2024 Newsletter

August has arrived and along with the peaches, blueberries and corn-on- the-cob, come opportunities to spend time with family and friends. For many of us, these gatherings can be challenging, but thankfully, the tools of our program help us stay emotionally and physically sober in any situation. We know how to stay connected to meetings (Zoom can be a wonderful way to connect if we are away from our regular live meetings!), keep the phone numbers of our trusted circle and our sponsors handy, and have an exit strategy for situations that might be too uncomfortable. With time, most of us find our sober Augusts are the best of all!

During the Eighth month, let’s concentrate on Step 8, Tradition 8 and Concept 8.

Step 8: “Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”

“Steps Eight and Nine are concerned with personal relations. First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; and third, having thus cleaned away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know.”

— Reprinted from The Twelve and Twelve – page 77.

Tradition 8: “Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.” ,

“Alcoholics Anonymous will never have a professional class. We have gained some understanding of the ancient words “Freely ye have received, freely give.” We have discovered that at the point of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix. Almost no recovery from alcoholism has ever been brought about by the world’s best professionals, whether medical or religious.  We do not decry professionalism in other fields, but we accept the sober fact that it does not work for us. Every time we have tried to professionalize our Twelfth Step, the result has been exactly the same: our single purpose has been defeated.”

— Reprinted from The Twelve and Twelve – page 166.

Concept 8: “The Trustees of the General Service Board act in two primary capacities: (a) With respect to the larger matters of over-all policy and finance, they are the principal planners and administrators. They and their primary committees directly manage these affairs. (b) But with respect to our separately incorporated and constantly active services, the relation of the Trustees is mainly that of full stock ownership and of custodial oversight which they exercise through their ability to elect all directors of these entities.”

— Reprinted from A.A. Service Manual/Twelve Concepts for World Services with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Southern Delaware Intergroup Monthly Meeting — Join us on Thursday August 1 at 6 P.M. via Zoom. Meeting ID: 987-8810-5001, 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.

Bash at the Beach – Save the Date of September 15^th! Another year of food, fellowship, and fun. More info to come.

For District Meeting Times and Dates visit: Events – Southern Delaware Intergroup (sussexaa.org)

When is the convention? How do I get into Canada if I have a past legal incident? Will there be a mobile app for the Convention? Get answers to these and many other Frequently Asked Questions by clicking here:

https://www.aa.org/international-convention-2025-faqs

The 2025 A.A. International Convention is scheduled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada! An International A.A. Convention is held every five years and this year marks the 90^th anniversary of the beginning of our fellowships founding and is titled “90 Years – Language of the Heart. More information is published regularly at https://www.aa.org/international-convention

Meanwhile, here is a glimpse:

Vancouver will welcome A.A. members from around the world for the 2025 International Convention. The International Convention will take place from July 3 – 6, 2025, at the Vancouver Convention Centre and BC Place Stadium. As the Convention approaches, AA will update the website with registration information. Let’s celebrate sobriety together in Vancouver in 2025!

Want to be part of this newsletter? We would love to hear from you! We’re always interested in receiving short articles and experiences written by our A.A. members for possible publication. All submissions are subject to review and editing. Send submissions to support@sussexaa.org. Below are some ideas.

• How you worked a specific step.
• A favorite A.A. slogan and how it has helped you.
• Something your sponsor said that impacted you.

Subscribing to this Newsletter via e-mail is very easy. Simply email “subscribe” to support@sussexaa.org or sign up online and you will receive the monthly email on the 1^st of each month.