They are always insightful, helpful and founded in reality, with no supernatural spins. Today's topic was "Outside Issues" in reference to the 10th Tradition. I wish the traditions were touched on more often in regular AA meetings, as the 10th is so poinant in the polarizing times we are living. I have never gone back to a couple meetings because of the silly groups of political jacka$$es that were in them. Obviously, I kept going to other meetings, but for someone just stepping in the door, things like that could be a huge turn off to them.
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I mean any groups of multiple people or going to have wierdos or ones questionable motives. I hate political talk on meetings too. That being said I've had to learn to be tolerant and to filter out the personal opinions and focus on the message. I didn't have a choice I had to survive. My point is you're never going to like every single person in a large group of people, sometimes you have to learn to be tolerant and focus on the ones you do. I go to a large inner city group with tons of wierdos and distractions every day. I just filter them out if I question their motives.
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Yeah but not everyone is like yourself or me. Some people, especially at the beginning of this program are looking for any reason to not come back. Some in the religious communities love to wax poetic about "not stumbling their fellow man" but they don't even consider that in certain settings.
But like I said, the 12 traditions are very clear about bringing outside issues into the group.
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Sure but just because it's a tradition doesn't mean people arnt gonna say something that's a outside issue. These are human beings and flawed ones at that, myself included. I'm just saying who cares what anyone else says it's about your sobriety and being tolerant of others which admittedly isn't my strong suit (huge character defect). As a wise old timer once told me "when you're really ready to get sober you'll hear the things you like in a meeting and when you're not ready you'll only hear and remember the one thing you didn't like" human beings have personalities and sometimes they're ones we don't like but don't let that get in the way of finding something that might save your life. Just my thoughts.
Can you clarify what you were saying here? It comes off as kind of negative.
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Big book meetings study the traditions. I went for 5 years and learned so much. You might like those!
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Principles before personalities is huge and the chairperson should remind everyone we are not allied by any sect, denomination or religion. We are supposed to stay away from political issues hence the AA name stay out of controversy. I started an online meeting where people are allowed to completely go off track. I decided it's not the meeting for me. So many good meetings. We should always stay focused on recovery and the Big Book. Sadly some miss the mark and there are no old timers to reel them in so I think about that when choosing meetings. We need to focus on the solution.
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I'm not sure what you mean that you find it laughable. Can you clarify?
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Yeah I get some of the big book meetings but I have been to a couple lead meetings where there have been large groups of people sporting heavily leaning political shirts/hats etc and of course they tend to be very brazen about everything. I don't go to those meetings anymore, as I have my schedule down for every night of the week at meetings I prefer, but I can see that kind of nonsense turning a first timer away pretty quickly.
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Glad you found a meeting that fits you. One of the things I go to every couple weeks has a set of rules that are enforced that include no politics. It is nice to be able to have a breather from the cråp. I agree with the sentiment that newcomers don't need any more excuses to run.
Yeah for sure. I go to all kinds of meetings. The Agnostic meetings are "real" AA meetings. They aren't offshoots or anything. Old timers as well as younger people. And no politics or hand holding praying haha 
I find group prayers to normally be a hostage situation, not prayer.
Hahaha holy sh7t that is funny.
Everyone holding hands and reciting the same thing together in that weird monotone totally freaks me out.
Lol
That’s why I like this app, no politics for the most part.
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We actually try to keep politics out of the app as much as possible. Too many triggers in politics for to many people. We just want things to be about sobriety.
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