aa Spoken Here Community Group
Fellowship Where you can share your thoughts, feelings, stories and get support to gain and continue sobriety.
I have been reading some of the post here lately and it has started to concern me some of the things that have been said.
For a group of people for whom tolerance is a guiding principal we seem quick to forget this. There is two main areas that are concerning me one that can not and will not be tolerated and the other is about growth.
First up there is no place on this board for name calling so please take this message as notice that if any of the admins; Nicky, Gailly or myself see any posts with name calling in it then they will be deleted without discussion. I support each and everyong one of us to debate the topic but in a manner that is respectful and without name calling.
Secondly as I posted a while ago just because my experience is different to your experience does not make either experience wrong, all it makes it is different. If your experience is different to mine then please share your experience but please do not tell me that mine is "BS". To me that is both intolerant and disrespectful. Again if one of the admins see someone share their experience and another attack it then that post will be deleted. If you are unsure on what a person has shared then by all means ask a question but I remind you to do so in a respectful manner.
Whilst this may sound controlling it is not the admins intention to control what people say on these boards, however, we do believe the intention of these boards is for people to share their experience, strength and hope. When people start to push the boundaries then we believe we do have a responsibility to do what we believe is in the best interest of the group as a whole.
Gr8ful
For a group of people for whom tolerance is a guiding principal we seem quick to forget this. There is two main areas that are concerning me one that can not and will not be tolerated and the other is about growth.
First up there is no place on this board for name calling so please take this message as notice that if any of the admins; Nicky, Gailly or myself see any posts with name calling in it then they will be deleted without discussion. I support each and everyong one of us to debate the topic but in a manner that is respectful and without name calling.
Secondly as I posted a while ago just because my experience is different to your experience does not make either experience wrong, all it makes it is different. If your experience is different to mine then please share your experience but please do not tell me that mine is "BS". To me that is both intolerant and disrespectful. Again if one of the admins see someone share their experience and another attack it then that post will be deleted. If you are unsure on what a person has shared then by all means ask a question but I remind you to do so in a respectful manner.
Whilst this may sound controlling it is not the admins intention to control what people say on these boards, however, we do believe the intention of these boards is for people to share their experience, strength and hope. When people start to push the boundaries then we believe we do have a responsibility to do what we believe is in the best interest of the group as a whole.
Gr8ful
You might like to think about that and examine what, if anything, is behind it.
If you have an issue with the group it is easy to unsubscribe and stay with a group more to your liking.
Discussion and debate will, by the very nature of its topics (God, medical matters, alcoholism) bring out strong emotions in people. All we ask is a little respect in that we do not "attack" others or make negative personal comments.
Are there those among us so sensative that they are that offended by what goes on here??
This is nothing compared to political boards. I try to be respectful and I don't agree with name calling either but can we not take care of ourselves to some extent?
I appreciate the difficult position you're in as moderators but please don't overdue this. Much thinking comes out of these debates. This is also not offically an AA meeting remember
Joel
However, I have a few questions observations and concerns. If that means I am not respectful or tolerant then so be it because I sure don't see that demonstrated by the leader and a few others here.
What happens when the person who is the administrator implies that if one disagrees with their ideas that they are trouble makers and mentally unstable. Or what happens when they imply that if someone says something like take what you need and leave the rest, which by the way refers to what people say not what the book says, the person should not be considered real AAers. What happens when that person makes a statement in reply to a post and then says, as if they are God, enough said.
I've bitten my tongue over and over again trying to have patience and tolerance for what is said here. I will no longer do that. There are a very few people in this group who have a certain vision of AA and they slam down any other thoughts or ideas through condescending remarks, implications of people not being alcoholic, emotionally or mentally off. They quote the big book adnauseam to justify incredibly boorish behavior.
I will no longer sit by and let their controlling ways provide a tunnel vision of the program of AA as a whole. There is only one requirement for membership and that is a desire to stop drinking. It doesn't matter how much how often you drink. It doesn't matter how you work or don't work the steps. If you have a desire to stop you are welcome. Any other qualifications are not in line with the 3rd tradition. It is a program that I love and it saved my life and the way it is portrayed in this group by some of the main posters is a travesty.
By the way it is possible to be sober, be a member of AA believe in the Book and what it says and yet still have an original thought.
If this post is deleted it will demonstrate everything I have just said.