Participation vs non-participation.

I am an active participant in my home groups. I bring hope to the newcomer. I say YES when I am asked to perform service. I strive to be useful to others.

Love and service. Give back what was so freely given to you.

God has been awfully good to me and given me a chance to give of myself to those who need help. How blessed I am.

G'Day Bob

Chris said it a whole lot better than I am going to.

The difference between being an active member and a non active member is like being committed to your recovery or just involved in it and the difference there is like a "Bacon and Egg breakfast.' The Pig is committed ,but the Chicken is only involved.

It can all look good but it is whats happening behind the seens.

See I told you Chris's answer was better and to the point..

God Bless...

Lionel

I'd say the more pertinent question is, what's the difference between an active member and a platitude regurgitator?

There are those that move on and find other ways to serve, Some get back to just being husbands and wives. Some are in politics some serve in the churches of their choice some just serve their communities. I see them out in the community from time to time. They also stop in the group once in awhile just to remember how sick they really were. We know that they are sober.

I`m still serving at the group level, maybe one day I`ll get the heck out of there myself..There is life after AA. We shall see

Hello bobinmaine,

I have not heard those terms used so I can only guess.

Some people go to meetings, expect the venue to be open, the heating to be on and the chairs to be laid out. They drink tea or coffee, sit down on the chairs, expect someone to open the meeting and to call on people to share etc. They then drink more tea or coffee, talk to other members and go home.

Other people become Group Members and they meet usually once per month for a few minutes after a normal meeting in a Group Conscience, which I believe may be called a Business Meeting in some places. I will be attending such a meeting tomorrow night and this is how it goes:

The Group Chairperson will open the Group Conscience and will read the Preamble. The Group Secretary will take notes in the book that is kept for that purpose; he will record the names of the members who are in attendance.

The chairperson will call for a group member to read the Twelve Traditions. He will then call for the secretary to read the minutes of the last meeting and the minutes will be read out. If there are no matters arising from the minutes, they will be proposed and seconded.

The chairperson will then call for the Treasurers Report. This is very brief and usually it just states the present balance, has the rent for the building been paid etc.

Any AA birthdays of Group Members for the following month will be noted and arrangements will be made for someone to buy a cake for the appropriate meeting in order to celebrate. (Good for new members to see that people have so many years sober).

A chairperson will be picked who will open the building, set up the room and chair the meetings for the coming month. Someone will also volunteer for making the tea.

The chairperson will then ask if there is Any Other Business (AOB) and there may or may not be a short discussion.

The meeting ends with the Serenity Prayer. Seems like a lot of work but is not really it only takes 5-10 minutes.

Group members will ten put away all of the AA material such as pictures, slogans, books, tablecloth etc. They will also clear up the meeting room and the kitchen and put away all of the tea and coffee materials; they will put the chairs and any tables back to where they were before the meeting; they will check that the building is secure and then the person who is chairing the next meeting will lock up.

Before the next meeting, the chairperson for the month will go to the shop and buy tea, coffee, milk, sugar, biscuits etc. as required. He or she will then arrive early at the meeting venue, open up the building, arrange the chairs, make the tea and so on.

A little later, people will start to arrive and they will drink tea, expect the chairs to be arranged etc. You will have noted that the meeting does not just happen. It takes a bit of work and without active Group Members to do that work, there would be no meeting. It is recommended that you should be a member of a Group as it helps your own recovery, as well as making sure that AA is there for the next hopeless drunk who makes that difficult journey through the doors.

You will hear an announcement at some meetings, informing members that there will be a Group Conscience after the normal meeting and there will be an invitation for new members to join the Group. If you are not sure if you want to join or not, most Groups will allow you to sit in on one or more of their meetings as an observer. That will allow you to see how the Group works and you may choose between several different Groups, depending on your preference.

I do not know if that is what is meant by active and inactive members. However, I do know that it is an ideal way to put something back into AA. We often talk about how grateful we are for AA but real gratitude is expressed by action rather than words.

Forgot to add that Group members do not govern - they serve and do not have any power.

Gnon, is AA something that you endure? I hope there is never an "after AA" for me. I made that mistake once.

I do not view AA as a "membership" therefore there is no active/inactive. AA welcomes anyone with a desire to quit drinking so I go. Degree of participation is a personal choice and part of the step process (imo) not a "membership" requirement

My sponsor's best friend and she started in AA together 28 / 29 years ago. Her friend, who I know too and really like, is sober but hasnt been to a meeting in 10 years. I'd say that's an inactive member:-) That's how she described herself at our recent women's potluck --- her first meeting in 10 years!
She's a member of FA.

Not really terms used here in the UK...not that I have heard anyhows.

I just had this feeling they were speaking to me when some of the older ones talked about it. My first year I did some sharing but lately I prefer to just sit and listen.

I know there is no right or wrong it's whatever works for you, but sometimes I think others are dying for me to share and participate more, I dunno, just wonderin.

Been sober 4 years so think I'll just keep doing what I'm doin.

I love this group, thanks everyone!

Bob, What do you mean by you think others are dying for you to share? Just curious.

I thought this was kind of a loaded question when I seen this earlier because the way I see it now what the question was and what you was asking are two different things.

I have heard it said when asked to share you have some type of obligation to which I think is rubbish, do what you feel is right at the moment, some may call that being selfish "whatever"

As far as what others thought the questions is from my exp. things change and do different things. Early on I went to meetings all the time because I was taught that's what I should do to get a grip on this recovery deal.

Things changed I still once or twice a week chair a few times a year but my passion is getting people into recovery and not just into AA whatever the individual wants to do that works for them.

So would this mean I'm inactive in AA because I don't do what I used to do? Don't think so.

Everyone that wants to be part of the recovery community does things that others don't even realize what there doing. Just my experience.

" Gnon, is AA something that you endure? I hope there is never an "after AA" for me. I made that mistake once. "

At times...Been around the block a few times my self...either I`m getting well or they are getting sicker .I don`t know about you, but I certainly don`t plan on hiding in there the rest of my life.

Cheers

Gnon, If you think your just "hiding out" in meetings ya might want to take a look at that. Just a thought.

As far as you getting better and the others getting sicker I wonder what the people your talking about thoughts would be on that?

An inactive member is someone who lays on the couch all day eating cheetos.

MMMMMMM cheetos :P