Wed Night AA Riverside Men's Group

Good evening gents,  This week we will be having our end of month  Speaker Meeting.  It's still not too late to volunteer if you'd like to share, although, we sure would enjoy volunteering you for you!!  Anyways, I'm not really feeling much inspired to write today... I'm just cruising on through to the end of my day feeling grateful to be alive, counting my blessings and giving thanks.  Happy 24hrs, David t.

Good afternoon guys, This week we'll be reading  Listening to the Wind p458-469.  I just finished reading it and it's a fascinating story.  Without any details, two things immediately popped out at me:  If this woman -who was a self proclaimed "drunken hooker" and wore the same dirty clothes for days on end- was able to find men willing to marry her and throw riches her way at the snap of her fingers.... She must be freakin' smoking hot!! How she continually went through horrors that others would of called rock bottom and kept going, it points out to me how  insensitive we   alcoholics are to those we hurt. I'm sure we could all be accused of this to varying degrees. As a result of these two ideas -I'll let you be the judge of which was truly the highest motivating factor here- I tried investigating the author to find out more about her. I found this page about the  Authors of the AA stories   but to my disappointment th...

Good afternoon gents, I feel like today is Monday for some reason, long weekends throw off my schedule a bit. But like a wise man said, "you are disturbed because you are disturbable".  This week we'll be reviewing  Safe Haven p452-457.  Last week, something intriguing was mentioned during the meeting about a letter Dr. Carl Jung wrote in reply to Bill Wilson. My friend Alex G. was found the letter and wanted me to share it with everyone. I've attached two versions of the same letter, one is in a much easier to read format (bigger letters) and the other is a picture of the original letter from the AA Archives (for the sentimental types among us).   Some of you may not know this bit of AA history or need a refresher like I did. So, a s you read the attached letter, here are a few things to  keep in mind: In 1930, Dr. Carl Jung treated an american businessman by the name of Rowland Hazard. Dr. Freud, who was Rowland's first choice, had  previou...

Good afternoon everyone!  I am getting an early start on the e-mail today so you know what that means... it's a slow Monday!! First, I wanted to thank our speaker from last week Alex G. for his excellent share. Alex gave an awesome share all while getting through jetlag and a traveler's cold -- that's going to any length baby!! This week we'll be diving into  He Lived Only to Drink p446-451 . I can already relate with just the title!! One thing I like about this last group of stories (Part III: They Lost Nearly All) is that even though these guys went about as low as you can go and although it can be hard to relate, not having experienced skid row or the likes myself, their  complete psychic change  ( ie : spiritual awakening) is so excessively clear that it gives me a strong sense of hope for my own life. When you're sleeping under a cardboard box over a hot air vent to keep from freezing one day and are on the AA general services board the n...

Hi, I hope everyone had as great an Easter week as I did!! Just to remind everyone this Wednesday night is a  Speaker meeting  so no reading is required. I spent a couple of days getting to know Nicaragua and it's people and it was very interesting. I saw some beautiful things but I also saw some things that made me really sad. It's so easy to take the little things for granted like being able to read & write and putting food in your belly. I came back with a renewed sense of gratitude for living in Costa Rica and the opportunities ordinary citizens here have to make a living regardless of political or social affiliation. Oh sure, this ain't no Utopia... but neither is anywhere else. We've got our cliques and our issues just like anyone else but when all is said and done... Life in Costa Rica is Good!! Happy 24hrs, David t.

Good evening everyone, Just wanted to send out a quick email and let everyone know that there will be a meeting this wednesday even though it is Semana Santa. We will be reading  My Bottle, My Resentments, and Me p437-445.  I would ask one favor because I am heading out for Nicaragua that very night at 11pm if we could all please arrive punctually so we can close a bit early I'd appreciate it (I know, I'm talking to alcoholics, it's a lost cause.... lol)    Let me know if you can make it please! Best Regards, David t

Good evening everyone, This week we'll be reading  Window of Opportunity p421-436 . This fellow's story is one of those self-admittedly short drinking careers gone awry. Most took far longer, with far more consequences, to realize they had a problem. However, when he talks about his behavior while under the influence, there is no denying his qualifications as an alcoholic. It's a very interesting story and it reminded me of how important it is to  identify  rather than to  compare. When remembering the times where I actively made the effort to  compare  my story and find how I was different, what I was actually doing was trying to shield myself from anything that could challenge my carefully constructed wall of denial. It was a hateful thing inside me causing this conscious separation of self from others  - The Ego.  When I was finally ready to  identify ,  I had given up struggling with the question, I admitted I had a problem and b...