Service In ACA: The Icing On The Cake
When I came to ACA, 12-Step programs were not new to me. My dad was an alcoholic, and I attended several AA meetings with him. With the help of AA and his Higher Power, he had 51 years of sobriety when he passed away.
Throughout those years, I watched my dad give back through service. He started AA meetings, helped organize AA functions, and organized a bus trip to the AA World Convention in 1985. He also served as an appointed liaison for people in recovery on the county board. I can still hear him saying after a phone call, “I have to go on a 12-Step call.”
My mom became very involved in AA, too. Although she was not an alcoholic, she enjoyed attending meetings and conferences, doing service work, and helping Dad organize AA functions. Every week, she baked a cake for their Wednesday night meeting. I think some people came just for her cake!
With those examples in my life, it wasn’t long before I wanted to do service work in ACA. It seemed like a natural part of being involved in a 12-Step program.
My service began when someone asked me to chair a meeting. Was I apprehensive? Of course I was. But that apprehension soon faded. Chairing gave me a sense of accomplishment and an opportunity to support my ACA group. Next, I was asked to take a key and open the doors for meetings. With each opportunity, I noticed that service seemed to strengthen my recovery.
And service was fun. I enjoyed being involved, contributing, and helping others find the fellowship that was helping me.
As my involvement grew, I helped get our Intergroup’s website up and running and kept it updated. I also created a Facebook page for our Intergroup. Together, these tools help us carry the ACA message beyond our meeting rooms and reach people who may not know that support is available.
My service now includes scheduling meetings with county health departments to introduce ACA and discuss how it might benefit the people they serve. Those conversations have helped bring ACA meetings into jails, and I have started two virtual ACA meetings in county jails.
I also help arrange our presence at recovery events, where we offer ACA information at a resource table. Through outreach emails to recovery houses, sober living homes, recovery groups, therapists, counselors, county health officials, and many others, we introduce ACA and invite people to learn more. One of those outreach efforts sparked interest at a sober living home that is now starting an ACA meeting on-site.
Each of these activities helps carry the ACA message to those who still suffer. At the same time, each one enriches my own recovery journey. Service gives me opportunities to connect with others, share hope, and put my recovery into practice.
Meetings, fellowship, and my Higher Power keep me grounded in recovery. But for me, these Twelfth Step activities are the icing on the cake.
Just like the icing on my mom’s cakes.
