| Anonymous TimesPublished by North Orange County InterGroup Association of Alcoholics Anonymous Groups, Inc. (714) 773-HELP 1661 E. Chapman Avenue, Suite 1H Fullerton, CA 92831 www.aanoc.org |
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Step 6 "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character" |
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Tradition 6 "An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose." |
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Concept 6 On behalf of A.A. as a whole, our General Service Conference has the principal responsibility for the maintenance of our world services, and it traditionally has the final decision respecting large matters of general policy and finance. But the Conference also recognizes that the chief initiative and the active responsibility in most of these matters should be exercised primarily by the Trustee members of the Conference when they act among themselves as the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
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The Sixth Step of AA: Dropping the Rock |
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With each Step you take in Alcoholics Anonymous, you are digging deeper within yourself and getting at the root causes that have kept you stuck in your addiction. The Sixth Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is an excellent example of that point and is often seen as THE Step that separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls). It is during this step that you must be completely willing and ready to have the God of your understanding remove the character defects. As with every other Step in AA, the Sixth Step will challenge you to go to places within yourself that you may fear. Overcoming an addiction to alcohol (or any addiction for that matter) isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. It may seem that once you conquer a mountain, a larger one looms on the horizon and a new set of challenges threatens to throw you off course. You may be tempted to try and bypass this Step or try to go through the motions and give a half-hearted effort, but with working the Steps you must be all in. Half-measures won’t help you truly leave your alcohol addiction behind. |
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| Humility for Today An Essay by Bill W. Published June 1961 in the Grapevine |
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THERE can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we can only glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a perfect ideal. As the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" says: "We are not saints. . .we claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection." Only God Himself can manifest in the Absolute; we human beings must live and grow in the domain of the relative. We seek humility for today. Therefore our practical question is this: "Just what do we mean by 'humility for today' and how do we know when we have found it?" We scarcely need be reminded that excessive guilt or rebellion leads to spiritual poverty. But it was a very long time before we knew we could go even more broke on spiritual pride. When we early AAs got our first glimmer of how spiritually prideful we could be, we coined this expression: "Don't try to get too damned good by Thursday!" That old-time admonition may look like another of those handy alibis that can excuse us from trying for our best. Yet a closer view reveals just the contrary. This is our AA way of warning against pride-blindness, and the imaginary perfections that we do not possess. Now that we no longer patronize bars and bordellos; now that we bring home the pay checks; now that we are so very active in AA; and now that people congratulate us on these signs of progress--well, we naturally proceed to congratulate ourselves. Yet we may not be within hailing distance of humility. Meaning well, yet doing badly, how often have I said or thought, "I am right and you are wrong," "My plan is correct and yours is faulty," "Thank God your sins are not my sins," "You are hurting AA and I'm going to stop you cold," "I have God's guidance, so He is on my side." And so on, indefinitely. The alarming thing about such pride-blindness is the ease with which it is justified. But we need not look far to see that this deceptive brand of self-justification is a universal destroyer of harmony and of love. It sets man against man, nation against nation. By it, every form of folly and violence can be made to look right, and even respectable. Of course it is not for us to condemn. We need only investigate ourselves. How, then, can we do more and more about reducing our guilt, rebellion and pride? |
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Fun Facts for June 06/10/1935: Bill W. and Dr. Bob Founded the AA Fellowship in Akron, Ohio. 06/20/1941: Cleveland has first AA women's group meeting. 06/21/1944: First issue of The AA Grapevine is published. 06/27/1935: Bill D., AA's #3, enters Akron's City Hospital for his last detox and his first day of sobriety. |
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NORTH ORANGE COUNTY ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING The North Orange County Intergroup Association of Alcoholics Anonymous Groups, Inc. is hosting its annual General Membership Meeting ~ via ZOOM on Wednesday, June 9, 7:30 pm. At this meeting, the membership will vote in the new 2021-2022 Board of Directors where four (4) seats will be vacated the end of June. This voting is held in conjunction with our monthly Intergroup Meeting. All are Welcome. |
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Common Elements of AA Slogans______ These 3 things are actually very much in line with AA’s fundamental principles. ____ The first is a belief in a Higher Power to help you. ____ Slogans also emphasize how important it is to take the first step and know that it is the correct one. ____ AA slogans motivate you to constantly hang in there and not let your efforts go to waste. ______ |
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| Back On My Feet I am an elderly woman who, much to her regret, found AA and her Higher Power late in life. A few months ago, I celebrated my first anniversary. Having forged a wonderful relationship with this Higher Power, I rationalized that my need for AA was no longer that great. I went from attending six or seven meetings a week to one or two. What, after all, did an old lady have to offer? |
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Ours Aren't the Only Slogans BY: J. C. | September 1977 AA has its slogans, and we're all familiar with them. It occurred to me recently that the outside world, too, has its slogans. "One won't hurt you." "You're cured now." "Don't be a party-pooper." "What do you mean, you can't drink?" "Just one for old times' sake!" AA slogans are designed to make us think; these outside slogans seem to be designed to make us drink; and I guess it's a kind of battle to see which slogans will win out. So when I hear "One won't hurt you," I have to remember "I'm one drink away from a drunk." When I hear "You're cured now," I remember that in AA we don't cure, we care. When I hear any of these outside slogans, I have to thank God that simple repetition of these simple sayings helps this complicated drunk work a simple program. |
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The Slogan Slingers Some of the slogans people try to add to those provided by direct quotes from our book Alcoholics Anonymous make me uneasy--and annoyed. I am not conservative, afraid to deviate one inch from the beaten path; I don't look upon the Big Book as holy writ, not to be questioned. But some of the catch phrases that seem to gather on our members' tongues like barnacles to be spat out profoundly as additions to AA lore strike me as directly counter to the main thrust of our literature. One of these admonitions is "Stick with the winners." In the first place I don't like the categorizing of human beings in such terms. As a matter of fact, most of us did not "win" sobriety; it was thrust upon us, often against our will. I don't think people were passing that phrase around so often twenty years ago when I joined AA. At least I don't remember hearing it as I listened to find out first what an alcoholic was, then how to become sober, and finally what I had to do to stay that way. |
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NOCCO Hotline (714) 773-HELP (4357) - We are available for calls 24/7.
- All calls are confidential.
- Phones answered by NOCCO volunteers ready to support those still suffering.
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DATESaturday, June 26th 2021 TIME 5:30pm to 10:00pm PLACE Phoenix Club - 1340 S. Sanderson Avenue, Anaheim, CA - Held outside under the Tent. TICKETS Banquet is sold out. If you bought tickets or tables for the 2020 Banquet, your tickets will be honored for 2021. QUESTIONS Jennifer P (714) 882-9059 Kristin H. (562) 313-1038 Cathie R. (714) 310-1562 Karen M. (714) 356-0736 |
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| Drop The Rock:Removing Character Defects A crisis like the coronavirus pandemic can threaten our recovery; it's unexpected, unfair, and not our fault. We can't control the virus, or other people's behavior, but we get to decide what to carry on our journey, and what to drop.
A practical guide to letting go of the character defects that get in the way of true and joyful recovery. Resentment. Fear. Self-Pity. Intolerance. Anger. As Bill P. explains, these are the "rocks" that can sink recovery--or at the least, block further progress. Based on the principles behind Steps Six and Seven, Drop the Rock combines personal stories, practical advice, and powerful insights to help readers move forward in recovery. The second edition features additional stories and a reference section. |
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$14 plus taxNOCCO offers Shipping Call us at (714) 773-4357 |
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| InterGroup Meeting - June 9 @ 7:30pm Please join us at the next NOCCO InterGroup Meeting. InterGroup Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm. Next Meeting: June 9, 2021 via ZOOM Meeting ID: 860-4109-6976 | Password: Serenity |
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| Group Contributions - May 2021 To help support local essential services, the General Service Conference suggests that individual groups, through an informed group conscience, adopt a specific contribution plan. Click below to see all of the Group Contributions from last month. |
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| NOCCO Profit & Loss - May 2021 Each month, NOCCO provides accounting detail of income and expenses to indicate net profit or loss over the last month. This information is available to any group or member. Click below to see the financial detail from last month. |
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NOCCO Appreciates Your 7th Tradition Support Even though meetings, 12-step services and operations have shifted to a hybrid environment, expenses continue as we navigate the re-opening of meetings, which underscores the importance of practicing the Seventh Tradition. We still stock literature, handle 12-step calls around the clock, and assist those with a desire to stop drinking. Your generous support is critical and appreciated. |
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GSO Cheat Sheet: Advisory Actions of the 71st General Service Conference |
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Editors Note: There were 49 advisory actions recommended during the 71st General Service Conference. This is just a handful of topics that the NOCCO team chose to pass along in this edition. For more information, please contact your General Service Representative, refer to your Area website or contact your Delegate. |
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| A.A. Preamble: The first sentence of the A.A. Preamble be revised with gender-neutral language by replacing the word "men and women" with the word "people" to read: "Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. |
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A Fifth Edition Big Book: A Fifth Edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, be developed, including an update of stories to better reflect the current membership, keeping in mind the 1995 Advisory Action that: "The first 164 pages of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Preface, the Forewords, 'The Doctor's Opinion', 'Dr. Bob's Nightmare,' and the Appendices remain as is." Pending its development, the draft Fifth Edition of the Big Book would include a new foreword, an updated preface and updates to expand on existing ideas in Appendices III and V. |
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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions: A revision be made to page 117 in the book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, replacing the phrase "opposite sex" with the word "partner", and that a footnote be added to provide context to the change as it relates to inclusivity. The sentence which includes the phrase "lustful enough to rape" in paragraph one of page 66 in the chapter "Step Six" of the book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, be revised to refer to the Seven Deadly Sins without specific mention of examples that are severe in nature and that a footnote be added to provide context as to the basis for the change. |
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Alcohólicos Anónimos: A fourth edition of the book, Alcohólicos Anónimos, be developed, including an update of stories to better reflect current membership. |
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Plain Language Big Book: A draft version of the book, Alcoholics Anonymous (Fourth Edition), be translated into plain and simple language and be developed in a way that is accessible and relatable to as wide of an audience as possible. (Note: This is a new translation, not a new book.) |
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Policy/Admissions: The U.S./Canada General Service Structure recognize online groups and encourage their participation, listing those groups who ask to be listed within the group's preferred district and area, with the default option being the location of the group's primary contact. This supersedes the 1997 Advisory Action that designated online groups as "International Correspondence Meetings." |
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I am Responsible. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there. For that, I am responsible. |
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A letter from the Editor Dear Friends. Thank you so much for receiving and reading the electronic version of the Anonymous Times. I reworked the concept of our communications in early 2020. With COVID and lock downs, this email format seemed most valuable to get the word out on what is happening around our sober community. While I run our little North Orange County Central Office and book store by day, I am very active in General Service having spent time as a General Service Rep, a District Committee Member, webmaster for Area05, Area09 and Area93. It is my pleasure and my responsibility to carry the message in anyway that reaches the greatest audience and to plant seeds of sobriety with readers along the way. Recently, I have been expanding our newsletter to include information from the General Service Office and the Area's around Southern California. Our office receives calls and visits from members wanting information on what is happening in New York. I will continue to pick out important nuggets of interest and pass them along in this publication. For a complete list of Advisory Actions and GSO activities, plug into your local Area's and Districts. It takes a village for us to help just one alcoholic. With that said, I'd love to have your input on how we are doing, what you like or dislike about this publication, topics of interest or any other ideas or comments you might want me to know. If your group is doing something amazing, let us help you get the word out. Send me an email with your thoughts. Gratefully Yours, Faith B.Office: (714) 773-4357 | Cell: (480) 532-0007 | Email: faithb@aanoc.org |
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Thanks to all contributors who support NOCCO. |
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© Copyright, 2021, North Orange County InterGroup Association of Alcoholics Anonymous Groups, Inc. • 1661 E. Chapman Avenue - Suite 1H, Fullerton CA 92831 |
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