September, the 9th month, is National Recovery Month. Members of Alcoholics Anonymous know that recovery is possible. Our stories give hope to the many individuals and families whose lives have been shattered by drugs and alcohol. Each time we share our experience strength and hope in a meeting, reach out our hand to a newcomer, or work the steps, we are carrying the message of recovery. As we become useful members of our communities, contribute to the stream of life, and are awakened to opportunities to serve others our lives and the lives of everyone we touch are enriched.

Let’s examine the 9th Step, 9th Tradition and 9th Concept.

Step Nine — Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. If we have not worked the first eight steps, step nine seems insurmountable. However, with the proper foundation and the help of a sponsor, this is the step that will truly set us free. Although these reparations take innumerable forms, there are some general principles which we find guiding. Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be. We may lose our position or reputation or face jail, but we are willing. We have to be. We must not shrink at anything. Clearing the wreckage of our pasts, leads us to the Promises. However, we must be careful not to cause actual harm to others with our disclosures.

Tradition Nine — AA as such ought never be organized; but we may create service boards and committees directly responsible to those they serve. A.A. has to function, but at the same time it must avoid those dangers of great wealth, prestige, and entrenched power which necessarily tempt other societies. Though tradition nine at first sight seems to deal with a purely practical matter, in its actual operation it discloses a society without organization, animated only by the spirit of service — a true fellowship.

Concept Nine — Good service leaders, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are at all levels indispensable for our future functioning and safety.. Due to A.A.’s principle of rotation, furnishing our service structure with able and willing workers has to be a continuous effort. The base of the service structure — and the source of our leadership — is the General Service Representative. The G.S.R. is the service leader for his or her group, the indispensable link between the group and A.A. as-a-whole. Together the G.S.R.s are A.A.’s group conscience — and together, in their areas, they elect the area committee members and ultimately the delegates and the area’s candidates for trustee. Groups who have not named G.S.R.s should be encouraged to do so. And as the G.S.R.s meet in area assemblies, care and dedication are required. Personal ambitions should be cast aside; feuds and controversies forgotten. “Who are the best qualified people?” should be the thought of all. Groups who have not named G.S.R.s should be encouraged to do so.

Our Meeting Lists

Help us keep the A.A. Meeting Lists for Southern Delaware current. If you become aware of any closure or change, please notify us by email. If your meeting is an online Zoom meeting, please send us your meeting invitation via a Zoom Meeting Invite, to support@sussexaa.org. This will give us the complete information necessary to update your meeting page to keep the schedule accurate. Please put the meeting name, day, and time in the subject field.

Please note effective September 27, Zoom will require that all meetings have a Passcode or a Waiting Room enabled for all paid accounts (this is already a requirement for free accounts). For more information, please reference the Zoom FAQ Meetings Waiting Room and Passcode Requirements.

If you are using a passcode, we suggest enabling embed passcode in invite link for one-click join which is done in the settings settings. This way the meeting passcode will be encrypted and included in the join meeting link to allow participants to join with just one click without having to enter the password.

If there are any special instructions for your meetings (i.e. distancing, facemasks, or meeting outside) a notation will be added in the meeting information section.

Thanks!