Tomorrow, I will be attending my fourth round of “Ready Set Go!!” online meetings because it has been profound for me. I attended my very first session last August 29th and have been attending ever since. “Ready Set Go!!” is a six-week introductory program to the ACA Steps and the Inner Child. The first four weeks cover the Twelve Steps and the last two weeks cover Inner Child work. “Ready Set Go!!” is especially designed for newcomers, although seasoned ACA fellow travelers are free to attend as well.
I am 60 years old, and I discovered ACA last June. When I started attending ACA meetings, fellow travelers would talk about being gentle and kind to ourselves. I had such a feeling of belonging and identification with the Laundry List and readings that I wanted to jump right into step work. Thankfully, I started connecting with a couple of seasoned travelers who suggested that I take things slowly as the step work was difficult. Indeed, at the time, I could only handle reading a couple of pages of the “Big Red Book” before getting emotionally dysregulated and setting the book aside for a few days or a week.
“Ready Set Go!!” has been a literal Godsend for me. At the beginning, I found it challenging with the few simple reflection prompts that were given in each of the steps. You might think that three questions per step would be easy enough. On the contrary, it wasn’t easy to reflect on the dysfunction in my family of origin and in my own life. I can only imagine at that early stage of my recovery how I would have dealt with diving right into the Twelve Steps “yellow workbook”. I know now, after almost eight months of being in the ACA program, that a complete step program would not have been appropriate for me.
ACA Tradition Five states: Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the adult child who still suffers. Page 514 of the “Big Red Book” states: The primary responsibility of an ACA group, or a meeting is to carry the message to newcomers.
In my personal opinion, “Ready Set Go!!” is perfect for newcomers who so desperately need a program but who are too vulnerable and raw to start a full-on step program. I am so grateful to my dear fellow traveler who sent me a link to “Ready Set Go!!” last August. It was a great introduction to ACA and, for me as a newcomer, it helped me feel less isolated and alone.
I have needed a continuous stream of “Ready Set Go!!” meetings in order to feel strong enough to move forward to other step work. Recently, I was invited to join a Twelve Step group that is starting next month. Thanks to “Ready Set Go!!” meetings, I feel stronger and more capable to tackle the ACA Twelve Steps. I truly believe that “Ready Set Go!!” has been foundational to my continuing recovery.
Vee B
EDITOR’S NOTE: The current version of “Ready Set Go!!” is not yet considered “ACA Conference Approved” literature. It has been submitted to Literature Evaluation in the process to become Conference-approved and will shortly be released in Fellowship Review mode.