Final
Report: Leinster (Eire) Intergroup Sub-Committee (September 2008)
Source:
Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Conference of Ireland
Alcoholics Anonymous News Sheet – update – Dec 2008/Jan 2009
Extracts:
“No
group or individual should deem themselves an authority on how to
interpret the Big Book on behalf of others. The steps are
suggested and experienced sponsors are wise enough not to give
newcomers hard and fast directives. There are no authorities in AA
and even self-appointed teachers have “feet of clay”.
“Our
knowledge of recovery has been received in the Fellowship through the
experience of one Alcoholic sharing with another Alcoholic and it
was not received on an instructive basis or in a classroom
atmosphere”.
“Many
times we have heard an argument supported with one part of a
tradition whilst the second part is completely ignored. This
phenomenon seems to occur, quite often, in Tradition 4. “Each
group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups
or AA as a whole. Autonomy
seems to be used as an argument, to explain or defend, why a group
ought to do what a certain member wants it to do”.
“Sponsorship
In
AA sponsor and sponsored meet as
equals,
just as Bill and Dr Bob did”.
“The
Internet and Website
Conference,
(a collective Group Conscience of all the Groups in Ireland, both
North and South) requested that there be only one website for
Alcoholics Anonymous in Ireland and that the Groups, if they chose,
would list the times, dates and places of meetings, as in the
Directory, without the contact names and phone numbers, in the
interest of unity. Conference
felt that if Groups started to host their own websites
[eg. The Road to Recovery (cult) group Plymouth], it
might create competition between them and would dilute the very
purpose of what was intended, which is simply to inform the public
and their members, of where and when meeting [sic] are held”.
And
finally:
“Tradition
5 …..The unique ability of each AA to to identify himself with and
bring recovery to the newcomer in
no way depends upon his learning, eloquence or any special individual
skills”.
(our
emphases – in bold print)
Comment:
As we've said before (see The Big Book Study Movement is outside of the Structure of Alcoholics Anonymous In Ireland) the General Service Conference of Ireland
seems to be light years ahead of its GB equivalent. They have
identified the problem, discussed it and evolved a clear strategy to
deal with the issues raised. What a contrast they are with Great
Britain's service structure which seems barely able to acknowledge
that a problem exists at all let alone begin to respond to it!
Ostrich-like they bury their heads in the sand in the hope that these
dogmatists will just go away (see Minority Report 2013 and Primary Purpose/Back to Basics). We repeat our previous question to our
“trusted servants” (??): Precisely how many newcomers have to
suffer and die before clear action is taken to exclude these meetings
(Primary Purpose, Back to Basics, Visions) from our fellowship? How
long are AA members going to continue to inflate the egos (and the
pocket books) of the sundry circuit speakers, Big Book 'experts' and
other parasites by subscribing to their so-called 'workshops' and
assorted 'study guides' together with all the other accessory junk
they produce? In fact just when is “I AM RESPONSIBLE” going to be
something more than a mere form of words to be mouthed meaninglessly
at AA meetings?
Over
to you
The
Fellas (Friends
of Alcoholics Anonymous)
PS
Our thanks to the member who obtained a copy of the newsletter from
GSO Ireland
