Transcription
GUIDELINESFOR A.A. IN GREATBRITAIN
The AA Service Handbook for Great Britain Guidelines for AA in GreatBritain IndexGuidelineApproved atConferenceCross-reference to otherrelevant GuidelinesCopyright/Logo1998No.1 Group Meetings20002, 14No.2 Group Officers20071, 3, 4, 12No.3 Service Representatives20002, 4, 5No.4 Intergroups20073, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13No.5 Regions20073, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20No.6. AA Telephone Services20094, 5, 12No.7 Public Information20054, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13No.8 AA and Employment20091, 4, 5, 7, 10No.9 AA and Healthcare in the Community20081, 4, 5, 7No.10 For AA Members Employed in theAlcoholism Field20064, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13No.11 AA in Prisons20081, 4, 5No.12 Finance20072, 4, 5No.13 Probation/Social Services20094, 5, 12No.14 The Relationship Between AA and Al-Anon20021, 15No.15 Conventions20111, 4, 5, 14No.16 Violence20021, 17No.17 Personal Conduct Matters20021, 16No.18 Regional Forums20055No.19 AA and Electronic Communications20104, 5, 7No.20 Archives20074, 5No.21 AA and Armed Services20114, 5, 12
GUIDELINES for A.A. in Great BritainFrom the General Service Office, P.O. Box 1, 10 Toft Green, York Y01 7NJCOPYRIGHT/LOGORevised April 1998COPYRIGHTThe General Service Board of AlcoholicsAnonymous Great Britain is grantedpermission under licence to publish anddistribute AA Published and ConferenceApproved literature. The AAWS and GeneralService Board of the US/Canada delegatesdirect responsibility for copyright protectionto the General Service Board and GeneralService Conference of Great Britain.Conference Great Britain 1996 recommendedthat no literature be reproduced byindividuals, Groups, Intergroups or Regionsfor either internal or external use and thatnon-AA literature should not be reproducedfor internal and external use.AA Published and Conference Approvedliterature is so called because it reflects theoverall AA thinking on a given subject, ratherthan individual or group opinion.The Fellowship is reminded that copyrightedmaterial must not be copied by any means[including electronic scanning], as this wouldbe in violation of the copyright.Many local internal publications quote fromAA literature such as the Big Book, the“Twelve and Twelve”, “The AA serviceManual”,andConference-approvedpamphlets. When this occurs, please includethe proper credit line; in order to ensure thatthe copyrights of AA literature are protected.LOGOTwo logos have been registered by theGeneral Service Board of AlcoholicsAnonymous in Great Britain and these are:The logo with the words Recovery, Unity andService may be used as follows: Documents, correspondence, pamphlets,etc from the General Service Board andGeneral Service Office Minutes and reports prepared by Regionsand their elected officer. Minutes and reports prepared byIntergroups and their elected officers. Convention, forum and workshopannouncements sponsored by Intergroupsor Regions. Communications by Service LiaisonOfficer with outside professional bodies toassist our primary purpose. Share and Roundabout.NBPermission for any other use can onlybe granted, in writing, by the General Serviceboard of Alcoholics Anonymous in GreatBritain.The logo with the words ‘General ServiceConference’ can only be used by Conference.This logo is used in relation to Conferenceapproved material.The logos, as they appear above, are the onlyones recognised by the General ServiceBoard of Alcoholics Anonymous in GreatBritain. They are not intended to be used forcommercial or private purposes.
GUIDELINES for A.A. in Great BritainFrom the General Service Office, P.O. Box 1, 10 Toft Green, York Y01 7NJGROUP MEETINGSRevised January 2000No. 1The Traditions have these words to say on Groups in AA.Tradition 3 (Long Form). Our membership ought to include all who suffer fromalcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A.membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholicsgathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as agroup, they have no other affiliation.Tradition 4 (Long form). With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should beresponsible to no other authority than its own conscience. But when its plans concernthe welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. And nogroup, regional committee, or individual should ever take any action that might greatlyaffect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the trustees of the General Service Board.On such issues our common welfare is paramount.TYPES OF MEETINGSWhilst a Group is free to hold any type ofmeeting its members decide, Groups mustwork within A.A.’s Traditions andGuidelines. Our experience indicates that wemust exercise certain precautions at ourmeetings or risk collapse.THE CLOSED MEETING is for alcoholicsonly. Usually these are informal discussionsdevoted to members’ problems and questions,the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions, theTwelve Concepts, topics suggested by articlesin the magazines ‘Share’, ‘Roundabout’ and‘Grapevine’ etc. Many other formats are usedbut common to all meetings is the sharing ofthe Experience, Strength and Hope of itsmembersIn many meetings it is the practice for theChair to introduce speakers who relate whatthey were like, what happened in their livesand contrast this with what they are like now.This provides ready opportunity foridentification by the newcomer and providesan encouraging and hopeful illustration of thepossibility for their own personal recovery.THE OPEN MEETING is one at whichnon-members (partners, friends and otherinterested people e.g. doctors, spiritualleaders and social workers etc) may attend.Some Groups feel it is important to balancethe programme, making sure that both menand women members, young and old in yearsand in sobriety, are on the panel of speakers.The Chair and speakers are, of course, allmembers of A.A. but, in any subsequentdiscussion, participation by non-members iswelcome.THE MULTI-MEETING GROUP is anA.A. Group that accepts responsibility forproviding more than one meeting per week.The General Service Conference hasrecommended the establishment of suchgroups where favourable circumstances existand the Group conscience approves.Examples of such circumstances are where: premises are already shared by Groups orwhere a number of Groups meet in thesame area Group conscience has decided that theGroup has developed to a point wherefurther weekly meetings are needed andcould be maintained there is a shortage of Group officers-e.g.in rural areas with a number of smallgroups. Because multi-meeting groupsrequire a fewer total number of officers
they are also an effective means of freeingmembers to become involved in otherservice activities.The meetings that constitute the multimeeting Group are assisted in fulfilling theneeds of the Group by a Steering Committeecomprised of Group Officers and representatives from the constituent meetings. TheseSteering Committee Officers – i.e. Chair,Treasurer, Literature Sec. etc. as set out in theGuideline No 2 Group Officers – are electedfrom members of the constituent groups at aGroup Conscience meeting attended bymembers or representatives of all theseconstituent groups.To protect the Unity of the multi-meetingGroup and to ensure that each constituentmeeting of the Group accepts and implementsdecisions made at the Group Conscience/Business assemblies, it is vital that all of theconstituent meetings be represented at theseassemblies.It has been found that there is Unity in multimeeting Groups providing that theapplication of the principle of rotation ofsteering-committee officers is observed inorder to avoid personalities becomingestablished at the expense of the Groups’welfare: also, that regular Conscience andBusiness meetings are held.Disadvantages have been found when GroupConscience has permitted personalities tocompromise Unity or where geographicallocation has compromised close liaison.THEGROUPCONSCIENCE&BUSINESS MEETINGS are sometimesoverlooked but they play an important part inour Group progress. Some Groups schedulethese meetings several times a year.Depending on the wishes of the members,they may precede or follow the normalmeeting or separate sessions may bearranged.Business meetings provide an opportunity forGroup officers to report on such matter asprogress, future plans, Intergroup matters andthe financial position. The Group may alsotake this occasion as an opportunity toappoint its officers and to conduct a GroupConscience meeting – which usually takesthe form of a Group inventory.A HOME-GROUP is the group for meetingsin which members feel most at home. In suchGroups they accept service iversaries.THE PUBLIC MEETING places emphasison informing the general public about A.A.These are speaker-type meetings. Invitationsare issued to persons who may have a specificinterest, such as doctors, social workers,spiritual leaders and others who may havecause to refer to A.A. in the course of theirdaily work. In addition to the member-Chairand speakers, a guest is usually invited frequently a friend of A.A., whoseprofessional work involves them in the fieldof alcoholism - or perhaps an Al-Anonmember to outline the family aspect. Such ameeting is an excellent way to celebrateGroup anniversaries.THE SHARED PLATFORM MEETINGis an A.A. meeting where non A.A. speakersare involved and should be chaired by an A.A.member. Tickets and programmes shouldinclude a statement as to whether Al-Anon /Al-Ateen speakers are involved.THE ANONYMITY TRADITIONAt open, public and shared platformmeetings, it is considered advisable to stressthe importance of our Anonymity TraditionNo. 11 as a precaution, should any membersof the press or other communication media bepresent.AA members remain anonymous in public fortwo reasons: our promise of privacy to the stillsuffering alcoholic and to the family a spiritual reason summed up in Tradition12 or in the word “humility”.
PARTICIPATIONThe sole purpose of an A.A. Group is to offersobriety through the teachings and practice ofthe Twelve Steps. To help achieve thisobjective it is desirable that as many membersas possible who wish to participate in thediscussions and service should be encouragedto do so.The meeting most likely to attract and keepmembers is the one which starts on time,which has its stock of literature welldisplayed, where the seating is ready andwhere members of an unofficial “welcomingcommittee” are ready to help pass themessage, each in their own way. There willbe a warm welcome for all comers and inparticular for the newcomer, ensuring that thenewcomer is made aware of the possibilitiesand promises contained in the programme.Ultimately, the strength of any meetingdepends on the support and involvement ofthe entire Group.“WHERE TO FIND A.A”“Where to Find A.A” is the national meetingdirectory for Great Britain and, as such, is aninvaluable source of information for the newmember and the travelling member. In orderto ensure that it remains accurate, Groupsecretaries are requested to keep the GeneralService Office informed of any changes in theaddress of the meeting place, the starting timeof the meeting or the telephone contactnumbers for the meeting.Members whose names appear in the “Whereto Find” should be prepared to take fullresponsibility as contacts and delegate wherenecessary. This implies that such a telephonenumber will be freely available within theFellowship and that the contact is prepared atany time to:l accept a call for help give information to a professional e.g. aGSO number guide a family member to the right sourcefor help e.g. to Al-Anon speak to members of the Fellowshipenquiring about meetings.OURPRIMARYPURPOSEANDPROBLEMS OTHER THAN ALCOHOLTradition 5 (Long Form) quotes Bill W’swords “Each Alcoholics Anonymous groupought to be a spiritual entity having but oneprimary purpose - that of carrying its messageto the alcoholic who still suffers.”Where problems arise from the attendance ofnon-alcoholics at AA meetings, it is suggestedthat the above words are remembered and thefollowing extract from the AA pamphlet“Problems other than Alcohol” is read outand, if appropriate, printed copies aredistributed:“Now there are certain things that A.A.cannot do for anybody regardless of what ourseveral desires or sympathies may be. Ourfirst duty as a society is to ensure our ownsurvival.Therefore we have to avoiddistractions and multi-purpose activity. AnA.A. Group as such cannot take on all thepersonal problems of its members let alonethe problems of the whole world. Sobriety freedom from alcohol - through the teachingand practice of the Twelve Steps is the solepurpose of an A.A. Group. Groups haverepeatedly tried other activities and they havealways failed. It has also been learned thatthere is no possible way to make nonalcoholics into A.A. members.We have to confine our membership toalcoholics and we have to confine our A.A.Groups to a single purpose. If we don’t stickto these principles, we shall almost surelycollapse, and if we collapse, we cannot helpanyone.”Although these words were written by Bill W.in 1958 they continue to offer sound guidanceon this difficult subject.
GUIDELINES for AA in Great BritainFrom the General Service Office, P.O. Box 1, Stonebow House, Stonebow, York Y01 7NJGroup OfficersRevised November 2006No. 2This Guideline is based on the pamphlet The AA Group which shows for new officers, newmembers and other interested AAs many of the good and proved-by-experience waysother members have used in their Groups to fulfil our primary purpose of staying soberand helping other alcoholics to achieve sobriety”.All sorts of jobs have to be done to service anAA Group and to keep it going; this is why weneed officers. Tradition 9 states that “AA assuch, ought never be organised; but we maycreate service boards or committees directlyresponsible to those they serve.”The officers or trusted servants needed withinthe Group are usually chosen by the Groupmembers for limited terms of service. Thejobs they do may have titles but titles in AAdo not bring authority or honour; theydescribe services and responsibilities. Theseare ways of carrying the message. They areforms of Twelfth Step work an AA memberwillingly undertakes, primarily to helppersonal recovery. Many AA members havefound Group duties an excellent way tostrengthen their sobriety.The various jobs or services requiring to bedone to run a Group successfully can beallocated over the responsibilities of Groupofficers as set out and outlined below: two ormore services may be combined under asingle officer when the Group is a small one.For example, an Group may have thefollowing officers: 9ChairSecretarySpeaker SecretaryTreasurerLiterature SecretarySHARE / Roundabout RepresentativeRefreshment HelpersGroup Service RepresentativeEach Group, being autonomous, selects theofficers its members feel are necessary for thesmooth running of the Group. Group officersusually serve for a year, since the principle ofrotation of officers is important in order thateach member should be given an opportunityto serve should they be willing. Each nomineeis usually approached by other members inthe Group and, if he or she agrees, that nameis put forward at a business/service meeting,so letting the Group conscience decide theelection.QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUPOFFICERSMost Groups make sure that their officershave had a known period of continuoussobriety, at least one year, and have shownthemselves willing and available to givedependableservicethroughregularattendance at meetings. It has generally beenfound that giving a member a job solely tohelp that member stay sober does not work.The Group's welfare is of primary concern inchoosing officers and in this sense, a mentionof Traditions 1 and 2 is helpful at electiontimes as is also an appreciation thatfamiliarity with the 12 Steps, Traditions andConcepts for World Service helps officers todo a better job.CHAIRSome Groups have no Chair because theSecretary serves as the Group’s principalofficer. In practice, it doesn't seem to matterwhich Group officer does which job as longas they all get done without confusion orconflict. It is however very important for
everybody to understand who does what.While one year's continuous sobriety may besufficient to undertake some other duties, theGroup's principal officer, i.e. Chair orSecretary should have at least two years’continuous sobriety and have had other groupexperience. Co-ordinates Group activities, preventingconfusion or misunderstanding in Groupaffairs Opens all regular Group meetings thenturns them over to a speaker who is leaderfor that session onlynumbers of the Group officers, togetherwith up-to-date Group telephone contactsand of any changes in these or in theGroup's venue. In this way the correctinformation is always available forinclusion in Where to Find AA Provides safe keeping for such Grouprecords and correspondence that exist,thus preserving anonymity at all times. Inaddition, the Secretary, as well as otherGroup officers, has a special responsibilityfor seeing that newcomers get help, aremade welcome on arrival and receive astarter pack on departureSPEAKER SECRETARY Has final responsibility for the smoothfunctioning of the Group and alsoconducts Group Conscience and BusinessMeetings.SECRETARY Arrives some time before a meeting is dueto start in order to arrange the room,usually with the help of other membersand the refreshment helpers Encourages the meeting to start punctually Makes any AA announcements at the endof the meeting (e.g. news of conventions,new meetings, new literature) Practises Tradition 7 by passing the potand then asking the speaker or Chair toclose the meeting with the Serenity Prayer Keeps a confidential list of those memberswilling to do Twelfth Step work and passeson any calls for help Ensures, with the Treasurer's help, that therent is paid Helps the Treasurer to count and keep arecord of the Group's collections Informs the Intergroup Secretary and GSOof the names, addresses and telephone Finds suitable speakers for each meetingwho have a known period of sobriety,books them well in advance and informsthem of the time, date and address of themeeting Explains to the speaker the usual format ofthe Group, e.g. length of the share ordiscussion and what time the meeting ends Tries to visit other Groups in order to bookahead a variety of speakers who are able topresent a good cross-section of AArecoveryTREASURER Collects the money obtained from passingthe pot at Group meetings, counts this witha responsible member’s help and entersthe amount into a cash book or balancesheet in the Group accounts book Makes regular reports to the Groupshowing how money has been used. Afterpaying the approved expenses, eg rent,refreshments and literature and retaining aprudent reserve of one month’s runningexpenses, any surplus should be sent to theIntergroup Treasurer – preferably bycheque and without delay. Blank signedcheques should never be issued. This is arecommended precautionary measure
taken on behalf of both the group and theTreasurer and applies to cheque paymentsat all levels. In effect, covers the cost of all legitimateGroup expenses from Group funds, butdoes not use funds to reimburse members'expenses in relation to direct Twelfth StepworkThe Treasurer should keep the Group's fundsin a separate Group bank account, whichrequires two signatures on each cheque. AAexperience clearly shows that it is not a goodidea for a Group to accumulate large funds inexcess of what is needed for monthly rent andbills. It is strongly recommended that, apartfrom a prudent reserve, all surplus money besent promptly to GSO via the local IntergroupTreasurer.The treasurer’s responsibilities are fullyexplained in Guideline No. 12.LITERATURE SECRETARY Ensures that the Group has available itsown copy of the Big Book (AlcoholicsAnonymous). Orders and keeps the Groupsupplied with books and pamphletspublished by AA and available from GSO Puts together selected packs of literaturefor newcomers and makes sure stocks arereplenished Ensures that literature is on display andavailable to members at Group meetings,encouraging members to buy from thecollection Makes available the current edition ofThe AA Service Handbook for GreatBritain, especially at business meetings Passes any accounts for payment ofliterature to the Treasurer Helps the Secretary to circulate AAService News, convention flyers, noticesfrom GSO, etc.SHARE/ROUNDABOUTREPRESENTATIVE ngsufficient copies for the Group members.Displays and sells copies as they arriveand encourages members to submitarticles for inclusion in future issuesREFRESHMENT HELPERS Many AA members have reported they getalmost as much good out of coffee andconversation before or after a meeting asthey do out of the meeting itself. AAmembers consider sharing over coffee atthese times a vital part of AA routine Often AA members say they first felt theybelonged when they began helping withthe chairs, tidying the room, making thecoffee and tea or doing washing up. Somenewcomers find such activity helps themto talk to other members. For many of usthis experience is our first contribution toAA service Any expenses for refreshments may bereclaimed from the Group Treasurer After each meeting the room should be leftclean, tidy and in proper orderGROUP SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE(GSR)The GSR’s responsibilities are fully explainedin Guideline 3.Bill W said “The strength of our wholestructure starts with the Group and with theGeneral Service Representative that theGroup elects. By choosing its most qualifiedman or woman as GSR a Group helps its ownfuture and the future of AA as a whole.”To be chosen to represent a Group is to begiven the opportunity to take part in AAsThird Legacy, that of service, and to have thechance to become a trusted servant. The GSR
should have at least two years’ continuoussobriety and should serve for a minimum oftwo years.THE TRADITIONSWhile the above sets out how an ideal Groupmay operate, the conscience of each Groupdecides for itself how much it will do and thebest way of getting it done. There are manyways of living up to Tradition 5, which says“Each group has but one primary purpose - tocarry its message to the alcoholic who stillsuffers.”Tradition 2 reminds us that “For our grouppurpose there is but one ultimate authority - aloving God as He may express Himself in ourgroup conscience. Our leaders are but trustedservants; they do not govern.”
GUIDELINES for A.A. in Great BritainFrom the General Service Office, P.O. Box 1, 10 Toft Green, York Y01 7NJSERVICE REPRESENTATIVESRevised January 2000No. 3A quote from our co-founder Bill W on General Service in AA:“An A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us reach a fellow sufferer - ranging all the wayfrom the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.’s GeneralService Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is ourThird Legacy of Service.” (Pass It On, page 347)This guideline outlines the work of: The Group Service RepresentativeRegional RepresentativeConference DelegateIt is suggested these Trusted Servants have a good working knowledge of the followingpublications: The Big Book, Alcoholics AnonymousThe Twelve Steps and Twelve TraditionsThe AA Service Manual combined with The Twelve Concepts Of World ServiceAlcoholics Anonymous Comes Of AgeThe AA Service Handbook For Great BritainGROUP SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE(GSR)Bill W said, “the strength of our wholestructure starts with the Group and with theGeneral Service Representative (G.S.R.) thatthe Group elects”.Working via the Intergroup the GSR is theGroups link with the General ServiceConference, through which groups shareexperiences and voice AA’s collectiveconscience.More from Bill W .“The G.S.R.- as the general servicerepresentative is known - has the job oflinking his or her group with A.A. as a whole.The G.S.R. represents the voice of the groupconscience, reporting the groups’ wishes tothe committee member and to the delegate,who passes them on to the Conference and tothe movement.For this, G.S.R.’s need the confidence of thegroup. They also need a good ear forlistening.We all realize whatever“authority” there is in A.A. resides in thegroup conscience. Because of this, a G.S.R.can determine exactly what a group needs,what a group thinks about a situation, and canpass this information along to where it will bemost useful in policy-making.This is a two-way street, allowing the G.S.R.to bring back to the group the problems andremedies that affect A.A. unity, health, andgrowth. To the extent that a G.S.R. keeps thegroup informed, then expresses the groupconscience, only to that extent can theConference feel it is acting for A.A. as awhole”. (From “The A.A. Service Manual”)ResponsibilitiesThe suggested responsibilities are: Share with their group all Fellowshipmail, communication and news items.
Keep members informed about localservice activities. They may be contacts for referral to carrythe AA message. GSRs can also help their Group solveproblems by drawing upon the facilities ofthe General Service Office in York wherethe staff is ready to relay helpful AAexperience from all over the World. They can help see that up-to-date groupinformation for the AA directory is sentpromptly to GSO. The GSR is the vital link in the chain oftwo way communication between theGroup and Intergroup. Each representshis or her Group at Intergroup serviceassemblies, sharing experiences withneighbouring GSRs in workshops andsharing sessions. Prior to attending Intergroup Meetings,fully discuss agenda items with the Group.Represent and express the Group’sconscience at all Intergroup Meetings.The GSR should faithfully express theGroup’s opinions whatever his or herfeelings maybe: thus putting principlesbefore personalities. Following Intergroup report back to theGroup. The GSR has a responsibility to attend allsuch meetings and, if this is impossible, tobrief thoroughly an alternate, chosen bythe Group to stand in. Encourage observers to attend Intergroupin order to foster their interest in theFellowship and sponsor other membersinto Service. Only GSR’s and members of theIntergroup Committee are entitled to voteat Intergroup meetings. It is the GSR’s responsibility to know theGroup so well that should unexpectedmatters come before the Intergroupmeeting he or she will have a fair idea ofGroup’s conscience.QualificationsGroups should take due care in electing theirGSR, giving particular regard to thefollowing: It is suggested that the GSR should have atleast two or three years’ continuoussobriety and preferably not hold any otherGroup office. (It should be rememberedthat the GSR may be eligible forcandidature as a Regional representativeor as a Conference delegate). The GSR should have a workingknowledge ofthe AA publicationsreferred to in the introduction The GSR should have a good knowledgeof the structure of AA. The GSR should be a regular weeklyattender at his or her own Group andtherefore be able, should necessity arise,to stand in for any other officer of theGroup who is unable to be present. The GSR should be prepared to serve for aminimum of two years.REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVERegional Representatives and alternatesshould be elected by their Intergroup ascarefully as Group Service Representatives.They should be chosen as a general rule fromamongst serving GSRs but any member whohas the necessary qualifications, even if not atthe time serving as a GSR, may be elected.Such a representative will attend allIntergroup meetings to report from theRegion and to hear from the Intergroup theirwishes to be expressed at the next RegionalMeeting.Qualifications It is suggested that at least three years’continuous sobriety are necessary since it
is hardly possible for a person to gainenough Intergroup and Group service inless time than that to be of real use to theRegion. They should have a good workingknowledge of the AA publicationsreferred to above.term, he or she may not at any future time beelected for a further term as a delegate orappointed as an alternate delegate for theelecting Region or for any other Region. Heor she may however attend Conference as amember of the General Service Board, if soelected.How Delegates should prepare themselves. They should have good knowledge of thestructure of AA.The Regional Representative would, inthe interest of continuity, serve for threeyears, after which he or she must retireand cannot be re-elected for at least oneyear.Each delegate shall conscientiously preparefor the responsibility by: Becoming thoroughly familiar with thepublications referred to in the introduction Studying the agenda for the Conference inthe light of his or her understanding of AAprinciples, and making sure that he or shethoroughly understands what the agendais about. Discussing the agenda in the Group,Intergroup, Region and among individualAA friends so that he or she comes to theConference prepared to represent theviews of the Fellowship as a whole as wellas his or her own personal views on thematters that will be discussed. Getting to know how the Conferenceworks and who the other members are, forexample by discussing these matters withanother delegate who is familiar withConference arrangements. Going to the Conference with a firmconviction that he or she will be there forthe purpose of more effectively carryingthe message to the still-sufferingalcoholic and helping the sober alcoholicretain sobriety.It is suggested that three Representativesper Intergroup be elected to the Regionsince this would give proper continuity.CONFERENCE DELEGATEQualificationsDelegates to the Conference should have areasonable period of sobriety and at least fiveyears as active members
meeting is an excellent way to celebrate Group anniversaries. THE SHARED PLATFORM MEETING is an A.A. meeting where non A.A. speakers are involved and should be chaired by an A.A. member. Tickets and programmes should include a statement as to whether Al-Anon / Al-Ateen speakers are involved. THE ANONYMITY TRADITION At open, public and shared .
