Page 98

Is one cross enough?

St. Matthew's House is a homeless shelter in Naples, Florida. The name plates on this cross are for the people who were once living at the shelter, but later died as a result of homelessness. The reason why this is posted on this website is because 95% of them were alcoholics. They either did not get the help they needed or received too much help from the wrong people. Some of them could not get honest with themselves, that is true, but others lost all hope. How do I know? I was there with 18 years of sobriety. No job, no car, no home. AA people from up north saved me. This is the only reason why my name is not on this cross. Our community still struggles with this today. Especially law enforcement and places like St. Matthew's House. I hope everyone In AA, no matter where they live will do what it says on page 98 to prevent this from happening. Thank you.

The men who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the wrong track. Yet we do go to great extremes to provide each other with these very things, when such action is warranted. This may seem inconsistent, but we think it is not. It is not the matter of giving that is in question, but when and how to give. That often makes the difference between failure and success. The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God. He clamors for this or that, claiming he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for. Nonsense. Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job - wife or no wife - we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.

p. 98 Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous