Chances are that you are familiar with the story of Bill Wilson. Early in his sobriety he found himself at a crossroads on a business trip, tempted to walk into a bar. Instead he chose to find another alcoholic to help. And it made all the difference.

Service work in any form is important for sobriety. Many people think of service work as sponsorship. But sponsorship is only one way of being of service to other alcoholics. Anyone can be of service whether you have one day or 50 years of sobriety. Below is a list of ways each of us can be of service. This is not an exhaustive list. As alcoholics we can be of service all throughout the day, always thinking of others rather than ourselves.

Whether we know it or not, from our very first meeting to today our attendance at meetings serves others. Sharing our experience, strength and hope can give encouragement, help others to feel they are not alone, and may even make the difference for a new member to decide to come back.

We never really know what benefit we may find for ourselves and others in a particular meeting. For example, the 3 PM meetings on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Newcomer meetings Saturday 5 PM, and Sunday 5 PM and 6:30 PM often have new and treatment center attendees, so experienced members are needed to introduce them to the program and to be available to Sponsor. But it's a two way street, those with experience can also greatly benefit from hearing the stories of newcomers.

The bottom line is that we need each other and YOU make a difference at every meeting you attend.

After completing the 12 steps, being a Sponsor is extremely beneficial. Many find that sponsoring another alcoholic makes their own program stronger. It brings a level of accountability and a great deal of gratification to help a new person take ahold of the AA program. As the saying goes, "we have to give it away to keep it." During most meetings at the club, the Meeting Chair makes this statement:

Is anyone willing to be a temporary sponsor?

Please raise your hand.

Make it a habit to always raise your hand in response to this request.

Chairing a meeting gets us over the fear of doing so, and breaks us out of our cell of isolation. Discuss this with your Sponsor and if your Sponsor believes you are ready to chair meetings, then look and ask for opportunities to do so.

Being responsible for a meeting makes sure we are attending a regular meeting and really helps others by making more meetings available.

Discuss this with your Sponsor and if your Sponsor believes you are ready to start a meeting, then press ‘Add a Meeting’ button above.

Good coffee is an important part of meetings. Arrive at the meeting early and perform or help perform this service so when others arrive it is all ready. You can also help by keeping the coffee area clean and organized.

The Meeting Chair will be grateful to whoever volunteers to setup the meeting. Arrive early to the meeting and ask the Meeting Chair what is needed for setup.

Meeting rooms being cleaned up afterwards is wonderful for all that attend the club. It also makes meeting setup easier for the next meeting. Please consider putting the books organized into the cabinet, push in chairs, throw away any trash and wipe tables.

Coming to an AA meeting can be very intimidating. Whenever a newcomer attends a meeting make it a point to be someone who greets and welcomes them.

The club has a cleaning service that occurs once per day, but some things may need to be done in between. If you see something that needs to be addressed, see what can be done. Board members are often available and if you are in need of supplies to resolve the issue, just ask.

Weather and attendance often cause the courtyard to not look as good as it can. Picking up of trash, arranging chairs and other things are needed.

In the winter, shoveling is great and avoids accidents that may happen.