Living In The Solution Meeting Format
Hi and Welcome to the Living In The Solution Meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. My Name Is ___________________, and I’m an Alcoholic.
The Living In The Solution Meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous is set up to focus on the last three steps, (steps 10, 11, and 12), Living in the Solution that the Big Book provides for us and to help those who have gone through the steps and wish to become better disciplined in performing daily inventory, meditation and prayer, and living in the daily state of being recovered.
7th Tradition – the 7th Tradition states that we are self supporting through our own contributions.
This is a closed meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous and is open only to those who have a desire not to drink today. This meeting is a 90-minute meeting scheduled to run from 7:30pm to 9pm and broken into three parts; with each addressing nightly review, meditation, and an experience in working with others.
‘Living in the Solution’ simply means to be living and growing in steps 10, 11, and 12. Regardless of where you are in this process, you are in the process.
We must continue to grow in our understanding of God, This Process; and Ourselves and in our Effectiveness of both, this Principal and in helping others. And we cannot help others if we do not have something to transmit.
Through the process of inventory, prayer and meditation, we construct an unshakable foundation on which we can build a new life that is beyond our wildest dreams.
We continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, and they surely will, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help.
Love and tolerance of others is our code. We can see just how ‘Sober’ we are today to the degree we can show compassion, love and tolerance for others. Or in the ability we show to be selfless.
A Manifestation of my willingness to practice these principals in all of my affairs will appear in my actions, not in my words. Am I just paying lip service in these steps or am I actually putting these principals into practice within my life?
The purpose of this meeting is to start a discipline with these steps at least one night per week that will build into a discipline, and the confidence to do this on my own and show others the same process.
The format of this meeting is to spend 20 minutes on inventory, 20 minutes in meditation, and 20 minutes on working with others.
We open the meeting with the Set Aside Prayer:
God, please help me to set aside everything I think I know about myself, this book, the twelve steps, this process, and you God, so that I may have an open mind and a new experience with all of these things, help me to see the truth.
(see inventory format)
Inventory Format
Step Ten suggests that we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along.
A Personal Inventory: A Nightly Review of my day, a written inventory, and mental awareness of my attitudes and behaviors throughout my day are all necessary for me to grow in my understanding and effectiveness as a sober AA. As I commence to do this work, honestly and with an open mind, I become more willing to help others and walk in the sunlight of the spirit.
I must continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear. I must be awake throughout the day and continue to grow in that awareness forever enlarging upon my spiritual life through constant communication with God.
Step Ten Prayer:
Dear God, please help me to have the willingness to continue to take personal inventory. To grow in understanding and effectiveness of my disease, these instructions and your will for me in all of my activities. Please help me to grow in my awareness of my own selfishness, dishonesty, resentments and fear. I pray that you should always be there for me to help me remove them when they do crop up. Please keep me safe and protected as I carry the vision of your will for me into all of my activities. Please help me to stay on this path and not to let up on my spiritual program of action. Please help me to stay open to receive your strength, inspiration and direction from you who has all knowledge and Power. Please help me to continue to enlarge upon my spiritual life and to grow in my God-Consciousness. Please help me to continue to take action today and everyday as I go forward. Amen
A manifestation of my willingness will appear in my acting, not in my words. With this in mind we commence to take a daily personal inventory.
Each question will be given a timed two-minute period of time to be completed.
Part I
A Chronological Order of Today’s Events: In the upper right hand corner of our worksheet we list in order the things that stand out as ‘events’ that happened today. Not mindless mechanical functions, but things that may have happened that caused a profound feeling or reaction in you or someone or something you may have affected or been affected by.
The reason for this practice is to jar our memory of things we may have suppressed. We will only list a quick 3-word description per line, more of the process takes place in digging into the day through the mind to draw memories and conclusions about the day.
Part II
Down the left-hand side of our worksheet we Honestly and Thoroughly answer questions 1 thru 12 fearlessly looking deep within the attitudes, actions and behaviors of our day, not omitting anything. Notice resentment is the first problem. If you have resentment today, immediately go to the four-column inventory sheet and complete this before proceeding with the subsequent questions. (Normally, alone your resentment inventory would be done first, however, for the purposes of this meeting, we will be taking a 10-minute break so that people with resentment inventories can work on them after we complete this worksheet).
Definition of *Resentment: a persistent feeling of ill will and suppressed anger caused by a sense of an injustice, insult, injury, offense or perceived wrong done to us either real or imagined.
2. How Was I *Selfish? Was there anytime that I could have been thinking of the welfare and well-being of another when I disregarded them in place of my own agenda? Selflessness and giving to others is the opposite of selfish and self-centered behavior.
Definition: concerned primarily or only with oneself / self-absorbed / self-centered / self-serving / self-seeking / egotistic.
3. How was I *Dishonest? Was I dishonest today with anyone by either lying outright, stretching the truth or by omitting the truth? What was the real affect of my dishonesty on others? Honesty in all my activities is the opposite of dishonesty. Have I been dishonest with my self? How could I be lying to myself today?
Definition: Carrying with you a lack of truth in your words, thoughts or deeds. Being unable to see the truth. Being misleading to yourself and/or others.
4. How was I *Afraid? Did anything scare me today? Do I have fear about anything today? My job, my relationships, driving, public speaking, having friends, helping others, taking personal inventory? Fearlessness is the opposite of being afraid. Having a loving God in my life carries me and helps me to feel safe and protected.
Definition: the anticipation of, or in the presence of danger, pain, or disaster / negative imagination / dread / apprehension / the emotion inspired by a pending negative situation either real or imagined.
5. Do I owe an *Apology? Did I cause harm to anyone or remember a harm I need to apologize for. Are there any corrective measures (amends) that need to be taken in addition to correcting my attitudes and behaviors in this area? How will not apologizing to this person affect my relationship with them?
Definition: To acknowledge a sincere repentance to another. To be exposed. To voluntarily be held accountable. To take responsibility for ones own actions, attitudes and behaviors.
6. What have I wrongly kept *Secret? Have I withheld any information to the detriment of another? Am I omitting something that can be of usefulness to another? Is this secret blocking me from being at peace with my creator?
Definition: Information that is being withheld from anyone. A selfish act to not disclose information that may be helpful or protective to another person or group.
7. Was I *Unkind? Did I treat anyone with disrespect? Did I speak down to someone in order to make him or her feel bad or not good enough? Am I acting cruel, harsh and unfeeling towards others?
Definition: to treat without kindness, compassion or a consideration of another’s well being.
8. Was I *Unloving? Am I offering others the same degree of love that I would like to be receiving? Am I being cold, unresponsive, or treating others with indifference?
Definition: to be without love for others. To be filled with negative emotions. To have no time for or care to be of any help to others.
9. What could I have done better? Is there anything that I did today that I could have done better at, been more focused or performed more thoroughly?
Definition: to complete to the best of ones ability.
10. Was I thinking of myself most of the time? Am I going through my day primarily thinking only of myself, disregarding the needs of others? Does the thought of ‘ what will they think of me’ frequently occur?
Definition: concerned primarily or only with oneself / self-absorbed / self-centered / self-serving / self-seeking / egotistic.
11. Was I thinking of what I could be doing for others? Am I having trouble acting selflessly, placing others needs before my own, or helping others without looking for anything in return? Do I look for ways that I can be of service to others?
Definition: to perform a deed or favor for another without the expectation of anything in return.
12. Was I thinking of what I could pack into the stream of life? Am I enjoying life to its fullest extent, enjoying every moment as it comes? Am I living a God directed life? Am I allowing myself to be filled with the Sunshine of the Spirit? Am I seeing where I can include others to benefit from my love, compassion and friendliness?
Definition: to live in the moment and to make every moment fulfilling and an experience of a God-Centered life.
Prayer:
God, please forgive me for my failing today. I know that because of my failings I was not able to be as effective as I could have been for you. Please forgive me and help me to live thy will better tomorrow. Father, I now ask that you please show me how to correct the errors I have just outlined. Guide me and grant me the humility and strength to do thy will. Amen.
But we are not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God’s forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken.
Part III
At this point we take a look at some of our assets, not to get cocky or overly confident, but to balance our table accordingly and see just where we are making progress. By answering ‘Who did I help today?’ we can see where we are beginning to act selfless.
By answering ‘What did I accomplish?’ we can see where we are beginning to be focused and following through. By seeing ‘what we are Grateful for today’ we can dismiss self-pity. And by asking who needs our prayers, we can selflessly pray for those who need our prayers and concentrate our thinking on being compassionate for the welfare of others.
- Who did I help today? Did I go out of my way to assist others in their needs? Did I perform a selfless act in order to see that someone else’s needs where met without expecting anything in return from either them or someone else?
- What did I accomplish today? What projects have I followed through to completion? Did I have any goals or personal needs that were met? Did I help others, work with another alcoholic or spend quality time with family?
- What am I grateful for toady? What good things do I have in my life today? What bad things are not in my life today? How has my life changed for the better from the life I used to have to live?
- Who needs my prayers today? Could someone use a little of your relationship with the power greater than human aide? Are you able to selflessly pray for others needs to be met?
Reflections of the day
Here we take a moment and reflect once more on all of the happenings of the day Good, Bad and Indifferent. Be quick to see where you have received God’s strength, inspiration and direction from Him who has all Knowledge, Power and Love. By writing these down we can easily clear our mind of these events - see them for what they really are and dismiss delusional thoughts about drama and chaos made up by the thinking mind.
10-Minute Break for Resentment Inventory--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meditation Format
Step eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn’t be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than us are using it constantly. It works if we have the proper attitude and work at it.
In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or decision. We relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.
What used to be the hunch or occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. It is not possible that we will be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration.
Here we’ll take 20 minutes of quiet time to listen to the Spirit. If you have a cell phone please be certain that it’s turned off completely during this segment of the meeting. We start this period of meditation with the prayer of St. Francis;
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace – that where there is hatred, I may bring love – that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness – that where there is discord, I may bring harmony – that where there is error, I may bring truth – that where there is doubt, I may bring faith – that where there is despair, I may bring hope – that where there shadows, I may bring light – that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted – to understand, than to be understood – to love than be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life. Amen.
[20-Minute Meditation]
Conclusion Prayer
Lord, please let me be shown all through the day what my next step is to be. That I be given what it is that I need to take care of such problems that may arise. Please Lord; divorce my thinking from self-pity, dishonest and self-seeking motives. God, I offer myself to thee – to build with me and to do with me as thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life. May I do Thy Will always. My Creator – I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that You now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to You and my fellows. Grant me strength as I go out from here to do Your bidding. Amen.
As we go through the day we pause when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day, “Thy Will Be Done.” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, and self-pity or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do not tire so easily for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.
But this is not all; there is action and more action. Faith without works is dead.
Working With Others Format
Practical Experience shows that nothing will so much assure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. This is our twelfth suggestion: Carry this message to other alcoholics!
Life will take on new meaning. To watch other people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends – this is an experience you must not miss. Frequent contact with newcomers and each other is the bright spot of our lives. To be helpful is our only aim.
At this time ____________ will read a single page from the ‘Working with Others’ chapter and discuss their personal experience with the information on that page and with the process of working with other alcoholics in AA.
(NOTE: Have one person selected from the room prior to the meetings start or invited to the meeting to read a page from the chapter “Working with Others” and share on their experience on the information disseminated from that particular page.)
I want to thank _________________ for sharing their experience with Working With Others.
In Closing:
We’ve reached the end of the meeting;
For More Information About this Phase of our Development, Please Visit: LivingInTheSolution.org
Please clean up after yourself, leave your prayer sheets at your seat, as we close the meeting with the Serenity Prayer 1st - followed by the Lords Prayer.
God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the tings I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be the name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, but lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and glory forever, Amen
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