One Purpose Only

ONE of the most common faults of the alcoholic, in my opinion, is our fickleness. Control of our emotions, depth of our interest, loyalty and gratitude, and our willingness to "stay in harness" must be developed first before we can become properly integrated into the group and its simple practice of Tradition Five: "carrying the message." The first signs of fickleness appear after attending meetings for several months. We're sober, but restive. We become bored with the (to us) prosaic, monotonous weekly meetings. "What this group needs," we argue, "is variety. Let's have a dance or a card party!"