aa Spoken Here Community Group
Fellowship Where you can share your thoughts, feelings, stories and get support to gain and continue sobriety.
Or we could call this " another thread" Blues.
I personally love the slogans. KISS, Easy does it ( but do it), First things first, Think think think, etc.
I was unaware some dislike them until joining this board so I thought I'd throw it out for a topic.
I personally love the slogans. KISS, Easy does it ( but do it), First things first, Think think think, etc.
I was unaware some dislike them until joining this board so I thought I'd throw it out for a topic.
I really love the slogans i think there great if you want to look for excuses to do nothing about yourself
a)easy does it(Do nothing)
b)keep it simple(dont look at the steps)
c)give time time(dont do anything or look at the steps)
d) Think Think Think!(WOT?) No dont think think think pray to your HP and get the answer to your question!
My all time favorite 'Keep coming back' and of course 'One day at a time'
If these are explained properly I admit in some cases they can be useful, however in most of the meetings where I see these they are promoted as the program!
I was actually speaking to one new comer last week who thought the 12 steps were the slogans because everyone in the room had shared some inane drinkalogue and then told him to read the slogans! As an alcoholic if I took it easy, thought thought thought I would be in serious trouble or more than likely I would be in the pub banging on the bar saying how the hell did this happen! Its what I did last time I tried to cure my alcoholism by taking it easy and sitting on my arse all day thinking! However I realise that many meetings do use them, I just choose to not have them up at mine and Keep it simple by only having the 12 steps up on the wall!
Slogans, on the other hand, are really only useful for selling ice cream, candy or sugar-coated arsenic.*
(*I just recently heard that here somewhere.)
Easy does it but do it, first things first and think think think were very important to me when I first came in because it helped me slow down and focus before I could do the steps. You remember that impulseiveness and lack of focus of early ( and sometimes of not so early) sobriety? That's what they're about.
I never thought any of them were in lieu of the steps
Is your home group inudated with court referals or something??
This almost feels like the track meet discussion where people were claiming that you could effectively take 5, 6 , 7 or more steps in a few days.
Well I asked for opinions and I got em, thanks.
No offense meant. Just an observation.
It was not until I read the origins and original meanings in books like; Pass It On, Dr Bob & the Good Old-timers, Not God, New Wine, ect... that I became aware that the meaning of some of them have gotten distorted over time.
"Here is a brief list of slogans that have gotten distorted over time;
"First things first" meant "Seek first the kingdom of God" not "Sobriety comes first."
"Keep It Simple" meant "Lets stay focused" not "Don't expect me to to learn anything."
"One Day At A Time" meant "We stay spiritually fit One Day At A Time"
not "We must struggle One Day At A Time for the rest of our lives"
... are mottoes on page 135, Joel, not different-stroke slogans!
And as to "Live and let live", that is kind of like letting God sort everybody else out.
And Lee you must realize that great literary works have layers? That a slogan, a motto a paragraph from the BB might mean one thing to a newcomer but have a different meaning later on?
Sorry to any of the old timers on here that dont use the solgan's in that way but this is what i have hard sometimes in meeting well more after the meeting.
But , I don't think it's that easy to move on much less "come to believe" etc.