One Day at a Time

AA's 100% Success Rate?

Link: http://www.dannyschwarzhoff.net/screens/faq.htm

AA does not HAVE a success rate that can be compared with "alternative methods" of treatment for alcoholism. It would be nice. It would be cool to have some wonderful figure to bandy about the media - but we don't have any. So let's get over it.

There is no data hiding anywhere either. Don't you wish folks would stop trying to quantify and label an organization that is design specifically to NOT accept such meddling? People seem to always be trying to wrest a "rate" out of AA literature and pamphlets or unscientifically collected bits and pieces of "data" here and there and the best they can come up with is some imaginary number like "5% success" which of course automatically holds the converse stat of "95% failure." How convenient. And how utterly inaccurate.

GIVE IT UP. There AIN'T no rate! It cannot have one even if it wanted to have one. It's Traditions prevent it. Indirectly but they do.

Trying to compare AA's "success rate" with some "success rate" of other institutions that treat alcoholism and drug addiction is a frustrating lesson in futility. The reason is because there is not any organization enough LIKE Alcoholics Anonymous that can be held up to a side by side look-see. No comparisons can be valid. It will ALWAYS be apples comparing with oranges.

The problem lies in lies. Many people think that the purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous is to solve a persons drinking problem. That is a lie, one often being perpetuated by folks not realizing that it is a lie is - but a lie never-the-less. That does not diffuse it's power to confuse confound and destroy real alcoholics. Often-enough times it is a real lie. Bona-fide, forked tongue bold faced, bullshit hitting the fan and flying in all directing like whipped cream on the pies served and tossed all over everyone - in a Three Stooges movie - LIE.

The Purpose of the AA fellowship is not what many folks think it is ---- just as AA' Twelve Steps are NOT designed to do what many of the sames suppose and so comparing two organizations whose primary purposes are so far removed from each otter as to render any conclusion of the comparison irrelevant - not even academic - and just plain silly to even attempt such a thing.

If I can go to ten AA meetings -- relapsing after each of the first nine before finally recovering and staying sober till the day I die . . . . .
. . . . then the Fellowship's success rate is TEN PERCENT.

But MY success rate is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!

Punch THAT into your T-89 baby!

Peace and Love,

Danny S - RLRA
Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

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Say What?

Link: http://gourl.org/dsfaq

Have you ever asked this question: “What do I say” to the prospect when on Twelve Step call? ^{_{(see footnote)}}

WHAT FOLLOWS IS SOME of HOW A TWELVE STEP CALL GOES WHEN PERFORMED as they had been when the co-founders did this deal, helping alcoholics recover form alcoholism. ---- AND IT WORKED!

"The two friends spoke of their spiritual experience and told him about the course of action they carried out."

Did they follow that with, "Oh but that's too far down the road for YOU. That spiritual stuff - that STEP stuff - is not for the 'still foggy' and "still shakin' newcomer " like you.

Oh, c'mon you know some arrogant SOBs who talk like this in AA meetings. You know you do.

Are you kidding me? No they did not. They made NO BONES about the spiritual program of action. And they brought it out UP FRONT! Right from the get go.

He interrupted: "I used to be strong for the church,
but that won't fix it. I've prayed to God on hangover mornings and sworn that I'd never touch another drop but by nine o'clock I'd be boiled as an owl."

Next day found the prospect more receptive. He had been thinking it over. "Maybe you're right," he said. "God ought to be able to do anything."

Page 157

Holy crap! Did this guy just take Step Two? Yes I believe he did! No classes. No Big Book thumping’. No workbooks. No essay writing. No handouts or religious lectures - -- just one alcoholic talking to another. Amazing. It’s THAT simple.

Not that seminars or Big Book conferences are bad . . . they are wonderful, I have conducted, hosted and and spoken at my fair share of Big Book gatherings and Step Workshops and even attended some myself -- but facilitating a public event for the benefit of educating, motivating, and fellowshipping a group of alcoholics is one thing - nailing ones balls to the walls or whatever it is you posses that is worth nailing - and getting the work done with a another alcohol is something else entirely - and if you think that I think that standing at a podium pitching AA and the twelve step is the same as "Carry this message" then you don't 'get' Step Twelve OR even the entire seventh chapter of that fabulous, fantastic, and terrible tome after which the Fellowship of the Spirit was named, "Alcoholics Anonymous".

We follow the directions and the prospect responds’.

This information is in the Chapter "A Vision For You". The co-author's "VISION" for us involves an awful lot of twelve step work with others doesn't it?

Peace and Love,

Danny S - RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

_{1* For the outsider -}a "Twelve Step call is when a recovered alcoholic goes out to tend to a still sick and suffering alcoholic and running a very specific Twelve Step 'routine' - laid out and detailed in a specific method and order of application in the book, "Alcoholics Anonymous" expected result of which is a spiritual awakening accompanied by a removal of the desire to drink. The is what is meant by "carrying the message". Carrying the message and take someone through the twelve steps are synonymous. I have never seen it fail when administered and followed as directed. Never. And I' have been blessed to have been a party to more applications than many of my fellows.

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It is True -- Nothing is Free

Link: http://gourl.org/dsfaq

But how about you?

Are you free?

Perhaps it is a blessing that so many of us who have never completed our amends are also too afraid to sponsor others.

What is our real purpose in Step nine? Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us. Until we completely unblock the free flow of that Sunlight of the Spirit we are not going to be 'maximum'. We are not being asked to do a good deed a day, try not to hurt anyone --- we might leave that to the Boy Scouts of America. We are to be of MAXIMUM service and that means do ALL that we can – and that’s a heck of a lot more than just enough to stay way from a drink.

We can never be truly free from SELF until every vestige and prick of guilt -- every pang of worry; regret and morbid concern with regard to our past behaviors - the often unconsciously held negative notions that block what might otherwise be divine 'insights' - intuitive knowing and inspirations . . . . . that rob the God given energy that might otherwise allow us to do God's will instead of our own -- that turn us toward ourselves and usurp our attentions and concern form being directed toward God and our fellows.

^{Show me an alcoholic - man or woman - with ONE UNFINISHED AMEND and I’ll show you someone who cannot possibly be of maximum service to God.}

Just ONE will do it.

Mercifully, most of us in the meetings will never  have to complete our amends and we will simpy live dry and wry having our past indiscretions neatly stacked away in the abysses of our sub-conscious' minds thinking "HEY it's another day and I have not had a drink. How wonderful I am".

Why is that true?

It is because most of us are not real alcoholics. Most of us have that luxury. Just don't tell a REAL ALCOHOLIC that he has his whole life to finish his amends. If you do you just might kill him like it nearly killed Doctor Bob, me and some others who I am sure read this blog.

Dude, if there is just one person - any one - who you can reach right now via telephone or email - to whom you owe an amends - who is written on you eight step list - and you don't go away from this article right now and set up an appointment to personally meet that person - regardless of airfare, price of gas or promises to meet anyone save for the e sick and dying - or any other incursion of any other cost or inconvenience . . .

^{then please do not tell another living alcoholic in an AA meeting that you "follow these principles" in all of your affairs. It isn't likely that you do.}

You might may be a nice and pleasant enough person who does service to his group and makes a hell of a good urn of high acid AA coffee -and give great "share" in meetings - but now fraekin way you being 'maximum' and we will just have to settle for you in our lives that your minimalistic self-centered middle of the road way.

You are welcome! You are of minimal use to us - you might even be full of shit - but you certainly are welcome. Damn -- if I hadn't been welcomed even though I was an over esteemed full of shit AA bullshale dispenser I'd have never made long enough to see that truth about myself and recover. As alcoholics all of us are equally alcoholic - are we not? Or are some of us more equal than others in this regard?

Oh so .  .  .  .  "Four legs good, two legs better!"


Peace and Love,

Danny S - RLRA
Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

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Helter Skelter

Link: http://www.dannyschwarzhoff.net/screens/faq.htm

_{When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and I turn and then I go for a ride
'Til I get to the bottom and I see you again, yeh, yeh yeh
Lennon-Mccartney}


Have you ever heard of an escalator made of wood? There is one still in Macy's on 34th Street in New York that dates back to Lois Wilson's days when she worked there. I used to try to walk up the down side of it when I was a little kid. I would get up a few feet off the main floor and it seemed that I might successfully getting somewhere.

It felt good to make some initial progress but when I stopped the effort I descended and ended up back where I started – at the bottom.

Doing the same with a spiritual awakening brings a similar result.

The effort cannot cease or else we cease growing and end up at the bottom again. The problem is that once we get a few feet off the ground then the ego kicks in and starts telling us that we are surely spiritually advanced - perhaps even beyond our fellows once any spiritual progress has been made -- yet all we have done is barely scratched the surface.

This is what happens when sobriety becomes about “Not drinking” instead of awakening spiritually as is said in the Twelfth Step.

The maintenance portion of the Program does not call for 'getting' spiritual, 'being' spiritual, 'reading' spiritual or even 'feeling' spiritual.

It DOES call for GROWING spiritual.

That means spiritual progression - not spiritual perfection - but progress - doing things like working with other alcoholics to take them through the Twelve Steps to ensure continued growth. Many of us get the promises of sobriety - of establishing a relationship with God - a taste of spirituality and it is so darned good we stick with that. It is so much better than what we used to have, a spiritual void, that it is tempting to stay with it right in that place - where we hit it. But it is only the tip of the iceberg.

We simply do not remain recovered from alcoholism when we found recovery upon a spiritual awakening event in the past - whether that be twenty years ago or last Thursday. The AA Program is a design for current living - not a spiritual 'certification course' like CPR, a CDL to drive a truck or even a shingle to hang outside an office in the hallway of a rehab for "Addictions Counseling".

AA is a spiritual Kindergarten - not a spiritual paradise.

There is a lot of heaven to be found when we begin to live in the Fourth Dimension - but there is so much more that that crossing over the threshold. The co-authors of the Big Book, "Alcoholics Anonymous" knew a hell of a lot about alcoholism and how to recover from it but even they were aware that they knew only a little about the spiritual life - especially when compared to what is out there and yet to be reached by them at the phase of growth they were at when they scribed their book. Middle-of-the-road solutionists LOVE to toss out that line, "we know only a little" - out of context, in hopes of proving that what we do know is probably wrong - especially when they disagree with what is in the Big Book. Honestly - do they know how asinine that sounds?

We have to head toward paradise once we get our sea legs and it is a long and sometimes arduous but adventurous journey. If I awaken in the morning and don’t go anywhere or do anything then I may as well just climb back into bed and go back to sleep. I am not very useful to anyone. I am not being MAXIMUM. Not meditating is not being MAXIMUM and if I am not maximizing then I am NOT fitting myself to be of service to God as prescribed. I am doing my OWN program - not the Twelve Steps I can look at meditation as a good example.

I wish folks who do not meditate would NOT go around the AA fellowship telling everyone that they have done the steps and practice these principles in all their affairs. It’s a LIE! Ditto unfinished amends. Adding “To the best of my ability” as a qualifier, because they know in their heart-of-hearts that they are lying is the ultimate cop-out.

Why would I even think of this? Do I think that I am better than they are because I do meditate and I do in good conscience tell newcomers that I practice these principles in all of my affairs? Not at all. I wish they would not do it because it kills real alcoholic newcomers by presenting them with a false impression of AA's Program - The Twelve Steps Ask yourself this question: If Bill W's contention, that the Twelve Steps are simply a way to enter the "Spiritual Kindergarten" is correct then is kindergarten where we should be spending the rest of our lives? Or do we want to continue to grow toward something spiritually more? We do graduate. But to higher levels of spirituality not to a finish.

^{_{Look out! Helter Skelter ... she's coming down fast
yes she is
yes she is
coming down fast
Lennon-Mccartney}}

Peace,
Danny S

PS: I got blisters on my fingers!

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FOTS - Boston

Fellowship of The Spirit Boston

November 13th - 15th 2009

Hector E. from Los Angeles

Charlie P. from Austin, TX

Saturday Night Speaker: Danny S. from Cape Cod

Sunday Closing Speaker: Katie G. from Austin, TX

Please join us at our 3rd annual conference taking place at the Weymouth Elks, 1127 Washington Street, Weymouth MA 02189. The conference will began promptly at 7 PM on Friday night. Weekend schedules will be available at the door. Of course these can be subject to change.

Special Hotel offer, Please mention when you call: Best Western, 909 Hingham Street, Rockland MA - 888-878-5660. Register your room by 10/13 and receive a discount rate of $92.00 per night.

Download the flyer here and REGISTER seating is limited!

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