t voice · that’s where my true recovery began. i learned to trust my higher power very early in...
TRANSCRIPT
VOICE
email: [email protected] ———— Website: www.aaocalamarion.org
T
H
E
Central Office—Intergroup 17 1815 NE 19th Avenue Ocala, FL 34470 352-867-0660
October ‘19
Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we wrong promptly admitted it.
p. 84 Big Book—”Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear. When these crop up (show their ugly heads), we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and makes amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.” p.85 Big Book—”If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense.” ************************************************************
Tradition 10 - Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy. TRADITIONS CHECKLIST
- What in A.A. history gave rise to our Tenth Tradition? - What would A.A. be without this Tradition? Where would I be? - How can I manifest the spirit of this Tradition in my personal life outside A.A.? Inside A.A.? (answer the first question correctly and receive an A.A. bookmark) ********************************
The Steps are How it Works.The Steps are How it Works.
The Traditions are Why is Works.The Traditions are Why is Works.
Available now for
A.A. Marion County
2nd Sunday of the month Intergroup monthly meeting
@ 3:45pm Unity Place, 525 NE Sanchez
**************** 4th Thursday of the month
District 17 monthly meeting. 6:45pm,
Unity Place, 525 NE Sanchez
Meeting Guide App
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
“...we aren’t a glum lot.”
Alcoholic Anonymous,
1st Edition
The Family Afterward,
pg. 132
If you want me to stop
quoting the Big Book in
every issue of The Voice,
send me your experience,
strength and hope on
Step Eleven for next
month’s issue!
The Voice—October 2019 Page 2
District 17—Gratitude Dinner
November 16, 2019
Doors Open @ 5:30pm; Dinner 6:30pm; Program 8:00pm
Our Lady of the Springs Catholic Church
4047 NE 21st Street, Ocala, FL 34470
SEE YOUR GSR for tickets
Volunteer Meeting for Gratitude Dinner
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 @ 6:45pm
LOCATION: Our Lady of the Springs, 4074 NE 21st St.
ALL WELCOME
You’re invited to a
Searching & Fearless
FOURTH STEP WORKSHOP Sunday, October 20th ‘19, 1:00-3:00pm
Unity Place
525 NE Sanchez Ave, Ocala, FL Facilitator: Jay B
Free to all
Refreshments & Pizza served
HOLD THE DATE
Saturday, November 9th @ 5pm 1st Group Anniversary for
Belleview Speaker meeting —2 Speakers
Catered meal by Riccardo’s after the meeting
*********************************************************************************************
The Voice—October 2019 Page 3
Saturday, November 2, 2019 ~~ 6:30pm
first monthly (always 1st Saturday of the month)
Central Office/Intergroup 17
SPEAKER MEETINGSPEAKER MEETINGSPEAKER MEETING Queen of Peace (Parish Hall), 6455 SW State Road 200, Ocala, FL 34476Queen of Peace (Parish Hall), 6455 SW State Road 200, Ocala, FL 34476Queen of Peace (Parish Hall), 6455 SW State Road 200, Ocala, FL 34476 Coffee and Refreshments servedCoffee and Refreshments servedCoffee and Refreshments served
Intergroup District 17
Treasurer's Report
Date: September 30, 2019
INCOME
Donations: Group $1,830.42
Individual $137.08
Total Donations $1,967.50
Sales $ 872.22
Sales Tax Payable $(57.07)
Special Event Sales $567.00
Total Income $3,349.65
EXPENSES
Electric $103.43
Internet/Telephone $185.36
Literature,Coins etc. $616.58
Event Expense $180.00
Payroll $1,191.66
Med/SSI withheld $(91.66)
Printing $64.00
Rent $369.00
Intuit charge fees $14.63
Sales Tax (Prior Month) $73.68
Total Expenses $2,706.68
Net Income (Loss) $642.97
Checking Account $ 1,749.23
Petty Cash $100.00
Prudent Reserve $7,002.93
Inventory 09/30/19 $7,461.00
Central Office of Marion County - Intergroup District 17
Minutes - September 8, 2019
Present :Chairperson, Co-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Office Manager, 3
Members at Large, Representatives: Sober Yankees, New Attitudes, ,
Happy, Joyous and Free, Belleview Speakers, Sisters in Sobriety, Weir
Crazy, We Give Up , Last Call, Anonymity Group,
Primary Purpose, Anonymity Group, No Name, Living Sober
Meeting opened at 3:45 pm, with the Serenity Prayer
Introductions, Tradition, Officer Reports
The Minutes were read by the Gail, Office Manager. No discussion. A motion made to accept the Secretary’s report. Motion passed. The Officer Manager’s Report was read by the Office Manager. Tickets are being sold for the Picnic on October 5th. Meeting App is up and running. There have been less AA calls and more calls for Al-Anon meeting information in August. Motion passed. The Treasurer’s Report was read by Roxanne, Treasurer, Transactions are up this month. Spaghetti Dinner, Eat & Speak was a success. The event made a profit. Motion to Accept – Motion Passed Old Business A donation of $50 will be given to Queen of Peace for Walk this Way Conference and Linda C is working on a Mission State-ment for Intergroup New Business—Ginger and Roxanne spoke with Tia, Area Intergroup Coordinator. They will be attending an Intergroup Unity Day on Saturday, September 14. Intergroup and District are working on plans for a Volleyball game, scheduled to take place at the Picnic on October 5th.
Meeting adjourned at 4:45 pm with the Serenity
Prayer, followed by The Responsibility Pledge
Next Intergroup Meeting will be held October 13, 2019 -
3:45pm @ Unity Place, 525 N.E. Sanchez Ave, Ocala, FL
MASS APPEAL—Volunteers needed for
Men’s Corrections—District 17 Call Central Office for details (352-867-0660)
The Voice—October 2019 Page 4
Growing up, my friends and I loved to party and drink
beer. Before social media, it seemed like everyone knew
to call me for directions to the next party. Drinking
took precedence over everything important in my life.
Alcohol seemed to alleviate my self-conscious fears. Al-
cohol became the only way I knew how to be myself.
As a teenager, when my close friend died drinking and
driving, alcohol was there to numb the pain.
I grew up playing sports, but drank way too much in
high school to achieve my goals. I remember working
extremely hard to become a good wrestler, then blowing
it my senior year because of a series of alcohol-fueled
episodes, which included a DUI and 10 days in jail. I
also got caught smoking marijuana at a summer wrestling camp, which was held by a national-
championship university. Parents complained and I was given the boot for half of the season.
My coach was an AA member. He would always tell my mom that I was an alcoholic and needed
to go to AA. He often stuck his neck out for me. I let him down numerous times yet he always
forgave me. He was an extraordinary man who was loved by everyone who knew him. I know he
struggled with his sobriety. Shortly after I graduated, he also died in a tragic car accident.
Over time, my life changed from a big party to a huge embarrassment. I blacked out regularly.
Fewer people wanted me around. The girls who were once interested became aware that I was an
insecure, selfish, egotistical, immature drunk. I was becoming aware of these facts as well. I was
empty inside and I lacked the power to change.
By age 23, I had numerous misdemeanor offenses involving alcohol and had bee in and out of
prison twice for DUIs. I began using drugs to control my drinking and blackouts. Experience
shows this isn’t an effective solution.
In 2010, my parents divorced after almost 30 years of marriage. I moved in with my father and
we were both able to drink freely. My dad, a college graduate and former athlete, alienated him-
self from his lifelong friends and family. He sought out sordid people for understanding, compan-
ionship and approval. I remember doing the same thing during my own binges. As the cognitive
dissonance between my values and my behavior amplified, the pain of what I was becoming over-
whelmed me.
One day while I was at work, our home was robbed. My father was shot during the
robbery. He survived, but his health sharply declined due to his escalated drinking and drug use
directly after the robbery. All appearances of normalcy were shattered.
The progression of both of our diseases became acutely obvious. I needed alcohol just to get
ready for the day. I would check myself in and out of detoxes and rehabs. I attended AA meetings
in an extremely intoxicated state. It was becoming clear that I couldn’t get sober to save my own
life. I would run into old friends at meetings and see their lives getting progressively better while
mine was falling apart.
Driving always gave me a false sense of control. I drove to get away from home and because I had
nowhere else to go. I got two more DUIs in a short period. Plus, one night a man pulled his car
out in front of me on a major road and I crashed my car into his. Angry and scared, I left the sce-
ne. Thank God we both survived with minimal injuries.
The Voice—October 2019 Page 5
My own death was around the corner when my father passed away. He was just 54. Powerles to
stop his self-destruction, I watched him wither and waste away. Everyone feared for my sanity. I
was 40 pounds underweight.
Facing extensive prison time for what were my fourth and fifth DUIs, as well as a charge of leaving
the scene of an accident, I used money I inherited to hire a lawyer and went back to rehab. I
wanted to avoid prison, but I knew I had to stop drinking. Clueless about what being sober really
meant for me, I stopped taking some medications and started taking others. I manipulated the
system to get what I thought I needed. Looking back, I know I was just irritable, restless, discon-
tented—and scared.
I received a sentence of six and a half years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Luckily,
that’s where my true recovery began.
I learned to trust my Higher Power very early in sobriety because initially I was locked in a cell for
23 hours a day with people using drugs and drinking. Knowing I couldn’t stay sober in prison
without help, I did the only thing I could. I prayed.
The first yard I was on had the biggest AA group of all of the yards I’ve been on since. We had in-
mate-run AA meetings every day when the yard was off lockdown. Many outside AA volunteers
showed up on Wednesday nights, cheerfully and humbly, to share their experience, strength
and hope. I get tearful when I think about my cell door popping open on that first, cold, de-
pressing Christmas night in this Tucson prison. The outside AA volunteers showed up! I
couldn’t believe they had left the warmth of their homes and families on Christmas night to
bring us some hope. I got a lot of wisdom from these men and I’m forever grateful for their
example of service and action. We held Step workshops, where I’ll never forget an AA volun-
teer telling me that, “AA is not for the people who need it, it’s not even for those who want
it. AA is for the people who do it.”
I devoured literature and Grapevine magazines while working and reworking the Steps, however
imperfectly. After about nine months of taking suggestions, a funny thing occurred to me. I final-
ly saw the lies I had been telling myself and understood the truth. I needed to be in prison. I real-
ized that I hadn’t even been sober while I was in that expensive and long-term rehab with doctors,
therapists and psychiatrists. But I am sober now. Suddenly, I completely understood “that prob-
ably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism” and “that God could and would if he
were sought.”
Today I have more hope than I know what to do with. I went back to school and got my associate’s
degree. I’m currently working on my bachelor’s in business. I’ve written and published poetry,
quit smoking and I’m in the best physical shape of my life. More importantly, I have meaningful
relationships with God, myself and other human beings.
My mother is now a member of Al-Anon. It scares me how well we get along. Our old lives and
perspectives seem so remote.
I just celebrated five years of sobriety this past July. I am our prison group’s GSR (General Service
representative). It’s a pretty easy job because I don’t have to drive anywhere. Our group’s num-
bers wax and wane, but I’ve gotten to know two old-timer Hospitals and Institutions volunteers
pretty well over the years. We do what we can to make sure the hand of AA is available in here.
Recently we got permission to serve coffee and cookies at our meetings!
When I get released, I’m looking forward to doing service and carrying this message. It saves my
life every day. Tyler A., Globe, Ariz. Copy © AA Grapevine, Inc. July 2019. Reprinted with permission.
The Voice—October 2019 Page 6
GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS 2019 AUGUST SEPT Y-T-D
A Light in Citra $ $ $
11th Step Group $ $ 100.00
AA at the Garden $ $
Alive and Well $ $ 60.00
All Inclusive Altering Egos $ $
All You Need $ $ 135.00
Anonymity $ 15.38 $ 70.49
Belleview As Bill Sees It $ $
Belleview Group $ 40.00 $ 120.00
Belleview Eye Opener $ $ 229.00
Belleview Speaker Meeting $ 41.00 $ 99.00 $ 543.00
Birthday Club $ 52.00 $ $ 159.00
Breakfast Club $ 500.00 $ 2,200.00
By the Book $ $
Cabin in the Woods $ $
Came to Believe $ $
Came to Believe—There is a Solution $ $ 65.00
Carry the Message 4th Dimension $ $
District 17 $ 375.00 $ $ 750.00
District 17 Storage $ $ 375.00
Emotional Balance $ 111.00 $ 291.00
Eureka Group $ $
Faithful Fivers $ 20.00 $ $ 20.00
Free to Be $ $ 250.00
Fort McCoy $ $ 3.39
Forest Men's Group $ $ 103.00
Fountain of Gratitude $ $ 6.03
Grace Group $ 20.00 $ $ 100.00
Grateful Gals $ $ 247.50
Happy, Joyous, & Free $ 203.62 $ 210.19 $ 1,331.73
Headstart $ 532.45 $ 177.37 $ 1,483.39
Healing Group $ $
Heavy Hitters $ $ 46.55
Individual $ $ 94.21
It's Not Them $ $ 45.18
Keep It Simple $ $
Last Call $ 50.00 $ 150.00
Living Sober $ $ 314.50
Lunch Bunch $ 307.50 $ 705.50
Mano Abierta $ 20.00 $ 20.00 $ 140.00
GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS 2019 AUGUST SEPT Y-T-D
New Attitudes $ 74.00 $ $ 368.89
No Name Group $ $ $ 55.00
Now What Group $ $ $
Ocala Group $ $ 10.00
Ocala Men's Group $ $ 1,050.00
One Day at a Time $ 150.00 $ 200.00 $ 1,450.00
Perspectives II $ $
Primary Purpose $ 100.00 $ 285.00
Rainbow Group $ $
Shores of Sobriety $ $ 139.00
Start A New Life $ 75.00
Step Right Up $
Stop Whining & Sober Up $ $ 150.00
Strength in Numbers $ $
Sisters in Sobriety $ 69.50 $ $ 219.50
Sober Yankees $ $ 236.50
Sunday After Lunch Bunch $ $ 40.00
Sundae Social Group $ 50.00 $ $ 50.00
The Healing Group $ $ The Who 4th Dimension Group $ $ . Thursday Night Step Group $ $ Unity Place $ $ We Give Up $ $ 274.00
Weir Crazy $ $ 200.00
Young People's Group $ $
Total $ 1,608.46 $ 1,830.42 $ 12,536.84
thank you to all Groups and Individuals
who contributed to
Central Office of Marion County
(Intergroup 17)
The GSO Pamphlet - Self-support; Where Money and Spiritually Mix
10% to District 17 P.O. Box 3081, Ocala, FL 34478
10% to Area 14 NFAC Treasurer—P.O. Box 10094
Jacksonville, FL 32247
30% to General Service Office PO Box 459, Grand Central Station,
New York, NY 10163
50% to Central Office/Intergroup 17 1815 NE 19th Ave., Ste B,
Ocala, FL 34470
The Voice—October 2019 Page 7
Belleview Group YEARS Michelle H 9 Primary Purpose YEARS
Steve 5 Randy R 10 Dick T 23
Still Sam 7 Annie 12 We Give Up YEARS
Grace Group YEARS Pamela Z 12 Alison C 15
Kerry 6 Connie C 17 Mike M 34
Frank 18 Dean P 27 Mike B 35
Gene S 35 Laura B 27
Judy L 37 William A 33
Happy, Joyous & Free YEARS Jim B (Fishin Jim) 35
Don 2 Headstart Group YEARS
Joe A 2 Glenn 4
Robert C 2 Bob J 6
Stephanie E 2 Andrew S 7
Jeff K 4 Living Sober YEARS
Toni R 4 Karrie R 4
David M 6 Don P 13
Joshua H 6 Maryanne P 19
Justin M 6 Fred M 25
Michelle W 6 Lunch Bunch YEARS
Mike G 6 Kyle B 1
Mike Pa 6 Letitia H 1
Billy L 7 Amanda A 2
Rick F 7 New Attitudes YEARS
Robert Van H 7 Coral W 14
Tatum L 7 One Day At A time YEARS
Doug K 8 Nancy I 17
Matthew F 8 Dottie C 33
Sherry S 8 Gail A 33
Wayne L 34
24-Hour Hotline
352-867-0660
The Voice—October 2019 Page 8