Programme actions for AAs
- Attend as many AA meetings as you can. Structure your week of other activities around your schedule of meetings. If you’re in another fellowship, adapt the following accordingly.
- Chiefly pick meetings that are focused on the solution. Also
attend meetings that are not focused on the solution in order to carry the message
there, as well, and find people who are struggling so you can be a channel for God
to help them as you have been helped.
- Pick meetings where there are lots of newcomers; get there
early, share during the meeting about what you were like, the actions you took,
and the results you got; go for fellowship; introduce yourself to anyone you
don’t know and ask God to guide you to be helpful to those He wants you to
help.
- Get one or more home groups and commit to attending every
week unless you’re bedbound, contagious, or out of town. For the latter cases,
have online home groups you can attend as well.
- Call up people you know and ask them to come to a meeting
with you. Aim to meet for coffee before and grab further people at the meeting
to go for coffee afterwards.
- Take up some service in an AA group and do it.
- Once you’re in AA, you qualify automatically for Al-Anon,
if you did not qualify already: attend Al-Anon assiduously.
- Acquire an AA sponsor who has recovered from what you are suffering
from, is doing better than you, and has a practical and systematic approach for
swiftly and effectively passing on their practice to you.
- Plan the day in accordance with page 86 to 88 of the Big
Book, share the results with someone, and make improvements; then stick to it.
- Carry out daily step work on the first nine steps until the job is done: one to
two hours on a working day; two to four hours on a non-working day. Complete the first nine steps, dotting every 'i' and crossing every 't'.
- Then take the first nine steps once a quarter to keep the system operating well.
- Live in Steps Ten, Eleven, and Twelve.
- Sponsor others: at any one time, at least one for each year you have been sober. For example if you're five years sober, at least five.
- Take a daily review as per page 86 of the Big Book, share
the results with someone, and come up with corrective measures; implement them.
- Consistently practise the Step Ten instructions on page 84
of the Big Book.
- Consistently practise the Step Ten instructions on page 85
of the Big Book.
- Pause when agitated or doubtful as described at the bottom
of page 87 and follow the instructions there.
- When resentful, frightened, or otherwise unbalanced, reread
the Big Book from page 60 to page 67, turning third-person statements into ‘I’
statements, applying the ideas line-by-line to the situation, and then apply
the procedures on page 67 and 68. Resentment and fear are a choice. Choose
forgiveness and faith instead.
- If you feel guilty about something current in your life,
talk it over with someone sane, forgive where necessary, make amends where
necessary, and do so now.
- Make a list of your obligations in life, particular
unfulfilled ones, and schedule their fulfilment. Then get on with it.
- If you feel ashamed, you’re wrong. There’s nothing wrong with
you. You’re a child of God. See page 28 of the Big Book. You do have funky
ideas and behaviours, though, so attend to these with the preceding and following
ideas.
- Each day, speak to five (or more) newcomers, newer people,
or people who might need some help or company. Keep the focus of the
conversation off yourself, except to express gratitude or describe what
constructive actions you’re taking and what results you’re getting or to make appropriate
experience-based suggestions.
- Each week, speak to a bunch of people who are sober longer,
for support and input. Tell them the truth and be open to redirection.
- Learn by heart a number of prayers that describe God’s
protective power, love, inspiration, guidance, successful defeat of ‘enemies’
(in this case: our false beliefs and unhelpful thoughts and behaviour), and
other programme-consistent ideas. Pray them out loud, rhythmically / to a tune
of your own or someone else’s making and / or declare / declaim them
confidently.
- Read recovery literature. If you’re troubled, read it
until you find one or more solutions to apply. If this takes hours, fine.
- Read spiritual literature. If you’re troubled, read it
until you find one or more solutions to apply. If this takes hours, fine.
- Read about and learn to apply in your life the Twelve
Traditions.
- Read about and learn to apply in your life the Twelve Concepts.
- Read the Just For Today card and apply its suggestions.
- Page 119 of the Big Book: pause and count your blessings.
Make a gratitude list.
- Page 164 of the Big Book: ask God what you can do for the
person who is still sick and go and do it.
- Get on a twelfth-stepper list in order to be offered twelfth-stepping
opportunities.
- Go to your local Intergroup meeting and find out what
opportunities for service there are in the fellowship generally, then take up those
opportunities diligently and as a priority in your schedule.
- Do service as a prison sponsor by correspondence (writing
to prisoners on taking the Steps); contact your local Intergroup for details.
- Do telephone service; contact your local Intergroup for
details.
- Read all of the AA history books and learn about AA
history.
- Read all of the AA pamphlets and extract from them ideas that
you can apply in your life. Apply them.
- Listen to AA tapes, Al-Anon tapes. Start here: Allen McG,
Bob B (Bisanz), Bob D, Clancy, Clint H, Don P, Father Tom W, Frank McK, Gary B,
Grady O’H, Marilyn S, Mike L (Lorentz), Mildred F, Sandy B, Tom I. Make notes.
Apply your findings in your life.
- Listen to other spiritual recordings, tapes, podcasts,
etc.
- Read all 42 of the stories in the back of the Big Book plus all of Al-Anon books. Extract from each what you identify with and what you can use. Collate these extracted materials in your own notes so you can refer to them. Organise these materials systematically.
Other spiritual actions
- Download Insight Timer onto your phone and use it every
day. Learn to meditate either by adopting a simple position and concentrating
on breathing, physical sensations, the sounds of the soundtrack, or detachment
from one’s own thoughts like irrelevant passing clouds. There are many courses
and approaches available on there. Find an approach that you find helpful.
- Study A Course In Miracles systematically, including
practising the daily lessons; make use of Earl Purdy videos on YouTube; listen
to Ken Wapnick talks on the Course.
- Practise yoga regularly. Maybe join a class or get a
teacher.
- Attend a meditation group or class.
- Attend religious services.
- Take active part in a religious community.
- Say prayers at set times in accordance with a particular
religious tradition.
- Listen to a religious radio station (talk or music).
- Read the following authors: Andrew Murray, Anne Lamott,
Anne Wilson Schaef, Anthony de Mello, Bernardo Kastrup, Brother Lawrence, C. S.
Lewis, Charlotte Joko Beck, Emmet Fox, Epictetus, Ernest Holmes, Ernest Kurtz,
Heather King, Joyce Meyer, Ken Wapnick, Marcus Aurelius, Martin Buber, Mary
Oliver, Maya Angelou, Norman Vincent Peale, Oswald Chambers, Paul Coutinho,
Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Manis Friedman, Rumi, Seneca, Thomas à Kempis, Tove
Jansson.