Welcome!

Wednesday Night, 7:00 PM PST

This is an open meeting and anyone who is respectful of our meeting guidelines is free to join! Please scroll down to follow along during the meeting and have access to the various documents that will be read during the meeting.

Topic: From The Ashes
Time: Feb 8, 2023 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
        Every week on Wed
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Meeting ID: 997 4605 9290
Passcode: 121212

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        +1 669 444 9171 US
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

 

During this meeting, we read from the ACA "Big Red Book" and "Strengthening My Recovery". If you don't have a copy and can't get one locally, you can order one online below. Nook or Kindle devices/App let you read electronically immediately.

Library

Big Red Book ACA Nook Kindle
Strengthening My Recovery ACA Nook Daily Read
Step Study Workbook ACA   Amazon Kindle
Loving Parent Guidebook ACA   Kindle

Starts at 7:00 PM

Hello, My name is _______ and I am the Secretary for this meeting. Welcome to "From The Ashes", a meeting of Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families.

*********

We meet to share the experience we had as children growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home. That experience infected us then, and it affects us today. By practicing the 12 Steps, by focusing on the Solution, and by accepting a Higher Power of our understanding, we find freedom from the effects of alcoholism and other family dysfunction. We identify with the Laundry List and learn to live in the Solution, one day at a time.

Will you please join me in a moment of silence followed by the ACA Third Step Prayer.

You may have related to our readings even though there was no apparent alcoholism in your home. This is common because dysfunction can occur in a family without the presence of addiction. We welcome you.

**********

Let’s introduce ourselves by first name, and if you like, you can share how you're feeling with the feeling chart. My name is _______ and I am an ACA. Today, I am feeling __________. [secretary reads names in order]

This program is not easy, but if you can handle what comes up at six consecutive meetings, you will start to come out of denial. This will give you freedom from the past. Both you and your life will change.

In the beginning, many of us could not recognize or accept that some of our current attitudes or behaviors result from some experience related to alcoholism or dysfunction in our childhood. We behave as adult children, which means we bring self-doubt and fear learned in childhood to our adult interactions. By attending six meetings in a row and attending regularly thereafter, we come to know and begin to act as our True Selves.

In this meeting, we encourage reaching out to each other in mutual support and fellowship as "fellow travelers". Everybody is encouraged to share their telephone number by posting it in the zoom chat. Please indicate if you would like to have your number added to our text message reminders sent out every week before the meeting.

ACA Literature: We strongly recommend ACA books to aid in your recovery. Links are available at the top of this page. 

Chips: We celebrate our personal growth and commitment to this program of ACA by giving out chips that are mailed out upon request. Is anybody celebrating:

  • First meeting or 24 hours?
  • 1 Month?
  • 2 Months?
  • 3 Months?
  • 6 Months?
  • 9 Months?
  • 1 Year?
  • Multiples of Years?

[1+ chips]: Let's all unmute and clap to celebrate ___ and ___ .... [clap].
[0 chips]: We thank and celebrate all who have attended this meeting tonight.

**********

Anonymity: What you hear at this meeting should remain at this meeting. We do not talk about another person’s story or experiences to other people. Please respect the anonymity of those who share with us today.

Crosstalk: We do not crosstalk during this meeting which means we do not interrupt, refer to, or comment on what another person has said during the meetings. We do not crosstalk because adult children come from family backgrounds where feelings and perceptions were judged as wrong or defective.

Any group member who believes he or she has been cross talked can ask the secretary to read our full cross talk rules.

This is a book study and sharing meeting. We will stop the reading at 7:45 and begin open sharing until a little after 8:00.

  • Would someone please read the daily affirmation from Strengthening My Recovery?
  • We will now begin reading and sharing from “The Big Red Book”.
    • Members volunteer to read, and do so until they pass.
    • When a member has passed, please feel free to share or relate to the subject matter just read and how it affects you.
    • Please keep your share to 1-2 minutes so that others may share.
    • When everyone has had a chance to share, another member is encouraged to read.
    • We can begin reading now from page... [kindle]
  • (At 7:45) We will now begin open sharing.
    • Open sharing ends a little after 8:00 P.M. followed by announcements.
    • Please limit your sharing to 2 or 3 minutes to allow everyone a chance to share.
    • We can begin open sharing now...

7th Tradition & 12th Traditions: It is now time for the 7th Tradition, which states that: “Every ACA group ought to be self-supporting declining outside contributions.” When you are able, please donate, so that we may keep this meeting alive and well. We can accept donations by Venmo, PayPal, or Personal Check. Newcomers do not contribute to our 7th Tradition for their first meeting. 

  1. Venmo: @benjamin-smith-314
  2. Paypal: paypal.me/bens@effortlessis.com (last 4 of phone:2174)
  3. We will now take 1-2 minutes for those who wish, to make a donation, or to reflect on those who still suffer.

Would someone please read the tradition of the month from 12 Traditions?

Announcements: Now it is time for the:

  • Secretary’s announcements
  • Any other announcements
  • We have business meetings when announced. Anybody can request a business meeting on any topic, to be held following the next regularly scheduled ACA meeting.

**********

Thank you for being here and please keep coming back. If you did not have a chance to share, please speak to someone after the meeting. This meeting will be kept open so you can do so.

Would someone please read The Promises or Bill of Rights

Let’s stand in a circle and hold hands as _________ closes the meeting with the ACA Serenity Prayer and the Self-Love Exercise. 

Keep coming back, it works if you work it. So work it 'cause you're worth it!!


Additional Reading

  1. Laundry List
  2. The Flip Side of the Laundry List
  3. The Other Laundry List
  4. The Flip Side of the Other Laundry List
  1. ACA 12 Steps
  2. Tony A 12 Steps

ACA Adopted Bill of Rights

Inner Child Events

  1. Summer 2022
  2. Fall 2022

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