December 2013

Hope....

The dark days of winter are upon us. Daylight continues to shrink and the hours of darkness continue to grow...that is until late December and the winter solstice --- then Mother Nature reverses course and daylight starts increasing . That is a glimmer of hope in the darkness of winter. A. A. provides "hope" to those in the darkness of alcoholism. And it is our mission to carry that message of hope. My belief is we each do that in countless ways. Hope to the newcomer. Hope to distraught families. Hope to co-workers of alcoholics. I can think of no other organization that provides so much hope through a proven and workable method. Our sober lives are nothing less than a demonstration of hope. As the solstice passes and the light of spring returns, let us show the light of hope to all who would see. ...Dennis R.

Volume IV

Issue XII

Editor ’s Notes

Welcome to this special edition of Background Notes. This month we have strayed away from the typical tips and ideas of how we survive the holiday season without a drink. These tips will no doubt be discussed at meetings and for good reason. This holiday season we focus on our emotional sobriety. We begin with Bill W‟s message: The Next Frontier. Due to it‟s length a page 5 has been added. I hope you enjoy the contents of this edition and wish you all a sober and enjoyable holiday season, and a prosperous and joyous New Year. ~Editor~

Background Notes

Ask the Magic 8 Ball

“How can I keep my emotions in

check?”

District 0490’s Newsletter of Central New York, Area 47

Oneida, Sherrill, Verona, Hamilton, Clockville, Canastota, McConnellsville,

Sylvan Beach, Stockbridge, Morrisville, Peterboro

The DCM’s Corner

District 0490

Box 481

Oneida, NY 13421 Email: district0490@yahoo.com

Website: www.aadistrict0490.org

Send 7th Tradition Contributions to:

Treasurer, PO Box 18063

Rochester, NY 14615

A.A.W.S.

Grand Central Station

Box 459, NY 10163

Website: www.aa.org

Oneida : 315-533-1227 Rome: 315-210-6644 Utica: 315-732-6880 Syracuse: 315-463-5011

A.A. HOTLINES

A.A. ADDRESSES

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Send Group Change Forms to:

Registrar, PO Box 18063

Rochester, NY 14615

CNY Area 47

Area 47 Website: www.aacny.org

( CH: Clean House, TG: Trust God, WWO: Work With Others )

The Next Frontier: Emotional Sobriety

by Bill W.

2

The Emotional Slump 3 12 Steps and 12 Traditions 3 This Just In-News 4 Living Sober 5

Coincidence or Miracle? 3 The Next Frontier, cont’d 4 Spiritually-Minded 5 Just For Fun 5

Page 2

The next District meeting is

January 19th, 2:00pm at the

Alano Club, 150 Madison St.,

Oneida, NY

The next Area 47 Assembly :

December 8th, 1:00pm

Location: Cortland, NY

(visit aacny.org for details)

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Mahatma Gandhi

THE NEXT FRONTIER: EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY by BILL W.

"I think that many oldsters who have

put our AA "booze cure" to severe

but successful tests still find they often

lack emotional sobriety. Perhaps they

will be the spearhead for the next ma-

jor development in AA, the develop-

ment of much more real maturity and

balance (which is to say, humility) in

our relations with ourselves, with our

fellows, and with God.

Those adolescent urges that so many

of us have for top approval, perfect

security, and perfect romance, urges

quite appropriate to age seventeen,

prove to be an impossible way of life

when we are at age forty-seven and

fifty-seven.

Since AA began, I´ve taken im-

mense wallops in all these areas

because of my failure to grow up

emotionally and spiritually. My God,

how painful it is to keep demanding

the impossible, and how very painful

to discover, finally, that all along we

have had the cart before the horse.

Then comes the final agony of seeing

how awfully wrong we have been, but

still finding ourselves unable to get off

the emotional merry-go-round.

How to translate a right mental

conviction into a right emotional re-

sult, and so into easy, happy and good

living. Well, that´s not only the neu-

rotic´s problem, it´s the problem of life

itself for all of us who have got to the

point of real willingness to hew to

right principles in all of our affairs.

Even then, as we hew away, peace

and joy may still elude us. That´s the

place so many of us AA oldsters have

come to. And it´s a hell of a spot,

literally. How shall our unconscious,

from which so many of our fears,

compulsions and phony aspirations

still stream, be brought into line with

what we actually believe, know and

want! How to convince our dumb,

raging and hidden „Mr. Hyde' becomes

our main task.

I´ve recently come to believe that

this can be achieved. I believe so

because I begin to see many benighted

ones, folks like you and me, commenc-

ing to get results. Last autumn, de-

pression, having no really rational

cause at all, almost took me to the

cleaners. I began to be scared that I

was in for another long chronic spell.

Considering the grief I´ve had with

depressions, it wasn´t a bright

prospect.

I kept asking myself "Why can´t the

twelve steps work to release depres-

sion?" By the hour, I stared at the St.

Francis Prayer ... "it´s better to comfort

than to be comforted." Here was the

formula, all right, but why didn´t it

work?

Suddenly, I realized what the matter

was. My basic flaw had always been

dependence, almost absolute depend-

ence, on people or circumstances to

supply me with prestige, security, and

the like. Failing to get these things

according to my perfectionist dreams

and specifications, I had fought for

them. And when defeat came, so did

my depression.

There wasn´t a chance of making

the outgoing love of St. Francis a

workable and joyous way of life until

these fatal and almost absolute

dependencies were cut away.

Because I had over the years under-

gone a little spiritual development, the

absolute quality of these frightful

dependencies had never before been so

starkly revealed. Reinforced by what

grace I could secure in prayer, I found

I had to exert every ounce of will and

action to cut off these faulty emotional

dependencies upon people, upon AA,

indeed upon any act of circumstance

whatsoever.

Then only could I be free to love as

Francis did. Emotional and instinctual

satisfactions, I saw, were really the

extra dividends of having love

(continued on page 4)

Page 3

THE EMOTIONAL SLUMP

“Coincidences” or “miracles,” when you saw, heard or sensed your HP at work. (Doesn‟t have to be a “hot flash” or “white light”!) “After 30 years of drinking, my body was about to give out. I was showing early signs of cirrhosis, with night sweats and a wracking cough—not far, I learned later, from an esophageal hemorrhage. As I shuffled along the city sidewalk, no doubt on my way to the corner liquor store, I noticed a dirty paperback book lying in the gutter. Being a book-thumper, I picked it up: It was Came to Believe. I read it that night, and two days later, I attended my first AA meeting. Coincidence? I think not.” ~Anonymous~

SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS YOU MAY BE IN AN

EMOTIONAL / SPIRTUAL SLUMP

SUGGESTIONS TO ALIEVE AN EMOTIONAL / SPIRTUAL SLUMP

(hint, it's in the Big Book) page

Exhaustion - Allowing ones self to become overly tired; usually associated with work addiction as an excuse for not facing per-

sonal frustrations.

The A.A. plan is describe by the members themselves as 'self-insurance'. This self-insurance has resulted in the restoration of physical, mental and spiritual health and self-respect to hundreds of men and women who would be hopelessly down and out

without its unique but effective therapy.

574

Dishonesty - Begins with pattern of little lies; escalated to self-

delusion and making excuses for not doing what's called for. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop

up, we ask God at once to remove them. 84

Impatience - I want it now. Others aren't doing what I think they

should or living the way I know is right. ―So we clean house with the family, asking each morning in meditation that our Creator

show us the way of patience and tolerance, kindliness and love.‖ 83

Depression - All unreasonable, unaccountable despair should be exposed and discussed, not repressed: what is the "exact nature"

of those feelings?

When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the

God idea did. 98

Becoming angry or argumentative – No point is small not to be debated to the point of anger. Flying of the handle for no particu-

lar reason resulting in foul behavior.

If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things

are poison 52

Self-pity - Feeling victimized, put-upon, used unappreciated: convinced we are being singled out for bad luck. The belief you

have suffered more than is fair or reasonable.

(The Promises) …That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows… …They will always material-

ize if we work for them. 84

Loss of Faith – Questioning if there is no Higher Power or that God has abandoned you or is not answering your prayers. No longer seeing the value or significance of our daily program, meet-

ings or talking with a sponsor.

We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power? Well, that's ex-actly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater

than yourself which will solve your problem.

83

Complacency - No longer sees value of daily program, meetings, contact with other alcoholics (even your sponsor), feels healthy,

on top of the world, things are going well.

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of o ur spiritual

condition.

45

Forgetting gratitude - Losing sight of the abundant blessings in

our everyday lives. Forgetting the last drink and what it was like. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word

serenity and we will know peace. 83

"It can't happen to me." - Feeling immune; forgetting what we

know about the disease of alcoholism and its progressive nature. We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were

alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that we are like other people,

or presently may be, has to be smashed. 30

Resentment – Becoming resentful over insignificant events or

occurrences causing injury or insult. Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything

else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and

physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. 64

Taking control – Letting the ego take over your thoughts, words

and deeds so only you will manage your life. All of us felt at times that we were regaining control, but such intervals--usually

brief—were inevitably followed by still less control, which led in time to pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization.

Step 1: …that our lives had become unmanageable.

30

13

COINCIDENCE OR MIRACLE?

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS

Someone once remarked that pain is the touchstone of spiritual progress. How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him, for we know that the pains of alcoholism had to come before sobriety, and emotional turmoil before serenity. 12x12 pg 93-94

Page 4

To receive your email copy of the newsletter, send your request to backgroundnotes@yahoo.com.

We’re always interested in receiving short AA recovery-related articles, thoughts, opinions and experiences written by fellow

members. We would love to hear from you. Send your articles to background notes@yahoo.com.

Visit us online at www.aadistrict0490.org

ELECTION RESULTS

Salt City Mid-Winter Roundup

“Forever Growing Together”

February 7th - 9th 2014

For events, contacts, and information go to:

http://saltcityroundup.com/

Welcome in the New Year at the 11th

Annual New Year‟s Eve Celebration.

The festivities begin at 5pm with a

speaker at 7pm. The annual event will

be held at the Methodist Church in

Oneida, NY at the corner of Main &

Grove Streets on December 31st. Come

and enjoy an evening of fellowship,

dinner, music and speakers. Donations

are gratefully accepted and welcome

and may be made at the door to help

with expenses. There will be a 50/50

raffle and an auction.

Please bring a dish to pass.

Bring a newcomer, bring a friend, and

show them “we are not a glum lot.”

ANNUAL NEW YEARS PARTY

HEADS UP

(continued from page 2)

and expressing love appropriate to each relation of life.

Plainly, I could not avail myself to God´s love until I

was able to offer it back to Him by loving others as He

would have me. And I couldn´t possibly do that so long as

I was victimized by false dependencies.

For my dependence meant demand, a demand for the

possession and control of the people and the conditions

surrounding me.

While those words "absolute dependence" may look like

a gimmick, they were the ones that helped to trigger my

release into my present degree of stability and quietness of

mind, qualities which I am now trying to consolidate by

offering love to others regardless of the return to me.

This seems to be the primary healing circuit: an outgoing

love of God´s creation and His people, by means of which

we avail ourselves of His love for us. It is most clear that

the real current can´t flow until our paralyzing dependen-

cies are broken, and broken at depth. Only then can we

possibly have a glimmer of what adult love really is.

If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small,

we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependence

and its consequent demand. Let us, with God´s help, con-

tinually surrender these hobbling demands. Then we can be

set free to live and love: we may then be able to gain emo-

tional sobriety.

Of course, I haven´t offered you a really new idea ---

only a gimmick that has started to unhook several of my

own hexes´ at depth. Nowadays, my brain no longer races

compulsively in either elation, grandiosity or depression. I

have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine."

Bill Wilson, January 1953

THE NEXT FRONTIER: EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY by BILL W., cont.

District 0490 Welcomes

New Trusted Servants and Chairs

DCM: Dennis R. Alt DCM: Andy A. Corrections Steve T. Website: Bill B. Events: Leo M.

Congratulations to all the newly elected trusted servants and chairs—thank you for your service. Please note: Secretary, Treatment, Accessibility and CPC positions, are currently vacant, we could use your help to fill these positions.

DISTRICT MEETING NOTE

There will be no District meeting in December. The next meeting will be held January 19th.

Page 5

Just F or Fun

SPIRITUALLY-MINDED

Instead of regarding ourselves as intelligent agents, spearheads of God's ever advancing Creation, we agnostics and

atheists chose to believe that our human intelligence was the last word , the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end

of all. Rather vain of us, wasn't it? We, who have traveled this dubious path, beg you to lay aside prejudice, even against

organized religion. We have learned that whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be, those faiths have given

purpose and direction to millions. People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about. Actually, we used to have

no reasonable conception whatever. We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and practices

when we might have observed that many spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating

a degree of stability, happiness and usefulness which we should have sought ourselves.

Alcoholics Anonymous, page 49

LIVING SOBER

A drunk was walking through the woods when he found a skull. The

first thing he did was call the police. But then he got curious about it.

He picked it up, and started wondering who this person was, and why

this person had deer horns.

A drunk was in court waiting his turn to face the judge for driving under the influence. Much to his surprise, his neighbor was there being questioned by the judge in a different case. The judge said, "It says here you were arguing with your wife and you threatened her with a hammer. Is this true?" When the neighbor admitted the accusation, the drunk leaped up and shouted, "You liar!" The judge pounded his gavel and asked the drunk what he was shouting about. The drunk replied: "I'm sorry your honor, but that man has been my neighbor for ten years, and every time I asked if I could borrow a hammer, he said he didn't have one."

When we get the last molecules of alcohol out of the system, a lot of the gloom disappears along with it. But the habit

of thinking in such neurotically depressed ways can stay with some of us, we have found, until we learn to spot it

and carefully root it out. This is no prescription for mindless Pollyanna-ism. We do not pretend that hardships are

meaningless, nor deny that everyone has mountains to climb from time to time. Grief really hurts, and so do other kinds

of pain. However, now that we are free of alcohol, we have much more control over our thinking. We have a broader

range of thoughts, in minds that are no longer so blurred. The thoughts we choose to spend time on in any given 24

hours can strongly influence the complexion of our feeling for that day—bright and healthy, or murky and

disheartened. Since so much of our thinking used to be intricately associated with our drinking life-style, we have found

it worthwhile to look closely at our thinking habits and find different and better ways of using our minds.

Living Sober pgs 47-48