When my home group asked if I’d be willing to serve as GSR, I nodded politely and said, “Sure!”—but inside, I was panicking. GSR? What is that—some kind of greeter? Do I need to know Robert’s Rules? I didn’t want to admit I had no idea what I’d just agreed to, but I was also too curious (and, let’s be honest, too proud) to back out.
I had been sober for about a year, and while I was solid in my step work and regular in my meeting attendance, I hadn’t done much beyond making coffee or stacking chairs. Service at the group level felt manageable. The idea of “general service” felt like something other people did—older members, people with clipboards, people who wore watches.
But here’s the truth I wish I’d known earlier: saying yes to service—even when I didn’t totally understand it—was one of the best things I’ve done in AA.
At first, I just showed up. I sat through my first district meeting feeling like I’d walked into someone else’s workplace. People used acronyms like they were common nouns. “GSRs, DCMs, PRAASA, Concepts…” I tried to take notes but found myself writing, “LOOK UP ALL THE LETTERS.” Still, no one made me feel dumb. They actually seemed happy I was there.
Over time, I started to understand how this whole thing works. I wasn’t just a messenger from my group to some mysterious “Area 72.” I was the bridge—between my group and the larger AA world. And I wasn’t alone. Other GSRs were just like me: sober, confused at first, and slowly realizing that this whole structure exists so more people can get help.
I met people I never would have met otherwise. I went to a quarterly and shared a hotel room with a woman from a totally different district. We stayed up half the night talking about our groups, our service roles, and our weird AA obsessions (hers was chips, mine was literature tables). That’s when it clicked: This is fellowship, too.
The more I showed up, the more connected I felt—not just to my group, but to AA as a whole. Being of service made me feel useful again. It helped me grow up a little. It taught me how to listen and speak up at the same time.
So if your group asks you to be GSR, and you have no idea what that means, say yes anyway. You’ll find out soon enough. And you might just find your people in the process. I did.
