A description of early meetings from the Big Book:
'Seeing much of each other, scarce an evening passed that
someone's home did not shelter a little gathering of men and women, happy in
their release, and constantly thinking how they might present their discovery
to some newcomer. In addition to these casual get-togethers, it became
customary to set apart one night a week for a meeting to be at tended by anyone
or everyone interested in a spiritual way of life. Aside from fellowship and
sociability, the prime object was to provide a time and place where new people
might bring their problems.'
My home group is actually pretty like that, fortunately. However,
yesterday, I felt a l alienated at a meeting I went to (my closest one geographically
but not one I have been to in years); lots of camaraderie, mutual appreciation,
non-alcoholism-related identification, and funny stories; no clear teaching
about alcoholism, barely any talk of sponsorship, God, Steps, or any
recovery-related idea at all. Still, someone approached me and I gave her my
card and told her about my (Big Book-based) home group and invited her to that
and also spoke to the speaker, who was new in town, inviting her, too, to my
home group, so not a wasted evening, all in all.
The main lesson is not to be disturbed about 'how most of AA
is'—something I can forget—and not to see 'how most of AA is' to be a problem.
I still have the opportunity to go wherever I am I led by God in AA and observe
how God uses me once I am there.
As a 'Big Booker', what is your relationship like with the parts
of AA where the solution to alcoholism is generally believed to consist in
social get-togethers, telling stories about drinking, and recounting the general
thoughts and emotions of the week to the group, rather than the programme of
recovery outlined in the Big Book?
Can you find a purpose in (sometimes) attending such
meetings?
Can you do so without contempt or rancour?
Can you remain useful even in groups that are quite
different in their approach?