Am I Giving Back to AA?

People don’t like to talk about money, but we have too. Folks have complained about it for years, but we need to have these discussions. Bill W. wrote extensively about this topic; he even wrote an entire Tradition about it.

He talks about helping a hung over drunk by giving him five dollars (which was a seventh of his weekly income); but when it came to adding to the basket at the meeting that night he only threw in a dime. Bill realized that his ego was not in check, and his priorities were not in the correct order. I need to ask myself the same question—are my priorities in order?

You always hear the words in meetings “we are self supporting through our own contributions.” For me, the key words are WE and OWN – which means all of us. So here’s the big question I ask myself… Am I giving back to AA?

Contributions in AA mean many things. Do I contribute to the meeting that I’m at? How about my local Intergroup or Central Office? The seventh tradition is more than just throwing a buck or two in the basket. Self support means that I carry my own weight, I pay my bills in a timely manner, I give back to a program that has freely given to me, I help other alcoholics as best as I can.

Some of the things I do are – step up to chair my home group, come early to help setup, (the meeting before the meeting), cleanup after myself, pickup ashtrays (when you could still smoke in a meeting), pickup coffee cups, push in chairs, and most importantly throw a couple of dollars in the baskets. That buck keeps that meeting I am sitting in open for the next alcoholic.

When I was newly sober I came to meetings, unemployed and unemployable — a broken person with nothing to give. I didn’t have two nickels to rub together; but I had pennies, so I threw them in out of gratitude for that meeting. It was not just at my home group but every meeting. The saying “90 meeting in 90 days” meant that I contributed 90 times in 90 days.

I was taught very early on that giving back to a meeting meant cleaning up after myself, putting money in the basket, extending a hand to the newcomer or buying them a big book. Contributing in all of these ways does more for me, it gives me self esteem, and the feeling I belong to AA and humanity. I can look people in the eye today, and I can also pass on what I was taught.

Today, I do as best I can on any given day. I live on a fixed income, so after paying my bills, I take out so much cash for meeting money for the month. That way I can contribute financially to all the meetings I attend. I get coffee and once in a while a donut (my weakness). I know that there are regular costs for every home group to provide coffee, cups, donuts, literature, rent for the space and the list goes on….

Over the years, I’ve had a few sponsees not contribute to the meetings they attend. When asked, I’ve gotten answers such as “I give at my home group” or “I gave last week.” I’ve pointed out to them that they smoke store bought cigarettes, have nice cell phones (which they can’t seem to get off of), go to “Starbucks” for coffee or buy five dollars in 50/50 tickets…but they don’t understand the importance of throwing in a dollar or two in the basket.

As you might imagine, this irks me to no end. I then give them “the talk” – about how it is so very important to give back to AA, and how their dollar will help the next drunk coming in. We saved them a seat… so let’s save a seat for another alcoholic by helping to keep the doors open. When the willingness is there, they come to see the bigger picture and make the changes necessary to stay sober one more day.

I know that I can not change anyone but myself, and passing judgments on others is a character defect of mine. So I attempt to show by example. If we as sponsors do not teach our sponsees, then who will? I hate to see meetings close because they can’t pay the rent. If we don’t step up then who will?

By Teresa K., Area 60 Registrar