March 2024 Newsletter

March is the time of year when animals start waking up from hibernation and also marks a month of transitions – meaning the process of changing from one state or condition to another. Buds are starting to make an appearance on tree branches and temperatures can swing from snow to feeling like Spring has arrived early. As alcoholics, we appreciate moments of transition. If it was not for our transition, life would have continued down a path that likely would have led to increasing destruction – to ourselves and others. So, as the weather vacillates and everything starts to come to life again, let’s take the time to remember and appreciate our metamorphosis into a sober life and hope the same for the many others who have not found their way to a life that is happy, joyous and free. Happy March.

As it’s March, the third month, let’s look at Step 3, Tradition 3, and Concept 3.

Step 3: “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.” Practicing Step Three is like the opening of a door which to all appearances is still closed and locked. All we need is a key and the will to swing the door open. There is only one key, and it is called willingness. Once unlocked by willingness, the door opens almost of itself, and looking through it, we shall see a pathway beside which is an inscription. It reads, “This is the way to a faith that works.” In the first two Steps, we were engaged in reflection. We saw that we were powerless over alcohol, but we also perceived that faith of some kind, if only in A.A. itself, is possible for anyone. These conclusions did not require action; they required acceptance. — Reprinted from The Twelve and Twelve – (page 34), with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Tradition 3: “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.” This tradition is packed with meaning. For A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker, “You are an A.A. member if you say so. You can declare yourself in; nobody can keep you out. No matter who you are, no matter how low you’ve gone, no matter how grave your emotional complications—even your crimes—we still can’t deny you A.A. We don’t want to keep you out. We are not a bit afraid you’ll harm us, never mind how twisted or violent you may be. We just want to be sure that you get the same great chance for sobriety that we’ve had. So, you’re an A.A. member the minute you declare yourself.” Reprinted from The Twelve and Twelve – page 139, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Concept 3: “To ensure effective leadership, we should endow each element of A.A.— the Conference, the General Service Board and its service corporations, staffs, committees, and executives—with a traditional “Right of Decision.” 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, March 7 at 6PM 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.

2025 International Convention

Make plans to attend the 2025 A.A. International Convention scheduled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada! More information will be published in coming months in this newsletter. Meanwhile, here is a glimpse:

Vancouver will welcome A.A. members from around the world for the 2025 International Convention. This will mark the 90th anniversary of the beginning of our Fellowship’s founding. 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!

For more information, go to: https://www.aa.org/international-convention

Do You Think You’re Different?
Calls for Stories for AA Pamphlet

In compliance with a 2022 Conference Advisory Action the Trustees Literature Committee is seeking submissions from AA members with diverse backgrounds in order to update the A.A. pamphlet Do You Think You’re Different? with stories that represent greater diversity.

In particular, stories are sought from A.A. members that reflect multicultural backgrounds, those who have multiple alienating factors, as well as those from diverse populations not addressed in current A.A. literature. Formatting Manuscripts: 500-800 words, double spaced, in 12-point font. Handwritten manuscripts: should be approximately 5 to 6 pages.

Deadline: April 30, 2024

Submission link: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/5a77c27d179d4856b32eed86b01e3426

Email: pamphletstories@aa.org
Subject Line: “Do You Think You’re Different?”

Postal Mail: Attn. Literature Assignment
General Service Office, Box 459, Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10163

Write: “Pamphlet” on the envelope, and at the top of the first page of the manuscript. Please include your complete name, address, and email/phone information on the first page of your manuscript. A copy of your manuscript should be retained for your files. The anonymity of all authors will be observed whether their story is selected for publication or not.

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.
• How you got your first service position.
• 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.

Bridging the Gap (BTG)/Treatment, our featured committee this month, connects alcoholics transitioning out of treatment facilities with A.A. members who bring them to their first A.A. meeting outside the institution. This essential Twelfth Step service helps connect sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous with people in treatment facilities who are interested in going to an A.A. meeting upon their release.

A.A. experience suggests that attending meetings regularly is critical. You could be the first contact a newcomer has with A.A., by taking them to a meeting and introducing them to the fellowship.

For further reading see the A.A. Bridging the GAP pamphlet.

Get involved! We invite anyone to participate who would like to share the message with alcoholics in treatment centers. Interested members of the SDI Community with specific questions or wishing to learn more about BTG/Treatment are invited to send an email to btg@sussexaa.org.