Passion

"Practical experience shows that nothing will insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail."  BB pg 89

Can someone please explain to me how we got from that to "you shouldn't sponsor anybody till you have been sober at least a year, you can't chair a meeting till you have been sober for at least 6 months.

OK, nobody did so I will.  It has been passed along by a bunch of people in our fellowship that were taught in some treatment center that they will always be recovering, that they should stay away from their triggers, and that if they get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired they might drink.  Just try your best to not drink today.  It will be OK just keep coming back. 

I would bet that a good percentage of these people aren't even real alcoholics.  Yet, they rise to power in our groups and make these rules because the real alcoholics are either out in the trenches doing the deal, or trying to practice "love and tolerance." Right???  Nope.... The answer is self-centeredness and fear.

We alcoholics are a sensitive lot.  We let this stuff grow and fester in our fellowship because it might be uncomfortable to call people on their BS and tell them the truth.  People might not like us.  Love and tolerance, absolutely!  I need to love people enough to tell them the truth.  And tolerance for me is talking to the guy on the phone, one more time that just can't get it.  Tolerance is loving someone out when you oppose their entire lifestyle. 

My God does not ask me to tolerate evil, He does not expect me to sit idly by, while someone goes on a rant about some BS in a meeting, while the newcomer is dying because he can't hear the truth.

All I hear in AA is how tough everybody used to be back in the day.  What a bunch of bad asses we all were.  Yet we let some one hijack the meeting because we want to sit back and timidly sip our coffee.

I know confrontation is scary.  I get it.  But we are walking hand in hand with the Creator.  Where is the passion, where is the willingness, the desperation of a drowning man?  So let me get this straight; when we are dying of this disease and trying to get sober we don't let anything stop us.  But when it is the other guys life that hangs in the balance, we just sit by and let him hear a bunch of error.

Stand up guys and gals.  Stand up, learn the book. Speak it, live it, get passionate about it.  If you hear error, correct it! It is our job, if we won't do it who will?  Who cares what people think.  What does God think?  That quote from the big book says "intensive work".  Sometimes things just get intense in this deal.

I don't know about ya'll but with the passion for this way of life comes the Happiness.  With the zeal of passing it on comes Joy, and with the boldness to proclaim the Truth comes Freedom.