600 guides in moments in the room
The Address Is on a Torn Receipt
Your phone is dead and the address is on a torn scrap. If you cannot find the room, do not wander. Ask for a charge, or go back somewhere safe.
The Airport Bar Is on the Way
You have to walk past an airport bar to reach your gate. You can keep walking. If you have time, join a phone meeting in the gate area.
The Anonymity Pamphlet in Your Hand
You told one person you went to a meeting, then the anonymity pamphlet made you sure you broke a rule. The public line is press, radio, and films.
The Anonymity Statement They Read
You told one friend you were coming, then they read an anonymity line. Your face went hot. You can still sit. That reading is not a verdict on the text.
The App News Is Not a Meeting
Meeting Guide carries news from the General Service Office and Grapevine. That news is not the meeting list. The list is time, place, and name.
The App Was Right, and the Door Was Locked
Meeting Guide said the meeting was now, and the door is locked. Listings come from local entities. Try an online or phone meeting, and do not wait in the dark.
The Archives Are Not Required
The GSO Archives are real, and they are not homework. You can go to a meeting tonight without studying exhibits, a timeline, or a visit to New York.
The ASL Translation Is Not a Test
You are Deaf or hard of hearing, or you love someone who is. The ASL Big Book is not a membership test, and a video will not staff the room.
The Baby Is on Your Hip
You want a meeting and the baby is on your hip. You can try an online meeting with the camera off while they sleep, or go later.
The Backpack Had a Receipt
You found a liquor-store receipt in your child's backpack. You can wait until morning to talk. Al-Anon is yours tonight, and Alateen can be theirs.
The Bank Alert Came at Lunch
The account moved while you were at work, and your stomach dropped. You can put the banking app down and sit in an Al-Anon meeting tonight.
The Basket at a Nar-Anon Meeting
The basket is coming and your hands are empty. Nar-Anon has no dues or fees, and some meetings ask newcomers not to put anything in.
The Basket Passed and You Were Broke
The basket came around and your pockets were empty. A.A. has no dues, and membership ought never depend upon money. You can pass the basket and stay.
The Book in Another Language
The English copy in your lap will not stay with you. The Big Book exists in over 70 languages. Listen to the reading. A meeting in your language is local.
The Bottle Arrived on the Date
They ordered a bottle for the table. You can say you are not drinking tonight. You can also leave and find a meeting after.
The Bottle Is Still Above the Stove
The bottle is still above the stove. You can leave it and go to a meeting. You do not have to finish it, and a pour can wait if the house is not safe.
The Bottles Were in the Camera
The camera showed bottles behind you. Turn the video off. You can move. You do not have to narrate the shelf. Shame is not a membership test.
The Brief Guide When Words Blur
The Big Book blurred, and someone handed you a brief guide in simple language. You can go to a meeting tonight without finishing it, and you can listen.
The Bus Stops, the Meeting Is Close
The bus is at the stop and the meeting is a short walk, and you might stay on the bus. Get off. You can stand outside and still go in and listen.
The Business Meeting Scared You
The business meeting scared you more than the regular one. You can sit, say nothing, and leave. Group decisions are not a test you have to pass tonight.
The Cake Was for Someone Else
There was cake or a coin for someone else's time, and you felt invisible or jealous. You can feel that and still stay. Your time is not a contest.
The Cart Is Coming Down the Aisle
The drink cart is two rows away and you can hear the cans. You can order a soda or nothing. The cart does not choose for you.
The Cell Title Stings
The prison pamphlet title can sting if you are locked up or if you were. It is seven people's experience, not a legal plan and not less time.
The Chair Asked You to Stay on Drinking
You talked about the news, a case, or a fight, and the chair brought it back to drinking. That sting is not a verdict. You can pass next time.
The Chat Moved Past Your Hello
You typed hello and the chat kept scrolling. You can leave the camera off and listen. A missed hello is not a closed door.
The Children Heard It
The children heard the fight. Get them to a quieter room if you can. Al-Anon is for you. Alateen is for teenagers. If anyone is hurt or unsafe, call 911.
The Chip Did Not Calm You
They got a chip and you do not trust it. You can be glad and scared in the same hour. You do not have to match the celebration.
The Co-Founders Talks Are Not Required
Someone said you must hear the co-founders last major talks before you belong. You do not. A meeting tonight is enough. The sketches can wait.
The Coffee Smells Like Before
The coffee in the meeting smells like a kitchen you drank in, and your body noticed first. You can stay, or step out, and still not drink.
The Concepts Leaflet Can Wait
Someone said you have to learn the Concepts before you can help. The picture leaflet and the recording can wait. You can help without them tonight.
The Cooler at the Game
There is a cooler at the game and everyone around you is drinking. You can hold a soda. You can leave at halftime and find a meeting after.
The Copy Machine
You are at the office copier and your hands are shaking for a drink or a drug. You have a few minutes. Text someone and look up a meeting for after work.
The Corrections Kit Is Not Your Pass
You are inside, and a corrections binder will not put a meeting on your unit tonight. The kit is for members carrying the message in, not a pass.
The Counselor's Pamphlet in Your Folder
Your folder includes P-41 for counselors, social workers, and physicians. You are the client. Desire to stop is the line. You need not study it first.
The Crash Anniversary Is Tomorrow
The anniversary of the crash is tomorrow, and tonight your body already knows. You can go to a meeting and not spend the eve alone with it.
The Doctor's Opinion Is Not Your Chart
The front of the book has a piece titled The Doctor's Opinion. That piece is not your medical chart, and you do not need a doctor's note to attend a meeting.
The Dog Went Under the Table
The dog went under the table when the door opened, and you understood. If you are in danger, call 911. If it is the old dread, you can listen at Al-Anon.
The Door Says Closed Meeting
The sign says closed meeting and your stomach dropped. A desire to stop drinking means you can go in. Visitors without that desire want an open meeting.
The Drink Ticket Is Still in Your Hand
Someone handed you a free-drink ticket after the show. You can drop it. A piece of paper is not a decision you already made.
The Drive Is Too Far for Tonight
You have a car, and the listing is still too far for how shaky or tired you are. Online and phone meetings exist. You do not have to start a group tonight.
The Drug Is Not Alcohol
The person you love is using drugs, and Al-Anon felt like the wrong door. Nar-Anon is for relatives and friends. You can go and listen.
The Drug Pamphlet Is Not the Door
You use other drugs and someone handed you a pamphlet as a verdict. If alcohol is part of this, a desire to stop drinking is still the door tonight.
The Dryer Is Running, and You Are Alone
The dryer is running and you are alone with the wait, which is when the night gets ideas. Stay through one meeting, even a phone meeting, before the cycle ends.
The Empty Chair Was Your Choice
You skipped the family dinner, and the empty chair is yours. The guilt can come with you to an Al-Anon meeting. You do not have to drive back.
The ER and Then a Meeting
You are in the ER, or you just left, and you want a meeting. Stay if the medical people still need you there. A meeting comes after you are safe to go.
The Ex Is Idling in the Driveway
You know that engine. The headlights are on the curtains. You do not have to open the door. If you are afraid, call 911.
The Facility Lettered A.A. on the Sign
The center's sign makes A.A. look like their program. A hospital on its own ought not use the A.A. name. You can still sit in a meeting that rents a room there.
The Family Afterward, When Home Is Tense
Chapter 9 is titled The Family Afterward. It is not a script for your household, and peace is not on a schedule. Family can look at Al-Anon.
The FAQ Pamphlet and Your Family
A sister or a parent quizzed you from the FAQ pamphlet. You do not have to pass their test. A desire to stop drinking is enough to sit and listen.
The First Edition Replica Can Wait
Someone said you need the first-edition replica to understand A.A. You do not. B-0 is an English replica with a short history booklet. It can wait.
The First Hundred and You Feel Late
The Big Book came out in 1939 so the first hundred could show how they got sober. You feel decades late. The door is still a desire to stop.
The Food Tastes Like Nothing
You are eating and the food tastes like nothing. Eat a little if you can. A meeting will not fix your appetite. If withdrawal feels dangerous, call 911.
The Fourth Edition in Braille
Braille is not one small book. The catalog lists the Fourth Edition, the Twelve and Twelve, two pamphlets, and Daily Reflections. Ask one person.
The Free Excerpt Is Not a Ruling
Someone gave you a free excerpt sheet and said it decides if you can stay. A photocopy is not the door. A desire to stop drinking is still the membership line.
The Fridge Light and One Can
The fridge light is on and there is one can. You have not opened it. Close the door. Call someone or go to a meeting. One can is not a test you have to grade.
The Group Handbook on Your First Night
They handed you the group handbook on night one. It is for officers, and it is marked for members. You are not the secretary. You can set it down and listen.
The Group Secretary Is Not the Boss
The group secretary keeps the notebook. They do not own your membership. A small group may elect that role, and trusted servants do not govern.
The Group Text Lit Up
The old work group text is making plans to drink. You can mute the thread. You can answer 'not tonight' without a speech. Then go to a meeting.
The Guest Bed Is Yours Again
You moved to the guest bed again, and the sheets feel like a verdict. You can take that night to an Al-Anon meeting and only listen.
The Heater Is Louder
You cannot hear the share over the heater, the street, or your heart. Move closer if you want, or catch half. Half is still a meeting. Ask the chair once.