Wed Night AA Riverside Men's Group

Hello folks, This week we will be reading  The Man Who Mastered Fear p246-257  out of the Big Book. I really found this a fascinating story, one that I identified with quite a bit. I especially found interesting the story of how this fella was ushered into AA. First a well-wishing friend giving him room & board decides to not just hand him some dough and shove him on his way but instead takes him to some people who introduce him to Dr.Bob & AA. Later Dr.Bob & his wife Ann take him into their household for over a year to help him back on his feet. I think that story really exemplifies the giving spirit we find & learn from in AA (although they were definitely on another level back then as far as  literally  opening their homes goes).  As many of you know, we are getting close to embarking on the Men's Retreat to San Juan del Sur this October 9-12th. Communicating on WhatsApp  can be a bit haphazard. I was thinking if its possible for a...

Good Morning everyone, ¡¡Feliz 15 de Septiembre!! & Shana Tova!! In case any of you folks are wondering why everything is closed today, Costa Rica is celebrating their Independence Day today (our 4th of July if you will). September 15, 1821 was the day the Spanish withdrew their dominion over Central America and most Central American countries celebrate today as their independence day.  Additionally, today is the last day Rosh Hashanna, the Jewish New Year, is officially celebrated. May 5776 be a sweet and prosperous new year for all!!     In any case, I'm a bit short on time as I'm heading out to meet my  religious obligations . Just wanted to drop everyone a line and remind you this Wedneday night we will be reading  Jim's Story p232-245. Happy 24hrs, David t. 2015 Meeting Dates 09/24/14  Speaker Meeting <Larry H> 10/29/14 Speaker Meeting <David t> 11/26/14 Speaker Meeting <Roy M> -->Re...

Good afternoon everyone, First off, I'd like to share some great news we received today;  Ann Bender was found Not Guilty and all charges were dropped!!  There was a mention of it in today's mid-day news on local TV you may have seen. I'm so happy for Ann and her family, as I'm sure we all are. I can just see Greg's blue-eyed giant smile mounted on that freakishly herculean neck of his looking down in relief!! This week we'll be reading  The Viscous Cycle p219-231 , an excellent story and a much easier read than the last one in case you were wondering. This one gives a really marvelous picture of what AA was like early on. I often hear so much said about the early days of AA, about how hard-charging, unfiltered and un-watered-down they were... I wonder If we as a fellowship were better off then or now? I don't generally like hypotheticals ( coulda, woulda, shoulda  does nothing for me today), but the fundamental question is an interesting one. Which...

Hello folks, This week we'll be reading  Our Southern Friend p208-218 . The writing is kinda odd, this fella writes the way I'd imagine a deep southerner would talk. But it's really an excellent story and that's what matters. At the beginning he makes mention about singing "Sweet Adeline" and I've heard many, many references to this song through out our literature. Not being a southern gentlemen myself (at least not the southern part), I was curious about what the big deal with this song is. First published in 1903 by Richard H. Gerard, the song is considered a barbershop quartet classic. There is an excellent version of it you can listen to  here  sung by The Mills Brothers recorded in.... 1939 (is that odd or is that god??). The lyrics are as follows: In the evening when I sit alone a-dreaming Of days gone by, love, to me so dear, There's a picture that in fancy oft' appearing, Brings back the time, love, when you were near. It is then...

Hello folks, Just your weekly friendly remind for the Wendesday Night Riverside Men's Group (still getting used to saying it!). Anyways, this week we have a  Speaker Meeting.  I'm thinking it may be time to reset the speaker list, we've been doing the once monthly speaker meeting since January of 2014. Maybe we cut the list at a year?  I actually just got to share my story recently. The 5-7 minute version of it anyway. I was in Tamarindo last week at the "Waves of Serenity" Group and they asked me to open the meeting with 5-7 minutes of my particular brand of experience, strength & hope. All I could recall was the nightmare I had lived in Tamarindo about 10 years ago on spring break with my college frat. We were in some bar at the Tamarindo Circle and I'd started a fight with some local to earn flirting rights with some gringa (hope she was good looking at least, can't recall). A few punches were thrown and as we went down grappling at eac...

Good evening fellas, This wednesday we will be reading  Women Suffer Too p200-207  of the Big Book. Maybe a bit ironic for a men's meeting but hey... such is life! I may not be a women, last time I checked anyways, but I certainly relate with one of the major themes in the story; blackouts!  Although alcohol-induced blackouts or drug-induced ones aren't considered a definitive indicator of whether or not someone is alcoholic -as we like to say- It's a red flag! I looked around a bit to learn some more about blackouts and found this explanation satisfying: Blackouts are periods of amnesia caused by excessive rapid spikes in a person's Blood Alcohol Content (BAC), which cause an interference in the brain's normal memory creating functions. During a blackout a person may actively engage in a wide range of behaviors but the brain is unable to create memories for what transpires. This leaves holes in a person's memory that can range from spotty recall for the ev...

Good evening everyone, This Wednesday night we'll be reading  Gratitude in Action  p193-199.  I love reading these stories, there always so much meat on the bone; No matter how much you chew 'em there's always something else to digest... I'd like to take a moment, for those who don't know, to remind everyone that today was the first day of Ann's 3rd trial in Perez Zeledon. I often think so much about how wonderful the meetings were at Greg's place, how that helped kick-start my own recovery and I know that was also true for many others as well. It's easy to overlook the fact that Ann put up with us using her living room for pretty much the whole time!! She even made us food once in a while... she was as good a friend to AA as one could hope for. Her perseverance & tenacity throughout her entire ordeal is admirable. If you would, please keep the Pattons (Ann & Ken especially) and everyone who supports them in their quest for justice in your ...