New Meeting
Back to Basics 6:45 p.m. Fridays, Alano Club EastÂ
Chair: Ian W.
Why did you decide to start this particular meeting?
Ian: This is something I am carrying on from a member who is very dear to this club, Taylor S. He sponsored me and scores
of other men in the program. He passed in ’22, but he always ran these meetings. He found these meetings to be the most effective way of approaching the 12 Steps and relieving the pain that people are carrying when they walk in here. So it just seemed natural that me and some of my fellow sponsees from Taylor to carry this on because it certainly helped me in the spirit of the 12th Step. If I know something works for me, and I was a pretty low bottom, it can work for most people.
What’s different between a Back to Basics meeting and your standard traditional AA meeting?
Ian: Well, first, let me say that Back to Basics is not a shortcut to AA. It’s not like a cheat. It’s a brief introduction to the fundamentals. What it does is it tries to bring it down so it’s not so intimidating for some people to approach the Steps and say, listen, it’s really not that bad. We can go through it in a month, and it’s relatively painless. Also it’s recommended that we don’t just take the Steps once, that we continue to take the Steps in an effort to maintain our spiritual condition that allows us to be sober for the day.
Will this meeting continue permanently?
Ian: Yes. Every month we go through the 12 Steps in four one-hour sessions.
If somebody chooses to join after the first meeting of the month, can they catch up?
Ian: Yes, we welcome everybody. What we will do usually in that situation is take some time after the meeting to get them caught up so the regular meeting can go as planned.
You said it’s not a shortcut, but can you really get through the 12 Steps in a month?
Ian: Absolutely, the idea being we get used to the process, the process of introspection and reflection of what’s working in our life and what’s not. A lot of people see it as this, you know, the Fourth Step is something very daunting and something to be put off and to be afraid of. But we get to the things that are bothering people at any given time.Is this conference approved literature that you’re dealing with? Ian: Yes, it is. Because every quote from this book comes from the Big Book. It’s just it’s a great way to get through the Steps. It’s a great way to introduce the newcomer to it. The goal is to root out the pain and the reasons why we drank.