Sober & Fabulous: LGBTQIA+

We are Sober & Fabulous: Discover a safe space for support and empowerment at our 12-step, LGBTQIA+, addictive behavior support group in the center of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Join our inclusive community, based on the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, which are applicable to any addictive behavior. We embrace diversity and celebrate sobriety together. Whether you identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, or any other orientation or gender identity, you are welcome here (including heterosexual allies).Our meetings provide a judgment-free environment where you can share your journey, find solidarity, and access resources tailored to your needs. Experience the healing power of connection and embark on a path of recovery that honors your authentic self. Join us in San Juan in person or online and take the first step towards a brighter, sober future.

Simple Explanation of the Twelve Steps:

The Twelve Steps are a group of spiritual principles that act as a clear, actionable guide for a way of life free of addiction. Moving through the steps ideally leads to long-term sobriety, a stronger sense of purpose in life, spiritual wholeness and overall happiness.

While Alcoholics Anonymous created and defined the 12-step process and is the best-known example of a 12-step program, the 12 steps can apply to a wide range of addictions, compulsive behaviors and mental health problems. To date, 94 official fellowships that utilize the 12-step process have been established to address various issues.

Online meetings
all are welcome

We are currently offering online meetings at 7:15 pm every Wednesday evening.

Our Monthly Format Schedule:

Week 1- Step Meeting
Week 2- Speaker Meeting
Week 3- LGBTQIA+ Literature
Week 4- As Bill Sees it

All meeting times are Atlantic Standard.

Meeting ID: 875 6372 3056

Passcode available upon request

Welcome to Sober & Fabulous. This is an open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, based on the twelve steps and traditions of AA. This group is a safe place, and welcomes sharing about any addiction.

My name is __________________ and I am a(n) ______________  This meeting begins at 7:15 pm and ends at 8:15 pm (Atlantic Standard Time). We are offering online meetings to stay sober and carry the message. Please observe the following guidelines.

• Remain muted unless speaking

• Use headphones if others are nearby.

• Only have yourself in frame.

• No recording or screenshots. 

• Keep in mind this is a cross-addiction group so you are free to replace the word “alcohol” with any problematic substance or behavior.

I have asked __________________ to read THE PREAMBLE.

PREAMBLE

If you think you have a problem with alcohol (or other addictions) we in Alcoholics Anonymous invite you to join us. In A.A. you will find a community of kindred folks from every walk of life and “of every stripe”. For those of us who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning, A.A. extends a helping hand, an open heart, and a life-saving and life-affirming program of recovery. From the time A.A. was founded, with one alcoholic helping another in Akron, Ohio, on June 10, 1935, the hope of the Fellowship has always been to reach every alcoholic who needs and wants help. Together, we share an overarching and deeply felt kinship, as we’ve learned that anyone can suffer from the disease alcoholism. We have learned that anyone who wants to stop drinking can find help and recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous.

I have asked __________________ to read HOW IT WORKS.

HOW IT WORKS

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. 

Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it — then you are ready to take certain steps.

At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.

Remember that we deal with alcohol — cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power — that One is God. May you find Him now! Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.

Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.  

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Many of us exclaimed, “What an order! I can’t go through with it.’’ Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.

Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:

(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if God were sought

Is anyone celebrating an anniversary this month?

Is there anyone here for their first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous or first meeting returning from a relapse?

Is there anyone here counting days?

Are there any visitors who would like to introduce themselves?

This group asks that each person confines his or her sharing to the subject of alcoholism. We use a four (4) minute timer to ensure that as many members as possible have the opportunity to share their experience, strength and hope. Concerning “crosstalk”, please do not make any comments, positive or negative, about other people’s shares; please share only your own thoughts and feelings.

The format for this meeting is:
Week 1- Step Meeting
Week 2- Speaker Meeting
Week 3- LGBTQ+ Literature
Week 4- As Bill Sees it

30 MINUTES REMAIN:

Now we will practice the 7th Tradition.

The Seventh Tradition states:  

“Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.”  While contributions cover each group's rent and other expenses, the Seventh Tradition is essential at every level of A.A. service. It is both a privilege and a responsibility for groups and members to ensure that not only their group, but also their intergroup/central office, local services, district, area, and the General Service Office remain self-supporting. This keeps A.A. free of outside influences that might divert us from our primary purpose — to help the alcoholic who still suffers. The amount of our contribution is secondary to the spiritual connection that unites all groups around the world. 

7th tradition contributions are accepted through

ATH Móvil: 787-546-8191
or VENMO

Download ATH Móvil app or visit  athmovil.com 
🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇵🇷

Are there any AA or recovery related announcements?

We have books for sale and free literature available: AA Online Bookstore

We have found that sponsorship is an important part of the AA and other 12 Step Programs. Would anyone willing to be a sponsor that is actively working the 12 Steps, please raise your hand so others know you are available as a sponsor.

If that concludes announcements, the floor is now open again for sharing.

2 MINUTES REMAIN

I have asked __________________ to read the 9th Step PROMISES.

The 9th Step Promises

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us-sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them

Let’s take a moment of silence for the alcoholic and addicts who still suffer, followed by the Serenity Prayer.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” 

Keep coming back; it works if you work it.