Wed Night AA Riverside Men's Group

Hello guys, This week we begin on part 2 of the personal stories in the back of the Big Book -  They Stopped in Time.  These are the stories of men & women who  "have never reached the advanced stages of alcoholism, though given time all might have."  There is peculiar old idea I used to have relating to this. Back in 2006 -ish,  I knew absolutely zero about alcoholism or AA but I knew I didn't drink like everyone else and I was sick & tired of being sick & tired. All of my efforts to curb my drinking habit on my own had failed. So after a  very polite suggestion  from my ex-wife, I called in to a Rehab center at a local hospital and they told me to come in the next day first thing in the morning. Suddenly I felt a rather irrational fear, I wasn't afraid that they'd put me in rehab, actually I was afraid that they would somehow think I wasn't  bad enough  to give me treatment. After all, no way was I  as bad  as those...

Hello folks, This weekend was amazing, the men's retreat out in San Juan del Sur was excellent. Eight of us from San Jose got out there and shared a truly unique experience with something like 50 sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous. One of the coolest things I heard out there was "if you put me on an island with nothing but a Big Book, my Higher Power and a case of Scotch.... I don't like my chances." Indeed, the fellowship is an essential part of this program. As long as its "Me & I" instead of "Us & we", my chances are less than average. But  with  the fellowship, the program & a higher power it never fails. This week we review  The Keys of the Kingdom p268-280 , look forward to seeing everyone!!  Best regards, David t. 2015 Meeting Dates 10/29/14 Speaker Meeting <David t> 11/26/14 Speaker Meeting <Roy M> -->Reading: Being Sober and Becoming Happy 01/28/15 Speaker Meeting <Steve W....

Hello everyone, This Wednesday night we'll be going over  He Sold Himself Short p258-267  in the Big Book. That phrase, selling yourself short, always reminds me of a little anecdote I heard in an AA room some years ago. Not sure if it's really pertinent to the story.... but  hell  I can't get it out of my mind now so here goes: The tale is of a fella who had been saving up for his first cruise boat. He didn't make much money so it took the guy quite some time to save up for this. Every day he'd put away whatever he'd have left in his pocket until finally he had just enough to buy the ticket. So he bought the ticket and got some vacation time off from work. Being that he didn't have much money and he didn't want to suckered into any big expenses, he decided to fill his bag with crackers & cheese thinking that would be a good way to save money. Once he was on the cruise, he'd watch people crowd into one of the luxury dining rooms everyday --...

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...