My userID is Freyja, and I am a grateful recovered Al-Anon. My recovery anniversary date is January 27, 2004. I have a homegroup. I have several service positions, both in and below the homegroup level. I have a sponsor and quite a few sponsees. At the moment, writing this, I am most definitely working Step 12, part B: "...we tried to carry this message to others..." and, yeah, I've prayed today...more than once.

So, that's the stuff I always say upfront, because the requirements for membership in a 12 Step program and the requirements for actually becoming recovered are 2 very different things...but I'll talk more about that later when I get around to sharing my story...

Right now I just need to get a post out here that kinda outlines the purpose of this blog.

I am looking for stories, people!

For experience, strength and hope from recovered and/or recovering persons whose experience does not support 1) the need to explicitly exclude from AA from anyone who does not identify solely, or even primarily, as an alcoholic; or 2) the fear that the future of AA is in grave peril if such an explicit exclusion is not approved by the General Service Conference (...and, of course, we all know that the Conference has no power to force individual AA groups to conform the its decision, but that's not the point here: the point is that AA as a whole might even seriously consider this to be a good, let alone a spiritually-principled, idea!).

What I'm hearing from my sponsees -- many of whom are AA members (and I'll get to that, too, later in my own story) --  is that all of the stories, letters and anecdotal evidence that is being presented to their homegroups by their delegates and GSRs in relation to this agenda item comes from people who harbor the aforementioned fear and support the, albeit in actual effect mostly symbolic, resulting attempt at exclusion.

I really, really want to assume that no one doing general service in AA is still so sick as to actually be "stacking the deck" in this manner, but, if that is indeed the case, then a large part of responsibility for the lopsided way in which this item is being presented is on those of us whose experience not only does not support these kinds of spiritually questionable exclusionary practices, but in fact, actually would indicate that such behavior is almost invariably the by-product of irrational and self-centered fear.

So, I'm thinkin', after having been talking about this for weeks now with sponsees and other AA friends, that it's time for 'those people' to come forward and tell their stories...and I'll just post them here where anyone who needs or wants the information can find them.

You can e-mail me at:  only_1_freyja@yahoo.com

I will post your story unedited, if it meets the following criteria:

1. It is presented as your experience, strength and hope, not as a lecture or an opinion piece;

2. It clearly demonstrates a) how a more open and inclusive policy has helped and/or benefited you in your recovery or has contributed to your being able to help and/or be of service to someone else in his/her recovery; or b) how you and/or your recovery have been negatively impacted by rigid and/or exclusionary behavior and/or attitudes in the rooms;

3. You are civil, sane, and coherent and do not attack or belittle other people or other points of view;

4. You make a reasonable attempt to respect the anonymity both of yourself and others (i.e.no photos, full-names, etc... You know the drill!).



That's pretty much it. I'm not going to edit things because that feels to me too much like 'crosstalk' of the worst kind.

I look forward to hearing from you!

love,
Freyja

…because the trajectory of spiritual growth is always away from exclusion & separation, and always toward inclusion & at-one-ment.