Dear Friends, In this issue of the Daily Reprieve we feature a wide variety of articles. In So Precisely Wrong, we read how life can still be a challenge after long years of sobriety. And that it’s only by working the Program one day at a time that rough patches can be weathered without picking up a drink. In an article on IMH (Institute of Mental Health), Vikram talks about the service of carrying the message of AA to patients there and what it means to him. A newcomer writes about “My Life a Year from Now” (Provided I don’t pick up the first drink). I think the title explains it all! And from Los Angeles, Talia, friend of a local member, opens her heart about Relationships, and how she found the most important ones after a long search in the wrong places. This issue also continues our look at the 12 Concepts, with descriptions and information on Concepts 7, 8 and 9. Although they may sometimes be difficult reading, it’s important to know that the Concepts are there to guide us. As Bill W. stated, “… if mistaken departures are nevertheless made, these Concepts may then provide a ready means of safe return to an operating balance…* Seen in this light, the Concepts give us yet another thing to be grateful for! Wishing you a happy, healthy and sober Autumn season, Claire from: “The Twelve Concepts” AA Grapevine Copyright c. 1944-2012. AA Grapevine, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

So Precisely Wrong – My story When I first came in I did not know what was wrong with me, but I knew something terrible was wrong. I wanted to kill myself and others. I blamed other people for all the things that had gone wrong in my life. And I had a long list of grievances which “made me” behave the way I did. If you had the same sorrowful tale, then you’d drink too. With so much self-pity I lost all perspective. I refused to see the kindness, love and opportunities that had also been given to me. In sobriety, my grip on reality has gradually become stronger; it has been a long, slow process. In my case, living life as it really is requires constant awareness and effort. In AA I have gotten better at seeing “my part” in what’s going on in my life today or this week. I’ve learned that I need to manage my disease, manage my own self and my character defects, do my best, be honest and things tend to work out. The result: my life is better today than it’s ever been with peace of mind, serenity and a happy marriage and family life. Yet this past holiday weekend I screwed up in a fit of pride and anger at my kids’ school. My actions embarrassed my children, made my wife cry and upset folks at the school. I have apologized and the storm in a tea-cup may have passed. But all the while, in my mind, I was secretly blaming others, and trying to justify my behavior. So 22 years into sobriety I realize I am once again blaming others for my defects of character, my poor choices and my impulsive actions. It is clear I am not a saint. And the progress I am making is painfully slow. But I would not change a thing about the path that I am on and that I share with so many friends in AA in Singapore. Even though I keep repeating the same old mistakes, it is the only game in town for me – the thing that brings me peace of mind, hope, serenity, honesty, compassion and connection with fellow human beings. AA’s way of life does not protect me from life’s ups and downs, but for the most part I have learned how to deal with it and to not add fuel to the fire. The first and hardest lesson was living life one day at a time. I was always projecting into

the future and re-living resentments from the past. I learned that life is lived in 1-day units. Sometimes in units of 20 minutes at a time. Living this way, I have gotten through hard knocks of bereavement, lost jobs, broken heart, arrests, injury and stayed sober without needing to pick up a drink. I am one of the lucky ones: who loves to go to meetings, and goes to plenty even with 20+ years of sobriety. I enjoy service – helping others makes me feel worthwhile. Working with other men who are suffering and becoming healthy just never seems to get old. This is because Isolation was part of my problem. I protect myself from isolation by telling people what’s going on with me. Honestly telling them my feelings, fears, hopes, excess pride, envy, lust and the rest. The more “Bad Stuff” I get out of my mouth, the less that stays in my body to fester. I heard an AA speaker say “the more people who know me the free-er I am” so I try to let people know me, in the meeting, in the fellowship afterward, by phone, or talking with my sponsor. – whatever it takes to ‘spit out the poison.’ I look back at the 29 year old self who came into AA in New York: white as a sheet, anger buzzing from finger tips. Now I can smile at how precisely wrong I was about most important things in my life. I do not have to do it alone, I thrive more when I connect with other people. I do not have to solve my whole life problem today; I can live one day at a time, and do the next right thing that’s in front of me to do. I don’t not need a GPS to locate my life-problem. Its precise location is inside me, not “out there” with other people. The single biggest threat to my well-being and sanity is what goes in my own head. Turns out the problem is not other people at all. “There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.” Louis L’Amour