Name: Step Two Men's Group | Sacramento A.A.
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MAY 7

RESPECT FOR OTHERS

Such parts of our story we tell to someone who will understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is we must be hard on ourself, but always considerate of others.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 74

Respect for others is the lesson that I take out of this passage. I must go to any lengths to free myself if I wish to find that peace of mind that I have sought for so long. However, none of this must be done at another’s expense. Selfishness has no place in the A.A. way of life. When I take the Fifth Step it’s wiser to choose a person with whom I share common aims because if that person does not understand me, my spiritual progress may be delayed and I could be in danger of a relapse. So I ask for divine guidance before choosing the man or woman whom I take into my confidence.

May Birthdays… IF They Make It!

May 16th… Dan T. celebrates 9 years

May 17th… Steve H. celebrates 36 years

May 18th… David K. would have 19 years

May 19th… Dan Mc. would have 37 years

May 23rd… Jeremy B. celebrates 19 years

May 24th… lloyd a. celebrates 4 years

May 26th… James C. celebrates 2 years

If your birthday has been missed…. fill out the birthday form.

We really want to celebrate your AA anniversary because your birthday made ours possible!

Thanks everybody and apologies to you if you were missed or incorrectly noted.

First Wednesday… May 7th

Come join a review of Step 5 on May 7th (First Wednesday). “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”

John reviews the step corresponding to the number of that month on each first Wednesday. It’s a rewarding meeting with John outlining the step of the month, how he was challenged by it and how we tackle it ourselves, with and without success! Look for his monthly contribution in this edition!

Thursday Zoom Meeting

The Thursday online meeting could use your support.

Come join us for some guaranteed no-women, “Friday Jr.” Fellowship.

Thanks for your service, Sean!

Meeting Info

At Ease, at Ease, Smokes if You Got ‘Em

Yes, I stole that line from either the Longest Day or Stalag 13. Can’t remember but it doesn’t matter. Far be it from me to give advice but I cannot think of anything else to write about. So, this column will be more or less for the beginners with a slight bit for the vets .

Step Five is where things can get tough. You ask yourself, “Do I need to go into the 2 am phone call to my Ex when I was drunk and in short order went between yelling to pleading to phone sex to serenading the song when we were dating ?“ Judgment call. There are many things that are embarrassing, and you ask yourself, how far do I have to go with this?

I have mentioned before to some of our vets my experience with Step 5. They will no doubt be groaning about now.

Physically, I wrote three hard copy versions. The first one, my sponsor at the time, would not even read. He said I was not even finished with Step One. The second time, I did it with a sponsor who had been bugging me to get it down. When we finally met up in person, he was bored and horrified at different times. The third time was with my current sponsor. A close friend from way back in the Day, who I was still friends with. He knew everything. He had seen most of it. He only interrupted when he felt I was embellishing or omitting and in the end agreed I was a dumb asshole, so where to go from here.

So. My advice to a newcomer is take your time. Upon reflection, what I felt great about with my last Step Five, was that it was honest. It was a full assessment of the moral inventory, the vacant cupboard as that was. But there was a path.

The other thing is, don’t feel bad if you have to do it more than once. Don’t hesitate about it either., If the first or second one doesn’t work out, its okay to do it again.

And lastly, be very comfortable with the your sponsor or whoever you do it with. I don’t recommend an ex-wife or partner, someone who may have their own list of resentments. You need neutral ground here.

In the end, I think if you have done a well-crafted Step Five, and like I said, it took me three times, you will appreciate the genius of the AA Program and why it had to be done. You will find that the AA Program is not just about not drinking, but about changing the direction of your life spiritually. That’s a good thing. Don’t be afraid of it.

Lastly, I keep a running Step Four and consequently keep a Step Five going with my sponsor. We speak about a great many things, but there is a time and tone when I know this is getting on to the Program. That works well too.

Never give up on it.

Contributed by John M.

My First Meeting

Please be “of service.” If you’ve never contributed a “My First Meeting”, please help to keep this column going…we need you! What do you remember most of your first meeting? It can be one sentence; it can be up to two paragraphs. Could be funny, poignant or strictly “clinical”. Write what you want…you might have enjoy writing it!

Funny Pages

Tradition 05

Short Form

“Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.”

Long Form

“Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose—that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.”

Tradition Summary

We Only Have One Purpose

It is the great paradox of A.A. that we know we can seldom keep the precious gift of sobriety unless we give it away. This Tradition delineates pretty clearly our individual primary purpose, as well as the group’s. Each of us is but a small part of the whole, but by joining AA’s primary purpose to our own, we become something bigger than our individual selves.

Am I willing to surrender my old primary purposes?

To work this tradition means that I am willing to say “yes” to this question and rearrange the rest of my priorities. Devoting myself to a new primary purpose means that I am willing to let go of many old ideas. I have many thinking patterns that are automatic that I need to change in order to consecrate myself to a new primary purpose.

Step-Tradition Parallel

The relationship of the fifth step to the fifth tradition is that the fifth step taught me the exact nature of my wrongs, “I’m not in charge.” In the fifth tradition I learned just the opposite, I learned what my exact nature should be: my talent to carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers, my primary purpose.

In the fifth step I learned what’s wrong about me and in the fifth tradition I learned what’s right about me. What’s right about me is my ability to carry the message when no one else can because of the experiences that I have had which were transformed into a message of hope in the fifth step. My alcoholism is my greatest talent, not my talents as a husband, father, son, or my job. I can fulfill my primary purpose for being born by carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

From an idea by George T.

“Mouse’s Corner”

A.A. member Dave Mc. curates a few selected readings from a variety of A.A. related publications each month.

A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock-in-trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get rid of them promptly and without regret. If the owner of the business is to be successful, he cannot fool himself about values.

Big book page 64

Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people abour us as they are. This is to adopt a realistic humility without which no genuine advance can even begin. Again and again, we shall need to return to that unflattering point of departure. This is an exercise in acceptance that we can profitably practice every day of our lives.

As Bill sees it page 44

Contributed by Dave Mc.

Our Trusted Servants Continue to Be:

The current Step 2 Men’s Group meeting schedule is Monday, Wednesday & Friday at Tim’s (3809 J St), Tuesday & Thursday online, Saturday in the park is “Daily Reflections” and Sunday is our Rogue meeting in the park. Each gathering is one hour. Great job men!

Monday: Tim C.
Tuesday: Mark C.
Wednesday: John M.
Thursday: Sean F.
Friday: Jon B.
Saturday: Dave M.
Sunday: Mark C.

Want to add your name to the “Back-up-Help-Substitute Secretary List”? Just contact Group GS, John M., Treasurer Mark W. or any of our other Secretaries and let them know!

Step 2 Men’s Group Believes…

“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”

We’d never presume that the 12 Steps are not clear. Nor would we imply that they need ‘improvement’. However…for purposes of assisting to keep the meeting pointed in an important direction each day, the “Step 2 Men’s Group Statement” is read as follows:

Step 2 Men’s Group is founded on the belief that spirituality is essential to our sobriety.

Our group is non-religious, but we do not oppose anyone’s religious beliefs. We believe that respect for others and their beliefs is essential to our spiritual development.

Accordingly we ask that avoid criticism of others or of their religion or lack of religion, their race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, physical appearance, trade or profession, length of sobriety, or personal beliefs.

Our goal is to further our spirituality, our sobriety and our personal development, not to confront or belittle others. Always remember to be kind to others.

Extra Special Thanks Dept:

Thanks to our General Secretary John M. for “At Ease…”, Dave Mc. for “Mouse’s Corner”, Tom W. for comics, and our Treasurer Mark W. for all your contributions. We’re still waiting for YOU gentle reader…Why don’t YOU contribute a short “something?” Any length, most any AA related topic. Reply now and it will get included next month!

Step 2 Men’s Gazette