Hello! My Name is Unassigned, I am an alcoholic and your leader for today. Welcome to the Back Bay Online Meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is a one-hour closed men’s discussion meeting and we ask that only alcoholics participate.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.
I have asked Unassigned to read “The Twelve Steps” (Pg. 59)
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
In order that we may get to know you better, we ask that any newcomers or those with less than 30 days of continuous sobriety to please identify themselves.
Are there any brothers here from outside the Orange County, California area?
Welcome.
This is a closed meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. In support of A.A.’s singleness of purpose, attendance at closed meetings is limited to those who have a desire to stop drinking.
If you think that you have a problem with alcohol, you are welcome to attend this meeting. We ask that when discussing our problems, that we confine ourselves to those problems as they relate to alcohol.
We like to recognize birthdays at this meeting. Is there anyone who has celebrated an A.A. birthday since last week? Would you please tell us your name, and your milestone?
I have asked Unassigned to read “The Daily Reflection” for today.
12:05 PM Unassigned Reads The Daily Reflection Reads
The meeting is now open for discussion. We ask that if you have been or are under the influence today, that you please abstain from sharing.
If you are new to the program of AA or would like to have a sponser help you out please reach out to us in the chat and we'll connect you with someone.
I want to remind everyone to please speak into your phone or microphone and to limit your sharing to 4 minutes. At 4 minutes you may receive a gentle reminder to wrap up your share.
At this meeting the leader may share first or choose someone to kick the meeting off. From there speakers call on each other popcorn style until everyone has had a change to share. Leader may randomly call on people to keep the pace of the meeting going. If we have any birthday men they may be given the opportunity to share first.
• There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership. Our 7th Tradition states that every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting declining outside contributions. We do have a virtual basket to pay for the Zoom platform and for the continued support of AA’s overall services. To contribute, please do so via Venmo by following the link in the chat section of this meeting.
• Welcome newcomers in their first 30 days by name: . Welcome home & please keep coming back!
• Welcome all brothers both inside this room and around the world.
• Congratulations to our birthday men: .
• Are there any AA or AA Related announcements?
• Reports:
• If you need meeting information, the phone list, a copy of The Big Book, 12 & 12, or proof of attendance please send an email with your name along with what you need to backbayonline@gmail.com
• If you would like to be included in the Back Bay meeting phone list please mention it in the email and include any details you would like shared with others such as your email, phone number, or sobriety date.
• Thanks for letting me be of service and thanks to our readers: Unassigned for the 12 steps, Unassigned for the Daily Reflection, Unassigned for A Vision for You and to Unassigned for leading the meeting. I will now turn the meeting back over to Unassigned.
Our book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.
Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.
May God bless you and keep you -- until then.
After a moment of meditation for the alcoholic who still suffers, lets end the meeting with a closing prayer.
• The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.