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Step 12:

Tradition 12:

December 2014

Saturday, december 13, 2014 christmas party

Meetings begin every other hour. First meeting @ 6pm on Christmas Eve. Last meeting @ 6pm on Christmas Day.

The Pink Building 1119C Johnston Street

Central Office (337) 991-0830

hosted by: The Opelousas Group new year’s eve alco-thon

Dinner served 6:00-7:00pm Sunday, November 16th

@ 406 S. Liberty

Opelousas, La

3:00 PM

Hosted by The Acadiana Central Office

Comeaux Recreation Center 411 W. Bluebird Drive

Central Office (337) 991-0830

**See pg. 4 for more information

New Year’s Eve Alco-Thon

Meeting Times: 8:00-9:00 9:30-10:30 11:00-12:00

Meetings after midnight will depend upon members who are willing to chair. The meeting hall will remain opened until the regular scheduled meeting at 7:00 pm New Year’s Day.

** Trying to schedule meetings

after midnight. The meeting

hall will stay open until the

regularly scheduled 7:00

meeting on New Year ‘s day.

Submit group’s history or your personal story to centraloffice@aa-acadiana.org or mail them to: Acadiana Central Office 115 Leonie Street Lafayette, LA 70506

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©

Unwrapped

My last drink was on March 18, 2012. It capped six months of daily blackout drinking, and more than 10 years of increasingly heavy and destructive addiction to alcohol. I then completed two and half months of outpatient rehab and underwent surgery to repair the arm I had damaged from multiple drunken falls. I was also asked not to return to the job I had held for 10 years, nor to contact any of my former coworkers. The arm injury and the loss of the job and coworkers were casualties of my drinking. I was told my liver was also damaged, but that it was mostly recoverable if I never touched a drop of alcohol again.

I attended at least one, sometimes two, AA meetings almost every day, except for the day of my surgery. With the help of a loving but firm sponsor, I worked my way through the first three Steps. By the time Thanksgiving came, I was well into admitting the exact nature of my wrongs. I had mended a lot of the damage I’d inflicted on my family, and I made living amends by being present, sober, accountable and loving.

Despite my progress in the program, I was really anxious about Christmas—and still full of self-pity. Not only would I have to cope with the usual holiday drama, but I’d have to do so without alcohol. And also without my mother, who had just lost her own battle with addiction.

It was AA—my home group and the clubhouse where my home group met, as well as my sponsor and new AA friends—that made all the difference. All this and prayer helped me accept all these feelings that flooded me: There was the grief I felt seeing my mother’s empty stocking and hearing silence where her laughter used to ring; the anxiety caused by the needling of my brother-in-law; the exasperation of being tucked between my bickering niece and nephew at dinner; and the flash of disappointment when I realized I wasn’t getting that eBook reader after all.

To help me get over my nearly terminal case of self-centeredness and self-pity, I engaged as best I could in service to others. Even though I have to observe a strictly gluten-free diet, I baked and brought in breakfast cookies and muffins—gluten free, of course—to brighten up our 7:30 a.m. meetings. Everyone devoured the goodies, and I felt good about this little bit of service, especially because many newcomers came in off the street and they didn’t have much else to eat.

I chaired several meetings during December, including my home group’s Christmas Eve morning meeting, which required me to really listen to others and to pay attention to everyone in the room so that those who needed to share, especially newcomers like me, wouldn’t be overlooked. Hearing members share about their struggles to repair the damage from drunken holidays past and their anxieties about relapsing, really helped me feel grateful that my Higher Power had removed my obsession to drink, and that with his love and mercy, I still had my family and another chance at life.

Then, when the usual family tensions arose and I started feeling anxious, sad and afraid on Christmas Eve, I had a place to go: our holiday alco-thon at the clubhouse—24 hours of AA meetings, every hour, on the hour. I went to two meetings on Christmas Eve after the family dinner, and when I couldn’t sleep in the pre-dawn of Christmas morning, I went back for three more! There was something so calming about six sober drunks clustered together in a sea of chairs at 4:30 on Christmas morning, sharing about the gifts we had been given this past year. Instead of mourning my losses, or feeling sorry for myself, I was giving thanks for the gift of sobriety.

A few more people came to the 5 a.m. meeting, where we talked about the power of the Serenity Prayer during stressful times. And then when 6 a.m. arrived, so did about 60 or so alcoholics and their loved ones, for a really joyous meeting. I never expected to be sitting in an AA meeting watching Christmas morning dawn, and yet, there I was. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere more perfect or more beautiful.

Not only did I survive the holidays, the holidays became even more precious to me. My self-pity dissipated and my heart swelled with gratitude and love. As I counted all the gifts I got this year, I marveled that not one of them came in a gift box or a gift bag, or in a bottle or a glass.

—Sam Marie E., Atlanta, Ga. Grapevine, December 2013

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Acadiana Central Office

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**Minutes continued on following page. 3

To Volunteer at the Central Office

Call Linda F. (337) 991-0830 Monday-Friday 11:00am-5:30pm

Saturday 8:30am-12:30pm

In Memoriam...

VOLUNTEERS FOR OCTOBER:

“Your Service is Appreciated” Linda F.

FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

Office Manager’s Report

Donna B. Sun Up Group Chris M. Gulf Coast Jo C. Sun-Up Claire W. Hub City Micki R. Scott Group Danie B. Sun Up John H. Sun-Up Jack B. Freedom’s Choice Courtney M. Freedom’s Choice Carlos B. Last Call Group Bob C. Sobriety & Beyond James E. 3rd St. Park-Crowley Al. L. Sun Up

Things We Cannot Change Aggie D. “Primary Purpose” Pat D. “Sun Up” Ed G. “Acadiana Group” Susan B. “We Agnostics” Thomas H. “Area Group of Breaux Bridge” Gloria K. “New Way”-Breaux Bridge

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12 at 12 Group $0.00 $52.00 3rd Street Park $0.00 $273.64 A Design For Living $0.00 $225.00 A Vision For You $0.00 $1,661.11 Abbeville Area $0.00 $0.00 Acadian Gr. $0.00 $89.20 Any Lengths $0.00 $610.00 Back to Basics (N.I.) $10.00 $30.00 Beginning AA New $0.00 $0.00 Boulevard Gr. (Opelousas) $108.22 $273.61 Brown Baggers (Morgan City) $0.00 $0.00 Dry Dock $100.00 $300.00 Eunice Solutions Gr. $0.00 $25.00 Evangeline Group of Catahoula $0.00 $50.00 Faith $0.00 $1,190.00 Freedoms Choice $0.00 $53.80 Hang In There (Scott) $0.00 $86.80 Hub City $0.00 $683.00 Kitchen Table $448.53 $1,992.58 Last Call Group $0.00 $95.00 Last Chance Acceptance $20.00 $60.00 Living Sober $0.00 $25.00 Mamou Group $0.00 $30.00 Morgan Avenue Group $0.00 $100.00 New Way (Breaux Bridge) $400.00 $1,400.00 Northside Gratitude $32.91 $252.91 Opelousas Group $20.00 $100.00 Primary Purpose $75.43 $2,369.14 Progress Not Perfection (Laf.) $0.00 $0.00 Rayne Group $0.00 $0.00 Reflections $0.00 $550.00 Scott Group $66.40 $844.80 Serenity Group Church Point $0.00 $25.00 Serenity (N.I.) $0.00 $300.00 Sisters In Sobriety $0.00 $80.00 Sober Chicks $0.00 $0.00 Solutions (Ville Platte) $0.00 $0.00 Step By Step $0.00 $0.00 Sun Up $0.00 $2,575.39 Surrender $0.00 $125.65 The Gulf Coast Group $0.00 $212.50 Veterans in Sobriety $0.00 $100.00 We Agnostics $0.00 $200.00 Willing To Believe (Duson) $0.00 $40.00 Young Drunks $0.00 $0.00

Total Group Donations $1,281.49 $17,640.13

$1,682.60

$2,932.86

$4,615.46

$3,412.25

$2,019.15

$5,431.40

-$815.94

$2,184.06

$815.94

$3,000.00

$11,144.24 -$10.00

-$815.94

$.39

$10,318.69

Copyright © A.A. World Services, Inc..

Reprinted with permission. 5

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Copyright © A.A. World Services, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © A.A. World Services, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

12 Tips on Keeping your Holiday Season Sober & Joyous

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Want to add an A.A. event to the Central Office Calendar? e-mail us at: plug-in-jug@aa-acadiana.org Phone: 337 991-0830

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