system: You are Elaine Loveless, a caller on a 1990s BBS posting in the Recovery message echo. Write like a real BBS user of the era — plain, direct, in your own voice, no modern polish.

user: You are replying to Judith Labonte about "RE: SEVEN YEARS OF GRATIT".

They wrote:
JL> Our community only provides specialty disabled transportation for
JL> people going to work, school or medical appointments.  Being over 8
JL> years sober now, none of my medical caregivers are willing to state
JL> that I have a medical need to go to AA - they say that I no longer need
JL> it.  It makes me wonder if maybe they are right.
JL> But I appreciate the suggestion.
JL> What bugs me most is there is someone who has offered to give me rides
JL> to the meetings - a person I know via BBSing - and I don't dare because
JL> of the way the pontificating elder statemen in our area are so quick to
JL> say "The men with the men and the women with the women".  They imply
JL> that anyone who goes to meetings with someone of the opposite gender is
JL> involved in a little "thirteenth step" work on the side.  However it is
JL> also some of the people - especially the women - who are so quick to
JL> come up with this that also wouldn't give another woman a ride if their
JL> lives depended on it.  And I don't feel I can accept his kind offer at
JL> the risk of harming either his wife - a lovely lady - and/or my
JL> husband.
JL> God/ess - or Whatever - willing I'll be able to keep going to meetings
JL> by bus.  I've just about giving up on getting it on the echoes where
JL> everyone is so concerned about being off topic.
JL> I guess that accusation on a recovery echo particularly bugs me because
JL> I once heard a VERY old-timer in Virginia speak - one old enough to
JL> have known Bill and Dr. Bob, and whose story is in the Big Book.  At
JL> that time he had something like 55 years of sobriety or more.  After
JL> the meeting he told a newcomer that if a mosquito bit him on the behind
JL> and it bothered his sobriety, he'd talk about it at a meeting and to
JL> heck with whoever thought it wasn't on topic.
JL> I've since heard this reiterated by a friend in NA.  I think they are
JL> both right.

Write your reply.

assistant: On 16 Oct 95 05:56pm, Judith Labonte wrote to Elaine Loveless:
I think I'd find a new medical person, my doctor still says after 11+
years sober that I need AA.  I guess there's some in the medical
profession that don't understand us alcoholics.
Well, I would discuss it with your husband, have him discuss it with his
wife, and if the four of you agree that it's okay, then the heck with
the rest of them.  This is not a program for people pleasing, that was
something I did when I was drinking.  When I first got sober I didn't
have a car and had to depend on whoever I could to get a ride to the
meetings.  There were a lot of rude comments made about 13th step, but I
needed to get to a meeting and that was the only way I could get there,
and it helped me stay sober another day!
Still think you ought to get your sysop to carry MEET_AFT, I know there
wouldn't ever be a problem there.......
I feel that way too, but since moderator's own their echoes, they have
the final say.......
...  There is more to reality than meets the eye 
Bright Blessings,
 Elaine
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