Sharing from Behind the Walls
Current Issue
WINTER 2023-2024
The Corrections desk publishes the newsletter Sharing from Behind the Walls quarterly. It contains excerpts from letters sent to GSO by persons in custody with their permission. These newsletters are for distribution to A.A. members in correctional facilities. Anyone can copy SFBTW to share with all members in the Fellowship especially those incarcerated.
This full-color painting first appeared as a Grapevine center spread in the December 1955 issue. It proved so popular that four-color prints were made available separately. The artist, Robert M., was a volunteer illustrator for the Grapevine, and in 1956 he presented the painting to A.A. co-founder Bill W. In his thank you letter Bill wrote: “Your representation of ‘The Man on the Bed’ hangs in my studio at Bedford Hills.
…The whole heart and essence of A.A. can be seen just by looking at it.”
Step Four, Tradition Four and the Fourth Concept of World Services
Step Four: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”
After working the first three steps prepared me for my “inventory”, the analysis of my life and what was good as well as what wad undesirable. I had to examine my character and determine what I wanted to carry forward in my sober life, and what I wanted to drop and leave behind. I determined that I wasn’t nearly as horrible as I initially thought, nor was I abnormal for an alcoholic. I was just me with all the defects that I had allowed to exist. To continue in my spiritual journey, I had to see what traits I no longer wanted and prepare myself to have God remove them. Before I could do this, I needed to identify what was good and what was bad. Hence the fourth step.
Tradition Four: “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.”
As A.A. is structured to reach the widest variety of people, the fellowship allows even the fringe of people the start and maintain a meeting of their own design as long as it’s existence doesn’t affect other groups or A.A. as an entity. This variety lets the individual group set it’s own rules and procedures catered to the people who attend and is run independently of any other meeting or World Services. I think that if a meeting follows the idea that we exist to support our primary purpose “to carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers”, all will be well. If a meeting fails in that mission, it will end over time.
Concept Four: “At all responsible levels, we ought to maintain a traditional “Right of Participation,” allowing a voting representation in reasonable proportion to the responsibility that each must discharge.”
This Concept basically tells us that there should always be a right to vote and debate (discuss) by certain world trusted servants equal to the job they perform. No organizational charts here. The idea of “participation” can usually stop the misapplication or misuse of final authority, while reminding us at the same time that the “spiritual corporation” of A.A. should never include any members who are regarded as “second class.”