Ramblings from Milkman Mike

I wrote this about a year ago and thought I'd repost.

Does making coffee, greeting people at the door, chairing meeting and the other things people of 12 step programs do, Keep them clean/sober? I think not!! BUT........ with service comes commitment, and with commitment comes sobriety. At least for this alkie/addict, it does. Show up and boot up, how many times you heard THIS? Yea, right! Show up and boot up, when it suits YOU!! There's not much commitment there, now IS there? BUT........ If you make a commitment to make the coffee every Tuesday night at 7:00pm, you (at least, most people will) will show up that night clean/sober to do your service (commitment) for the group.
NOW, maybe that might be the ONLY night you stay sober, but it's a start, isn't it? Now, doing that "service" every week for whatever amount of time you COMITT to, is just liable to rub off on ya, isn't it?
Now, moving on just a bit, if YOU don't make the coffee, help set up the room, chair and all the other service jobs available and NEEDED, then WHO WILL? Who will keep the doors open for the Alcoholic/Addict that still suffers, the alcoholic/addict that NEEDS to fellowship and share ESH, in order to stay sober/clean another 24? Should we all stop at the nearest Starbucks for a cup of coffee, maybe a 1.50 or 2.00 that many can't afford in early sobriety? Or should we wait till someone invites us over to their house for a meeting?
Now, for this alcoholic/addict, I'm just a simple man. I don't do a lot of reading in the Big Book, Basic Text, or read articles on the programs higher structure, but I have enough knowledge for what I need, to have this program, assist me in staying clean and sober for today. I leave the politics; YES politics of the programs to those that wish to seek out MORE, maybe MORE than what most of us need to know. To those that read and investigate the "innards" of the program, my hat is off to you for your commitment to know more, and the exploration and research it must take to obtain it. Your posts on these boards HELP me, help me to understand, or at least see other sides that I might not be aware of, of the programs.
Now, as dumb as I might be about the complexity of the programs above the local meetings, I DO know that the meetings, and the way MOST of them are handled, contribute to sobriety to many of us. Like any organization that grows, so grows the people that want to profit from it in their own ways. Whether it be in ego, monetary or other, people will use people for their own personal gain. When there is "evil" in the program, most of us are aware of it. BUT, do we want to publicize and demean this program, because of a few bad "apples"? Do we need to show the members (newcomers included) that we know more about "OUR" side that the other man knows about "HIS" side? Do we need to put someone else DOWN, in relating our views and opinions, maybe based on fact, maybe not, only the writer know, huh? It's kind of funny, that the people that use their words, at the expense of others, are generally people that are excellent writers. People that can use the pen (or keyboard, in this case) like a saber, cutting into others with the sharpness of that blade. It can be interesting and amusing at times, but for me, I see no need for it. Implying a statement or quote, tells MOST of us, whom you're taking a shot at, we're not all stupid (ARE WE?).
Well gang, it's getting late, and I'm just a rambling on with my thoughts from the day, a day of watching the boards, working at my job, and all in all, just having another GOOD DAY. Even with the BS that's happened around me today, it's been A GREAT DAY. I'm going to bed, SOBER and CLEAN, with no alcohol or drugs in my body, and tomorrow morning I'll wake up to a new day, and with the grace of GOD, tomorrow night, I'll get to do the same. Good night to all, and to all a good night. Keep those sabers in the sheath, will ya?
Milkman