However, many people do not know that this is a quote from the Big Book. On page 85, in the first full paragraph, it says that, "It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe." September, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_8-Aug10.htm Many people in the Twelve Step Programs are familiar with the saying, "Simple, but not easy." However, most do not know that this is a quote from the Big Book. Therefore, they don't know which part of the program the pioneers are saying is "simple, but not easy." On page 14, in the top paragraph, in the paragraph before this quote, it says that, "Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements." August, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_7-Jul10.htm It must seem like common sense. Why else would someone joining most Twelve Step Programs be told that they must immediately stop whatever behavior has brought him or her to that program. Alcoholics must immediately stop drinking forever. Gamblers must stop gambling. Overeaters must commit to avoiding certain foods for the rest of their lives, etc. Everyone knows, or at least thinks, that the Twelve Steps require this. However, the pioneers found that this attitude, when presented to a newcomer, can often do more harm than good. July, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_6-Jun10.htm "We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free." Many people are familiar with this quote from the Big Book. It is on page 133, in the top paragraph. Most people are also familiar with this next quote. It is from page 14, in the first paragraph. It says that developing a new relationship with God is "Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid. It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all." However, most people are not aware that Bill adapted these famous quotes from "The Sermon on the Mount" by Emmet Fox. This was one of the main books the pioneers read in the early days of the program, before they had the Big Book. June, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_5-May10.htm Recoveries Anonymous is open to everyone, including family and friends. This is different from many of the other Twelve Step fellowships. They often have a separate branch or an entirely separate organization for family and friends to attend. However, R.A. prefers to go back to the founding days of the program. We do this in order to thoroughly follow the pioneers' path to recovery. For more than a decade family and friends attended the same meetings as the pioneers. They worked the same program and had the same recovery." May, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_4-Apr10.htm Powerlessness! It is a simple concept. However, R.A.'s experience is that many people from other programs only give lip service to this concept. They readily say they are powerless. But, deep in their hearts, they still believe that they are responsible for controlling their problems and behaviors. This is not unusual. Bill Wilson, in his essay on the First Step in A.A.'s Twelve and Twelve on page 21, explains it by saying, "Who cares to admit complete defeat? Practically no one, of course. Every natural instinct cries out against the idea of personal powerlessness." April, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_3-Mar10.htm In the Twelve Step program, people often discuss personal responsibility. They question what part of their lives they are responsible for, and what part of their lives God and the program are responsible for. While no one has to agree with us, in R.A. we believe that the pioneers of the program resolve this debate. In the Big Book, on page 85, in the first full paragraph they say that, "Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. 'How can I best serve Thee--Thy will (not mine) be done.' These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will." March, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_2-Feb10.htm When asked to quote the Eleventh Step, many people unintentionally abbreviate it. They usually say that this step is where we "Pray for knowledge of God's will, and the power to carry it out." They forget the first part of this important step. The full wording of the Eleventh Step, the way the pioneers actually wrote it, says that we, "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." February, 2010 http://www.RA-News.org/Newsletters/10/NL_1-Jan10.htm In the Big Book on page 17, in the third paragraph the pioneers tell us that, "The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism." January, 2010