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The Winner's Circle
West Central Intergroup
Monthly Newsletter
Office Address:
2 East Church Street
Frederick, MD 21701
February 2015
www.westcentralaa.org
301-662-0544
Mail Donations to:
P.O. Box 1771
Frederick, MD 21702
The primary purpose of this newsletter is to carry the AA message to alcoholics and try to practice the AA principles in all of its affairs.
We are mainly accountable to West Central Intergroup as a whole, and hope to provide an open forum for the many diverse views of its
members, striving to remain within the bounds of good will and the spirit of service. Articles are not intended to be statements of AA policy
nor imply endorsement by AA or this newsletter.
Trusted Servants
OFFICERS:
Chairperson: Rich R.
[email protected]
Vice Chair: Mike M.
[email protected]
Treasurer: Julie K.
[email protected]
Secretary: Candace G.
[email protected]
COMMITTEE CHAIRS:
Activities: Rob M.
[email protected]
Archivist: Bud R.
[email protected]
12th Step Call: Barry A./Debbie D.
[email protected]
CPC: John. L.
[email protected]
C&T: Kim G.
[email protected]
Literature: Mike Y.
[email protected]
Newsletter: Carole B.
[email protected]
Office Coordinator: Ben B.
[email protected]
Outreach: Diana S./Colleen K.
[email protected]
Public Information: Patti F.
[email protected]
Webmaster: Howard L.
[email protected]
Workshops: Kym S.
[email protected]
Where & Whens: Barbara C.H.
[email protected]
Finance Committee: Cynthia T.
Here and There
Came to Believe
By Trish A.
Going to church each week was not an option while I was growing up. It was a
requirement. I often felt like a hypocrite. My family argued in the car on the way in,
acted like the perfect family while there, and then argued in the car on the way out.
When I was old enough, I often asked to sit in the front row by myself. Was I acting
like a big kid or trying to get away from the family? I am not sure. When older I was
able to sing in the youth choir. This meant I walked to church and did not go with my
family. Between songs we were often being “shushed” because we were giggling and
not paying attention to what was going on.
As time went on, I was introduced to alcohol. Alcohol became my best friend, my
confidante, and my savior. I continued to attend church but only because it was easier
to go than to explain why I didn’t. I began to lose myself in my drinking. I did not lose
the house, the car, the job, or many other things that people tend to lose while drinking
because I only 19 years old. I did not have these things to lose. What I did lose was
myself and my family. I had no idea who I was, where I was going, or why I was here.
I built up so many walls to keep my family and friends out that it felt as if they had
disappeared. I hid my feelings so far inside that I only had two. I felt “good” or I felt
“like crap,” and it was usually the latter. The only other option was to feel nothing at
all. I was an empty shell and barely surviving. Alcohol helped me to feel something,
even if that feeling was only “drunk.”
Church was getting in the way of my drinking. How could I go to church while
drinking like I did? How could I drink with my disjointed belief in God still in my
head? How could two very different people live inside me? I tried to be an atheist. I
told my friends that I was an atheist. I said I did not believe in God, but I couldn’t turn
my back on the early years of my life. I decided to be an agnostic. I could believe that
God was out there somewhere but just did not want anything to do with me.
In This Issue
Came to Believe...................... 1
Anniversaries ........................ 7
Celebrations............................ 2
History of Chips .................... 7
Calvary Mission ...................... 3
Events .................................... 8
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Contributions .......................... 3
Talent Show ........................... 8
Cynthia T., Nancy B., Jim M.,
Dick S., Jim S.
Committee Corner .................. 4
Glum Lot ................................ 9
Annie the Cop Fighter ............ 5
Minutes ................................ 10
Came to Believe (Cont.)
A friend and I decided we were on Earth to be God’s guinea pigs as he determined how much humans could handle before
breaking apart into nothingness. This ended the battle within, and I could go on with my drinking.
Although I had given up on God, when I look back on this time, it is apparent that God did not give up on me. My eyes, ears, and
heart were open at just the right time to hear just the right words. Someone suggested that I try AA. I finally consented and went.
The first thing I heard was, “Stop drinking.” The second thing was, “Find a God of your own understanding,” and the third was,
“turn it over.” This was a tall order for me, since I thought I always had to be in control of everything. I was willing to try not
drinking for a little while. The “God thing,” on the other hand, was something I was not willing to spend much time on.
I started attending AA and following some of the directions of my sponsor, but I focused on why I drank. I looked through my
family history trying to find another alcoholic. I did not want to be the first. I wanted to claim genetic susceptibility and that my
drinking was not my fault. In time I was finally able to accept that the “why” of being an alcoholic was not as important as just
accepting that I was an alcoholic. It was only with this realization that I was ready to move forward.
I still did not feel I needed to find a God of my understanding. I thought I had one. I had grown up going to church every week
and learning more than I ever wanted to know about God. I knew about God and sometimes sort of believed in God. There was
nothing more there for me. I tried to move on with the suggestions and found I could not. I spent some time walking around in
circles not feeling like I was going anywhere. Each time I tried to move on, I felt like I hit a wall I would never be able to move
over or around.
The trouble, I eventually realized, is that I got sober with a God of my parents’ understanding. This was enough to get me in the
door of the room and start some soul searching. However, it was not enough to allow me to move forward and grow in faith or
spirituality. I had to find a God of my own understanding if this program was going to work for me. I did a lot of soul searching,
spent time with my sponsor, did a lot of talking with others, a lot of reading, and a lot of praying. I meditated on the God I
brought with me from childhood. I was able to pick out the things I liked and sort out the things I could not agree with. I
searched my soul to fill in the missing pieces. I was finally able to move forward with the suggestions given to me when I had a
God I could love, trust, and understand.
I could not define my relationship with God if anyone asked me to. I believe that God is all being, all loving, all caring, and all
guiding. The God of my understanding is limitless. If I try to define my God, I am placing limits and trying to make God more of
a human than a spiritual being. I know that the God of my understanding will lead me through my journey of life and will always
be by my side. I am grateful for the God I was brought up with. It was this God who brought me to recovery, but I would not
have been able to remain sober with this God. I needed to find a God I could believe in before I could walk further in my journey
through life.
Celebrations
Name: Steve S.
Home Group: Saturday Evening Golden Mile Big Book Study Group
Sobriety Date: February 1, 1988
First Meeting: 1974
Favorite Service Position: Anything that needs to be done during or after a meeting.
Most Unusual Meeting: Bethesda in 1982. It was a huge meeting (I forget what it
was called back then). It was so large they needed a microphone for people speaking.
I’ve also attended a number of meetings at Bill Wilson’s birthplace and his summer
residence in East Dorset, Vermont.
Biggest Challenges in Sobriety: The hardest thing was becoming aware that not
everyone in recovery shares the same values or has the same interests or capabilities.
Best Change in Sobriety: I am able to show my respect for the gift of life to those who love me and to my Higher Power by
pointing my life toward assisting others.
Something Your Higher Power Has Done for You That You Never Could Have Done for Yourself: My Higher Power has
allowed me to live in a way that has a positive impact, to be a good example.
Greatest Joys in Sobriety: Knowing that I can make a conscious choice to help other people in a variety of ways and with no
need of recognition for doing so.
2
AA History: Calvary Mission
By Mike M.
AA’s story is a fascinating one. It’s our story. Our personal stories usually have turning points, or moments when events occur
that, had they not, there’s a chance we wouldn’t have made it here. AA’s story is like that too. There are a lot of subtle, seemingly
unimportant events that turn out to be critical. And there are some that, though maybe not critical, are nonetheless interesting.
Maybe just describing them as “back stories” or “asides” will do.
How Calvary Mission came to be is one of those stories. When Bill W. was on what turned out to be his last drunk, his old friend
and drinking buddy Ebby, sober a few months, had been staying at the Calvary Mission at 246 East 23rd Street in Manhattan. It
was from there that he took the subway over to 182 Clinton Street in Brooklyn to visit Bill. We all know that story! Bill
continued to drink after Ebby’s visit, but just couldn’t stop thinking about Ebby’s “…point blank declaration that God did for
him what he couldn’t do for himself.”
Several days after Ebby’s visit, Bill, in his drunkenness, decided to head up there to this mission and see what this place was all
about. In AA Comes of Age, Bill describes it this way: “I had never seen a mission before and I shivered a little bit as I looked at
the derelict audience. There was a smell of sweat and alcohol. I could well imagine how much suffering was represented in this
gathering.” He almost got thrown out before Ebby intervened and calmed him down and fed him some beans. Soon the nightly
service began. Much to Bill’s surprise, when they made the “call” to the rail, Bill jumped up and headed that way. Ebby tried to
grab his coat but couldn’t stop him. Bill said he was “Unaccountably impelled” to do so. “I knelt among the shaking penitents.
Maybe then and there I was penitent too. Something touched me.”
Within a matter of days, Bill entered Towns Hospital for the last time. It was there that he had his Spiritual Experience. The next
day, Ebby brought Bill a copy of William James’s Varieties of Religious Experience.
So here’s the fun part. In 1925, an Episcopal clergyman named Sam Shoemaker took over the Calvary Church at 277 Park
Avenue South at 21st Street. On his arrival, there was no Calvary Mission. What would become Calvary Mission was an old
chapel that the church owned about half a mile away. It was
West Central Intergroup, Inc. Group
just sitting, vacant and run down. Rev. Shoemaker felt very
strongly that the church had an obligation to help, in his words,
Contributions
“the homeless, friendless, faithless derelicts who have lost
December 2014
everything.” He thought perhaps this old, unused chapel could
become a mission.
Sam Shoemaker soon became acquainted with a man named
Henry Hadley. Henry had been a drunk who had found release
through a Spiritual Experience many years earlier and had been
eying this building with the same thought of starting a mission
there. Henry wound up being the first superintendent of the
newly named Calvary Mission when it opened in February
1926. Remember the book Ebby brought Bill, Varieties of
Religious Experience? The day after Bill had his own
“Experience,” he read this book cover to cover. It had a
profound effect on him.
It turns out that Henry Hadley’s father, Samuel Hadley, had
been a drunk too. He sobered up in the Water Street Mission
after having a Spiritual Experience. He was also one of the case
studies that William James used in his book Varieties of
Religious Experience. So, what does that mean? Not much I
suppose. Just a cool story, one of those little “asides” that make
me go…”wow.”
Bill would become very close to Sam Shoemaker and would
credit Sam with instilling in him the spiritual principles
embodied in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Sam was
an early supporter and true friend of AA. He frequently
remarked, “…that if everyone sitting in the pews of our
3
Group Contributions
Dec. 2014
Brunswick Monday Night
Eldersburg Noon
Frederick Sober Women
Individual
Woodville 8:30 pm
One Day at a Time
Point of Rocks
Red Door Noon
Sykesville Sunday Morning
To Thine Own Self Be True
Walkin Thru the Books
50.00
43.92
46.25
30.00
80.00
150.00
150.00
333.00
215.00
125.00
125.00
Total
$1,348.17
Pink Can Contributions
Dec. 2014
164 Pages
Early Bird
Frederick Sober Women
Individual
Manchester Friday Night
St. John’s
Walkin Thru the Books
100.00
140.00
37.02
70.00
10.00
110.00
50.00
Total
$517.02
Calvary Mission (Cont.)
churches had the same sense of gratitude and the same ability to give themselves that the AA’s have in reaching and salvaging
drunks, we would have a very different America.”
In St. Louis, Missouri, in 1955, Sam Shoemaker was one of the principal speakers at our historic “AA Comes of Age”
convention. The mission he envisioned in the Gas House district on East 23rd Street way back in 1926 provided a place and time
where an unlikely “penitent” would begin to see the Light, a “Light” that would go on to help millions of alcoholics recover in
the coming decades. And it’s still going strong! Can I get a “wow”?
Committee Corner
Ever wonder what goes on at Intergroup? Here’s a summary of what WCI committees are up to. Volunteers are always needed!
Activities
Activities needs volunteers to help with specific events and to help plan future activities. Everyone is welcome. Contact
[email protected] for more information. A talent show is planned for February 28. Got a talent? Sign up now! (see
the flyer at the end of the newsletter for full details).
Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC)
CPC provides information to professionals who have occasion to deal with alcoholics in a professional capacity. WCI’s new
CPC chair needs volunteers to help reactivate this committee. Contact [email protected] for more information or to
volunteer.
Corrections & Treatment (C&T)
Interested in being a Temporary Contact for someone leaving treatment? The Bridging the Gap Program needs local volunteers
to get this program going in our area. Contact the C&T chair at [email protected] for more information or to
volunteer.
In addition, C&T is always seeking volunteers to take meetings into institutions. Both men and women are needed. If you are
interested in doing this service work, please email [email protected]. (To volunteer at the Frederick County
Detention Center, an application process is required and you must have been off probation for at least 2 years.)
Office
Volunteers are essential to answer the phone and sell literature at the office. There are MANY openings to accommodate your
schedule. Call 301-662-0544 or email [email protected] for more information.
Public Information (PI)
PI is always looking to place information racks where they might be available to those in need of help. We have many small
racks located at libraries, counseling centers, and other places. If you are aware of a location that could benefit from a small
rack with AA general information, please notify [email protected]. You or your home group can adopt that location
as a service opportunity. PI will provide the literature needed to keep the rack stocked. Thanks for helping to carry the
message!
Webmaster
The WCI website, www.westcentralaa.org, is undergoing a makeover. Stay tuned for details. If you have an AA-related event
you’d like to publicize to website users, just send your flyer to [email protected] for posting on the WCI home
page. Please avoid providing personal information, such as phone numbers.
Do you have experience in web server development and skills using PHP, SQL, and/or HTML? This committee needs
volunteers with these skills to help maintain our website. Contact [email protected] to volunteer or learn more.
Where & When
Winter Where & When’s (blue) were just published are available for sale ($1.59 for 10) through the Intergroup Office or at
Intergroup Council meetings (7 pm on February 25), All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 106 W Church St, Frederick. Please
remember to throw out or recycle your group’s old Where & When’s to ensure that newcomers and visitors have the most up-todate meeting information!
4
Annie the Cop Fighter (abridged)
This story appeared only in the second edition of the Big Book (pp. 514-522). (Copyright Alcoholics
Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
For thirty-five years she fought God, man, and the police force to keep on being what she wanted to be—
a drunk. But a telephone call from a gin mill where she was celebrating
Mother’s Day brought in the nosey A.A.’s to change her life.
I started to drink in 1913, when the women sat in the back rooms. We had a good time in those back rooms. I had two little boys
at the time, but my family didn’t worry me, because one drunk always led to another. Of course there were days in between when
I was sober because I was broke. But mostly I was drunk. So my husband left me and took the two boys; one was six and one
was nine. They were going off to school in those days, and it didn’t worry me a bit. I loved the liquor and I loved the crowd that I
hung out with. As far as my family was concerned, I lost everything of love and respect and everything else….
When my husband left me, I had to be on my own. I never worked before, but I had to get out and get a job if I wanted to drink.
So I got a pretty tough job. I wasn’t any chicken, I was a woman of thirty-one when I had my first drink. I got a job as cleaner
after mechanics in buildings. I would have done anything to get the money for drink. Any place I threw my hat was home-sweethome to me….
Finally one day, as usual, drunk, I was standing on a corner waiting for a streetcar, and a guy comes over to me and he says,
“Lady, you’re on the wrong side.” And I says, “Mind your own business!” And as I looked up, it was a feller in uniform! So we
had a few words, and he pushed me, and I wasn’t going to let anybody get the best of me, and I shoved him back, and we had a
little tussle there, and finally I had two buttons off his overcoat, and he says, “I’m takin’ you in!” And I says, “Do as you damn
please!” I was a tough piece of furniture in those days; if the Almighty God had come down I’d have done the same thing to
Him. So I landed in the 67th Street station house on the east side, and I stayed there all night long. The next day I had to appear,
and I was finger printed for molesting a policeman’s uniform. So I got five days in the House of Detention. It didn’t bother me
whatsoever. The only thing I was worrying about was how was the gang making out without me. I thought I was missed all over!
But they made out all right.
So I got out, and then I had to grab myself another job again, so what did I get into but hotel work! That was during the
Prohibition days, and the bottles were flying all over the place. When I went to work on the floor, my first idea was to look in the
guests’ closets where the bottles were. I was all right going in, but I was cockeyed drunk coming out. And I’d have the help
drunk with me. One time I got so drunk I blacked out and fell asleep in the guest’s bed. I had the nerve to go back on the job the
next morning—I didn’t know what happened the day before—and the housekeeper was right there with her little note and my
check. “Your service no longer required.” And I had the nerve to ask, “Why?” I was told, all right….
In 1918, I got pinched again for the same thing. I turned out to be a cop fighter; I thought I could beat the whole force. I landed
in the same court, had the same judge, and he asked me was I ever arrested before. I says, “No, your Honor!” Just as brazen as
can be. And all he done was give me that sneering look, and he says, “For lying in court,” he says, “you’re not getting away with
five days this trip!” I had gone under an assumed name, and I had forgot that I was finger printed, and I thought, being away for
two years, he wouldn’t know who I was! Playing so innocent! But I got thirty days then, five days off for good behavior, over on
the Island.
I had been away from home for fifteen years, and one day I was walking up First Avenue and I met my beloved husband. He
called to me and he said, “Where are you going?” I was running like blue blazes to a speakeasy to get a drink, and I didn’t know
what to say, so I said, “I’m goin’ up to the Five and Ten to get hairnets.” I wanted to beat it, but he says, “Wait a minute”….
[T]hen finally he popped the question to me; “Would you like a drink?” Whooh! There’s what I was running for! And I says,
“Sure, I would.” So we went into a speakeasy up along the line and we had quite a few drinks, and we talked things over and I
went back home to him.
But believe me, when I went back home it was too much of a decent life for me to lead. I didn’t want the decent, clean life. I
wanted to be what I was, a drunk. So I spent more time over on First Avenue than I did at home. Of course when I went back
home, my two boys were raised, which I will give my husband the credit for. He raised them as gentlemen. The oldest boy was
married, and the youngest boy was going to Delehanty’s—to become a policeman! Brother! Well, it was all right. I had to take it
and accept it. But every time I thought of that uniform, it killed me!...
5
Annie the Cop Fighter (Cont.)
Then I got so low that I hung out with the guys and gals that were on the Bowery. I was loused up too. My whole clothes on my
body were full of lice. How low can a woman get!
I got in tow with a gal named Irene, and we used to drink. When we had good money, we’d drink the best, but when we had only
a little bit, beer was good enough. So one day in 1946, I happened to go into our hangout again as usual, and I asked Irene what
she was drinking. She says, “Anna, to tell you the truth, I can’t take the first drink. I’m havin’ coke.” (She nearly knocked me
dead!)…. “Well,” I says, “nuts to you. I’m havin’ mine!” “But,” she says, “I’m gonna get you yet!” I says, “Over me dead body!”
She got into A.A. in March of 1946, and in May of that year, Mother’s Day was on the 12th. The day before that I was having a
good time in a gin mill again, and I don’t know whatever come over me, but I asked some of the younger folks that could dial the
phone to call Irene. I don’t remember doing it. This was all told to me after. The next day was Mother’s Day, and like everyone
else I wanted to be such a wonderful mother that I had to buy a gardenia for my coat. I went up to this same gin mill to celebrate
Mother’s Day. I sat on the stool drinking and pretty soon in comes my friend.
“Oh!” I says, “Hello, Irene!” She says, “Hello my eye! You got me lookin’ all over the town for you! You made a date with me
yesterday!” I says, “I?” She says, “Not you, but the crowd in here had the ears rung off me with the telephone. They said that you
wanted to meet me tonight and you wanted me to take you where I go on Sunday nights.” “Hmmmm,” I says, “That’s news to
me. Have a drink!” “No,” she says, “I can’t take the first drink. There’s a cab there waitin’ for me to take you down to A.A.”
So down to the old 41st Street Club House I landed. In those days they used to have three meetings a week—Sunday, Tuesday,
and Thursday. So I went down to that A.A. meeting that night. They took me to the beginners’ meeting. I don’t know what was
said, but I do remember that when the meeting was over, when the door of the 41st Street Club House opened, I sobered up that
very night after thirty-two years of knocking liquor around. I drank coke there that night, and I went back and forth to the
meetings for eight months.
I was sober for eight months, physically, but not mentally. I never mingled with a soul in the meetings. I never shook hands or
said hello to my neighbor sitting alongside of me. I never stopped for coffee. I just ran in and ran out. In the meanwhile I got
married the second time. I picked a swell partner, another drunk like myself….
Then one night a little argument started. I think I was waiting to start something…. He told me he was gonna have the gang up to
eat up my sauerkraut and pig’s knuckles for Saturday night, and I said, “You will in a pig’s eye!” And I went out and got a fine
load on….
The nosey A.A.’s caught up with me somehow or other. They went to the place where I worked. The woman there was very
interested in alcoholics. She said to me, “You’re drinking.” I says, “How do you know?” She said, “Come on in—sit down a
while and rest yourself.” She says, “Charlie called up.” I says, “That son-of-a-gun! He’s got me so advertised that this damn
organization knows my whole business! Nobody stepped over my territory before in my life! Now I gotta get into a thing like
this and they know it all!” “Don’t get excited,” she says. “They’re comin’ up to see you tonight.” I nearly dropped dead.
They came up all right. And I humbled myself. I felt so guilty. I don’t know what A.A. does to you, but you never can drink the
same again. So they suggested to me to go up to a farm in Connecticut, nothing but wide open spaces in the Berkshire Hills. It
was a beautiful place. I stayed up there two days, and I came back a new woman.
Today I have a lot to be thankful for. A.A. has taught me the way of life. It has given me back my respect. It has given me back
the love of everybody I know. It has taught me to show gratitude, which I never did before. It has taught me to be humble when I
have to be humble.
I am what you call a lucky woman. I live alone now. I have a television which my boys
have treated me to, and now I have a telephone too! I do love to go to A.A. meetings, and
I meet with everybody, the old and the new. I’m a twenty-four hour person. I live on that
twenty-four hour plan. I am five years and seven months without a drink, but I could go
out tonight, but for the grace of God, and get drunk. There’s another thing I must
remember, that once an alcoholic always an alcoholic. I don’t mind the name of alcoholic,
because I was called a son-of-a-this and a son-of-a-that, and alcoholic is a good enough
name for me. So I’m very, very happy. To newcomers I say, go to meetings, and God take
care of each and every one of you!
6
Anniversaries
Group Name
Let Go Let God
Double Dippers
Early Bird
Rosemont
Golden Mile
Let Go Let God
Antiques
Early Bird
Early Bird
Walking Through the Books
Walking Through the Books
Let Go Let God
Golden Mile
Walking Through the Books
Early Bird
Early Bird
Early Bird
Early Bird
Celebrant
Randy
Tom C.
Paul L.
Mike P.
Steve S.
Sabrina
Patrick H.
Andy D.
Cal E.
Mark S.
Curt D.
Carole B.
David B.
Walter M.
Andy J.
Charles L.
Jeff E.
Marylyn
Sobriety Date
1/24/13
2/1/97
2/1/08
2/2/14
2/2/88
2/2/12
2/2/03
2/3/14
2/4/00
2/9/95
2/9/04
2/9/09
2/10/14
2/11/04
2/14/14
2/19/08
2/23/08
2/28/91
Number of
Years
2
18
7
1
27
3
12
1
15
20
11
6
1
11
1
7
7
24
Celebration
Date
2/6/15
2/4/15
TBD
2/2/15
TBD
2/6/15
2/4/15
TBD
TBD
2/12/15
2/12/15
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
The deadline for submitting March anniversaries is February 21 (the last Saturday before Intergroup meets).
A Little Bit of History About AA Chips
(excerpted from http://www.barefootsworld.net/aachips.html)
There is evidence that early on many people in AA carried personal mementos to remind themselves of the importance of their
sobriety. Clarence H. Snyder [“The Home Brewmeister” in the First Edition Big Book] had his last drink on February 11, 1938,
and he carried [a] medallion made from a silver dollar and a watch fob up until just before his death on March 22, 1984. It has
been dated back into the mid-1940’s, if not before, and the holes represent 46 years of sobriety….
Sister lgnatia, the nun who helped Dr. Bob get the hospitalization program started at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, was the first
person to use medallions in Alcoholics Anonymous. She gave the drunks who were leaving St. Thomas after a five-day dry out a
Sacred Heart medallion and instructed them that the acceptance of the medallion signified a commitment to God, to A.A. and to
recovery and that if they were going to drink, they had a responsibility to return the medallion to her before drinking. The Sacred
Heart medallions had been used prior to A.A. by the Father Matthew Temperance Movement of the 1840’s and the Pioneers, an
Irish Temperance Movement of the 1890’s.
The practice of giving sobriety chips in A.A. is attributed to a Group in Elmira, N.Y. in 1947. The celebration of birthdays came
from the Oxford Group where they celebrated the anniversary of their spiritual rebirth. People in early A.A. chose the
anniversary of the date of their last drink.
Early celebrations of birthdays resulted in people getting drunk and Dr. Harry Tiebout [a psychiatrist and early supporter of AA]
was asked to look at the problem and he commented on this phenomenon in an article titled “When the Big ‘I’ Becomes
Nobody” (AA Grapevine, September 1965):
Early on in A.A., I was consulted about a serious problem plaguing the local group. The practice of celebrating a year’s
sobriety with a birthday cake had resulted in a certain number of the members getting drunk within a short period after the
celebration. It seemed apparent that some could not stand prosperity. I was asked to settle between birthday cakes or no
birthday cakes. Characteristically, I begged off, not from shyness but from ignorance. Some three or four years later, A.A.
furnished me the answer. The group no longer had such a problem because, as one member said, “We celebrate still, but a
year’s sobriety is now a dime a dozen….”
7
History of Chips (Cont.)
The A.A. Grapevine carried many articles on chips and cakes and the following is a brief summary of some….
•
•
•
•
•
•
July 1948: Group to Give Oscar for Anniversaries. The Larchmont Group of Larchmont, N.Y. gives a cast bronze camel
mounted on a mahogany base to celebrate 1st, 5th and 10th anniversaries. “The camel is wholly emblematic of the
purposes of most sincere A.A.s, i.e., to live for 24 hours without a drink.”
August 1948: The Artesia, N.Mex. Group awards marbles to all members. If you are caught without your marbles, you
are fined 25 cents. This money goes into the Foundation Fund.
June 1953: “We operate a poker chip club in the Portland Group (Maine). We have poker chips of nine colors of which
the white represents the probation period of one month. If he keeps his white chip for one month he is presented with a
red chip for one month’s sobriety. The chips continue with blue for two months, black for three, green for four,
transparent blue for five, amber for six, transparent purple for nine months and a transparent clear chip for one year. We
have our chips stamped with gold A.A. letters. Also at the end of the year and each year thereafter, we present them with
a group birthday card signed by all members present at the meeting.”
January 1955: In Charlotte, N.C., “When a man takes ‘The Long Walk’ at the end of a meeting, to pick up a white chip,
he is admitting to his fellow men that he has finally accepted the precepts of A.A. and is beginning his sobriety. At the
end of three months he exchanges his white chip for a red one. Later, a handsome translucent chip of amber indicates
that this new member has enjoyed six months of a new way of life. The nine month chip is a clear seagreen and a blue
chip is given for the first year of sobriety. In some groups a sponsor will present his friend with an engraved silver chip,
at the end of five years clear thinking and clean living….
April 1957: In Cape Cod, Mass., a group recognizes 1st, 5th and 15th anniversaries. The person celebrating leads the
meeting. The person is presented with a set of wooden carved plaques with the slogans.
July 1957: In Oregon, the person is asked to speak and is introduced by his or her sponsor. The wife, mother, sister or
other relative brings up a cake. The Group sings Happy Birthday. The wife gives a two or three minute talk…
Upcoming Events
February 14
9 am
2nd Saturday Mountain Breakfast, Old Germantown Church of
God, 16924 Raven Rock Rd, Cascade, MD
February 20-22
Northeast Regional AA Service Assembly (NERAASA),
Doubletree Hotel, 200 Atrium Dr, Somerset, NJ
February 28
8-10 pm
WCI Speaker Meeting & Talent Show (Register your talent now!),
All Saints’ Episcopal Church (Great Hall), 106 W Church St,
Frederick, MD
July 2-5, 2015
2015 International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous, Atlanta,
GA
Frederick’s Got Talent!
The WCI Activities Committee will host a talent show on Saturday, February 28, in the Great Hall at All Saints’ Episcopal
Church. (Hopefully this year, we won’t get snowed out!) If you’d like to share your talent, go to www.westcentralaa.org and look
for the registration link under Upcoming Events. Sign up now – space is limited. The evening will begin at 7 pm with an out-oftown speaker, followed by the talent show at 8 pm. See the flyer at the end of the newsletter for full details.
8
Glum Lot? We Think Not!
Cigarette #1: How come you don’t want to come out with me tonight?
Cigarette #2: Because you’ll just get lit and then make an ash of yourself.

How can you tell when a couple of AA newcomers have reached their second date?
There’s a moving van in the driveway.

#1
#3
I once was an amateur brewer
Just a drinker, not a thinker or do-er.
But I took that First Step,
Shoved that cork in the neck,
And I learned how to act more ma-tooer.
The drunk staggers to and fro.
Where he’s going I do not know.
Look, he’s peeing on that tree.
Now he’s peeing on his knee.
Now his shoes… that’s quite a flow.
#2
#4
I once was riddled with fear
Which I quieted with whiskey and beer.
I was brought to my knees
And have accepted by disease
By no longer sitting on my rear.
A fella from Kalamazoo
Put the plug in the jug, that is true.
But he’d rant, rave, and shout,
Til his sponsor wore out
And said, “Friend, look up Rule 62!”
Limericks 1-3 reprinted from http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/
9
West Central Intergroup Council Monthly Meeting Minutes – December 10, 2014
Rich R. called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Patti F. led the Serenity Prayer and Rich read the Purpose Statement.
New Group Reps: Ellen P. for Early Bird and Alyson S. for Living the Dream
Visitors: None
October Minutes were approved subject to one change: strike the words temporary sponsor from the C&T report-out and
replace with temporary contact.
Chair: Rich R. announced that Howard will be the new Webmaster chair, replacing Dan M. He also reminded everyone that
John L. is the new CPC chair.
Vice Chair: No report.
Treasurer: Cynthia T. went over the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet. Balances are as follows: Activities:
$3,379.15; Checking: $9,476.10; Institutions: $4,212.07 and Savings (Prudent Reserve): $9,476.10.
Secretary: Candace G. explained the sign in process and reminded everyone to sign in.
Office: Ben reported that things are going well at the office. From the recent 12th Step workshop, nine volunteers have gone
through office training. Contact Ben at [email protected] to volunteer.
C&T: Kim G. reported that Bridging the Gap is moving forward. She asked that all temporary contact forms be returned to her.
They can be emailed to [email protected]. Kim announced that Bill D. will be the co-chair helping with corrections
on the men’s side.
Activities: Rob M. reported that there will be a Talent Show on February 28, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in
the Parish Hall. There will be a speaker from 7:00-8:00 and the talent show will start at 8:30. He asked reps to spread the word.
His committee is also stating to plan for the Gratitude Breakfast in April. Along with the Elks’ Lodge, they will consider different
locations to determine what will work best. Kym S. suggested that the Workshop committee work together with Activities on
the event. Contact Rob M. at [email protected] to help with the events.
12 Step: Debbie reported that the most current list is posted in the Office. A date has not been set for the next workshop.
CPC: John L. reported that some interest has been shown to join the committee. He is looking for committee members with
organizational and marketing skills. His committee plans to meet with leaders in the religious community. John agreed to make
contact with DDMP to find out if they are still interested in assistance from the committee. Contact John at
[email protected] to volunteer.
Finance: Cynthia T. reported that the committee met the first week in December. They are working to develop written financial
policies and procedures.
Literature: Mike Y. reported that the literature balance was $2,218.90 with an additional $700 to be processed. Stock levels are
good. He reminded the group that the literature room will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
Newsletter: Carole reported that the electronic newsletter for December was distributed on December 1 and the paper form is
available. The subscriber list for the electronic version is around 350. If you want to receive the newsletter, contact Carole at
[email protected]. Paper copies of the January newsletter will be distributed at the New Year’s Eve Alcathon.
Outreach: Diane reported that there is nothing new to share. She is still looking for anniversary dates of groups. Reps are
encouraged to send dates to [email protected] for their groups.
PI: Patti reported that there is nothing new to share. The racks are all covered and things are going well.
Website: Howard L. and John have continued to work on the new website utilizing WordPress web software. They made a
number of enhancements over the past month, including but limited to: optimizing to improve site speed, changing the
banner, and cleaning up spam and working on spam filter. Howard asked for committee approval on the new site. Rich R.
10
Minutes (Cont.)
requested that the steering committee review the site and send feedback to Howard at [email protected] (or by
clicking the feedback link in the development site) and to him at [email protected]. Steering committee should also be
prepared with feedback and comments at the January steering committee meeting. Howard also suggested that they
downgrade the SSL cert. which will lower the annual cost from $150 a year to $50 a year. The bill is due on January 15, 2015
and Howard will submit it to the Treasurer.
Where & When: Barbara H. reported that the new winter Where & Whens will be available starting December 22. There will be
a number of changes so reps are encouraged to purchase the new W&Ws and discard the old versions for their groups.
Workshops: Kym S. reported that a 4th Step workshop will be held on January 17, 2015 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at All Saints’
Episcopal Church in the Parish Hall. Coffee and pastries will be served.
Archives: No report.
District 40: No report.
District 41: Candace G. reported that the District held a Relationships in AA workshop in Mt. Airy that went well and was
attended by about 20 people. Elections were held and Amy D. was elected as the new DCM.
Area 29: Nancy B. reported at follows:
At the November Area 29 Committee meeting the following business was conducted:
1. The 2015 Maryland General Service (MGS) budget was approved to forward to the Area Assembly in December for final
review and approval.
2. Two items were brought forward from Regional Panel 2 to discuss and possibly forward to New York for inclusion on the
General Service Conference (GSC) agenda. Agenda items recommended by the Area may carry more weight, but if not
recommended by the Area, they can still be submitted to New York by the Regional Panel. As a point of information, any
A.A. member, group, district, area, etc. can submit items to New York to be considered for inclusion on the GSC agenda.
See your DCM if you have an item to be considered. The deadline for submission is December 15th.
3. A motion was approved to recommend to the Area Assembly that the name “Regional Panel” be changed to “Conference
Agenda Review Committee” to more accurately describe what these committees do. These clusters of districts meet year
around (usually only two or three meetings) to discuss two GSC agenda topics assigned to them. The meetings are open to
all A.A. members. More will be reported when the final GSC agenda is received by the Area in February.
4. Shipping on Grapevine orders is free through December. If you are placing an order, you might want to do it now.
Old Business: None.
New Business: None
The Responsibility Statement and Lord’s Prayer were recited and the meeting ended at 7:52 p.m.
Approximately 35 were in attendance at the meeting.
“The group conscience will, in the end, prove a far more infallible guide for group
affairs than the decision of any individual member, however good or wise he may
be. This is a striking and almost unbelievable fact about Alcoholics Anonymous.
Hence we can safely dispense with those exhortations and punishments
seemingly so necessary to other societies. And we need not depend overmuch on
inspired leaders. Because our active leadership of service can be truly rotating, we
enjoy a kind of democracy rarely possible elsewhere. In this respect,
we may be, to a large degree, unique.”
~Bill W., “On Tradition, Two,” AA Grapevine, January 1948
11
A. A. TALENT SHOW
WANTED
Comedians
Orators
Ventriloquists
MUSICIANS
acrobats
dancers
SNAKE
CHARMERS
Poets
SINGERS
…. and the other awesome talents that we know you have!
WHEN: February 28, 2015
7:00 PM – Speaker Meeting
8:30 PM – Talent Show
WHERE:
Frederick, MD (All Saints Episcopal Church – Great Hall)
Refreshments Available!
We look forward to seeing you all for a night of fellowship, entertainment and
FUN!!
****To register YOUR amazing act, email [email protected]****
Space is limited so REGISTER SOON!!