Dear All, In early 2013, I was very kindly asked by the AA archivist for our area to write something about my own AA journey, since arriving in the rooms in Spring 1996.
He also asked me to write some words about how Alcoholics Anonymous has developed in Ealing since that time.
To accompany the two documents, or Emails, I also wrote some words to explain, why they were written.
I was then asked by my sponsor to set up a website, this website, so that others could see what I had written, re AA development in Ealing, since 1996.
God willing, what happened, and what we so very, very gratefully did, will help others along the road of Happy Destiny.
All those involved, and there were many, know that AA has given us so much. Whatever we do, can never ever repay what we have been given.
We pray the original Emails and now this website, helps others along our beautiful spiritual sobriety road.
Thanks for reading this, God bless you, your in my prayers, and may we pray that lovely AA does happily, and healthily spiritually grow and glow, thanks and God bless, Dennis.
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Dear All, I pray that whoever reads this, is happy, healthy, joyous and free, and enjoying all the beauty of this God given AA wonderful sober life.
I was recently asked, by the AA Archivist for our area, to write something about my own time in AA; and also to write something about how I have seen AA develop, in the Ealing area in that time.
I therefore attach two documents or Emails regarding this. I pray that they help in some way, to help beautiful life-saving lovely AA, to happily and healthily spiritually grow and glow, not only in Ealing, but elsewhere, everywhere.
Please remember that all these words are written by a man who seventeen years ago, was killing himself, not only with alcohol, but by his stupid, silly, selfish, self-centred, arrogant, agnostic, lustful, hedonistic approach to life.
I was a know-all, who actually knew nothing, who over 17 years ago turned up at an AA meeting, completely and utterly beaten. I was the lowest of the low.
I met people at my first meeting, who knew that AA is a spiritual programme of recovery; who stressed ‘the spiritual feature freely’ as mentioned on Page 93 of the Big Book.
They passed on to me spiritual ideas, that they were doing themselves, and that I started to put into practice my very first night in AA.
Ideas that I thought strange, but I now realise that they were all taken from the book Alcoholics Anonymous, our wonderful Big Book.
The Big Book, our God inspired spiritually healing book, that is the cornerstone of our fantastic fellowship, and guess what, they all worked.
Silly, silly, stupid me, but now a very humble and grateful me, has been doing these simple humble spiritual suggestions since that first day, and I have not had or wanted a drink in that period, thank God, thank AA.
Not only have I been sober all that time, but I am very, very glad to say that because of lovely God, AA, sponsorship, steps and service, I have continued to grow spiritually each day.
This is of course in line with step eleven, where through prayer and meditation, I am able to improve my spiritual connection, or conscious contact, with a God of my own concept.
It has been without a doubt the happiest, best, most beautiful and wonderful period of my life.
Through AA I have been able to establish a connection with a Higher power of my own concept. The world calls this power God, and the whole purpose of the Big Book, is to help the newcomer find such a connection.
This is outlined on Page 45 of the Big Book, where it says, “Our human resources as marshalled by the will, were not sufficient, they failed utterly. Lack of Power that was our dilemma.
We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?
Well, that’s exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem.”
AA makes finding this Power so very, very simple, to find, to accept and understand. At my first meeting, I met people who knew what I had to do, to keep and stay sober.
As well as their great example, I also had this great fantastic tough teacher called pain.
This was a great teacher, for it made me very teachable, and it made me very willing to put into practice the simple spiritual things, I was being shown.
Pain made me sit up and take notice, and put into practice the very simple but very, very effective spiritual ideas being presented.
I am so very, very grateful, not only, for my sobriety, but for the beautiful spiritual experience that the Big Book promises; by completing our 12 step, ego deflating, spiritual programme of action.
Page 79 mentions this on Page 79, where it says, “Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience,
we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be.
We may lose our position or reputation or face jail, but we are willing. We have to be. We must not shrink at anything.”
It is there for all of us, but we do have to be humble, grateful and honest enough to go through with the simple 12 step spiritual programme of recovery.
Pain certainly made me very teachable and humble, and gave me the willingness to pick up the spiritual tools of recover, and with the guidance of a wonderful sponsor, do the steps.
I certainly was a silly, stupid self-centred, know-it-all idiot when I arrived.
Some people may say I still am, that is their right, but I now know that all my pain was necessary, for it made me listen to learn, and then put into practice the simple, but very, very effective spiritual action programme of AA.
Believe me, no one despised myself more than myself when I arrived, but thanks to the love of God, and the beauty of the AA spiritual programme of recovery, I have been allowed to change; and to have and enjoy the spiritual awakening promised in the Big Book.
I would also like to think, that because I have done these things, I am not now so silly, stupid or self-centred.
Because of AA, I am now able to say that I am not a body with a spirit, but a spirit with a body, a body that the world calls Dennis. This is a great fantastic, wonderful gift or thing to know.
I pray that the attached Emails, answers some, if not all the questions asked about how AA has developed in the Ealing area since 1996.
I also pray that it also leads to even more wonderful growth in AA, not only in Ealing, but everywhere, all so the beautiful newcomer can obtain the fantastic beautiful sober spiritual life on offer.
This beautiful gift that has been so freely given by lovely God, wonderful AA and its wonderful members, I must daily give away in my every thought, word and deed to everyone I meet, greet, or think about.
It is a joy to do it, and we do it with joy, humility, gratitude, strength, purity, clarity, understanding, brightness, enthusiasm, and confidence from our ever loving hearts.
We also realise that God gives us everything, and that we must make use of our health, enlightenment, knowledge, youth, beauty, fitness, tidiness, cleanliness, energy, vitality, suppleness and discipline, all to help the newcomer.
God also gives us lots of love, gratitude, wisdom, purity, clearness, wellness, sincerity, honesty and humility.
All these qualities and many more, are given by lovely God, to help us help the lovely wonderful newcomer, and then to use the same qualities to help our families, friends, and other members of society.
This is of course in line with the words on Page 83 of the Big Book, where it says, “The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.”
Thank you lovely God, I am so very grateful, and so very, very appreciative of the new sober life you have given me, and also for the spiritual gifts and understanding, that you have allowed me to receive and be aware of.
I am also so very grateful, for the beautiful sober, spiritual life, available to us all, if we are humble enough and honest enough, ‘to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.’ (Page 25 of the Big Book.)
Thank you lovely God, thank you lovely tremendous, brilliant, wonderful AA. Mere words can never, ever, ever, express my gratitude to you lovely God, and to lovely wonderful, beautiful AA.
Thanks anyone for reading this, your in my prayers, as I am sure I am yours. Today in fact, the whole world is in my prayers.
May we also pray that lovely AA does happily and healthily spiritually grow and glow, all to help the newcomer, always realising that we were all at one time newcomers.
I daily remember, and am always so grateful for the beautiful and wonderful welcome I received. The people I met that first day are always in my prayers,
God bless all who read this, you’re all in my prayers, from a very, very grateful, humble, happy, healthy, joyous, pure and free, Dennis. Thanks God, I love you, we love you, lots of love, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PS Are we not blessed that AA was conceived in our lifetime.
Alcoholism has been a problem throughout the ages, and yet only since 1935, has there been an effective answer to the problem.
One that not only leads to sobriety, but includes a beautiful connection to God, the ‘promises,’ and the spiritual awakening mentioned in Step 12.
Thank you lovely God, all I can say in gratitude, is Wow, Wow, Wow, a million, billion, trillion Wows and more. Thanks we are all so very, very grateful, lots of love from all of us, on this Fantastic, Fabulous, Happy, Joyous & Free, Friday 22 March 2013.
Dennis (Ealing.)
