· web view1 “one thing we can be sure of if we do our best today, our tomorrows will certainly...
TRANSCRIPT
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR ALATEEN EXPRESS EDITOR
Hi Alateen family, my name is John M. from San Francisco and I am serving as your Northern California Alternate Alateen Coordinator and Alateen Express Editor for the next 3 years. My favorite service has been as an Alateen Group Sponsor in SF for the past 5 years. It’s there that I can welcome newcomers, support our regulars and watch longtime members blossom as they begin new lives in college equipped with the tools they learn here, at NoCAC & GTW and in their meetings each week. Thank you for the privilege. Alateen Rocks!
Alateen Express is your newsletter! The way this recovery works is by sharing honestly what is in your mind and heart. It helps you & may help someone else. Express yourself!
Keep those sharings coming!
Please send your written shares [email protected]
In This IssueA Message From Your Editor Page 1Current Events Page 1Sharing From NoCal Alateens Page 2Sponsor’s AMIAS’ Corner Page 2Sharing From The Forum Page 3Tools For Your Tool Box Page 3
Answer to the Spring 2014 Puzzle Page 4Fourth Step Inventory Drawing Page 5
CURRENT EVENTSThese events abide by the NCWSA requirements for Alateen Safety.
Contact information for the NoCAC events: Jessica Mc. [email protected] W. [email protected] call Moriah at (408) 623-5320
NoCAC NoCAC First BashJune 26 – 28, 2015 Liberty Glen Campsite Lake Sonoma, CA Suggested Donation $20https://www.ncwsa.org/events NoCAC Second BashAugust 21 – 23, 2015 Big Meadows Campsite Stanislaus National Forest, CA Suggested Donation $20http://www.ncwsa.org/events
Growing Together Weekend May 15-17, 2015 Westminster Woods Occidental California
Edward S. [email protected]
“One thing we can be sure of if we do our best today, our tomorrows will certainly be better than our yesterdays.”Alcoholism, The Family Disease
https://www.ncwsa.org/Flyers/Event_20150515_GTW_Save_the_Date.pdf
SHARINGS FROM ALATEENS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Justin T. Alateen Liaison North An important part of being in Alateen is being a part of service. My life was very crazy until I went to GTW. I was attending Alateen quite a number of years before GTW, but I never really understood how much this program could help me. I went to meetings but I ignored the material, brushing it off and flushing it out of my mind. Every meeting I just got a new set of material to ignore, all up until GTW. At GTW I realized the true definition of the Serenity Prayer.
God, grant me the serenityto accept the things I cannot changecourage to change the things I canand wisdom to know the difference.
It was amazing to me that if I saw something that I could change, that I wanted to change, no one could stop me from changing it. About a month after GTW I moved out of the house with my violent, abusive, alcoholic mother. This changed my life so much and I realized how crazy I was to stay in that optional situation for so long. So when you hear the Serenity Prayer in your meeting don’t ignore it and recite it as usual – listen to it. The Serenity Prayer conveys a message and it works.
Anonymous This is for everyone who has ever been hurt or wronged this is for the broken souls and the spilled pill bottles for the spilled drinks, the cuts, the ones who want nothing more than to die for the times you went days without food for the ones who’ve been cheated, the ones who wronged you for the drugs, for the clouds of smoke, and that mask you hide behind for the ones
who will never see the sun rise again. I’ve only been alive for eighteen years I’ve only had 6,570 days on this earth during those days of life I've collected 500 cuts along my body I’ve spent seven years of this life wanting nothing more than to die I drank the shots, I was abused, I took the pills, I starved, I cut, I drowned, was raped, and I hurt I watched my father drink until the life literally left his body until he was nothing but a decomposed corpse See I hid in the same hole that you’re in right now I dug that hole too There’s a way out though Bet nobody told you that, The way out is forgiveness Forgive yourself for the wrongs you did to yourself and then to the world Forgive those who’ve wronged you Forgive the people who don’t deserve it Why? because they’re not in your hole they’re in their own holes fighting their battles slaying their own demons if you hate them and fill yourself with hate who really gets hurt? if you drink poison who dies? you or the enemy? I may only be eighteen but I can tell you that life is too short to hate my father will never hear me tell him that i forgive him he won’t be here for me to find myself don’t walk around with that you don't have to be okay to forgive them you don't have to love them but you should love yourself to let go and let god if god could forgive than why can’t you? your higher power isn’t full of hate (s)he is full of love the secret to recovery, of any kind, is forgiveness
SPONSOR’S & AMIAS CORNERSAVE THE DATE
9th Annual NCWSA Sponsors Weekend
September 18-20, 2015 Westminster Woods, Occidental [email protected]
Last Fall we had approximately 80 AMIAS, sponsors other members of our Al-Anon family join us for an incredible weekend of workshops and fellowship. We even had two members join us form Arkansas. Thank you to everyone that participated and made this event possible. Your
2“One thing we can be sure of if we do our best today, our tomorrows will certainly be better than our yesterdays.”
Alcoholism, The Family Disease
commitment to the teens makes Alateen possible.
SHARING FROM NoCAC
At Home (anonymous)At home I’m scared to go to school, scared to speak up, scared to be myself, scared of everyone. At home I’m scared of being judged and rejected by everyone in my path. At home I’m suicidal.
Here, Im not scared to speak my mind. I am myself. I’m not judged and I’m not rejected. I love it here. It makes my home wither away.
Nathan C.A dark, long hallway at the end is a
bright white door. Walking slowly towards the door unknowing what is behind the door I put my hand on the doorknob and feel the warmth of what is behind the door. I slowly open this door and see a brightness and feel the warmth and love of what is today. Do you choose to open this door?
AnonymousAlateen has made me love people
and worked on loving. I had a lot of social problems because I always felt like I was crap. Alateen has changed my life and made it so much better. I thank the founders a million times.
Jessica M.Alateen has taught me to love myself
more and definitely the people around me. Helping the people I love & new people to love, brings me so much joy & warmth & happiness. Going to be chairworman this year!
TOOLS FOR YOUR TOOL BOX FROM THE WSO & NCWSA
The Northern California World Service Area (NCWSA) also has great tools to help members Alateen.
Looking for information about an event, flyer, and registration forms http://www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar/
Looking for the Alateen Expresshttp://www.ncwsa.org/newsletters/
Information on Alateen-Find a meeting, Safety Requirements, Information on starting a meeting, and forms, forms and more forms.http://www.ncwsa.org/alateen/
Locate an Alateen or Al-Anon Meetinghttp://www.ncwsa.org/meetings/
Alateen On –Line Chat Alateen chat meetings now available!Additional information and safety features and registration can be found at the following link- however it is in the Members section at http://www.al-anon.org/members/ To log into the Member’s section follow the instructionsthen select the “Alateen” tab and then select the “For Alateen Members” tab.
The World Service Organization (WSO) has many great tools to help members Alateen. If you are feeling lonely, sad, frustrated, confused and feel alone AND you can get on to the internet you will find that you are not alone. Check this out:
Listen to teens talk about Alateen http://www.al-anon.org/members-and-professionals-talk-about-alateen
What Alateen means to me: a letter to parentshttp://www.al-anon.org/an-alateen-letter
Read Alateen stories http://www.al-anon.org/for-teens
Alateen literature 3
“One thing we can be sure of if we do our best today, our tomorrows will certainly be better than our yesterdays.”Alcoholism, The Family Disease
http://www.al-anon.org/alateen-literature
Answer to Fall 2014 Puzzle & Just for Fun Word Game
4“One thing we can be sure of if we do our best today, our tomorrows will certainly be better than our yesterdays.”
Alcoholism, The Family Disease
FOURTH STEP INVENTORY DRAWING
5“One thing we can be sure of if we do our best today, our tomorrows will certainly be better than our yesterdays.”
Alcoholism, The Family Disease