Others will sense this too, and may withdraw from us. False pride is a new form will be back in charge. If this happens, we actually will be severing our own conscious contact with our higher power. We even become critical of the beliefs of others. One pitfall in this, however, is the risk of becoming “spiritually proud.” We sometimes feel that our beliefs are so superior that others should accept them as well. We know we’re on the right path by witnessing the wonderful changes that continue to come into our lives. Those of us who have found a Higher Power in our lives can feel truly blessed. Declaration of 30th Anniversary International Convention, 1965 When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. I pray that my spirit may be in harmony with His spirit. I pray that I may lose my limitations in the immensity of God’s love. But from yourself, from your sense of failure, your weakness, your shortcomings, whither can you flee? Only to the eternal God, your refuge, until the immensity of His spirit envelopes your spirit and it loses its smallness and weakness and comes into harmony again with His. You can get away from the misunderstanding of others by retiring into your own place of meditation. “The eternal God is thy refuge.” He is a sanctuary, a refuge from the cares of life. Therefore, the common practice is to call these things slips. People usually don’t know consciously what made them do it. And yet the thoughts that come before taking a drink are often largely subconscious. The failure to do so makes it probable that they decided to take the drink anyway. It has been suggested that people should always get in touch with an A.A. It has been said these are not slips but premeditated drunks, because we have to think about taking a drink before we actually take one. Alcoholics Anonymous is not anonymous, but its members should be. If these personalities happened to have slips, outsiders would think our movement is not strong and they might question the veracity of the miracle of the century. It would be harmful if the Fellowship promoted itself by publicizing, through the media of radio and TV, the sobriety of well-known public personalities who became members of A.A. The miracle of continuous sobriety of alcoholics within A.A. affiliation to achieve recognition, power, or personal gain.Īttraction is the main force in the Fellowship of A.A. At the level of press, radio, TV, and films, anonymity stresses the equality in the Fellowship of all members by putting the brake on those who might otherwise exploit their A.A. At the personal level, anonymity provides protection for all members from identification as alcoholics, a safeguard often of special importance to newcomers.
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