TERMS AND EXPRESSIONS WHICH MAY BE NEW TO YOU
No one person or group speaks for the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. We, who have been here longer than you have been confused with the "LANGUAGE" we heard spoken at our first AA meetings and were scared to ask what different terms and saying meant. With this in mind, and again, with the understanding that NO one person or group represents or speaks for the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, here is a incomplete list of terms and expressions and there most common accepted meaning of them to assist you on your journey in recovery:
AA: Alcoholics Anonymous
ACCEPTANCE: the fact of receiving gladly, taking willingly
ALCOHOLIC: a person who honestly wants to quit drinking and can't quite entirely or when drinking has little control over how much he or she drinks
ALLERGY: an abnormal reaction to a food or chemical substance
ALTRUISTIC: concern for the welfare of others as opposed to egoism or selfishness
AMENDS: the correction of injuries or mistakes
ANONYMOUS: giving no name, marked by lack of individuality or personality
APOLOGY: an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret
BIG BOOK: the basic written material of AA, it's text book written by recovering alcoholics sharing how they got sober and stayed sober
BIG BOOK STUDY: a group of recovering alcoholics studying the book, Alcoholic Anonymous
CLOSED MEETINGS: meetings that are not open to the public but only to alcoholics and those with a desire to quit drinking
COCKSURENESS: overconfidence
CRAVING: an abnormal desire; a great desire or longing
DEFECTS OF CHARACTER: deficiencies, faults, flaws of character, same as shortcomings
DRY: the state of not being drunk or high but not experiencing the feeling of peace of mind & heart that you and the world are OK
EARTH PEOPLE: non-alcoholics
EGO: self-esteem
EGO-CENTRIC: thinking or acting with the view that one's self is the center
FAITH: firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete confidence, trust
FELLOWSHIP: a group of people with the same interests or experiences
FIRST STEP MEETING: a meeting devoted to the First Step of recovery, usually conducted when a person comes to a meeting for his or her first time
FOREBODING: a dark sense of impending evil; an evil omen
FOURTH DIMENSION: something outside ordinary experience
GOD: a divine power as each person understands and accepts or not accepts. Nothing to do with religious teachings or practice
GROUP: basic unit of the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous
GUEST: a non-member attending an AA meeting
HIGHER POWER: a power which is greater than yourself such as an AA group; God as you understand God is sometimes called HP
HIT BOTTOM: a point in the life of an alcoholic when he or she has deteriorated to the point where they are willing to give up and ask for help
HOME GROUP: a group in which a individual feels most comfortable and starts to participate in its functions and votes on matters affecting that group and AA
HONEST: free from fraud or deception
HUMBLE: not proud, arrogant, or assertive
ILLUSION: something that misleads or deceives
INSANITY: taking a drink knowing it may kill you
INSIDIOUS: harmful but enticing, treacherous, seductive
MEDITATION: serious contemplation or reflection, listening for directions
MENTAL TWIST: unexplainable thinking
NATURE: the basis or essential characteristics of something
NEWCOMER: a person who has had a drink within a year
NO GRADUATION: no recovery from the disease of alcoholism, thus the term means we must stay in recovery, one day at a time, for the rest of our lives, school is forever
OBSESSION: a compulsive, often unreasonable idea or feeling
OPEN MEETINGS: AA meetings in which any one is welcome to attend
PASS THE BASKET: we are self-supporting so we collect money from people present in the meeting, if they wish to donate, to pay our expenses; rent, coffee, books, etc.
PHENOMENON: something known by the senses but not understood by the mind
PRAYER: any act or communication with God
PROGRAM: plan of action taken toward a goal
PROGRAM OF RECOVERY: explained in the book Alcoholics Anonymous which is how most members of AA got and stay sober; asking His protection and care with compete abandon
RECOVERY: learning to live a meaningful and comfortable life with out the need of alcohol, coping with life without alcohol
RELAPSE: a return to a former condition after a change for the better
RESENTMENT: ill will felt because of a real or imagined wrong
SANITY: not taking the first drink
SELF-CENTEREDNESS: selfishness
SIXTH SENSE: a power of perception like but not one of the five senses, a keen intuitive power
SLIP: taking a drink after a period of abstinence, relapse means the same thing
SLOGANS: brief statements of AA philosophy
SPIRITUAL AWAKENING: a huge emotional displacement and rearrangement of ideas, emotions, and attitudes, a personality change which occurs slowly, gradually over time
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE: a huge emotional displacement and rearrangement of ideas, emotions, and attitudes, a personality change which occurs suddenly, quickly, sudden awareness of a higher power or God
SPONSOR: an alcoholic who has made some progress in the recovery program sharing that experience on a continuous, individual basis with another alcoholic who is attempting to
attain or maintain sobriety through AA
STINKING THINKING: thoughts leading to a drink
THE STEPS: Twelve Steps that summarize the program of recovery
UNMANAGEABLE: having trouble with personal relationships, unable to control emotional nature, being prey to misery and depression, having a feeling of uselessness, being full of fear and unhappiness, not being to be of real help to others
VISITOR: an AA member visiting from another group
WORK THE STEPS: applying the principles of the Twelve Steps of recovery (love and service) in your life
WORKING THE PROGRAM: attending meetings faithfully, reading AA literature daily, applying what we learn to daily living, sharing with others, and accepting with an open mind what they share
WRONGS: resentments (wrong judgements), (fears) wrong believing, wrong actions (harms done to others)
YOUR WILL: your thinking
12 AN 12: an A.A. book written by one of our co-founders to deepen our understanding of our Twelve Steps and explain our Traditions
13 STEPPING: when a member takes advantage of a newer member for sexual purposes