"At one time . . . every A.A. group had many membership rules. Everybody was scared witless that something or somebody would capsize the boat. . . The total list was a mile long. If all those rules had been in effect everywhere, nobody could have possibly joined A.A. at all . . ."
–TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 139-40
I'm grateful that the Third Tradition only requires of me a desire to stop drinking. I had been breaking promises for years. In the Fellowship I didn't have to make promises, I didn't have to concentrate. It only required my attending one meeting, in a foggy condition, to know I was home.
I didn't have to pledge undying love. Here, strangers hugged me. "It gets better," they said, and "one day at a time, you can do it." They were no longer strangers, but caring friends. I ask God to help me reach out to people desiring sobriety, and to, please, keep me grateful!
From the book Daily Reflections
© Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.