Going to the Plymouth Intergroup Mini AA Convention on the 27th July 2008 was a great experience for me.  It all started when I said to my Sponsor some months before that I wished I could do more service in AA.  He said that that the organisers of the Plymouth mini-convention may need some help and to speak to the Group Service Representative (GSR) of my home group to find out more. 
 
I eventually got through to the Convention Convenor on her phone number and introduced myself.  I explained that I wanted to offer to help in any way at the mini-convention.  She said that there would probably be help needed in setting up the venue and invited me to attend the next convention committee meeting.
 
I went to the next committee meeting and was offered a position of helping to set up the venue on the day before the day of the convention.  I gladly accepted and attended the next two committee meetings where I began to develop friendships with members from other groups.  I was learning a lot about the upcoming convention and how AA committees operate.  I was also looking forward to getting stuck in to doing some actual work!  I also stayed after the committee meeting for the normal AA meeting to put in some Step Twelve action by sharing my message of miraculous recovery from the disease of alcoholism by doing the Twelve Step program.
 
On the day before the convention, myself and a couple of others from my home group turned up at the convention venue bright and early and we cracked on as there was plenty to do.  It was great fun and was a great way to start the weekend.  I've always been a hard worker in my work-life so I was looking for things to do without being asked and there were plenty of things I found to do.  I was given a position of responsibility which meant that I would have to stay until the end of the convention the next day to ensure that the particular job I was given was done properly.
 
I went to the convention with an old-timer from my group and I was having a thoroughly enjoyable day.  The lunch was fit for a king and queen; so much effort was put in to the food.  After the afternoon shares I saw people starting to pack away the catering equipment into a van – there was only one thing for it – to get stuck in and give a helping hand for half an hour!  After this I cracked on with the job that I had to do of putting back the tables and chairs back into the rooms they came from.  I had offers of help from fellow alcoholics which was very welcome as there was a lot to do.
 
We finished about an hour and a half later and the convention convener was clearly impressed with all my effort as she came over and gave me a big hug!  I was feeling wonderful and made my way to the Sunday night meeting of my home-group.  The last words I said to Brian, the man that was in charge of me for the day were, "Book me in for a service position for next year if you need me.”

I put all this effort in as I have to practice the principles of AA into my life as much as possible.  Without AA I am destined to a life of alcoholic misery and mayhem.  I have a wonderful life today because of AA and it is only right and fair that I give back to AA and to others as much as I can.

Not only that – I’ve made some good friends from other AA home groups which is great for building unity between all the home groups in my local area.