Everbody Has Problems

Danny,

This was recently thrown at me as justification for newcomers talking about their problems in meetings.

“In addition to these casual get-togethers, it became customary to set apart one night a week for a meeting to be attended 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.” (BB, A Vision For You, pgs. 159-160)

I was wondering if you may know some history behind this statement or have an insight as to why they wrote this. Is this really evidence that we should use AA meetings to share our problems or is there something else going on here that I don’t understand?

Thanks,

Brad

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Hi Brad,

To say that "a time and place where new people might bring their problems.” is talking about dumping our problems in our AA meetings is doing more than stretching it quite a bit. Twisting it into knots might be more accurate. Shame on whoever did that! People love to cherry pick bits and pieces and skim over entire pieces of text to manipulate and support their opinions don't they?

It doesn't say people ought to be doing this in the AA meetings. They are in fact recognizing the need to keep that stuff OUT of the meetings because they wanted to set up a night once a week night - "IN ADDITION TO"- and "set apart" from the regular "get together" If they wanted that stuff IN their "get-togethers" do you think they would have proposed something else "set apart" "part" and addition" and "once a week"? Of course not.

There is no way to read the paragraph in its entirety and come away with the idea that the co-authors proposed "problem sharing" in meetings. There is nothing in the Big Book that tells us what to be doing in meetings at all! We know form history studies what they were doing however. And it sure wasn't talking about their problems.

Later however Bill W wrote this:

“Sobriety—freedom from alcohol—through the teaching and practice of the Twelve Steps, is the sole purpose of an A.A. group,” he wrote in the February 1958 issue of the A.A. Grapevine. “Groups have repeatedly tried other activities, and they have always failed."

Let's leave "other activities" like group therapy where it belongs - in the psychologists office. Kooky folks in church basements playing amateur psychiatrist and junior counselors are not what our meetings are supposed to be doing.

Hope that works for you, Brad.

Peace and Love,

Danny S - RLRA
Real Live Recovered Alcoholic
http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com