Tomorrow, 12th May, is the anniversary
in 1935 of the start of “Alcoholics Anonymous”.
Two men in New York began to
support each other to stay sober. “Alcoholics
Anonymous” - or “A.A.”, as it is
often known - has small group meetings
in many towns each week. Those who
feel they have a drink problem are welcome
to attend group meetings, where
everyone is anonymous. No one is ever
charged money to attend. Members encourage
and support one another to live
a day at a time.
A.A. has “12 Steps for Recovery” from alcoholism.
Some people who don’t have
alcohol problems still find A.A.’s 12
“Steps for Recovery” to be a good guide
when times are difficult. The ‘12 Steps’
include the following:
- Realising and admitting that I am powerless
over my problem, and have
made a mess of my life;
- believing that only a Power greater than
myself can make me better, so handing
my life over to God’s care;
- taking responsibility for what has gone
wrong in the past, and admitting my
mistakes to God and to one other person;
- asking God to remove my inner problems
of character, and bring me healing.
We’ll use as our prayer today some words
used every day by A.A. members. This
prayer is often said together at their group
meetings.
Let us pray:
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Amen.
