MAKING A START IN A.A.

Welcome!  You have made a decision,  You’ve taken Step One and said to yourself, “Yes, I’m one of those people who is powerless over alcohol.  My life has become unmanageable.  I can’t stop drinking and I want help.”  You have discovered, as it says in the Big Book, that alcohol is cunning, baffling and powerful.

In order to stop drinking and stay stopped, there are a few simple principles that you will need to apply to your life.  These principles are A.A.’s program of recovery.  They can work for you as effectively as they have worked for others.  Following are some suggestions which we feel will be of help to you on your path to recovery.

  LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME

We stay sober one day at a time or when necessary, one hour at a time.  We try to break life into small pieces we can handle. We do our jobs, solve our problems and clean up our past one mess at a time. And we conscientiously try to turn our lives and our will over to the care of the Higher Power as we understand Him.

In learning to apply the A.A. principles to our lives, we ask for help from other A.A. members, from our sponsors, and from our Higher Power, whom most of us come to depend upon for our recovery.

  GO TO MEETINGS

All over the Wichita Area, every day of the year,(including Holidays), mornings, afternoons, evenings and even late at night there is help in the form of meetings for you and for every alcoholic who wants help.

Use the directory of “A.A. Meetings in the Wichita Area” which you can get at the Central Office (or on this website).  It list meetings in the area.  Then take in as many meetings as you can. You don’t have to speak at a meeting, but if you will introduce yourself as a newcomer, people will get to know you sooner. As one A.A. member says, “The Big Book is your road map, the meetings are your filling stations.”

GET A SPONSOR 

A few members may tell you that they got sober without the aid of a sponsor and they may be telling the truth.  However, our A.A. experience tells us that you will have a much better chance with a sponsor, than without one,  In A.A.  you will find that your sponsor is a vital part of your program of recovery. 

Sponsorship assures a new member that there is at least one person who cares—one person to turn to without embarrassment when doubts, questions or problems linked to alcoholism arise.  A sponsor is simply a sober alcoholic who helps the newcomer solve one problem: how to stay sober.

A.A. experience does suggest that it is best for men to sponsor men, women to sponsor women.  This custom usually promotes quick understanding and reduces the likelihood of emotional distractions that might take the newcomer’s mind off the purpose of A.A.

Your sponsor will listen to you and give you suggestions; tell you what has worked for them; point out trouble spots; and will help you to decide what to do about them.  Your sponsor will help you to understand the A.A. program and will guide you along the path to recovery.  A sponsor was once a newcomer too, and has tried to use the A.A. program to deal with problems similar to those the newcomer is facing now.

  HAVE A HOME GROUP 

The home group you choose should be one which you feel that you are a part of.   It should be a place where you can get sober, stay sober, a place where you are challenged to keep growing and where you feel you have so many friends you can’t afford to stay away.

When some of us were introduced to A.A. through a particular group we thought we had been assigned to that group and should not go to other meetings.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  There are many different type of groups and meetings available. Feel free to visit the various groups in your area, and attend as many meetings as you need to.

  READ THE BOOKS

As soon as you can, we suggest that you read these important books which explain the A.A. program of recovery, our History and Traditions:

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS-The Big Book is the prime text of our program and the chief source of discussion at meetings.  Also available in Large Print, Braille, on Cassette, Video Tape- American Sign Language, CD,  CD-ROM, or floppy disk .

TWELVE STEPS & TWELVE TRADITIONS– The “12 and 12 is a more in depth study of our steps and our traditions.  Also available in Large Print, Braille, Cassette, Video Tape- American Sign Language, or floppy disk. 

EXPERIENCE, STRENGTH AND HOPE--Fifty-six stories retired from the first three editions of the Big Book.

LIVING SOBER- Practical advice to the newcomer  Also available in Large Print. 

CAME TO BELIEVE--A.A. members worldwide share what the phrase "spiritual awakening" means to them. Also available in Large Print. 

DAILY REFLECTIONS-daily meditations for A.A. members by A.A. members. Also available in Large Print. 

AS BILL SEES IT– Short selections from the writings of Bill W., one of our co-founders

A.A. COMES OF AGE-Bill W. tells how A.A. started, the evolution of the Steps and the Traditions and how the A.A. Fellowship grew and spread in the U.S. and Overseas.

PASS IT ON- Biography of Bill W., A.A.'s co-founder.

DR. BOB AND THE GOOD OLDTIMERS- Biography of Dr. Bob S., A.A.'s co-founder.

These books are A.A. General Service Conference Approved literature.  We encourage you to read them...and re-read them.  They can be a source of inspiration and understanding.  They are the basic source of our program of recovery.

  INCLUDE THE FAMILY

It is said that the average practicing alcoholic affects the lives of at least five other people and that alcoholism is a family illness.  We find that the family that gets sick together can often recover together.  The best way to do this is to share your program of recovery with them.

Following are some of the A.A. activities you can share with your family;

OPEN MEETINGS: Take your spouse, significant other, and other members of your family or interested friends to hear the stories of A.A. speakers.  Open meetings are listed in the meeting directory.

SOCIAL EVENTS:  Special supper, dances, picnics and other social activities are regularly sponsored by groups for A.A. members and their families.

CONFERENCES:  Weekend conferences and roundups are held at hotels and conference centers around the state, throughout the year.  There are activities  and speakers for A.A. and Al-Anon members. You can find out about these conferences in the A.A. Grapevine, and through the Central Office.  

AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS

Al-Anon Family Groups® for members of the alcoholics family hold meetings just as A.A. groups do.  They use A.A.’s Twelve Steps to help them understand the alcoholic and to help them improve their own lives.

Al-Anon membership is available to the spouse of the alcoholic and other concerned family members or friends.  The Al-Anon Family Groups have their own organization including Alateen (for children of alcoholics) which is separate from A.A..  You'll find a link to Al-Anon on our links page.

ASK YOUR CENTRAL OFFICE 

When you need help, and can’t reach your sponsor, you can call your Central Office.  They will try to help, or will try to find help for you.

The Wichita Central Office is your source for meeting directories, A.A. books, pamphlets and tapes, Grapevine literature and tapes.  Some A.A. Literature is available in Spanish and other foreign languages.

When you travel, the Central Office can help you find meetings in almost every city and town in the U.S. and around the world.  You are never very far from an A.A. meeting.

 BE A PART OF...

Remember that you never have to be alone if you use the tools that A.A. has to offer you.  The program of Alcoholics Anonymous wants to provide support and guidance to all  alcoholics who reach out for help.  Our very survival requires that we must carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers.  

We need you.  Join us, participate, and become a part of our program of recovery.