SEPTEMBER 2004 Published Monthly Vol. 31 Issue 5 PATCHOGUE, NY WWW.SUFFOLKNY-AA.ORG 113-8 Bay Avenue Patchogue, NY 11772 (631) 654-1150 FAX (631) 654-1110 Mail: P.O. Box 659 Patchogue, NY 11772

AUGUST 2004 Published Monthly Vol. 31 Issue 4 PATCHOGUE, NY WWW.SUFFOLKNY-AA.ORG 113-8 Bay Avenue Patchogue, NY 11772 (631) 654-1150 FAX (631) 654-1110 Mail: P.O. Box 659 Patchogue, NY 11772

Another Trip Down Memory Lane
Compliments of Past Suffolk Intergroup Association Bulletins:
From the November 1988 issue:
     I n 1988, the Speakers Exchange Meeting was held inside the Cleary School in Ronkonkoma, and was scheduled for 6pm in the evening. Predictably, people were showing up early, but since teachers and students were still on-site, this created problems. So people started booking meetings in the parking lot prior to the 6pm starting time. When efforts were made to prevent people from entering the parking lot, they began meeting on side streets near Cleary, which then created additional problems with area residents. Does any of this sound familiar? If not, see you at the next Exchange Meeting on September 11th, which is scheduled to be held at 8am in the Babylon Student Center at Suffolk Community College.                                                                             - Archives continued on Page 4 Lest We Forget
( From the 14th printing of the book
Alcoholics Anonymous; Reprinted from the
Oct. 1952 Grapevine)
     You may already have asked yourself why it is that all of us became so very ill from drinking. Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body. If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking, "What do I have to do?"
     It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions specifically. We shall tell you what we have done. Before going into a detailed discussion, it may be well to summarize some points as we see them.
     How many times people have said to us: "I can take it or leave it alone. Why can't he?"                                    - Lest continued on Page 4

Mark the Calendar: Share-a-thon Falls on October 30
Free Admission; Volunteers Still Needed
     The 2004 Suffolk Intergroup Association (SIA) Share-a-thon is set for October 30 at St. Joseph's College in Patchogue. The event runs from 9am to 5:30pm; and for the first time admission is FREE!
     As previously reported in the Bulletin, Intergroup's group representatives voted to amend the SIA by-laws to permit the Share-a-thon Committee to forego charging admission. As a reminder, the Committee will not be printing or distributing tickets this year, because the event is free. Programs and name tags will be distributed at the door as in the past. IMPORTANT NOTE: Lunch will be available in the St. Joseph's cafeteria, but will NOT be free. Coffee, cookies and donuts will be available in the hospitality room throughout the day, and donation cans will be placed there for those willing and/or able to help defray the costs. The Committee has made arrangements for extra rooms for workshops and meetings. IMPORTANT NOTE: Individual volunteers are needed as are groups to provide moderators and speakers for workshops. ' Amends Means to Change: What I Realized About Step 9
     I realized that I am never really done. My experience with this Step was different than the authors of these Steps. They jumped right in as soon as the puke dried. I took it a little more slowly. I realized it was about change. Early on I made amends, and amends means to change the behavior. It isn't a lot of sorrys. For instance, I was alienated from my family, and I wrote a letter - extending an olive branch. These changes I made were a natural progression of sobriety. I also realized I needed a
                                                                     - Amends continued on

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