Welcome to the ............ group of Alcoholics Anonymous.
My name’s ............ and I’m an alcoholic. Could we please have a moment’s
silence to remember why we’re here and the still-suffering alcoholic both in
and out of the rooms?
I’ve asked ............ to read the preamble.
This is a closed meeting of AA. In support of AA’s
singleness of purpose, attendance at closed meetings is limited to persons who
have a desire to stop drinking. If you think you have a problem with alcohol,
you are welcome to attend this meeting.
Are there any newcomers to AA who would like to introduce
themselves? This is not to embarrass you; this is simply to give you the
welcome we enjoyed when we first came in.
Are there any visitors from out of town or other groups who
would like to introduce themselves?
The format of this Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Meeting is as follows. The instructions for the Twelve Steps are contained
within the book Alcoholics Anonymous,
fondly termed the Big Book. The book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
provides commentaries by AA members on the Twelve Steps plus essays on the
Twelve Traditions. At this group we read from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, starting from the text of Step
One and working through to the end of the text on Tradition Twelve.
At each meeting, we go round the room clockwise, each
reading the next paragraph, and then sharing for up to two minutes on that
paragraph. Anyone else who wishes to share on that paragraph may do so, for up
to two minutes. Attendees may share more than once per meeting but are encouraged
to allow others to share first if they have already shared, and to wait for a
silence of a few seconds if wishing to share for a second or subsequent time,
to allow everyone to share at least once, if they want to.
If you have experience taking the Step in question or experience
with the Tradition, please share. If you do not, we invite you to listen for
now, and to come for fellowship after the meeting at a local restaurant, where
we can talk about AA and recovery-related matters more broadly.
I’ve asked ............ to start the reading.
............
That’s all the time we have for sharing, I’m afraid, but
it’s not quite the end of the meeting.
We now practise Tradition 7, which states that AA groups
ought to be fully supported by the voluntary contributions of their own
members. Whilst the pot is going round, are there any AA-related announcements?
[make sure pot makes it all the way
round.]
In this group, we believe that sponsorship is an important
resource in recovery. A sponsor is a guide to the Twelve Steps, fellowship, and
service. Would all those willing to act as sponsors or answer questions about
sponsorship please raise their hands now and keep them raised? If you are
looking for a sponsor or have questions, please see one of these people
afterwards.
I’d like to thank the service members of the group for
making this meeting possible.
If you have enjoyed this meeting and would like to become a
service member of the group in order to participate in its running, we invite
you to attend our monthly business meetings, which are held immediately after
the meeting on the first ............ of each month, and we will offer you a service
assignment. Talk to any of the service members of the group, who are now
raising their hands, if you have any questions.
Would you please join me in the Serenity Prayer to close our
meeting. God ............