SOUTHERN DELAWARE INTERGROUP NEWSLETTER April 2026

APRIL & STEP 4:   ABANDONING THE ALIBIS

Many of us arrive at the doors of A.A. beaten down yet full of “justified indignation”. Some of us may even remember pleasant experiences early in our drinking careers, yet we now have a lengthy mental list of how those around us have done us wrong, and many excuses for why we had to drink.  We HAD to drink…. that much is true…for we knew no other escape from our tortured thoughts and emotions.  Some of us sought help from mental health professionals and then lied about or failed to disclose what we knew to be the root of our troubles.  Our egos could not take the hit for our maladjustment.  We were good people after all and surely our problems couldn’t possibly be of our own making!

Our 12-step founding fathers were geniuses in creating the systematic approach to overcoming our maladies. First, we had to admit what the problem was, admit that our warped earthly brains  needed help from “above”, and became willing to accept that help in all situations.  Only THEN do we have the courage to fearlessly search our moral inventories and start to realize we played a starring role in most of our resentments.  Sometimes our role was active as we manipulated situations to achieve a desired outcome.  Sometimes our role was passive as we grew angry and resentful at how we’ve been treated. Either way our expectations were never met….and so we drank to keep our alibis intact.

Step 4 is the “how-to” guide for abandoning alibis we created to camouflage how our basic instincts ran wild and ruled our fear-filled lives.  It starts with a list, and under the guidance of a sponsor, leads us to a freedom from bondage we’ve never imagined.  So be fearless….be thorough…be free!    Beth S/Intergroup Chair and Humble Servant

Highlighted Step/Tradition/Concept for April

Step Four — Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. We thought “conditions” drove us to drink, and when we tried to correct these conditions and found that we couldn’t to our entire satisfaction, our drinking went out of hand, and we became alcoholics. It never occurred to us that we needed to change ourselves to meet conditions, whatever they were. — Reprinted from The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 47, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Tradition Four — Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole. When A.A.’s Traditions were first published, in 1946, we had become sure that an A.A. group could stand almost any amount of battering. We saw that the group, exactly like the individual, must eventually conform to whatever tested principles would guarantee survival. We had discovered that there was perfect safety in the process of trial and error. So confident of this had we become that the original statement of A.A. tradition carried this significant sentence: “Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group provided that as a group they have no other affiliation.” — Reprinted from The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 147, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Concept Four — Throughout our Conference structure, we ought to maintain at all responsible levels a traditional “Right of Participation,” taking care that each classification or group of our world servants shall be allowed a voting representation in reasonable proportion to the responsibility that each must discharge. The “Right of Participation” is therefore a corrective of ultimate authority because it mitigates its harshness or misuse. It also encourages us who serve A.A. to accept the necessary disciplines that our several tasks require. We can do this when we are sure that we belong, when the fact of our “participation” assures us that we are truly the “trusted servants” described in A.A.’s Tradition Two. — Reprinted from The A.A. Service Manual Combined with the Twelve Concepts, p. C15, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

DUE TO A LACK OF INTEREST THE “SPRING FLING” HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
TICKETS WILL BE REFUNDED VIA THE METHOD OF PURCHASE

AREA 12 MINI-CONFERENCE APRIL 11TH

Dear Fellow Trusted Servants,

I hope this note finds you well and grounded in the spirit of service.

As we approach the Area 12 Mini Conference on April 11, I’d like to share a brief update from recent discussions with our Alternate Delegate, Bryan L. You may wish to pass this information along to your GSRs and any A.A. members interested in service.

As Bryan has related (in visiting our Districts with various upcoming Conference Agenda items), the Area 12 Mini Conference is one of the most meaningful ways we, as an Area, participate in the General Service Conference process. It gives us the opportunity to listen, reflect, and share experience on selected agenda items—helping our Delegate hear the collective voice of Area 12.

This gathering is not about predicting outcomes, taking positions, or reaching conclusions.
Rather, it is an opportunity to:

• Reflect on principles at stake
• Share experience, values, and concerns
• Raise questions that may matter more than answers at this stage

In many ways, we are not trying to decide—we are trying to understand together.

As we come together, we can be mindful to:

• Speak from a sense of Area conscience, rather than personal preference
• Allow space for different perspectives, listening for themes that emerge
• Keep our focus on principles and shared experience, rather than outcomes
• Trust that thoughtful participation—without the need to agree—is enough

We encourage GSRs, in particular, to:

• Review the background material as they are able
• Discuss items with their home groups when possible
• Come prepared to listen and share thoughtfully

Whether someone is a seasoned trusted servant or new to service, there is a place for them in this process.

Mini Conference Details:

• Date: April 11
• Time: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
• Format: Hybrid
• In Person: St. Andrews Church (The Great Hall), 425 North Dupont Highway, Dover
• Online (Zoom):
  Meeting ID: 824-6105-3812
  Password: Area12

As always, we are guided by the spirit of the Fellowship:

“Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”

Thank you for your continued service and your willingness to participate in the life of Alcoholics Anonymous in this meaningful way.

If you need additional materials or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Bryan at p76alt.delegate@delawareaa.org

With gratitude and in service,
Buck
Panel 76 Area 12 Chair

A LETTER FROM WORLD SERVICE RE “SELF-SUPPORT”

March 18, 2026

Dear Friends,

I have been asked by the General Service Board, in my role as chair of the AAWS Finance Subcommittee on Self-Support, to contribute to the AAWS monthly communication letters. I do so with gratitude and a keen awareness that any understanding I have comes from shared experience within our Fellowship. As a relatively new director on the AAWS Board, it has been both humbling and eye opening to serve in this capacity. I am especially grateful to witness the establishment of the new Self-Support/Finance Desk and to see the care with which staff and trusted servants approach this work. Serving at this level has broadened my perspective and deepened my appreciation for the quiet, steady efforts that sustain A.A. Our Fellowship continues to encounter new challenges as we navigate an increasingly digital world. Many members no longer carry cash. Contribution tools and payment methods change quickly. Treasurers are thoughtfully working through new tools and technologies. These are not problems so much as reminders that while our principles remain steady, our methods must adapt. As Bill W. said in his 1960 keynote address to the General Service Conference: “Our Twelve Steps probably won’t change. Our Twelve Traditions? Not at all likely. But our manner of communication, our manner of organizing ourselves for service – let us hope that this goes on changing for the better, forever…” I have experienced that evolution firsthand. In 2020, when the church where our small rural group met was shuttered during the pandemic, we moved online almost overnight. We were grateful to remain connected, but a simple and sobering question emerged: How would the still-suffering alcoholic find us now? Without a physical meeting place, we realized how easily we could become invisible. Members who already knew us could follow a link. But someone new; someone frightened, isolated, or desperate, had no clear path. We did what many groups did. We placed simple notices in our local newspaper. A few members put flyers at the grocery store, the library, the banks, and even the boat ramp. It was not polished. It was simply members trying to make sure A.A. could still be found. For some of us who had never served beyond our home group, that season revealed how fragile our connection to the still-suffering alcoholic could be, and how much we relied on services beyond ourselves. When in-person meetings resumed, we did not want to forget that lesson. We formed an outreach effort that began at the group level and gradually extended into neighboring groups. We worked with our Intergroup to ensure meeting information remained current. We created simple business cards with phone numbers and QR codes that linked to our local Intergroup/Central Office. With guidance from aa.org and by drawing on Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) and Public Information (PI) resources and shared experience, we reached out to local healthcare providers, businesses and agencies. What became clear over time was this: none of these services existed by accident. They were available because members before us had participated, contributed, and remained involved. Serving as chair of the Self-Support Subcommittee has allowed me to see those same principles at work on a broader scale. Self-support is not merely about placing money in a basket. It is about participation. It is about accepting responsibility for the health and continuity of our Fellowship. When I contribute today, I am helping sustain the services that allow A.A. to be found; meeting listings, phone lines, literature, shared experience, translation, digital access, and so much more. These are not abstract concepts. They are lifelines. There is also a quiet dignity in shared responsibility. Being self-supporting reminds me that A.A. is not something I simply receive; it is something I help carry. I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me, and I contribute so that others may stand after. When the basket is passed in my home group, I contribute not only to meet today’s expenses, but as an expression of gratitude and participation in something larger than myself. Through shared responsibility and collective support, the hand of A.A. remains available; sometimes in ways we never see. With humility and gratitude for the opportunity to serve, Julie C. Non-Trustee Director, AAWS Chair, Self-Support Subcommittee

Southern Delaware Intergroup Monthly Meeting — Join us Thursday April 2nd @  6 pm via Zoom. Meeting ID: 987-8110-5001, Passcode: 914711. Our intergroup is a resource for 12-Step work and Alcoholics Anonymous information in Southern Delaware. Please consider volunteering for a service opportunity, which includes most Intergroup committees. For more information about what each Committee does, see our Service Committees page and plan to attend our next intergroup meeting