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SERVICE

Whomsoever shall compel you to go with him one mile… go with him…. Go another mile.

~ Og Mandino 

No effort must ever seem so great that it will stop us from giving completely of ourselves in helping someone find the kind of life others helped us find. It is the responsibility of each member to go to any lengths in giving service. Whatever sacrifice it may require from us will bring great rewards.

We always learn that, in the act of one person helping another, no person can give without receiving, or get without giving. We learn from our sponsors that when they help us, they are also helping themselves. This experience is a very important part of the Program. Our 1st, 2nd, and 5th Traditions are grounded in the principle of service to others. We are privileged to share in that experience.

When I undertake to help another person or our Fellowship, I must strive to do more and serve better than is expected of me.

©1990 by Anonymous, Published by Hazelden

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“What About The Newcomer?”

“Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.”

Tradition Five

Our home group means a lot to us. After all, where would we be without our favorite NA meeting? Our group sometimes sponsors picnics or other activities. Often, home group members get together to see a movie or go bowling. We have all made good friendships through our home group, and we wouldn’t trade that warmth for the world.

But sometimes we must take inventory of what our group is doing to fulfill its primary purpose—to carry the message to the still-suffering addict. Sometimes when we go to our meetings, we know almost everyone and get caught up in the laughter and fun. But what about the newcomer? Have we remembered to reach out to the new people who may be sitting by themselves, lonely and frightened? Do we remember to welcome those visiting our group?

The love found in the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous helps us recover from addiction. But once we have gotten clean, we must remember to give to others what was so freely given to us. We need to reach out to the addict who still suffers. After all, “the newcomer is the most important person at any meeting.”

Just for today: I’m grateful for the warm fellowship I’ve found in my home group. I will reach out my hand to the still-suffering addict, offering that same

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KEEP IT SIMPLE #essentialsofrecovery

The purpose of freedom is to create it for others.

~ Bernard Malamud 

Sobriety is freedom. With this freedom, we have a responsibility to help other addicts who still suffer. The program tells us this in Step Twelve. We do this by telling our stories and offering hope.

We must be ready to care, to give ourselves. This is what spirituality is about. When we help others, we prepare the road for those who enter the program after us.

Tradition Five of the Twelve Traditions says, “Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” It means we get better by helping others.

Prayer for the Day:

Higher Power, help me create more freedom. Bring me to where I’m needed. Help me carry the message well.

Action for the Day:

Today, I’ll think of ways I can help the addict who still suffers. Then I’ll chose one way I can be of help. I’ll talk with my sponsor about it, and I’ll follow through with my plan.

Copyright © 1988 by Hazelden Foundation 

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DAILY REFLECTIONS

WHAT WE KNOW BEST

“Shoemaker, stick to thy last!” . . . better do one thing supremely well than many badly. That is the central theme of this Tradition [Five]. Around it our Society gathers in unity. The very life of our Fellowship requires the preservation of this principle.

~ TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 150 ~

The survival of A.A. depends upon unity. What would happen if a group decided to become an employment agency, a treatment center or a social service agency? Too much specialization leads to no specialization, to frittering of efforts and, finally, to decline. I have the qualifications to share my sufferings and my way of recovery with the newcomer. Conformity to A.A.’s primary purpose insures the safety of the wonderful gift of sobriety, so my responsibility is enormous. The life of millions of alcoholics is closely tied to my competence in “carrying the message to the still-suffering alcoholic.”

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.

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"What About The Newcomer?”

“Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.” Tradition Five
Our home group means a lot to us. After all, where would we be without our favorite NA meeting? Our group sometimes sponsors picnics or other activities. Often, home group members get together to see a movie or go bowling. We have all made good friendships through our home group, and we wouldn’t trade that warmth for the world.

But sometimes we must take inventory of what our group is doing to fulfill its primary purpose—to carry the message to the still-suffering addict. Sometimes when we go to our meetings, we know almost everyone and get caught up in the laughter and fun. But what about the newcomer? Have we remembered to reach out to the new people who may be sitting by themselves, lonely and frightened? Do we remember to welcome those visiting our group?

The love found in the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous helps us recover from addiction. But once we have gotten clean, we must remember to give to others what was so freely given to us. We need to reach out to the addict who still suffers. After all, “the newcomer is the most important person at any meeting.”

Just for today: I’m grateful for the warm fellowship I’ve found in my home group. I will reach out my hand to the still-suffering addict, offering that same

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SERVICE

Love is the forgetting of oneself in the service of another.

~ R Ainsley Barnwell 

Any act of “carrying the message” can serve a useful purpose, whether or not we see the results. Our home group carries the message and observes the Fifth Tradition.

If we maintain an attitude of being of service with love, we can work wonders at any time and every moment of a day. Through our Twelve Step Program, we become aware that we have the opportunity of being an example of happy, joyous, and free living without the crutch of our addiction. This “face” we present can be a positive model for anyone who comes in contact with us.

If we confine our activities to only those persons who seek our help, we might miss the chance of influencing someone who isn’t the direct target of our “service of love.”

Today I will use the gifts my Higher Power and the Program have given me to be of service to others.

©1990 by Anonymous, Published by Hazelden

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   5
September

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

– The Fifth Tradition

Today, as but a humble member of one of thousands of AA groups, I look to the Program’s Fifth Tradition to determine if my contribution to my group is sufficient or if I can find more I can and should do. And what I do must be within the command of the Fifth Tradition – to reach out to the alcoholic who still suffers. This tradition does not limit itself to the drinking alcoholic, however, and includes those who still struggle in recovery. As part of my group, let me remember that not only is my group there for me, but I am there for the group, and my example to those who continue to hurt must be a reflection of the Program itself. Today, I try to understand that my sobriety comes with the responsibility to best mirror the Program that led me to sobriety. And our common journey continues. 

Step by step. – Chris M., 2014

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