Published Monthly by:

Acadiana Area Central Office, Inc.

Located at: 115 Leonie St., Lafayette, LA

70506

Phone: (337) 991-0830

(24 Hours)

Mail all Contributions

to: P.O. Box 61144

Lafayette, LA 70596

Office Hours: Mon-Fri

11:00-5:30 Sat.

8:30-12:30

COPYRIGHT © 2015 Acadiana Area

Central Office, Inc.

PLU

G IN

JUG N

EWS

Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Tradition 9: A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

September 2015

MISSION STATEMENT

It is the goal of your Central Office Steering Committee to monitor and improve upon the quality of services provided by the office and its workers. The Steering Committee meets regularly to review Policies and Operations

in order to improve its services to our A.A. Community.

©

Ramada Conference Center 2032 NE Evangeline Thwy Lafayette, LA

Wyndham Garden 1801 W. Pinhook Road Lafayette, LA

Bill W. tells how A.A. started, how the Steps and Traditions evolved, and how the A.A. Fellowship grew

and spread overseas.

BBQ

“Henry just drinks

to be sociable.”

Kenny D from Seattle, Washington

©

©

Halfway through my fourth year in the program, I ran into some financial trouble. I had recently started freelancing as a writer and editor for a few publications and things were going well.

Then, summer hit and the work slowed and I found myself nearly completely broke. I had not done any substantial work for at least three weeks and things looked bleak.

While I continued going to meetings, calling my sponsor, and praying during this time, I just couldn't see beyond this rough patch in my life. Feeling particularly bad one July evening, I went to a meeting and a friend in the program contacted me to say that she had some money for me. She had left $40 in an envelop for me in her mailbox. I was very grateful. After I picked up the money, I texted her to thank her.

I went to the local grocery store and spent $20 on food to get me through the next couple of days. Somewhere between the store and my apartment, I lost the other $20. Like the broken shoelace in the story in the Big Book, this put me over the edge. I searched my car and my apartment. I even went back to the grocery store and searched the parking lot. The money was simply gone.

When I returned home, I was very upset and sobbing. I asked aloud why this was happening to me and wondered what I had done to deserve this fate. My mind raced. I pictured myself homeless, begging on the street.

My alcoholism was on me in a big way and my perceptions were filled with doom and gloom. The pity pot began to overflow and soon I was contemplating either a drink or suicide. I was on a severe emotional jag and had completely cut myself off from the light of the spirit.

While I had been given many spiritual gifts from the program over the last four years, and the tools needed to face this difficulty lay at my feet, I was ready to throw it all out the window over money troubles.

Fortunately, all that I had learned around the tables finally kicked in. I dropped to my knees and asked my higher power, whom I choose to call God, for help. Actually, I pleaded for help. Over and over again, with tears rolling down my face, I repeated the phrase, "God, help me." A short while later, exhausted, I fell asleep.

When I woke the next morning, I felt a little better, yet still agitated. I started working on a story and when one of my sources declined an interview, I decided to take a break and went to the gym and met my sponsor for lunch and told him all that had happened. He slipped me $20, encouraged me not to give up and told me to call him if I felt like taking a drink.

When I got home, I grabbed the leash, and took the dog for a walk, first stopping to get my mail. There was a large envelop from my health insurance provider. As I opened it, I thought it was probably just a statement of benefits from recent visits to the doctor. I couldn't have been more wrong.

A cover letter outlined that I had been overcharged for pharmaceuticals over the past six months and that included with the letter was a check reimbursing me. Even as I read it, I thought it would probably come out to be about $10 or $20. It turned a out to be $1700! I thought I was dreaming.

I grabbed the dog, hoisted her into the car and raced to the bank as if the checks would dissolve into thin air if I didn't deposit them promptly. After depositing them, I walked out into the parking lot, looked up at the sky and said, "Thank you, God!"

When I returned to my apartment, I got on my knees and again thanked God and asked for forgiveness for my lack of faith the night before.

I need always remember that while he may not give me what I want, he will always give me what I need. That's something else that I learned about the tables of AA.

This was a great lesson for me and really solidified my belief and faith in the program of AA. That's not to say that every time I pray for help when I am in a financial bind, that God is going to produce money to bail me out. Quite the contrary: It showed me that I need to constantly do the footwork necessary to avoid future financial pitfalls. "God will move mountains, but I need to bring the shovel."

The bigger picture here is that it is up to me to take the actions necessary to be happy, joyous and free, one day at a time. The promises do come true, if I am willing to "work for them.“

—Rex R., Tinley Park, Ill. Grapevine Online Exclusive

Acadiana Central Office

TREASURER’S REPORT: Yvonne A. reported the July financials. Linda stated she would email July financials out to CORs once the errors were fixed. The conversion to QuickBooks is still happening and it’s been a struggle. Linda reported that they are waiting to meet with Shep. Shep has had to postpone. OFFICE MANAGER’S REPORT: Linda reported the July office data. ACTIVITIES REPORT: Yvonne A. reported on behalf of Luke F. that the barbeque flyers will be emailed to CORs. A flyer regarding the barbecue's dessert cook-off will be available at the ACO. The barbeque will be held on October 17, 2015 at Beaver Park for 5 pm - dinner at 6, speaker at 7 and wrap up at 8pm. Next year, each group will sponsor an activity such as Scrabble, fun jumps, etc. and collect donations to split between the group and the ACO to raise more funds. COMMUNICATIONS REPORT: Monique L. reported that the Plug in the Jugs had not been mailed out yet. There are 36 Plug in the Jugs mailed out each month. The PIJs will be mailed out the following week. WEB REPORT: Lauren S. reported the July website statistics. Monique L. reported that the new website stats were a little skewed because of the current work being performed on the site. DISTRICT 13C: No one was present to report. DISTRICT 9: No one was present to report. DISTRICT 13E: Elisabeth reported that Greg T. will be the new Trustee. There will be a workshop held on October 24th on working the 12 steps. Kenny D. from Seattle will be the speaker and the workshop will be held from 9 to 4 pm at the Wyndam Hotel. OLD BUSINESS: Volunteer training flyer is now available. Yvonne A. asked CORs to let people in their groups know that the ACO needs help. There is a 3 to 6 month sobriety requirement and any volunteers must have a sponsor. The Central Office improvements are going well and Linda and Mara have done an amazing job. The financial review has been put on hold until Shep is able to conduct. Mara will check the inventory fixed assets and will hand count and enter into Quickbooks. Monique L. printed a manual of step by step instructions for using Quickbooks. Linda bought a code lock for the office and will have it installed for free. The steering committee is still looking into accepting credit cards. However, point of sale hardware is too expensive and not worth the cost. NEW BUSINESS: None. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Barbara is the new COR for Primary Purpose. ADJOURNMENT: Yvonne closed with the Lord’s prayer.

OPENING: Yvonne A. opened the meeting with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer. SECRETARY ‘S REPORT: Lauren S. read the meeting minutes from the July COR meeting.

Total Income $5,577.75

Total Expenses $4,193.36

Net Income/Gain $1,384.39

Old Prudent Res. Balance $12,315.93

Prudent Reserve Transfer $1,384.39

New Prudent Reserve Balance $13,700.81

12 Step Calls (office) 2 Other Calls 1

12 Step Calls (ans. svc.) 6 Meeting List Mailed 1

Meeting Calls (office) 44 Meeting Calls (ans. svc.) 34

Walk Ins 39 Sales of Merchandise 31

Office Information 3 PIJ Subscriptions 1

Al-Anon Information 1 PIJ Mailed 36

Chairman Yvonne A. * A Design for Living Mara A. Vice Chair Megan M. * Any Lengths Darren H. Secretary Lauren S. * Abbeville Area Elizabeth B. Treasurer Not Present * Freedom’s Choice Carlos R. Communication Monique L. * Primary Purpose Barbara D. Activities Not Present * Step by Step Robert P. Contact Not Present * Surrender Margo L. Web Chair Not Present * Sun Up Richard H. Office Manager Linda F. * Third Street Park James L.

* Jackie H. *

To Volunteer at the Central Office

Call Linda or Mara (337) 991-0830 Monday-Friday

11:00am-5:30pm Saturday

8:30am-12:30pm

Office Manager’s Report

Things We Cannot Change

Visits to ACO website 2337

Number of Visitors to website 1340

Views of Meetings Page 594

Views of Events Page 130

Downloads of Plug In Jug 103

YTD Visits 14,341

“We Are Not a Glum Lot”

In Memoriam…

During a recent discussion about anonymity and the Internet this comment was made: “I hope they never change Step Five to read: ‘Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to social networks the exact nature of our wrongs.’”

—Larry L., Fayetteville, Ga.

Copyright © A.A. World Services, Inc..

Reprinted with permission.

Have you been able to stay away from a drink because of AA? Have you gotten your life back? How much is that worth to you? In the rooms, we AA members agree that our sobriety is an undeserved gift from a higher power. While the message is free, our Central Office has expenses to carry the AA message. For those of us who can afford it, it is our responsibility to put more than a dollar in the basket. Many of our members go beyond this! However, many more do not. Where we used to give $1, we must try to give $2. And those of us not giving at all, we must try giving something and have faith we will be taken care of for helping. It works, it really does. Are you giving more to the coffee chain on the corner than to the program that gave you your life? Part of spiritual growth is adapting to reality. The reality is the world is more expensive and a buck doesn’t go far enough.

Total Regular Income $944.41 Total Sales Income $4,039.87

Total Regular Expenses $3,668.42 Total Sales Expenses $288.82

Checkbook Balance $4,027.04 Prudent Reserve Transfer $0.00

Prudent Reserve Start. Balance $10,838.48 Prudent Reserve Transfer $0.00

Interest Paid to Prudent Reserve $.60

There is a Solution $40.00 $85.00 End of the Road Group $0.00 $0.00 We Agnostics $0.00 $0.00 Willing To Believe (Duson) $0.00 $90.00 Young Drunks $0.00 $0.00 Total Group Donations $864.23 $12,417.51

12 at 12 Group $0.00 $40.31 3rd Street Park $0.00 $92.38 A Design For Living $0.00 $450.00 A Vision For You $0.00 $1,500.00 Abbeville Area $0.00 $0.00 Acadian Gr. $0.00 $0.00 Any Lengths $0.00 $400.00 Back to Basics (N.I.) $10.00 $60.00 Beginning AA New $0.00 $50.00 Boulevard Gr. (Opelousas) $120.33 $120.33 Brown Baggers (Morgan City) $0.00 $0.00 Dry Dock $0.00 $200.00 Eunice Solutions Gr. $0.00 $0.00 Evangeline Area Group of Catahoula $0.00 $0.00 Faith $0.00 $660.00 Freedoms Choice $80.00 $280.00 Hang In There (Scott) $0.00 $0.00 Hub City $0.00 $814.00 Kitchen Table $220.14 $1,400.18 Last Call Group $0.00 $120.68 Last Chance Acceptance $0.00 $10.00 Living Sober $0.00 $0.00 Mamou Group $0.00 $0.00 Morgan Avenue Group $0.00 $0.00 New Way (Breaux Bridge) $0.00 $400.00 Northside Gratitude $0.00 $168.00 Opelousas Group $10.00 $60.00 Primary Purpose $154.10 $1,230.09 Progress Not Perfection (Laf.) $0.00 $0.00 Reflections $0.00 $400.00 Scott Group $70.40 $355.20 Serenity Group Church Point $0.00 $0.00 Serenity (N.I.) $0.00 $200.00 Sisters In Sobriety $0.00 $0.00 Solutions (Ville Platte) $0.00 $0.00 Step By Step $0.00 $0.00 Sunday Morning Fellowship $0.00 $200.00 Sun Up $159.26 $991.63 Surrender $0.00 $182.11 The Gulf Coast Group $0.00 $0.00 There is a Solution $40.00 $85.00 End of the Road Group $0.00 $0.00 We Agnostics $0.00 $0.00 Willing To Believe (Duson) $0.00 $90.00 Young Drunks $0.00 $0.00

Total Group Donations $864.23 $10,559.91

District 13-C 10/3/1966 Acadian Group 49 years District 13-A 10/7/1980 New Way Group 35 years

District 2 10/3/1989 Serenity Group 26 years District 13-C 10/16/1990 Inside and Out Group 25 years District 13-C 10/29/2005 We Agnostics of Acadiana Group 10 years

Tim R. 10/5/09 3rd Street Park Crowley 6 yrs Monica C 10/6/09 3rd Street Park Crowley 6 yrs Victoria A. 10/25/09 3rd Street Park Crowley 6 yrs Donna P. 10/8/10 3rd Street Park Crowley 5 yrs Kim M. 10/13/10 3rd Street Park Crowley 5 yrs Tim S. 10/14/11 3rd Street Park Crowley 4 yrs Kate K. 10/13/04 A Design for Living 11 yrs Kim L. 10/5/10 A Design for Living 5 yrs Scotty L. 10/26/11 A Design for Living 4 yrs Lauren S. 10/25/12 A Design for Living 3 yrs Tressie B. 10/10/13 A Design for Living 2 yrs Jeanine D. 10/13/13 A Design for Living 2 yrs Brittany L. 10/19/13 A Design for Living 2 yrs May P. 10/21/85 Abbeville Area 30 yrs Adam M. 10/2/13 Abbeville Area 2 yrs John M. 10/5/13 Abbeville Area 2 yrs Regan H. 10/7/13 Abbeville Area 2 yrs Stanly 10/2/04 Area Group Of BB 11 yrs Louis F. 10/1/08 Back To Basics New Iberia 7 yrs Bill G. 10/10/02 Brown Baggers-Morgan City 13 yrs Raquel W. 10/12/09 Brown Baggers-Morgan City 6 yrs Cris B. 10/27/88 Courage To Change 27 yrs Matt M. 10/21/98 Courage To Change 17 yrs Buddy C. 10/22/98 Courage To Change 17 yrs Mitch J. 10/1/99 Courage To Change 16 yrs Suzanne A. 10/25/99 Courage To Change 16 yrs Jon C. 10/31/00 Courage To Change 15 yrs Chris N. 10/1/01 Courage To Change 14 yrs Craig N. 10/1/01 Courage To Change 14 yrs Jeff B. 10/6/01 Courage To Change 14 yrs Michael L. 10/5/02 Courage To Change 13 yrs Caroline W, 10/6/02 Courage To Change 13 yrs Matthew B. 10/8/02 Courage To Change 13 yrs Brenda H. 10/12/02 Duson Willing To Believe 13 yrs Elizabeth R. 10/3/93 Faith Group 22 yrs Chad M. 10/16/10 Faith Group 5 yrs Wesley F. 10/8/12 Faith Group 3 yrs Daniel B. 10/18/12 Faith Group 3 yrs Lance M. 10/21/13 Faith Group 2 yrs John L. 10/4/14 Faith Group 1 yr Claire W. 10/29/72 Hub City 43 yrs Tom N. 10/4/04 Hub City 11 yrs John A. 10/10/04 Hub City 11 yrs Jayme L. 10/22/07 Hub City 8 yrs Ben H. 10/11/12 Hub City 3 yrs Mishala T. 10/11/12 Hub City 3 yr Don C. 10/24/12 Hub City 3 yr Tim M. 10/24/12 Hub City 3 yr Mary Ellen O. 10/10/83 Kitchen Table Group 32 yrs Terry F. 10/21/83 Kitchen Table Group 32 yrs R B 10/15/84 Kitchen Table Group 31 yrs Dennett R. 10/4/05 Kitchen Table Group 10 yrs Don O. 10/1/07 Kitchen Table Group 8 yrs

Pat S 10/2/08 Kitchen Table Group 7 yrs Mike M. 10/18/09 Kitchen Table Group 6 yr David D. 10/25/10 Kitchen Table Group 5 yrs Paula P. 10/18/82 Last Chance Acceptance 33 Tom N. 10/4/04 Living Sober 11 yrs Ramon John(RJF) 10/26/07 Living Sober 8 yrs Travis W. 10/5/09 Living Sober 6 yrs Wynn W. 10/6/12 Living Sober 3 yrs Rayford L. 10/6/81 Mamou Group 34 yrs Leonard P. 10/11/09 New Beginnings Henderson 6 yrs Claude H 10/13/75 New Way 40 yrs Monique B. 10/3/85 New Way 30 yrs TJ L 10/2/06 New Way 9 yrs Anne H. 10/18/09 New Way 6 yrs Jimmie B. 10/10/10 New Way 5 yrs Russell R. 10/10/10 New Way 5 yrs Joseph S 10/29/10 New Way 5 yrs Denise G. 10/18/11 New Way 4 yrs Cliff P. 10/10/06 Opelousas Group 9 yrs Debbie C. 10/15/87 Primary Purpose 28 yrs Jude L. 10/7/97 Primary Purpose 18 yrs David Ba. 10/4/98 Primary Purpose 17 yrs Aaron G. 10/14/04 Primary Purpose 11 yrs Amy B. 10/17/04 Primary Purpose 11 yrs Jamie T. 10/4/10 Primary Purpose 5 yrs Donna R. 10/25/10 Primary Purpose 5 yrs Bryan E. 10/7/11 Primary Purpose 4 yrs Michelle B. 10/31/11 Primary Purpose 4 yrs Kathryn D. 10/1/12 Primary Purpose 3 yr Kyle L. 10/15/12 Primary Purpose 3 yr Richard D. 10/28/12 Primary Purpose 3 yrs Ryan J. 10/23/13 Primary Purpose 2 yrs Abby J. 10/26/03 Scott Group 12 yrs Chad T. 10/17/99 Serenity Group N.I. 16 yrs Michele D. 10/1/03 Sisters In Sobriety 12 yrs Kyla C. 10/8/11 Sisters In Sobriety 4 yrs James D. 10/29/85 SMF Group 30 yrs Mike W. 10/19/86 SMF Group 29 yrs Bernice R. 10/26/87 SMF Group 28 yrs Robert C. 10/8/87 Sobriety & Beyond 28 yrs Kay B. 10/6/85 Step By Step 30 yrs Ben T. 10/28/86 Step by Step 29 yrs Mike C. 10/14/06 Step By Step 9 yrs Art K 10/31/82 Sun Up 33 yrs Herb C. 10/28/84 Sun Up 31 yrs Monique B. 10/8/85 Sun Up 30 yrs Richard H 10/21/88 Sun Up 27 yrs Larry T 10/16/08 Sun Up 7 yrs Jeanie B. 10/3/98 Surrender 17 yrs Carrie F. 10/7/14 The Gulf Coast Group 1 yr Wilson S. 10/21/86 Truman Group 29 yrs Ali L. 10/15/04 Truman Group 11 yrs Kit Q. 10/1/01 We Agnostics of Acadiana 14 yrs

Ninth Tradition Checklist

1 Do I still try to boss things in AA? 2 Do I resist formal aspects of AA because I fear them as authoritative? 3 Am I mature enough to understand and use all elements of the AA program--even if no one makes me do so--with a sense of personal responsibility? 4 Do I try to exercise patience and humility in any AA job I take? 5 Am I aware of all those to whom I am responsible in any AA job? 6 Why doesn't every AA group need a constitution and bylaws? 7 Have I learned to step out of an AA job gracefully--and profit thereby--when the time comes? 8 What has rotation to do with anonymity? With humility?

Want to add an A.A. event to the Central Office Calendar? e-mail us at: plug-in-jug@aa-acadiana.org Phone: 337 991-0830