I've always fancied myself somewhat of a nascent writer. I'm pretty articulate, have a faster wit than the average bear, and know my way around a thesaurus. I've always let myself off the hook, though, telling myself I just didn't have anything UNIQUE to write about. Why write about what thousands of others have written about, especially considering most of it is better than anything I can contribute?
It's long occurred to me, at least in the three plus years since I've gotten sober, that this is an area rife for contemplation and exposition. God knows I spend countless hours a day talking and thinking about my sobriety and my romantic life and the interplay between the two. Because let's face it. It's not always easy being gay, and it sure as hell isn't easy to be a drunk.
There ARE some complications, some baggage addressing sobriety and AA brings up, namely anonymity. Two of the Twelve Traditions of AA specifically address the importance of anonymity. The 11th Tradition, the short form of which states, "Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films." This speaks to the humility needed to succeed in the program, that the message of AA is best carried not by self promotion or flashy, sensationalistic ad campaigns, but by the quiet and earnest testimony of the people in our lives who've seen the program work for us. The 12th Tradition further stresses the importance of anonymity, stating, "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities." This is meant to emphasize the spiritual importance of humility, that I don't go around patting myself on the back for getting sober, because I didn't do it alone, that no one person is bigger than the fellowship as a whole.
So anonymity is important, is what I'm trying to convey. Which brings us to ground rules. I'm sort of making these up as I go along, so if any readers think there's anything I'm missing, please feel free to comment or e-mail me with suggestions.
1. Names have been changed, especially those of alcoholics. Details about appearance, back story, etc. will be changed as well. It's about principles, not personalities.
2. Anything told to me in confidence by another alcoholic will never appear on this blog.
3. Shares or qualifications in meetings may be quoted, but only inasmuch as they are pertinent to the promises, prayers and warnings. I'm not writing this to share salacious drunkalogues. I'm here to talk about the daily struggle, triumph and failure.
4. I do not speak for, nor should anything written here be construed to imply that I speak for Alcoholics Anonymous, any group of AA, or any recovering alcoholic other than myself. Any quotes from the Big Book or any other AA literature are taken without permission, and any mistakes in transcription or interpretation are mine and mine alone.
5. Any comment that violates the above will be deleted without warning.
Other than that, I'm kind of flying without a parachute here. I welcome your suggestions as I get going and this blog (hopefully) grows.
Now, without further ado...
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