Did You Know…
That one of the issues that came up in both our Area Inventory and the Communications Audit done for the General Service Office is that our members do not feel connected to A.A. as a whole.
Let's try to change that!
What if we shared with our regular members short paragraphs of information about A.A.? Perhaps one item at each of our weekly meetings? Or our Group’s business meeting? Soon, more A.A. members might understand their role in the overall service activities which make it possible for our Society to function as a whole.
Here is a collection of short pieces of information about A.A. beyond the doors of the Home Group. These items cover a range of topics and can each be read in 2 minutes or less.
New items will be added monthly so keep checking back!
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Did You Know…that the A.A. service structure is described as “the upside down triangle“? Everything begins at the group level. Every group is autonomous and is governed by their own group conscience which takes place at the groups monthly business meeting. If there’s an issue outside the group that the group would like to address, a representative of the group called their General Service Representative or GSR will bring their concern to the District Committee.
A.A. groups are organized within geographical areas called Districts. This group is located within District XX, which consists of groups located in Anytown. Groups work together at the district level to further the primary purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous in their community. The district meetings are made up of the General Service Representatives or GSRs from the local groups.
Area 83 ranges from Oakville the West to the Quebec border in the East and from upstate New York in the South to Algonquin Park in the North. There are 25 districts in Area 83. In the same way that each group has a representative, each district has a representative called a District Committee Member or DCM. Likewise, our Area has a representative called the Delegate.
The groups are at the top of the triangle because they are ultimately responsible for Alcoholics Anonymous. Our Delegate carries the group conscience of all the groups in the Area to the week-long business meeting that takes place once a year. Delegates from the 93 Areas in Canada and the U.S. meet with Trustees, Directors and General Service Office staff to conduct business on our behalf. The work they do ensures that A.A. is shared with the still suffering alcoholics in North America and around the world.
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Did you know…that Alcoholics Anonymous in Canada and the U.S. is divided into 93 Areas. The meeting you are at today is in Area 83. Area 83 ranges from Oakville to the Quebec border and from Algonquin Park down into Upper New Yok State. Ontario is made up of 4 areas circling counter clockwise around the province. So Eastern Ontario is us, Area 83, Northeast is Area 84, Northwest is Area 85 and Western Ontario is Area 86.
In the states, the area numbers, for the most part, match up with the alphabetical sequence of the state. For example, Area 1 is Alabama, Area 2 is Alaska and Area 3 is Arizona finishing up with Wyoming as Area 76. Then we have Puerto Rico which is Area 77. We then jump up to Canada where they are numbered by alphabetical order as well. So Alberta/NWT is Area 78. British Columbia is Area 79 through to Saskatchewan which is Area 91. Quebec, like Ontario is made up out of 4 areas numbered counter clockwise around the province. You may notice that we have only accounted for 91 Areas. What about the last 2 areas? Well, 2 of the states grew in population so much that they each added an Area. So now we have Area 92 in Washington and Area 93 in California.
What is the purpose of having these Areas?
In order for you, the members, to be represented at the annual business meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, each Area elects a Delegate. This Delegate goes to New York to participate on our behalf in the 6 day long annual business meeting. This business meeting is called the General Service Conference. While the General Service Conference operates all year round, the annual meeting, held usually in April, is the culmination of the year’s activities. It is a time when the collective conscience of A.A. in the U.S. and Canada comes together to take actions that will guide the groups in the years to come.
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Did You Know…that Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (A.A.W.S.) is a not-for-profit corporation with nine directors on the Corporate Board. They are responsible for oversight of the General Service Office (G.S.O.), group services, printing and distribution of Conference-approved literature and service material.
(This excerpt was taken from the General Service Final Report 2018, page 36 and Chapter 10 of the A.A. Service manual)
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Did You Know…that Alcoholics Anonymous World Services holds copyrights in A.A. literature, and is responsible for translations of A.A. literature, including titles licensed to A.A. boards in other countries. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services directors include two general service trustees and two regional trustees, three non-trustee directors, General Service Office’s general manager and staff coordinator. Essential nonvoting support personnel attend each board meeting: these would include the finance director, publishing director, human resources director, General Service Office archivist, board secretary, and others. The board meets eight times a year.
(This excerpt was taken from the General Service Final Report 2018, page 36 and Chapter 10 of the A.A. Service manual)
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Did You Know…that each year, directors serving on Alcoholics Anonymous World Services report to the General Service Conference on A.A. publishing, group services provided by the General Service Office and other activities linked directly to A.A.’s primary purpose. The purpose of the publishing activities and group services provided by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services and General Service Office, as requested from the Fellowship, is to support members’ and groups’ Twelfth Step efforts to reach the still-suffering alcoholic. The structure, composition and responsibilities of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services are described in Chapter 10 of The A.A. Service Manual.
(This excerpt was taken from the General Service Final Report 2018, page 36 and Chapter 10 of the A.A. Service manual)
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Did You Know…the General Service Office has two sources of revenue: group and member contributions to the General Service Boards General Fund, and income from Alcoholics Anonymous World Services publishing. For many years, A.A. groups and members have contributed enough to cover some, but not all, of the service expenses. Net income from publishing activities provides the remaining funds needed to enable the General Service Office to provide its vital services.
(This excerpt was taken from the General Service Final Report 2018, page 36 and Chapter 10 of the A.A. Service manual)
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Did you know…that A.A. Grapevine, Inc. is one of two affiliate corporations of the General Service Board. A.A. Grapevine, Inc. publishes the Grapevine magazine which is available on various platforms and in a variety of formats. AA Grapevine, Inc. also publishes Spanish language content in La Viña magazine and its related books, CD and audio formats, as well as Spanish-language web pages on aagrapevine.org.
The Grapevine Corporate Board strives to engage the Fellowship, to ensure members’ awareness of the international journals of Alcoholics Anonymous, Grapevine and La Viña, as tools to help carry the message.
(This excerpt was taken from the General Service Conference 2018 Final Report, page 40)
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Did you know…the website aagrapevine.org is regularly updated to better serve the Fellowship and to engage a wider and more diverse audience; it is central to Grapevine’s current and future plans. Month end December 2017 reports indicate that an average of 38,233 unique visitors go to an average of 3.5 pages on aagrapevine.org each month.
(This excerpt was taken from the General Service Conference 2018 Final Report, page 40)
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Did you know…the audio page on aagrapevine.org showcases the Audio Project, featuring instructions for recording up to seven-minute-long stories submitted by members, with two member’s audio stories offered online as samples. Over 450 audio stories have been received for Grapevine and are being archived, with 80-plus more for La Viña.
(This excerpt was taken from the General Service Conference 2018 Final Report, page 40)
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Did you know…A.A. Grapevine, Inc continues to produce a complimentary Grapevine Daily Quote available online and via email, featuring excerpts drawn from the archives of classic Grapevine literature. Selections are posted daily on aagrapevine.org and may be requested on an opt-in basis for daily email delivery. Subscriptions number 41,990 as of February 2018.
(This excerpt was taken from the General Service Conference 2018 Final Report, page 40)
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Did you know…that you are personally invited to the next Eastern Canada Regional Forum in Ottawa in August of 2024.
Regional Forums, which originated in 1975, are weekend-long sharing and informational sessions which provide unique opportunities to share and exchange valuable experience, ask questions and spark new ideas.
They are also designed to help the General Service Board, A.A. World Services, Inc., the Grapevine Corporate Board, the Grapevine Staff, and the General Service Office Staff stay in touch with A.A. members, trusted servants and newcomers to service throughout the A.A. service structure.
The next Eastern Canada Regional Forum will be held in Ottawa in August of 2024. See you all there!
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Did you know…that the General Service Office staff member assigned to Regional Forums coordinates details for the Forum. They work closely with the volunteer host chair who recruits volunteers to assist with hospitality, set-up and registration during the Forum.
There is no registration fee for Regional Forums. The General Service Board covers the expenses of the meeting rooms. As all Forums are intended to be sharing sessions, no formal actions result. Sharing is captured in Forum Final Reports, which are distributed to all attendees, and are available on the General Service Office website.
Regional Forums carry A.A.’s message of love and service by improving communication at all levels of our Fellowship.
The next Eastern Canada Regional Forum will be held in Ottawa, August 23-25 2024. See you all there!
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Did You Know…Recovery, Unity and Service are the Three Legacies given to the whole membership of A.A. by its founders and their fellow old timers. When this heritage was announced, at the St. Louis Convention in 1955, celebrating A.A.’s 20th birthday, Doctor Bob was already gone. But Bill W. spoke for him and the other pioneers, as well as for himself, in turning over to all of us the responsibility for A.A.’s continuation and growth.
“The A.A. Service Manual” is the current version of the handbook first known as “The Third Legacy Manual”. It is a practical guide to organization and procedure of Alcoholics Anonymous and is firmly based upon spiritual principles.
(This excerpt was taken from The A.A. Service Manual, page S1 and S20)
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Did You Know…The A.A. Service Manual starts with a history of A.A. services. It then explains, in detail, the framework which makes it possible to carry the message in ways that are impossible for the local groups. This framework is called The Conference structure. This structure takes the place of government in A.A., ensuring that the full voice of A.A. will be heard and guaranteeing that the desired services will continue to function under all conditions. The Service Manual provides descriptions and guidelines for various service positions and how they all relate to each other.
(This excerpt was taken from The A.A. Service Manual, page S1 and S20)
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Did You Know…The A.A. Service Manual” is a practical guide to organization and procedure of Alcoholics Anonymous and is firmly based upon spiritual principles.
The recent editions of the Service Manual are printed in combination with The Twelve Concepts for World Service, set forth by Bill W. These are principles of service that have emerged from A.A.’s service accomplishments and mistakes since the beginning.
Our program is based on 36 principles which are our Three Legacies: Recovery guided by the Twelve Steps, Unity guided by the Twelve Traditions and Service guided by the Twelve Concepts.
(This excerpt was taken from The A.A. Service Manual, page S1 and S20)
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Did You Know…that our Twelfth Step—carrying the message—is the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, otherwise we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die.
Therefore, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer— ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.’s General Service Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service.
(This excerpt was taken from The A.A. Service Manual, page S1)
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Did You Know… that our Third Legacy of Service is the sum total of all the services we provide that help us to reach a fellow sufferer.
Services include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offices; they mean pamphlets, books, and good publicity of almost every description. They call for committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. And, not to be forgotten, they need voluntary money contributions from within the Fellowship.
These services, whether performed by individuals, groups, areas, or A.A. as a whole, are utterly vital to our existence and growth. Trying to make A.A. more simple by abolishing such services would only be asking for complication and confusion.
(This excerpt was taken from The A.A. Service Manual, page S1)
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Did You Know… that our Third Legacy of Service is the sum total of all the services we provide that help us to reach a fellow sufferer.
Concerning any given service, we therefore pose but one question: “Is this service really needed?” If it is, then maintain it we must, or fail in our mission to those who need and seek A.A.
This is why Delegates, representing our membership, meet yearly with our board of trustees in New York, and thus assume direct responsibility for the guardianship of A.A. tradition and the direction of our principal service affairs.
(This excerpt was taken from The A.A. Service Manual, page S1)
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Did You Know… that our Third Legacy of Service is the sum total of all the services we provide that help us to reach a fellow sufferer.
The most vital, yet least understood, group of services that A.A. has are those that enable us to function as a whole, namely: the General Service Office, A.A. World Services, Inc., The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., and our board of trustees, known legally as the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. Our worldwide unity and much of our growth since early times are directly traceable to this cluster of life-giving activities.
(This excerpt was taken from The A.A. Service Manual, page S1)
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Did you know…that a District is a collection of Groups (usually a geographical area). Each Group elects a General Service Representative, GSR for short, and GSR's elect a District Committee Member, DCM for short. The DCM is the vital link between the GSR's and the Area service structure, including the Area’s Delegate to the General Service Conference. Elections for DCM are usually held in the same time frame as the Area election of the Delegate and other Area Officers, and are usually elected for the same two-year term.
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Did you know…that a District Committee Member, DCM for short, carries the collective Group and District conscience to the Area Committee meetings. It is the DCM who reports back to the General Service Representatives, or GSRs for short, what A.A. business takes place at the Area Committee meetings. GSR’s can then share this information with their Group members.
DCM’s should be familiar with the A.A. Service Manual and other A.A. literature and provide leadership and information to GSR’s and Groups in order to assist members in making informed decisions.
As the GSR is the vital link between Groups and the General Service Office, the DCM is the vital link between the District and the Area as well as the General Service Office.
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Did you know…that District Committee Members, DCMs for short, have several responsibilities – the main responsibility is to carry information from both Area and the General Service Office to the groups through their General Service Representatives, GSRs for short, as well as to represent the District at the Area level.
This is accomplished by holding regular meetings of all General Service Representatives in the District, attending Area Committee meetings and Assemblies. The DCM has the responsibility of informing the GSR’s of Delegate and General Service Office updates as well as making a regular practice of talking to groups and being enthusiastic about service within A.A.
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Did you know…Box 459 is an ordinary looking Post Office box that is internationally famous because it is the address of Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Headquarters, New York City. This post office box gets a steady flow of letters daily postmarked from all over the world.
Box 459 is also the name of a quarterly news bulletin from the U.S./Canada General Service Office. This newsletter includes information about A.A. service, literature, sharing from groups, service committees and individual U.S./Canada A.A. members.
This news bulletin also includes an events Bulletin Board listing AA events from all over the US and Canada. The most recent issue of Box 459 can be found on the aa.org website if you do a search for Box 459.
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
The G.S.O. Publishing Department has coordinated translations of the Big Book in 69 languages and translations of other A.A. literature in more than 91 languages. Further translations are constantly in process.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet 70 M - 4/17 (GP))
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
Each year the General Service Office staff responds to over 90,000 emails, letters, and phone calls from A.A. members, suffering alcoholics, professionals, students, the press and others interested in A.A. Thus accurate and consistent information about A.A. is provided.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet 70 M - 4/17 (GP))
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Did You Know that…there are several things that A.A. does not do.
- A.A. does NOT make medical or psychiatric diagnoses or prognoses, or offer advice.
- A.A. does NOT provide detox or nursing services, hospitalization, drugs, housing, jobs, money or other welfare services.
- A.A. does NOT accept any money for its services or contributions from outside sources.
- A.A. does NOT provide letters of reference to parole boards, lawyers, court officials, social agencies, employers, etc.
- A.A. does NOT engage in or support education, research, or professional treatment.
(This excerpt is taken from Service Material Fact Sheet SMF-94 found at aa.org)
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Did You Know…that Alcoholics Anonymous began with sponsorship?
When Bill W., only a few months sober, was stricken with a powerful urge to drink, this thought came to him: “You need another alcoholic to talk to. You need another alcoholic just as much as he needs you!”
He found Dr. Bob, who had been trying desperately and unsuccessfully to stop drinking, and out of their common need A.A. was born. The word “sponsor” was not used then; the Twelve Steps had not been written; but Bill carried the message to Dr. Bob, who in turn safeguarded his own sobriety by sponsoring countless other alcoholics. Through sharing, both of our co-founders discovered, their own sober lives could be enriched beyond measure.
(This excerpt was taken from P-15 Questions and Answers on Sponsorship found at aa.org)
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Do You Know what A.A. means by sponsorship?
In A.A., sponsor and sponsored meet as equals, just as Bill and Dr. Bob did. Essentially, the process of sponsorship is this: An alcoholic who has made some progress in the recovery program shares that experience on a continuous, individual basis with another alcoholic who is attempting to attain or maintain sobriety through A.A.
When we first begin to attend A.A. meetings, we may feel confused and sick and apprehensive. Although people at meetings respond to our questions willingly, that alone isn’t enough. Many other questions occur to us between meetings; we find that we need constant, close support as we begin learning how to “live sober.”
So we select an A.A. member with whom we can feel comfortable, someone with whom we can talk freely and confidentially, and we ask that person to be our sponsor.
Sponsorship responsibility is unwritten and informal, but it is a basic part of the A.A. approach to recovery from alcoholism through the Twelve Steps. Sponsorship can be a long term relationship.
(This excerpt was taken from P-15 Questions and Answers on Sponsorship found at aa.org)
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Did You Know…that whether you are a newcomer who is hesitant about “bothering” anyone, or a member who has been around for some time trying to go it alone, sponsorship is yours for the asking. We urge you: Do not delay. Alcoholics recovered in A.A. want to share what they have learned with other alcoholics. We know from experience that our own sobriety is greatly strengthened when we give it away!
Sponsorship can also mean the responsibility the group as a whole has for helping the newcomer. Today, more and more alcoholics arriving at their first A.A. meeting have had no prior contact with A.A. They have not telephoned a local A.A. intergroup or central office; no member has made a “Twelfth Step call” on them. So, especially for such newcomers, groups are recognizing the need to provide some form of sponsorship help. In many successful groups, sponsorship is one of the most important planned activities of the members.
(This excerpt was taken from P-15 Questions and Answers on Sponsorship found at aa.org)
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Did You Know…that the General Service Office makes available a storehouse of service material to assist groups with nearly every phase of A.A. life.
Unlike A.A. Conference-approved books, pamphlets and audiovisual materials, which are produced as the result of General Service Conference Advisory Actions, service material is created in response to members’ expressed needs for clear, concise, experiential information on subjects ranging from the A.A. Birthday Plan and shared experience on self-support to a map of A.A. regions in the U.S. and Canada.
Other service pieces provide information on such frequently asked questions as: What is the origin of the Serenity Prayer? What is an A.A. group? How is the Fellowship structured? How is a sharing session conducted? Why is sponsorship important? Included in each piece are some suggested topics for discussion meetings.
(This excerpt was taken from P-16 The AA Group – where it all begins found at aa.org)
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
Staff communications often help someone find local A.A. meetings, link members in service, and support the start of A.A. in countries where there are no A.A. meetings.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
The General Service Office maintains and updates the aa.org website that averages over 30,000 visits per day. The website provides information about A.A., including how to find A.A. in their community, and provides help to members and those seeking help with their drinking problem, as well as to families and friends of problem drinkers, and professionals.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
The General Service Office’s Publishing Department publishes and distributes all A.A. Conference-approved literature. Approximately 8 million books, pamphlets, video and audio products are distributed annually. Some of this literature is specifically designed for sight- or hearing-impaired members. Box 4-5-9, news and notes from G.S.O., is published four times a year in English, French and Spanish.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
The General Service Office coordinates the Loners-Internationalists Meeting Correspondence Service (LIM), which is often the only link to A.A. for many A.A. members in remote areas, homebound, or deployed in active military service.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
The Corrections coordinator at the General Service Office responds to over 6,500 letters a year, primarily from incarcerated alcoholics. Letters often request literature and many express gratitude for a Big Book supplied or a link to an outside member who can take a soon-to-be released alcoholic to his or her first meeting on the outside.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
The General Service Office’s Corrections staff member coordinates a Corrections Correspondence Service, which each year connects over 1,500 alcoholics behind the walls with outside members in order to share A.A. recovery by mail. Sharing From Behind the Walls, containing excerpts from inmate letters to the General Service Office is printed four times a year.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
The General Service Office Treatment and Accessibilities desk responds to letters and communications from residents or patients in treatment centers and connects them with local committees. The staff member on this assignment supports groups and members in making the A.A. message accessible to all alcoholics.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
At the General Service Office, the Public Information desk coordinates the production and broadcast of audio and video Public Service Announcements to help reach the still-suffering alcoholics. Each year Public Service Announcements produced by Public Information are broadcast on television and radio. The Public Service Announcement called Doors, was aired approximately 75,000 times the first year of its release. The Public Information staff member also responds to approximately 500 emails per month from the press and other media, A.A. members and the general public.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did you know…that when you or your home group contributes to the General Service Office your contribution helps an alcoholic around the corner — or around the world. For example:
The General Service Office’s Archives documents the activities of Alcoholics Anonymous for the future and makes the history of the Fellowship accessible to A.A. members and other researchers. Each year the Archives staff responds to over 1,500 requests for information and research.
(This excerpt has been taken from F-203 • Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet at aa.org
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Did You Know…that the General Service Office is a repository for A.A.’s shared experience? It fulfills our primary purpose by:
(1) providing service, information and experience to groups worldwide;
(2) publishing literature;
(3) supporting the activities of the General Service Board of A.A.; and
(4) carrying forward recommendations of the General Service Conference.
G.S.O.’s history dates back to 1938, when the about-to-be-published book, Alcoholics Anonymous, provided a name for the small society known only as the Alcoholic Foundation. The Foundation’s rapidly expanding office soon served as the focal point for questions about A.A. from around the world, and in time became the General Service Office as we know it today.
(This excerpt was taken from P-16 The AA Group – where it all begins found at aa.org)
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Did You Know…. that the Final Voice of the Fellowship “Alcoholics Anonymous has been called an upside-down organization because “the ultimate responsibility and final authority for world services resides with the groups — rather than with the trustees, the General Service Board or the General Service Office in New York.” ?
The entire structure of A.A. depends upon the participation and conscience of the individual groups, and how each of these groups conducts its affairs has a ripple effect on A.A. everywhere. Thus, we are ever individually conscious of our responsibility for our own sobriety and, as a group, for carrying the A.A. message to the suffering alcoholic who reaches out to us for help.
(This excerpt was taken from P-16 The AA Group – where it all begins found at aa.org)
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Did You Know…. that A.A. has no central authority, minimal organization, and a handful of Traditions instead of laws? As co-founder Bill W. noted in 1960, “We obey [the Twelve Traditions] willingly because we ought to and because we want to. Perhaps the secret of their power lies in the fact that these life-giving communications spring out of living experience and are rooted in love.”
A.A. is shaped by the collective voice of its local groups and their representatives to the General Service Conference, which works toward unanimity on matters vital to the Fellowship. Each group functions independently, except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
(This excerpt was taken from P-16 The AA Group – where it all begins found at aa.org)
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Did You Know…. that A.A.’s essential group work is done by alcoholics who are themselves recovering in the Fellowship, and each of us is entitled to do our A.A. service in the way we think best within the spirit of the Traditions. This means that we function as a democracy, with all plans for group action approved by the majority voice. No single individual is appointed to act for the group or for Alcoholics Anonymous as a whole.
Each group is as unique as a thumbprint, and approaches to carrying the message of sobriety vary not just from group to group but from region to region. Acting autonomously, each group charts its own course. The better informed the members, the stronger and more cohesive the group — and the greater the assurance that when a newcomer reaches out for help, the hand of A.A. always will be there.
(This excerpt was taken from P-16 The AA Group – where it all begins found at aa.org)
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Did You Know….that most of us cannot recover unless there is a group. As Bill said, “Realization dawns on each member that he is but a small part of a great whole. … He learns that the clamor of desires and ambitions within him must be silenced whenever these could damage the group. It becomes plain that the group must survive or the individual will not.
(This excerpt was taken from P-16 The AA Group – where it all begins found at aa.org)
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Did you know…that the Principle of Rotation ensures that service tasks are passed around for all to share? It can be a real step forward and a step into humility. We forgo personal prestige for any AA work we do. It also reminds us to place principles before personalities. Rotation helps to bring us spiritual rewards far more enduring than any fame. We can ask ourselves “I have made my contribution in this capacity. Where can I be of use next? “ With no A.A. “status” at stake, we needn’t compete for titles or praise — we have complete freedom to serve as we are needed.
(This excerpt was adapted from the Service Manual page S25)
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Did you know…that from the Twelve Steps we learn how to recover, from the Twelve Traditions we learn how to stay together, and from the Twelve Concepts we learn how to serve.
In other words, the Twelve Steps hold us together, the Twelve Traditions hold the groups together and the Twelve Concepts hold A.A. together.
To learn more about the Twelve Concepts, go to aa.org and search for the Twelve Concepts Illustrated. This pamphlet provides brief, easy-to-read text and clever illustrations to make the Twelve Concepts for World Service clear and understandable.
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Did you know…that AA’s structure is manned by people who feel and think and who act? Therefore, any principles or devices that can better relate them to each other in a harmonious and effective whole are worth considering.
Bill W outlined four principles that permeate all of AAs services:
Principles which express tolerance, patience and love of each other;
Principles which could do much to avert friction, indecision and power-driving.
The words he gave for them are: petition, appeal, participation and decision.
(This excerpt was adapted from “Our Great Responsibility” Page 149)
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Did you know…that sound and visual media help to carry the message of recovery of Alcoholics Anonymous? A.A. Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are available in both video and audio formats (for television and radio broadcast) and are used to inform the public and professionals about Alcoholics Anonymous. Other materials specifically for young people and for professionals working with alcoholics are also available. To see these videos, click here.
