A member of CER’s Web Response Team tells his story

My name is Joe B. I am an alcoholic. My story is pretty common –  I didn’t get on with myself or others in the way I wanted, drank too much to compensate for this, felt guilty for what I had done while drunk, promised I was not going to do it again, did it again and again and eventually became so disorientated by the whole process that I didn’t know who I was anymore. A sufficiently impressive series of events got me to my knees and the gift of desperation led me to the doors of AA. I have not had a drink since, one day at a time, and I feel it has sod all to do with me and my will-power, but all to do with the Higher Power that I have found in the AA fellowship, the magic of the 12 Steps and Traditions, a thoroughly unpleasant sponsor (who made me see that I was the unpleasant one!) and, perhaps above all in recent times, doing AA service for the still-suffering alcoholics, both inside and outside the rooms.

I got sober in the UK and came back to my second home in Spain without any service experience. There is something that happens within the fellowship here in Spain: if you are sufficiently keen and wet behind the ears, showing any vague ability to string a sentence together and remember one or two people’s names, then service positions fall into your lap like leaves in Autumn. Within no time, I was Secretary of a meeting, Coordinator for the area Telephone Helpline and 12-Stepper list, and Area Coordinator for the Meeting Updates. Because I am fastidious by nature in written stuff and in keeping records, I slipped into doing website service work on a non-official but highly respected and well-used website for helping alcoholics.  I was asked to do so by a wonderful AA chap who started up this website and who seems to work harder at helping other people (and hundreds of stray dogs!) than most people I have come across. Working with him, and the other small team of AA’s who help people coming to the website from all parts of Spain, has allowed me to learn more about the deep value of doing service.

While all this was happening, I continued to bombard an already over-worked CER Web Response team with yet more requests for yet more changes to the CER meetings in my area of Spain (the lists I inherited were woefully out of date and it took around 6 months of phonecalls and emails to get all the meetings, contacts and 12-stepper lists current). The coordinator of the CER Web Response Team finally realised that I wasn’t going to stop pestering him and so offered me a role on the CER Web Response/Meeting Update team. This is a joy to me and has opened up an opportunity that felt just right for me – doing more backroom anonymous service for this wonderful fellowship.

I cannot overestimate the value of doing AA service to my personal recovery and spiritual growth. It is something that I would strongly recommend to anyone out there who is considering it – whether in face-to-face meetings, in online meetings or service positions within the wider family of AA. Just do it! The rewards are joyous and, because much of the work I am doing is behind the scenes and largely anonymous, I don’t get my ego inflated and I can rest in the gentle knowledge that I am doing my part in as close to humility as I can get, one day at a time.

As the days and weeks pass, I realise from my own meagre contributions, just how much is given freely by so many anonymous, caring people within our AA fellowship. It is humbling and makes me happy to be a small part of our larger family.

Peace, happiness and love to all.

Editor’s note: this article has been published in accordance with our ArenA Editorial Policy.