Some may say that AA is doing just fine, evolving slowly to meet the needs of the times.
Others say we've gotten off the path, starting with the notion that Bill W.'s "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" replaced the need to study the Basic Text of AA - the book "Alcoholics Anonymous".
Some say that changing the meeting format from Step Study Meetings and Speaker Meetings, combined with the influx of newcomers whose experience with meetings began in "Treatment Centers" where group discussions seemed what AA meetings were supposed to be like actually changed AA meetings into group therapy meetings!
Why might this change not be good? Well, if the recovery rate among AA newcomers was actually 75% or better through 1960 and it is now 20% or less, would that suggest we've somehow lost our way? What would NASA do if it's success rate fell? What about the medical community? What about any other group or business or profession whose results can be measured?
Passing On a Special "Gift"
Once in a while we have to take a critical look at things, even the things we think are worthy and working well. Otherwise we may look up and find them gone.
Even A.A. as, it has grown, has lost some of its message. We need to return to our message, to our roots. The only way the message can be carried is through the Big Book, through meetings and through sponsorship. The Big Book has not changed; it remains true. On the other hand, our meetings have changed and sponsorship has changed. This may have caused us to lose some of our effectiveness.
Many years ago, each home group had two meetings a week: a speaker meeting, at which a person would talk about his recovery, and a Twelve Step meeting. The purpose of the Twelve Steep meeting was to make sure that new members could go through the Steps with the group's guidance. New people had the opportunity to get the program , and "old" people had the opportunity to work with the new people. Each person had a sponsor and was given so many weeks to work the Steps.
Many of our meetings today have become "discussion" meetings where people simply discuss their problems-like group therapy.
Tradition Five says, "Each group has but one primary purpose-to cary the message to the alcoholic who still suffers." If we refocused on the Big Book, on the Twelve Steps, on our message, I think we would see a lot more recovery.
The fellowship we have today grew out of the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous, written by "the first 100" people. But the fellowship has grown so big that I'm afraid many groups are not using the Big Book as they once did. I think members of every group ought to ask themselves, "Are we really carrying the message of Alcoholics Anonymous?"
What we need to say in our meetings is, "The things that you learned in the tretment centers may be helpful to you, but this is A.A. Here is our message."
Think about it: if you only have an hour for a meeting, every bit of the time that you use for other things, other subjects, pushes out the Steps. I've been to groups where after they read the Preamble, you didn't hear another word about A.A.
Bill Wilson emphasized three pertinent ideas:
Without being sold on these ideas, we have the phenomenon of people doing strange things like taking one Step a year, or one Step a month, and so forth.
Step 12 says, "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." So the key is to keep asking ourselves, "What is THIS message?" And there should be no controversy about what this message is. "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps..."-THIS is the message we are to carry.
If we work these Steps, we will have a spiritual awakening. It should be obvious that in order to carry this message, you must have worked the Steps yourself and had a spiritual awakening as a result.