Daily Reprieve · Spring 2015

Singapore Intergroup News

The   Singapore   Intergroup   is   the   Service   office   that   has   been   established   to   carry   out   certain functions   common   to   all   A.A.   Groups   in   the   Singapore   community.   Operating   under   the guidelines   of   A.A.’s   Twelve   Traditions   and   Twelve   Concepts,   the   Singapore   Intergroup   is maintained,  supervised  and  supported  by  the  local  Singapore  A.A.  groups.  The  primary  purpose of  Singapore  Intergroup  is  to  aid  the  individual  A.A.  groups  in  their  common  purpose  to  carry  the A.A.  message  to  the  alcoholic  who  still  suffers. Intergroup  Minutes  for  Spring  2015 General The  meeting  was  attended  by  Intergroup  members,  members  of  various  committees,  meeting  reps and  was  open  to  anyone  from  the  fellowship.

Attendance   at   Damien   meetings   has   been   lower   recently,   and   will   be   monitored.   Boat   Quay meetings  continue  to  have  15  –  20  people  on  average.    Saturday  afternoon  meeting  at  We  Care  is now  close  and  attendance  on  Sunday  remains  low.  TGIF  is  well  attendee,  as  is  Novena.  World  Peace Café   meeting   continues   to   attract   members   and   Mana   Mana   also   continues   to   have   good attendance  on  Saturday  and  Sunday.  New  Primary  Purpose  Meeting  at  Church  of  St  Bernadette  is increasing  in  numbers.

• New  additions  to  the  phone  crew. • Investigating  best  option  for  the  long  time  fixed  line  that  just  forwards  to  the  pre-­‐paid phone. • Emails  are  quiet

• Group  literature  chair  to  arrange  order  of  required  books • Preparing  large  order  for  HIPI • Starter  packs  will  be  provided  to  new  groups. Website

• Feedback  on  website  is  positive • Looking  to  revamp  meeting  list  areas  so  select  members  can  edit  and  all  can  print. Newsletter

• Request  members  to  contribute  to  the  newsletter,  email  address  for  contributions  is newsletter@singaporeaa.org Meeting  lists

• Previous  print  run  was  600,  new  list  to  be  printed  with  300  copies  and  will  be  distributed HIPI

• A  member  has  volunteered  to  do  is  it  to  do  or  is  it  to  assist  somebody?  assist  with  a workshop  for  Concepts  4,5  and  6 • HIPI  member  reviewing  an  IMH  bridge  gap  function • A  workshop  is  being  planned  for  Singapore  Corrections  departments • A  male  volunteer  is  required  to  go  to  Mongolia  in  July  to  work  Steps

• Events  and  Social  Committees

• Currently  doing  one  meeting  per  month  and  planning  the  events.

• The  Round  Up  was  successful  and  it  has  been  agreed  that  another  will  be  organised • Considering  ticket  for  full  event • All  good  work  was  acknowledged  and  2016  Round-­‐up  sub  com  will  begin  investigations and  planning. Next  meeting  scheduled  for  9th  May  at  11.15  at  Boomerang. _  _  _ Focus  on  the  solution,  not  the  problem.  Follow  your  heart  not  your  ego,  Trust  God  not  people.~ Wilson  Kanadi Action  may  not  always  bring  happiness,  but  there  is  no  happiness  without  action  ~  William  James

Everything  in  your  life  is  a  refletion  of  a  choice  you  have  made.  If  you  want  a  diferent  result,  make a  different  choice  ~  Unknown Forgiving  someone  may  cost  you  your  pride,  but  not  forgiving  them  will  cost  you  your  freedom  ~ Charles  F.  Glassman,

Master  the  lessons  of  your  present  circumstances. We  do  not  move  forward  by  resisting  what  is  undesirable  in  our  life  today.  We  move  forward,  we grow,  we  change  by  acceptance. Avoidance  is  not  the  key;  surrender  opens  the  door. Listen  to  this  truth:  We  are  each  in  our  present  circumstances  for  a  reason.  There  is  a  lesson,  a valuable  lesson  that  must  be  learned  before  we  can  move  forward. Something  important  is  being  worked  out  in  us,  and  in  those  around  us.  We  may  not  be  able  to identify  it  today;  but  we  can  know  that  it  is  important.  We  can  know  it  is  good.

Overcome  not  by  force,  overcome  by  surrender.  The  battle  is  fought,  and  won,  inside  ourselves.  We must  go  through  it  until  we  learn,  until  we  accept,  until  we  become  grateful,  until  we  are  set  free. Today,  I  will  be  open  to  the  lessons  of  my  present  circumstances.  I  do  not  have  to  label,  know,  or understand  what  I’m  learning;  I  will  see  clearly  in  time.  For  today,  trust  and  gratitude  are  sufficient.

©  Melody  Beattie,  1990,    The  Language  of  Letting  Go,  Hazeden  Meditation  Series

Living  Sober I’m   the   type   of   Alkie   that   could   sit   and   talk   for   at   least   a   few   days   straight.   I   could   moan   and complain  on  countless  topics  or  be  quite  compassionate  about  and  sell  countless  others.  The  gift and  the  blessing  in  my  life  is  that  not  only  have  I  been  100%  sober  for  quite  a  few  24  hours  but  that also  not  a  single  thought  (the  obsession)  that  taking  a  drink  or  using  a  mind  altering  substance  has occurred  in  almost  as  many  24  hours.  During  the  one  time  that  the  obsession  did  occur  back  in  my early  days,  the  HP  or  Life  or  God  or  whatever  circumstance  saved  my  hide  as  I  was  too  stubborn  to pick  up  the  phone  and  make  a  call.  That  is  Grace!!! Now  the  strangest  thing  is  I  have  realised,  probably  for  the  first  time,  in  recent  months  that  the person  I  was  when  I  walked  back  into  my  first  AA  meeting  those  24  hours  ago  could  not  stay  sober no  matter  what. However   that   person   thought   they   were   making   a   decision   on   whether   or   not   they   would   be stopping  drinking  now  or  not.  That  person  thought  they  were  finally  deciding  to  get  sober.  They  did not  realise  that  they  could  never  get  sober.  That  was  a  delusion.  That  person  would  continue  to drink  at  certain  times  until  they  were  locked  up  or  die.  That  person  had  to  die  or  in  other  words  the thinking  had  to  be  totally  re-­‐wired  to  escape  from  the  obsession. Luckily  that  person  surrendered  to  the  HP  or  Life  or  the  Absolute  or  12  Step  Program  or  whatever you  want  to  describe  it  as  and  that  person  disappeared  (at  least  90%  disappeared,  the  old  me  would always  drink  again  ;-­‐). Another  thing,  the  person  that  walked  into  the  rooms  all  those  24  hours  ago  would  talk  and  talk  a lot  and  do  and  do  much  less.  Probably  a  ratio  of  98%  talk  to  2%  do  (maybe  I’m  being  too  harsh  on myself  but  maybe  not  ;-­‐) The   person   that   is   here   today   is   not   the   person   that   walked   into   the   rooms   that   much   is   for absolutely  certain.  Don’t  trust  me,  ask  my  partner  or  my  friends  though  they  will  have  a  different

perspective  on  how  much  I’ve  changed  than  I  do  (they  will  say  yea  seems  a  little  better  and  chuckle maybe  say  ya  honest  now  at  least  ;-­‐) The  person  that  is  here  today  followed  a  path  that  created  the  new  experiences  that  removed  the old  person  and  left  a  new  entity  that  thinks  differently.  The  person  that  is  here  today  at  least  has  a better  ratio  of  talk  to  do  and  at  least  worked  the  12  steps  as  if  it  were  the  only  thing  in  life  that  was important  so  that  they  could  honestly  see  what  the  12  steps  deliver  before  talking  like  they  were doing  them  and  not  actually  doing  them. The  person  that  is  here  today  is  extremely  grateful  every  day  and  cherishes  life  in  a  way  that  the  old person  could  not  have  done.  The  old  person  could  not  even  stay  in  the  day.  The  old  person  spent almost  all  of  their  time  thinking  about  the  past  or  fearing  the  future. The  person  that  is  here  today  did  very  thorough  and  honest  step  work  from  1  to  9  and  follows  the directions  of  steps  10,  11,  and  12  daily  in  order  to  ensure  they  are  on  the  beam. God  Bless  Alcoholics  Anonymous  for  allowing  me  to  die  before  I  die.  What  is  left  is  a  new  person content  with  what  is  happening  one  day  at  a  time. I   will   die   an   alcoholic.   But   one   day   at   a   time   with   the   12   step   program   as   my   guide   I   can   die   a grateful  alcoholic  and  not  of  alcoholism. Anonymous

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