group "officers" do, and how they are chosen.
In AA, no one is "above" or "below" anyone else. There are no classes or strata or hierarchies among the members. There are no formal officers with any governing power or authority whatsoever. AA is not an organization in the usual sense of that word. Instead, it is a fellowship of equals. Everybody calls everybody else by first name. AA's take turns doing the services needed for group meetings and other functions.
No particular professional skill or education is needed. Even if you have never been a joiner, or a chairman or secretary of anything, you may find—as most of us have—that within the AA group, these services are easy to do, and they do wonders for us. They build a sturdy backbone for our recovery.
Now for the second type of activity that helps keep us away from drinking.
B. Activity not related to AA
It's curious, but true, that some of us, when we first stop drinking, seem to experience a sort of temporary failure of the imagination.
It's curious, because during our drinking days, so many of us displayed almost unbelievably fertile powers of imagination. In less than a week, we could dream up instantly more reasons (excuses?) for drinking than most people use for all other purposes in a lifetime. (Incidentally, it's a pretty good rule of thumb that normal drinkers— that is, nonalcoholics— never need or use any particular justification for either drinking or not drinking!)
When the need to give ourselves reasons for our drinking is no longer there, it often seems that our minds go on a sit-down strike. Some of us find we can't think up non-drinking things to do! Perhaps this is because we're just out of the habit. Or perhaps the mind needs a period of restful convalescence after active alcoholism ceases. In either case, the dullness does go away. After our first month's sobriety, many of us notice a distinct difference. After three months, our minds seem still clearer. And during our second year of recovery, the change is striking. More mental energy seems available to us than ever before.
But it's during the seemingly endless first dry stretch that you will hear some of us say, "What's to do?"
The following list is just a starter for use at that time. It isn't very thrilling or adventurous, but it covers the kinds of activity many of us have used to fill our first vacant hours when we were not at our jobs or with other non-drinking people. We know they work. We did such things as: 1. Taking walks —especially to new places, and in parks or the country. Leisurely, easy strolls, not tiring marches.
2. Reading —although some of us got pretty fidgety if we tried to read anything that demanded much concentration.
3. Going to museums and art galleries.
4. Exercising —swimming, golfing, jogging, yoga, or other forms of exercise your doctor advises.
5. Starting on long-neglected chores —cleaning out a bureau drawer, sorting papers, answering a few letters, hanging pictures, or something of the sort that we've been postponing.
We have found it is important, though, not to overdo any of these. Planning to clean out all the closets (or the whole attic or garage or basement or apartment) sounds simple. However, after a day's hard physical labor at it, we can wind up exhausted, dirty, not finished, and discouraged. So our advice to each other is: Cut down the plan to a manageable size. Start out, not to straighten up the kitchen or clean out those files, but simply to clean out one drawer or one folder. Do another one another day.
6. Trying a new hobby —nothing expensive or very demanding, just some pleasant, idle diversion in which we do not need to excel or win, but only to enjoy some refreshingly different moments. Many of us have picked up hobbies we'd never dreamed of before, such as bridge, macramé, the opera, tropical fish, cabinetmaking, needlework, baseball, writing, singing, crossword puzzles, cooking, bird-watching, amateur acting,