....”One day I tackled the biggest one I had $27,000.00.I went to see them and we agreed on a monthly payment.Every month I sent in the payment. A lot of months my wife and I didn`t know how we were going to make it financially. Somehow we did.To my amazement, there were times I went to get the mail out of the mailbox and found a small check in there for various reasons.My Faith in AA,my sponsor,and God grew during those tough times.12 years later I mailed the last payment in.Free at last!I was thinking about it one day,and now I can see what my wise sponsor meant.Things would work out if I just did what I was supposed to do be-cause it was in God`s hands. Today I go to the small local towns and I am welcomed by the lo-cal merchants.I hold my head up and I do not have to be ashamed today or dodge anyone.My debt has been paid in full, thanks to the guidance found in AA.”....

....”My early sobriety was difficult - my circumstances got worse before my life got better. For the first time, I was suffering the consequences of my drink-ing. My now ex filed for divorce when I was 9 days sober, I was declared an unfit parent and denied visitation, and was living in my childhood bedroom @ 36 years old. I stayed sober through all of it with the strength of God, the experience of a sponsor, the freedom received from living the 12 steps and the love of a home group and AA. On my 60th day of sobriety, I testified in a hearing and admitted to the Judge that I am an alcoholic and drug addict. And, I do have a sponsor, I am working the steps and I have been to a meeting everyday for 60 days. The Judge granted me full visitation with my two daughters. That was in April of 2000. My new life has only gotten better since then!””...

...”After 20 years of sobriety, I keep coming back. I love to help out and help the new man. The old timers freely helped me and I just want to do the same. So,lets all “keep coming back!”...

...”Early on, I was told to pray for people right there in the meeting. So, when someone is struggling or seems like a jerk, I

ask that they be blessed according to Divine will. I also try to remember to say a Thank You for each person’s sobriety as they speak. I never know whose words will keep me sober if I need a reminder. For a little more than 19 years, HP has given me sobriety to use in service. Many times the only service I can render is in prayer. An old-timer with 50yrs told me that she may not always need a meeting, but someone at the meeting al-ways needs her. Another old-timer told me that you never know whose mouth HP is going to want to use, so stay available, with ears open and heart humble.”...

...”Down here in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, I have been going to meetings everytime I visit. Changes the vacation. To know people, AAs, are everywhere, makes traveling much more interesting.”...

...”Alcoholics Anonymous is the only group of people that has established a very interest-ing way to teach me, without boring me. AA has made it possible for me to finally learn what it is to be responsible. I never would have guessed that by being responsible, it would free me from the bondage of self. I had been so miserable for all my 44 years of life. I had no self esteem, I was afraid of everything (though I would not admit it), and my reflection in the glass kept saying to me grow up. Only AA made it possible to change all that. AA introduced me to God. And they made it possible to bring God down here to earth at my level. How do I thank AA? I go to meetings...& pass AA on to those still suf-fering.”...

...”I continue to go to meetings for a va-riety of reasons, mostly because it is where I hear God speaking to me, and I need to remember where I came from. Also, I feel I owe it to AA to be giving back something to the program that saved my life. It’s the least I can do. Also, time and time again, I’ve seen drunks in AA go back out again once they stopped going to meet-ings. I’m not taking that chance.”...

Step TwoCame to believe that a Power greater than

ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Tradition TwoFor our group purpose there is but one ultimate

authority—a loving God as He may express Him-self in our group conscience. Our leaders are but

trusted servants; they do not govern.

Concept TwoWhen, in 1955, the A.A. groups confirmed the permanent charter for their General Service

Conference, they thereby delegated to the

Conference complete authority for the active maintenance of our world services and thereby

made the Conference — excepting for any change in the Twelve Traditions or in Article 12 of the

Conference Charter — the actual voice and the effective conscience for our whole Society.

~Reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.~

iSay ForumCollections From the Grapevine Forum

February, 2009 Orlando, Florida

February 2009 Announcements & Business

2

The InTeRgRoupeR needS ARTIcleS!!Submit to:

cfi@embarqmail.com. See the flier on how to get creatively “un-

blocked” if you have a hard time writing... this is YOUR Intergrouper, so let’s hear from you!!!

what’S going on?

HAPPY HOUR GROUP299 Live Oaks Blvd, Bldg 6 Casselberry 32707 WEDNESDAY NITES - 7:30 B4 BEGINNERS MEETING

CHARCOAL GRILLED HAMBURGERS ARE BACK!

GRILLED TO PERFECTION BY The GRILLMASTER

new aa MeetingNAME: Problems and SolutionsTYPE: Men’s Closed Discussion

DAY: MondayTIME: 6:30 PM

AREA: Orlando WestLOCATION: Holy Family Church, 5125

Apopka-Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32819Life Center - Meeting Room #1

Florida hospital Meeting Monday 8PMNew Life Group established in 1983!Has to be moved - this group is in the process of finding a new location.Call Intergroup for more info to come.

Rollins CollegeWants a meeting - One day a weekMonday - FridayYou pick the dayContact Intergroup if you are a team that can supportthis need in the community.It is a commitment ~ consistency required.

treatment Meeting Change2nd Thursday of the month 6:30 PMLooking for a new location to meet.If you have any opportunities for thisgroup contact Intergroup andd leave a message forPR & PR Chair

February 2009

33

4th StepSeminar

4th Step Seminar2/21/09 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

@Central Group 310 East Colonial DrOrlando, Fl 32803

Announcements & EventsFebruary Events

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

8 9. 10. District 186:30pm @ St.Stephen’s Lutheran Church2140 W. SR 434Longwood

11. Service Com-

mittee meeting @ Intergroup 6:30 pm.

12. _Treatment Committee Meeting First Thurs. of every month side room of the Greenhouse 630 PM-7:30 PM

13. 14.

15.

16. 17District 117:15pm @ Made a Beginning GroupFirst Unitarian Church1901 E. Robinson St. Orlando

18. 19. 20. 21.4th Step Seminar2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.Central Group

22.Delegate’s meeting @ Central 11:30 AM

23.District 106:30pm @ The Green-house990 Lewis DrWinter Park

24.District 9 Meeting ODAT 4971 W Colonial Dr. Orlando same time 6:30 PM

25. 26. 27. 28.Hot Line Training at CFI 11 AM

Writer’sWorkshop!Saturday, January 31st, 2009The editor of the Intergrouper will be holding a

workshop to help members who are interested in writing their stories down, but have writer’s block. Be at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church2140 West State Road 434Longwood, FL 327791:30-3:30pmBring an 8.5x11” paper pad and a penAny questions? Call Intergroup407-260-5822

February Hot Line CalendarSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1._______________6-9Marion-------------9-1Steve A------------1-5Chris --------------5-10GH----------------10-6

2.---------------------6-9Tom---------------9-1Cindy--------------1-5FTH---------------5-10Brandy J---------10-6

3.Brenda--------------6-9Hugh--------------9-1Jimmie-------------1-5Anne K-----------5-10Chuck------------10-6

4.Phil T--------------6-9---------------------9-1Bette H------------1-4Brenda------------4-10Joe.S--------------10-6

5.Brenda----------- 6-9Sam P--------------9-1Jean-------------- 1-4--------------------4-10Brandy J--------10-6

6.--------------------6-9David J------------9-1Tom G------------1-5HAC--------------5-10Val-----------------10-6

7.Paul-----------------6-9Blake----------------9-1Central-------------1-5Colin---------------5-10Kevin C.---------10-6

8 ---------------------6-9Marion------------9-1Steve A-----------1-5CPT--------------5-10GH---------------10-6

9.---------------------6-9Tom---------------9-1 Brenda------------6-9FTH---------------5-10Brandy J----------10-6

10. Brenda--------------6-9Hugh----------------9-1Jimmie-------------1-5Anne K-------------5-10Carla---------------10-6

11. Phil T--------------6-9---------------------9-1Bette H------------1-4Brenda------------4-10Joe S--------------10-6

12. Brenda----------- 6-9Sam P----------- -9-1Jean-------------- 1-4--------------------4-10Brandy J--------10-6

13.--------------------6-9David J------------9-1Tom G------------1-5PIO ---------------5-10Wade-------------10-6

14.Paul-----------------6-9----------------------9-1Central-------------1-5J.W.G.------------5-10Kevin C.---------10-6

15. ---------------------6-9Marion------------9-1Steve A-----------1-5Chris -------------5-10GH---------------10-6

16.---------------------6-9Tom---------------9-1Cindy-------------1-5FTH---------------5-10Brandy J---------10-6

17Brenda--------------6-9Hugh----------------9-1Jimmie-------------1-5Anne K-------------5-10Chuck--------------10-6

18.Phil T--------------6-9---------------------9-1Bette H------------1-4Brenda------------4-10Joe S--------------10-6

19.Brenda----------- 6-9Sam P----------- -9-1Jean-------------- 1-4-------------------4-10Brandy J--------10-6

20.--------------------6-9David J------------9-1Tom G------------1-5HAC--------------5-10Val----------------10-6

21.Paul-----------------6-9Blake----------------9-1Central-------------1-5Colin---------------5-10Kevin C.----------10-6

22.---------------------6-9Marion------------9-1Steve A-----------1-5CPT-- ------------5-10GH---------------10-6

23.---------------------6-9Tom---------------9-1Cindy--------------1-5FTH---------------5-10Brandy J---------10-6

24.Brenda--------------6-9Hugh----------------9-1Jimmie-------------1-5Anne K-------------5-10Carla---------------10-6

25.Phil T--------------6-9---------------------9-1Bette H------------1-4 Brenda------------4-10Joe S--------------10-6

26.Brenda----------- 6-9Sam P----------- -9-1Jean-------------- 1-4-------------------4-10Brandy J-------10-6

27.--------------------6-9David J------------9-1Tom G------------1-5PIO---------------5-10Wade-------------10-6

28.Paul----------------6-9---------------------9-1Central------------1-5J.W.G.------------5-10Kevin C.---------10-6

February 2009 Hotline/Donations

4

Thanks to “The HOTLINE & 12TH STEP VOLUNTEERS in February AA Groups: FTH-From the Heart•PIO-Pass It On• LWD-Longwood Group GH-Greenhouse•CPT-College Park Triangle•LSA-Living So-ber Apopka•Central• HAC-Hope & Courage.

12 to Life ........................................... $75.00Apopka Big Book ........................... $20.00Back to Basics .................................. $50.00Blue Bottoms ................................. $100.00Celebrate the Morning ................ $100.00College Park Triangle .................... $50.00Conway ............................................ $30.00Dr Phillips ..................................... $250.12Happy Hour................................... $150.00Hi Sobriety ...................................... $60.00

Lake Underhill ................................ $20.00Longwood Big Book .................... $700.00Oviedo Group ............................... $200.00Pink Clouds ..................................... $30.00Sober Won ..................................... $240.00Tanglewood ..................................... $40.00Wake Up Call .................................. $80.00Wekiva Women’s .......................... $242.50Westlake Group ............................ $107.00

DeCeMbeR gRoUP DonationS

TOTAL GROUP DONATIONS: ............. ....................................................... $2,544.62INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:Anonymous ....................................... $5.00TOTAL INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS: ............................................................... $5.00TOTAL DONATIONS: ............. $2,549.62

February 2009Hotline/Donations Anniversaries

5

DecemberGREENHOUSE GROUPSal C. ...............................3 Yrs.Joe C. .................................1 Yr.Sheri W. .........................2 Yrs.Brian F. ..........................18 Yrs.Carolyn H........................2 Yrs

FRIENDSHIP GROUPKEN J. ..........................38 YRS

PASS IT ON GROUPBob C ............................ 1 yearMark A ......................... 1 yearLinda T ..................... 28 years

WAKE UP CALLSandy O. .....................12/09/88Mike L. ......................12/14/03Marty P. ......................12/15/06Russ H. .......................12/20/06Bradley H. ..................12/23/07Stan M. .......................12/26/00

JanuaryGREENHOUSE GROUPJenny O. ...........................1 Yr.Mike F. .........................16 Yrs.Jim W. ............................3 Yrs.Mario P. .........................2 Yrs.John L. ...........................4 Yrs.Brahm F. ...........................1 Yr.

APOPKA MONDAY NIGHT GROUP Jack R. ....................... 28 years

DECISIONS GROUPFrank F. .........................4 yearsTim G. ...........................6 yearsTheresa H. ....................3 yearsJohn M. ...........................1 yearMeagan M. .................15 yearsEd N. .............................7 yearsKarl R. .........................10 yearsKay S. ..............................1 yearMartin T. .......................3 years

FebruaryAPOPKA MONDAY NIGHT GROUPHillary G. ...................... 1yearRobert C. ....................... 1year

GREENHOUSE GROUPMary K. ........................17 Yrs.Jenn M. ............................1 Yr.Chuck H. .......................5 Yrs.

PASS IT ON GROUPCreighton H ............... 2 yearsHenry V ...................... 5 yearsJohn G ....................... 23 yearsScott R ......................... 3 yearsEllen M ....................... 2 yearsJeanette ......................... 1 yearJoanne S ..................... 3 yearsKaren B ....................... 2 yearsLaura L ........................ 2 Years

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS GROUPDavid B. ...................... 2 yearsDon Y. ......................... 3 years

LONGWOOD GROUPBeth G ....................... 23 YearsPatty H ...................... 10 YearsMike G. ..................... 10 Years

SEAGULLS GROUPBill G. .........................26 yearsCharlie S. ...................20 years

DECISIONS GROUPMicheal .........................2 yearsPilar .................................1 yearTom C. .........................31 yearsCathy D. .........................1 yearJeanine T. ...................17 yearsArmando V. ..................3 years

COLLEGE PARK TRIAN-GLE GROUP:Susan L. ...................... 4 yearsDiane T. ...................... 4 yearsJohn G. ...................... 23 years

JUST DO IT GROUP Joanne S. ............ Feb 16 2006

WINTER PARK GROUPSarah S ....................................1Kevin O- .................................1Forrest M ................................1April B ....................................2Erica D ....................................2Chris W ...................................2Greg S .....................................2Kevin B ...................................3Peter M ...................................3Alain S ....................................3Tom P ......................................3Tig M.......................................3Tracie F ...................................3Cheri N ...................................3Daryl H ...................................3Dale F ......................................3Spencer W ..............................4George P .................................4Bob U ......................................4Barry M...................................4John S .....................................5John L .....................................6Liane L ....................................6Dave N ....................................6Jason M...................................7Adriane T ...............................9Dan S ....................................10Eilene K ................................15Janine F.................................16Denise F ...............................19Ray R.....................................19Bill H .....................................22Elaine H ................................22Jack B ....................................23Mary Alice V .......................23Mike P ..................................26Rick P ....................................29Frank S .................................31Carolyn P .............................36

THREE LEGACIES GROUPPaul L. .............................4 YrsJim C. .............................. 2 YrsEd S. ..................................1 YrMarian ............................2 Yrs

THE HOME GROUPBasia H. ..................... 48 years

HIGH NOON GROUPBecky A ..........................1 yearBev R ...........................22 yearsEric S ...............................1 yearRick B ...........................6 yearsScott S .............................1 yearSherry B ........................6 years

WAKE-UP CALL GROUPAllison C. ................... 7 yearsTerri M. ...................... 20 yearsTravis M. .................... 2 yearsTina S. ........................ 16 yearsMarty P. ....................... 3 yearsJohn T. .......................... 7 yearsMike H. ...................... 2 yearsMikey J. ....................... 7 yearsErik O. ........................ 3 yearsMisty R ........................ 6 years

SOBER WON GROUPMaria V. ................... 23 years Jeff L. .......................... 5 years Sue E. ........................... 7 years George G. ................ 18 years Derrick R. .................. 3 years Stephen R. ................. 2 years Jeremy H. .................... 1 year Jeff J. ........................... 3 years Jim M. ........................ 2 years Tom C. ........................ 4 years Frank McK. .............. 8 years

CLEAN AIR GROUPMaritza M. ............................. 1Joe B. ..................................... 32 Toni K. .................................... 2CarrieR. .................................. 2Michael P. ............................... 1

HAPPY HOUR GROUPSam C. .........................21 yearsCheryl B. ........................1 yearBarb D...........................2 years

CORRECTION

THE LONGWOOD GROUPRoy J has 12 Years NOT 2

years as listed in the January Intergrouper

February 2009

6

Stories

tradition 1Our cOmmOn welfare shOuld cOme first; persOnal recOvery

depends upOn aa unity.

We have now, and will continue to have, differences of opinion

with regard to the subject of drug ad-dicts in AA, as well as the role of treat-ment centers and their relationship with AA and countless other issues. Even the controversy over the health effects of smoking has become a divisive issue. Whatever happens, however, I believe we should continue to protect our First Tradition.

My own involvement in a controversy came when I was a delegate to the 24th General Service Conference in 1974. The problem set before us was whether or not special purpose groups should be al-lowed to be so identified and listed in the AA World Directory. The groups under debate were gay groups.

It is the policy of the Conference to attempt to get, as nearly as possible, unanimous agreement on every issue, and as part of that process, the chair-person gives the minority voters ample opportunity to express their opinions. In this case there was a significant minority group that voted, emphatically, no to the question of gay groups being listed. The chairperson called a night session on the issue. We continued to argue for perhaps two full days.

Eventually, a nonalcoholic trustee stood and said, “What will be the harm in listing special purpose groups?” An-other vote was called and the vote was practically unanimous: yes. That was twenty-one years ago, and I’m not aware of any detrimental effects caused by this action.

I believe I’m qualified to comment on this incident because I was one of those who voted with the minority, until a sim-ple question allowed my reason to take

precedence over my pride. The Fellow-ship is flexible enough to deal with peo-ple having different ideas and customs so long as each group remembers that our primary purpose is to stop drinking and help others to achieve sobriety. The principle of “singleness of purpose” can and must still be applied. The principles of Alcoholics Anonymous are so de-signed that no person can be eliminated for any reason, other than disruption of the meeting, so long as they have a desire to stop drinking.

We will continue to have differences of opinion on certain issues, and I won’t attempt to say who is right or wrong. I will continue to respectfully request permission to express my views on any controversial issue. The point is that we should try to discuss our differences in a positive manner. Let’s be agreeable in our disagreements. If we keep on going to meetings and we keep on studying the Steps, we will eventually agree on the proper resolution of each issue. So long as we allow the spirit of the Steps and the Traditions to prevail, and we let our own Higher Power or God as we understand him to guide us through an informed “group conscience,” then AA is on solid ground. But if I demand that you adhere to my point of view on any given issue, then I’m wrong even if I’m right.

The General Service Office manager who served as chairperson for some of the general assemblies wherein this topic was debated retired a few years later. Upon retirement, he was asked what he thought posed the greatest threat to the continuing health and well-being of Alcoholics Anonymous. He said that he thought our rigidity, or our failure to lis-ten to an opposing viewpoint, posed a greater threat than did outside issues.

Realizing that I am not responsible “for” anyone else’s sobriety but that I have an intense responsibility “to” others, I always try to say a little silent prayer before I speak, whether it be in a one-to-one situation or before a group: “Dear God, please help and guide me in passing the message. Even though I may not say or do anything that will help an-

other person, please help me to not say or do anything that will harm anyone.”

May God as you understand him continue to hold you in the palm of his hand.

Brian G.Lubbock, Texas

aa in historythe washingtOnians:

the cOnclusiOn (frOm January’s issue)

WHAT was the valuable secret that the Washingtonians had stum-

bled upon, and why was the movement such a success?

To begin with, they were the first to dis-cover the now widely admitted fact that no one is quite so well equipped to help the chronic alcoholic as the ex-drunk. Here is no superior person, short on sympathy and long on advice, but a fellow sufferer who has been through the mill and knows all the answers. “An inescapable symbol of the successful escape from pain”--to quote Professor Selden Bacon of Yale University.

SECONDLY, the Washingtonians avoid-ed all the time-honored pitfalls that beset the early Nineteenth Century reformer. Heretofore the drunkard had been gener-ally regarded as an object of contempt, denunciation, or ridicule. The new society considered him a sick rather than a sin-ful man. Religious diatribes and denun-ciations had no place on the Washington program. According to an early member, self-righteous exhortations or scorn were “calculated to drive him (the drinker) to madness and despair by drinking deeper. . .(and) embitter his heart.” Modern science puts it a little differently. Professor Bacon says: “The effect of such exhortation is to reenforce the person’s feeling of inferior-ity and self-depreciation” and to increase his “hostility.” Criticism, as the Washing-tonians realized, was one thing the chronic

Stories February 2009

37

alcoholic couldn’t take.To make sure that new members would

not be frightened away, the Washington charter provided that only ex-drunks could address the meetings. Thus the “benefits of experience spoken in burning words from the heart” were made available for all to hear. If ordinary mortals wished to speak, they had to have permission “by common consent of the members.” Debates, lectures and speeches were definitely out, and mat-ters of business were limited to “as few remarks as possible”. Ministers were not barred, but if they spoke “they were de-sired to lay aside their pontificals. . .aban-don their sermons. . .and speak as men.”

Not that the Washingtonians were anti-religious. Dr. Albert Day of that most suc-cessful institution for the regeneration of chronic alcoholics, the Washington Home in Boston, had this to say in 1877: “We cannot ignore the religious element in the treatment of inebriety. Let the excellent and heaven-born truth taught by Jesus of Nazareth underlie all our teachings. But let them be shorn of all their dogmatism, and taught in all their beautiful simplicity. (The drinker’s) eyes should be opened to new truths.” Although this was said many years after the founding of Washingtonianism, it reflects the beliefs of the earlier members.

ALONG with religious affiliations, the founders of the Washington society wished to avoid any suspicion of politi-cal bias so common to other temperance groups. Politics and denominational reli-gion were both taboo as topics of discus-sion. Every effort was made to prevent the society from encroaching on anyone’s prejudices, so that all people would feel free to join the organization. One purpose, and one purpose only, was held in mind: to rescue men from the toils of drink. To that end, the founders tried to make Washingtonianism, in the words of Father Mathew, “a green spot in the desert life where all could meet in peace and harmo-ny.” “Moral suasion” was their weapon, and sympathy their keynote. There was no censoring of erring members. If a man broke his pledge, he was forgiven “not seven times, but seventy times seven.”

Another favorable aspect of Washingto-nianism was its simplicity. Responsibility

was divided equally, rather than among a few officers. The society constituted a grand committee of the whole, and everyone was kept busy doing missionary work, bring-ing new members to the weekly meetings and helping old members who had slipped back into former habits. This doing for oth-ers had as much therapeutic value for the giver as for the receiver, and accounted to a large degree for the Washington success.

DESPITE the tremendous popular approval which crowned the society’s maiden efforts, however, the Washington movement finally met its Waterloo in the conflicting aims of its members. The early Washingtonians had no desire to stop the liquor traffic by legal means, improve pub-lic morals or punish wrongdoers. Why, then, was the organization unable to stick to its original platform?

The founders had made one grave error which not only proved a stumbling block for future work among alcoholics, but which eventually led to the disintegration of the society as such. Stipulating that only ex-victims of intemperance could speak at meetings was a step in the right direction, but it didn’t go far enough. If the rule had been that only ex-alcoholics could be eligi-ble for membership, the society might well be in existence today.

As it was, the distinction between a tem-perance organization and a society for the regeneration of alcoholics was never un-derstood. The Washingtonians didn’t real-ize that in their therapeutic program they had something that was far more important than all the temperance ballyhoo before or since their time. They had discovered an oyster; the pearl, if they’d only known it, was inside.

The non-alcoholic member soon grew tired of listening to an endless chain of ex-drunks expatiate on an experience that, in the final analysis, had no meaning for any-one but another alcoholic. It must have been hard, at times, for him to hide his boredom. Sympathy requires understanding.

TO make matters worse, many of the “cures” proved to be of a somewhat less than permanent nature. For the non-al-coholic, there was only one answer: close down the bars and bistros. Many tried to dominate the meetings for sectarian or po-

litical purposes. Failing in these attempts, they left the organization to heckle from the outside. As early as September, 1842, a large group of Washingtonians formed a new so-ciety, The Sons of Temperance, dedicated to the complete suppression of the liquor traf-fic, as well as to personal abstinence. Thus, torn by dissent from within, and opposed by rival organizations from without, it is not surprising that the Washington move-ment did not live up to its early promise.

Richard Ewell BrownJanuary 1948

getting Sober from the insidePassed on to the EditorI was at my home group tonight, and

one of the meeting attendees handed me a piece of paper he carries around in his pocket with phrases he’s heard in meet-ings he wrote down that he never wants to forget. He has referred to this list for more than 32 years he’s been sober, and I thought it was worth reprinting here:

Alcoholism is not caused by what is in the bottle, but by what is in the mind. When first getting sober, usually you have withdrawal symptoms left in the body. Common feelings are of being sick on the inside, abnormal fears or im-pending doom that there is some-thing wrong, but don’t know what it is. Feeling alone and unlovedWhen getting sober don’t drink one day at a time, come to an AA meeting regularly and work the 12 steps. Your greatest weakness becomes your greatest strength. If you get sober from the inside, your higher power will change your life.

~An Anonymous sober alcoholic

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Central Florida Intergroup283 Live Oaks Blvd., Bldg 6

Casselberry, FL 32707Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.Sunday closed

Phone; 407-260-5822 Fax; 407-260-5604 Hotline; 407-260-5408E-mail: cfi@embarqmail.com Web site; www.cflintergroup.org

6’s & 7’s ............................................$132.2312 to Life ..........................................$975.00226 Men’s .........................................$525.09After Work Group ............................$48.00Altamonte Springs Group .............$160.00Anonymous Group ........................$951.00Apopka Big Book ...........................$190.00Apopka Monday Night ...................$20.00Azalea Park .......................................$40.00Back to Basics ..................................$200.00Bar None ..........................................$200.00Basic 164 ............................................$44.00Blue Bottoms ................................$1,100.00Celebrate the Morning ...................$100.00Central Orlando ...........................$1,925.00Clean Air ..........................................$417.50College Park Triangle ......................$80.00Conway ............................................$275.00Country Air .......................................$50.00Crossroads .........................................$60.00Decisions.......................................$1,830.00Dr Phillips ....................................$3,274.67East Orange .....................................$400.00Fairbanks .........................................$200.00Friends of Bill W ...............................$60.00Friendship .........................................$50.00From the Heart ...............................$336.47Good Shepherd ...............................$200.00Groupo Esperanza .........................$120.00

H. P. Group ......................................$100.00Happy Hour .................................$1,800.00Hi Sobriety ......................................$567.00High Noon ......................................$370.00Hope & Courage ..............................$95.05How It Works ....................................$45.00In Flight ...........................................$105.00Jay Walker’s Group ..........................$82.00Just Do It ..........................................$250.00Lake Mary Grace ............................$275.00Lake Underhill ................................$245.00Longwood Group ...........................$250.00Longwood Big Book ......................$901.00Lost Bicycle Group .........................$200.00Made A Beginning..........................$383.07Maitland Beginners .....................$1,065.00Marvin R. .........................................$102.75New Hope .......................................$940.00New Life - Altamonte ....................$125.00Orlo Vista ...........................................$10.00Oviedo Group .................................$800.00Oviedo Women’s ..............................$60.00Pass It On ......................................$4,002.00Pink Clouds .....................................$346.00Primary Purpose (Oviedo) ............$500.00Princeton ............................................$50.00Sand Lake Men’s ............................$172.00Seagulls ............................................$510.00Sharing & Caring ............................$216.75

Sober Won ....................................$1,000.00Sobriety Plus ...................................$320.00South Orlando Solutions .................$30.00Speak From Your Heart ...................$25.00Stepping Stones ..............................$444.74Steps to Freedom ............................$100.00Table Talk ...........................................$26.49Tanglewood .....................................$120.00The Home Group ...........................$100.00The Hope Group ............................$585.00Turning Point ..................................$200.00Wake Up Call ..................................$669.00Wekiva Group .................................$853.50Wekiva Women’s ............................$959.70Westlake Group ..............................$182.00Winter Park .......................................$50.21TOTAL GROUP DONATIONS: .............. ......................................................$34,197.22INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:A Friend of Bill W. ..........................$500.00Anonymous/Anniversaries .........$539.65Anon. Anniversaries Wekiva Women.............................................................$36.00Anonymous .......................................$63.86TOTAL INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:........................................................$1,139.51TOTAL DONATIONS: ............$35,336.73

total gRoUP DonationS for 2008