THE 24-HOUR PLAN

From the pamphlet "44 Questions," copyright A.A World Services, Inc., reprinted with permission:

"'The 24-hour program' is a phrase used to describe a basic A.A. approach to the problem of staying sober. A.A.s never swear off alcohol for life, never take pledges committing themselves not to take a drink 'tomorrow.' By the time they turned to A.A. for help, they had discovered that, no matter how sincere they may have been in promising themselves to abstain from alcohol 'in the future,' somehow they forgot the pledge and got drunk. The compulsion to drink proved more powerful than the best intentions not to drink.

"The A.A. member recognizes that the biggest problem is to stay sober now! The current 24 hours is the only period the A.A. can do anything about as far as drinking is concerned. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow never comes. 'But today,' the A.A. says, 'today, I will not take a drink. I may be tempted to take a drink tomorrow -- and perhaps I will. But tomorrow is something to worry about when it comes. My big problem is not to take a drink during this 24 hours.'

"Along with the 24-hour program, A.A. emphasizes the importance of three slogans that have probably been heard many times by the newcomer before joining A.A. These slogans are: 'Easy Does It,' 'Live and Let Live,' and 'First Things First.' By making these slogans a basic part of the attitude toward problems of daily living, the average A.A. is usually helped substantially in the attempt to live successfully without alcohol."

From the pamphlet "This is AA," copyright A.A. World Services, Inc., reprinted with permission:

"... We simply try to get through one day at a time without a drink. If we feel the urge for a drink, we neither yield nor resist. We merely put off taking that particular drink until tomorrow.

"We try to keep our thinking honest and realistic where alcohol is concerned. If we are tempted to drink -- and the temptation usually fades after the first few months in A.A. -- we ask ourselves whether the particular drink we have in mind would be worth all the consequences we have experienced from drinking in the past. We bear in mind that we are perfectly free to get drunk, if we want to, that the choice between drinking and not drinking is entirely up to us. Most important of all, we try to face up to the fact that, no matter how long we may have been dry, we will always be alcoholics -- and alcoholics, as far as we know, can never again drink socially or normally.

"We follow the experience of the successful 'oldtimers' in another respect. We usually keep coming regularly to meetings of the local A.A. group with which we have become affiliated. There is no rule which makes such attendance compulsory. Nor can we always explain why we seem to get a lift out of hearing the personal stories and interpretations of other members. Most of us, however, feel that attendance at meetings and other informal contracts with fellow A.A.s are important factors in the maintenance of our sobriety."

We have a saying that goes like this: "If you don't take the first drink, you can't get drunk." A.A. members stay away from the first drink through a variety of actions and techniques. Here are some of them (some terminology may be new, but will be covered in the coming days):

* The HALT reminder –- never getting too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.

* Sticking close to your sponsor and discussing personal problems with him or her.

* Postponing the drink.

* Going to lots of A.A. meetings.

* Keeping pockets stuffed with A.A. reading matter.

* Prayer – in whatever form the new member prefers it.

* Changing routines – especially at drinking hours – to break up the old habit patterns.

* Spending time with other A.A. members individually –- either in person or on the telephone (and especially during old drinking hours).

* Spending time in meeting rooms or central offices where A.A.s gather outside of regular meeting hours.

* Starting work on the Twelve Steps, to fight such threats to sobriety as resentments, self-pity, and the tendency to dwell on the past or the future.

WHAT ARE SLIPS?

"Occasionally a man or woman who has been sober through A.A. will get drunk. In A.A. a relapse of this type is commonly known as a 'slip.' It may occur during the first few weeks or months of sobriety or after the alcoholic has been dry a number of years. 

"Nearly all A.A.s who have been through this experience say that slips can be traced to specific causes. They deliberately forgot that they had admitted they were alcoholics and got overconfident about their ability to handle alcohol. Or they stayed away from A.A. meetings or from informal association with other A.A.s. Or they let themselves become too involved with business or social affairs to remember the importance of being sober. Or they let themselves become tired and were caught with their mental and emotional defenses down.

"In other words, most 'slips' don't 'just happen'" (from the pamphlet "44 Questions," copyright A.A. World Services, Inc., reprinted with permission).

And from the pamphlet "Is There an Alcoholic in Your Life?" copyright A.A. World Services, Inc., reprinted with permission:
 
"Most people who turn to A.A. for help achieve sobriety without too much difficulty, and continue to stay sober. Others have trouble understanding and accepting the A.A. program. All too soon, they forget what being an alcoholic means. After their physical health returns and their lives become a little more manageable, they may drift away from the program -- either mentally, by forgetting its principles, or physically, by going to fewer meetings. These people may have one or more relapses or "slips." They may get drunk again. This can be discouraging -- and very painful -- for loved ones. Fears and feelings of hopelessness may be reawakened. But experienced A.A. members know that such slips are not necessarily repeated in the future. If the alcoholic can honestly review the kind of thinking and behavior that preceded the slip, its recurrence can often be prevented. In fact, a slip can serve as a valuable lesson for alcoholics who believe that they have been "cured" of alcoholism merely because they have been dry for a while.
 
"Overconfidence and unrealistic thinking sometimes result in slips. Judgment becomes fuzzy, and some alcoholics begin to believe that they can now control alcohol. They may go to fewer and fewer meetings, or they may begin to criticize the people in their group, losing sight of the A.A. tradition that the alcoholic should always put the principles of the program before the personalities of its members. Or it may be that the alcoholic forgot to live life one day at a time.
 
"Of basic importance are three frequently used A.A. slogans: "First Things First," "Live and Let Live," and "Easy Does It." These are useful reminders that alcoholics are staying away from drinking one day at a time and that they are striving toward open-mindedness and serenity."


QUESTIONS?

At any time, including right now, feel free to ask questions -- on anything related to A.A.

To "talk" during the meeting, simply address your email to aaintro@e-aa.org. Everyone in the meeting (on the mailing list) will receive it.

Note that when you send an email to the list, your email address will be available to everyone on the list. If, for any reason, you are uncomfortable with that, you may still participate anonymously. Send your questions or comments directly to me at [leader's email address] and I will remove your identifying information and forward them to the meeting list.

Any personal information shared here should remain confidential and should not be disclosed outside of this meeting.