We have started a Step 11 Meeting for those who wish to integrate prayer and meditation into a regular AA meeting. The meeting is held every Friday lunch time at 12:30 at the East Coast AA meeting room, Holy Family Church, 6 Chapel Road, Emmaus House, Room #02-03. We learn from each other on our journey to freedom and welcome you to a peaceful candlelit lunch

The Fifth Tradition Check List: Practice These Principles Tradition Five: Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic that still suffers. 1. Do I ever cop out by saying, “I’m not a group, so this or that tradition does not apply to me?” 2. Am I willing to explain firmly to a newcomer the limitations of AA help, even if he gets mad at me for not giving him a loan? 3. Have I today imposed on any AA member for a special favour or consideration simply because I am a fellow alcoholic? 4. Am I willing to twelth step the next newcomer without regard to who or what is in it for me? 5. Do I help my group in every way I can to fulfil our primary purpose? 6. Do I remember that AA old-timers, too, can be alcoholics who still suffer? Do I try both to help them and to learn from them? 7. When I share do I keep my sharing to my own experience, strength and hope as it relates to alcoholism or do I share on unrelated subjects and illnesses? © “The AA Grapevine, Inc.” (December 1969)

I wanted to be some body, some day I grew up in a very dysfunctional family and as a girl I was always regarded as a second class citizen in the family – my parents ignored all aspect s of my well being. Because of that, I developed a very strong will and character and wanted to be somebody someday….. My very 1st encounter with this “beauty devil” – alcohol – was when I was 16 years old. It started pretty nice and fun in the beginning and for many years, until I started to abuse alcohol and began to use it as an excuse to do all sorts of stupid and shameful things. Eventually, it led to the ruin of my married life, which only lasted for 5 years; I have made suicide attempts a few times and sought help through mental institutions, but always dropped out half way through. Countless years passed and I continued to seek comfort with this “beauty devil” in order to escape from facing the reality of my ruined personal life. I was in denial for many years about being an alcoholic; I was also an extreme workaholic! Strangely, I was very successful in my career; I even earned the name “iron lady” for that. I also earned the nickname “party animal” because I believed in a motto that kept me going for many years: “Work hard and Play hard” and I actually, naively felt so proud of it! 12th Jan 2008, was a day I will never forget. The day I acknowledged that I was an alcoholic, not a ‘social drinker’. During my first 5 months in the AA program, it was like honeymoon period; I never actually got seriously into working the steps, until I encountered someone who killed himself on Father’s Day. It was somehow a wakeup call for me to seriously reflect on my recovery journey and to ask myself ‘what do I really want from AA?’ I began to work on the 12 steps with a sponsor, but I was holding onto my stubbornness, self-will and pride. I was still full of egocentric behaviour and never wanted to take advice

from anyone. Needless to say, I banged my head against the wall many times; my personal life did not improve, worse still my career life was not smooth either because I kept grasping onto my character defects by using my self-will to run the show according to my demands and expectations. My first 2 years in AA was a rocky and painful journey because I did not fully concede and surrender to my Higher Power; it was Self Will Run Riot! So many things happened during my first two years of recovery – there were several deaths of my beloved family members and also close members from AA. My endless divorce battle in court with my ex- husband made me want to give up this AA program several times and just go back to where I came from –escape to my “beauty devil – alcohol”…… Recently, I just collected my 4th year recovery chip and I am so grateful for that, despite my early years of rocky journey in AA, I am so thankful that I did not give up easily. I came to the realization that if I do not put my effort, my heart and my soul into working my 12 step recovery program it can never bear any fruits. No pain; No gain! By going through the pain and mistakes I learned new coping skills and how to apply the twelve step tools in dealing with my daily affairs in all aspects of my life. I find it really useful and amazing! I do not want to use my old ways and self will to deal with issues and challenges anymore; they do not solve any issues at all and only brew resentments and anger. ACCEPTANCE is my daily motto every day of my life now, and I am a happier person and enjoy my life ONE DAY AT A TIME – Anonymous

Dear Singapore AA I love my Serenity Sisters Meeting here, and have loved every AA meeting I’ve attended in our travels and overseas assignments. The sobriety and fellowship are always great…it can be funny though… In Chiang Mai, Thailand, I knew that the meeting was in a local hospital, and took a taxi there, but couldn’t find the right building. Protecting my anonymity, I hadn’t told the taxi driver what I was looking for…but finally did, out of desperation. He exclaimed, “You are the friend of the alcohol!” and then knew to drive me right to the small building behind the hospital. I attended meetings for the year that we lived there. In Berlin once, I found the building where meetings were held, but didn’t know which room. I don’t speak German, and the janitor didn’t speak English. Finally, I pantomimed drinking from a big jug, pretending I was pouring moonshine down my throat and making the noise, “Glug, glug, glug!” He gave me a smile and led me to my fellows. I started working the steps when we lived in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. There were no organized meetings, but I did meet up frequently at a coffee shop on the desert road with another fellow. We always ordered a cappuccino and read from the program literature. We discussed, and shared, and sometimes we laughed. But every day I also ended up in tears. The waiter would come over every time, completely puzzled: why did this woman keep meeting up with this man who made her cry? Well, the answer is because that lovely Egyptian heroin addict and I were trudging the road together – tearful but clean and sober – and I am grateful for it ten years later, ODAAT! – Margaret

The Sixth Tradition Check List: Tradition Six: An AA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the AA name to any related facility of outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose. 1. Should my AA fellow group members and I go out and raise money to endow several AA beds in our local hospital? 2. Is it good for a group to lease a small building? 3. Are all the officers and members of our local club for AA’s familiar with “guidelines on clubs”? This pamphlet is available from the GSO. 4. Should the secretary for our group serve on the mayors advisory committee on alcoholism? 5. Some alcoholics will stay around only if they have an TV and card room. If this is what is required to carry the message to them should we have these facilities?

© “The AA Grapevine, Inc.” (December 1969)

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. – Buddha We do not receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can make for us, which no one can spare us. – Marcel Proust I’m resentful at them. I’m resentful at me for resenting them. I’m resentful at them for watching me resent them. Right? And I’ve had sex with all of them. – Scott R. Humility is the constant forgetting of ones own achievements – Anonymous Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves – Carl Jung If only I had a little humility I would be perfect – Ted Turner Two things alkies don’t like: the way things are…and change. – Anonymous The person I was drank. The person I was will drink again. –Unknown origin They never made a glass big enough for me to have one drink. –Kerrie It takes courage to live – courage and strength and hope and humour. And courage and strength and hope and humour have to be bought and paid for with work and prayers and tears – Jerome Fleishman