Conference Questions (2013) forum discussion (contd)

Committee No. 2 

Question 1: 

Share experience on getting articles on AA in the local press and make suggestions on how the Fellowship can get articles into the national press.

Background

1. Members are having some success on getting articles on AA in their local newspapers
2. The Fellowship has not succeeded so far in getting articles on AA in the national press.

[See also: The Traditions, Preamble and Concepts]

Extracts:

“ I think the Fellowship has been successful in getting articles in the national press, only these are the wrong type. I suggest the fellowship is encouraged to read the following national press articles online; then change its behaviour accordingly.

2013: Washington Post: “Alcoholics Anonymous Wrestles with its Spiritual Roots” 20th March 2013

2011: The Fix: “Toronto’s A.A. Intergroup Bounces Atheists after Spirited Battle” 06/06/11

2011: The Fix: “Is There A Place For Atheists in Alcoholics Anonymous? 14/06/11

2009: The Independent: "Tom Shone Takes on the All Powerful Cult of Alcoholics Anonymous" The Independent July 12th, 2009

2009: Washington post: “Court rules AA not religious” March 20th 2009

2007: Washington Post: “AA Group Leads Members Away from Traditions” July 22nd, 2007

2007: Newsweek: “A Struggle inside AA” May 6th, 2007

2007: San Fransisco Chronical “Appeals Court Says Requirement to Attend AA Unconstitutional” 7th September 2007

2001: The Guardian: “Killer Cleared after confession at AA meeting is ruled religious” August 3rd 2001

2000: The Guardian: “Drink Advice Service Confronts Sex abuse” July 5th 2000

1998: The Independent: “Cult or cure: the AA backlash” 10th May 1998

The fellowship might become successful in getting more positive articles in the national press in future, as opposed to the mixed or negative reviews, if some AA groups start using the original AA program and original AA history published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc. and AA Grapevine Inc., instead of the perverted programs and history published outside of AA. These appear to imply today’s AA program is watered down and theirs to be the “ original” 12 step program when in fact, the opposite is true. I think the outside AA published programs and history have been watered down with “tough love” treatment center programs or are biased with the author's personal religious preferences. These watered down programs include those published by the likes of Dick B (International Christian Recovery Coalition Inc; Freedom Ranch Maui Inc.) Joe McQ (Serenity Park Treatment Center, Recovery Dynamics) Wally P. (aabacktobasics, Faith with Works Publishing Inc.) Father Martin® (Father Martins Ashley Treatment Center, Ashley Inc.) Wayne B (The Last Mile Foundation Inc.) and Hazeldon publications. The programs of these self-appointed AA teachers and historians, their outside AA publications, and the material their organisations put on the internet are not AA. I think Conference has to make this clear to the fellowship and also to the general public.

I think the national Public Information Committee might have some success in getting more positive articles about AA in the national press if it did a press release in line with Concept 12 Warranty Five: “Whenever and however we can, we shall need to inform the general public also; especially upon misuses of the name Alcoholics Anonymous.” “We simply request that the public use of the A.A. name be avoided by those other agencies who wish to avail themselves of A.A. techniques or ideas.” (Concept 12, Warranty Five) I don’t think the national Public Information Committee has too much to worry about press releases informing the general public of misuses of the AA name being publicly controversial, because sadly the time for the fellowship to avoid public controversy passed some years ago. Nor do I think the committee has to too much to worry about such action being controversial within the fellowship either.

“For fear of controversy, our leadership should not go timid when lively debate and forthright action is a necessity. And for fear of accumulating prestige and power, we should never fail to endow our trusted leaders with proper authority to act for us. Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate between changes for worse and changes for better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent in an individual, a group, or in AA as a whole, it has long since been found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way. The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever the responsibility.” - Bill W. (Responsibility Is Our Theme, AA Grapevine, July 1965,The Language of the Heart p 334) ”

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

 See also AA Minority Report 2013

Conference Questions (2013) forum discussion (contd)

Committee No. 2

Question 1:

Share experience on getting articles on AA in the local press and make suggestions on how the Fellowship can get articles into the national press.

Background

1. Members are having some success on getting articles on AA in their local newspapers
2. The Fellowship has not succeeded so far in getting articles on AA in the national press.

[See also: The Traditions, Preamble and Concepts]

Extracts:

“ I think it is important that individual AA members and groups recognise that AA public relations have always been sensitive and need careful consideration. There needs to an authority in AA public relations. One of the reasons the Washingtonian movement collapsed was because there was no effective public relations policy or authority.

“…If there is no authority how can they have any public relations policy at all? That's the very defect which ruined the Washingtonian alcoholics a hundred years ago. They mushroomed to 100,000 members, then collapsed. No effective policy or authority. Quarreled among themselves, so finally got a black eye with the public. Aren't these A.A.s just the same kind of drunks, the same kind of anarchists? How can they expect to succeed where the Washingtonians failed?" Good questions, these. Have we the answers?....” ( Extract, ‘Rules’ Dangerous but Unity Vital by Bill W. The Language of the Heart p 7-8. AA Grapevine September 1945)

"The Washingtonians were confident. . . they scorned old methods." (Too cocksure, maybe. Couldn't learn from others and became competitive, instead of cooperative, with other organizations in their field.)” (Bill W. Extract,“Modesty One Plank For Good Public Relations” The Language of the Heart p 5. AA Grapevine August 1945)

Before undertaking local Public information work I think individuals and groups ought to read the A.A. Service Handbook for Great Britain, section 17 Public Information, and PI guidelines and work within AA traditions and Concepts. Any article written for a local paper ought to be in the style of providing information, rather than promotion. Concept XI, Public Information Committee section, though directed at board level, also gives good advice for anyone involved in PI locally. The section in the concept ends with “It is a critical assignment; a single large public blunder could cost many lives and much suffering because it would turn new prospects away. Conversely, every real public relations success brings alcoholics in our direction.”

Individuals and groups need to recognise that local AA public relations work such as writing an article for a local newspaper is a matter which could concern the welfare of surrounding groups and AA as a whole, and it needs to be carried out with respect to the principle of Tradition Four/ Tradition Four (long form).

“…But when its plans concern the welfare of neighbouring groups also, these groups ought to be consulted.’ Obviously, if any individual, group, intergroup, or regional committee could take an action that might seriously affect the welfare of Alcoholics Anonymous as a whole or seriously disturb surrounding groups, that would not be liberty at all. It would be sheer license; it would be anarchy, not democracy. Therefore, we AAs have universally adopted the principle of consultation. This means that if a single AA group wishes to take any action that might affect surrounding groups, it consults them. Or, it confers with the intergroup committee for the area, if there be one. Likewise, if a group or regional committee wishes to take any action that might affect AA as a whole, it consults the trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation, who are, in effect, our overall general service committee. For instance, no group or intergroup could feel free to initiate, without consultation, any publicity that might affect AA as a whole. Nor could it assume to represent the whole of Alcoholics Anonymous by printing and distributing anything purporting to be AA standard literature.” (“Tradition Four” Bill W. A.A. Grapevine March 1948, Language of the Heart p 81).

The Intergroup public Information liaison officer provides the authority for local AA public relations which is delegated to the service position within Tradition Two and The Twelve Concepts for World Service. Individuals and AA group leaders need to recognise that the Intergroup PI liaison Officer ought to be consulted before public information work is carried out by individuals and groups. Tradition Four states “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.” This Tradition cannot be broken in two to make “Each group should be autonomous.” With Regard to local AA public relations activity, such as the content of a proposed article for a local newspaper, or other PI work, the intergroup public liaison officer has a qualified ultimate authority over an individual AA group for final decision. This authority is granted to the service position in the Twelve Concepts for World Service; it needs to be respected by individuals, groups and their GSRs. ”

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

See also AA Minority Report 2013

Conference Questions (2013) forum discussion (contd)

Committee No. 2

Question 1:

Share experience on getting articles on AA in the local press and make suggestions on how the Fellowship can get articles into the national press.

Background

1. Members are having some success on getting articles on AA in their local newspapers
2. The Fellowship has not succeeded so far in getting articles on AA in the national press.

[See also: The Traditions, Preamble and Concepts]

Extracts:

“A couple of years ago I had one of the most rewarding days for me in recovery; a few hours spent manning an AA stall in a shopping centre as part of Alcohol Awareness Week, answering inquiries from the general public. A banner displaying the AA logo and Alcoholics Anonymous name had been kindly sent down from GSO for the event via the intergroup Public Information Liaison Officer. I was serving as a local Public Information co-ordinator for my town at the time and helped the intergroup PI officer organise the event and volunteers to man the stalls in two towns. On one of the days we were short of volunteers, so I took a day’s annual leave from work to cover. I wrote a small article the following day for the local paper. The article gave brief details that AA taken part in Alcohol Awareness Week, by having the stall in the shopping centre; brief details of AA, the national AA helpline number and GSO website. The article was checked and OK’d by the intergroup PI officer and sent to the paper. It was rewarding to see the article published in the local paper the following week.

I think more could be done using local press and suggest it could be considered by Public Information committees to send articles of newsworthy items to the local paper now and then, for example, when a new meeting opens, or the occasional intergroup news, for example:

“The 152nd assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous [county name] met on [date of intergroup assembly][description of topics worthy of press release] brief details of AA, brief history of AA locally, for example: The first AA meeting to be held in [name of county] started in [date and town of first meeting] there are now [number of meetings in county] in [names of towns, villages]” The article ending with the national helpline number and something like “For more online information about AA and list of local AA meetings visit www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk”

Unfortunately local coordinated PI efforts collapsed after a group affiliated to the Primary Purpose Group of AA (Dallas) cult and Dick B cult started up and did its own competitive brand of PI without consultation with the local PI/ Intergroup PI team, and without consideration for PI guidelines and traditions. I found myself answering complaints from outside agencies about the group's behaviour. ”

Comment: If you want a job doing badly ….... get the cult involved!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

See also AA Minority Report 2013

Conference 2012 Discussion - Sign up! Have your say!

Conference 2012 Discussion

Committee No. 1

Question 1:

“Would the Fellowship share experience and make recommendations on how to make AA more visible to the general public, particularly by increasing awareness and understanding of how the AA programme works?

Background

1. According to the 2010 membership survey of AA in Great Britain, 31% of members heard of AA from an existing member. According to the AA Census published by the GSO in Great Britain, in 1997 4.1% of AA members reported that their point of entry into AA was media. By 2002, that number had dropped: only 1.6% of AA members listed media as their point of entry into AA. In 2005, 5% of members indicated that they came to AA because of radio, internet, newspaper adverts, or tv. In 2010, 4% of members first heard of AA through radio or newspaper (tv was not listed as a category). A further 6% listed the internet; however the internet may not be available to as many people as newspaper, radio or tv.

In figures taken from the GSO website for Great Britain (www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk), there are 34,000 AA members (from the 2005 AA Survey). (The 2005 survey was used because he 2010 survey online did not indicate numbers of members.) This means that 0.056, or nearly six-hundredths of a percent, of the population of Great Britain is a member of AA. According to the AA Fact File on the GSO website, there are "approximately 4,400" AA groups in Great Britain. Based on a population of 60,000,000 (source: ), that means there is one AA group for every 13,636 people.

Given the relatively low percentage of AA members in Great Britain (0.056 percent), the chances of a person with a drinking problem are also relatively low. (A person only has a six-in-ten-thousand chance of personally knowing an AA member), national-level press could be one vital means of ensuring that the public at large is aware of the existence of AA and that it offers a program of recovery from alcoholism that has worked for many.

Mindful of all the good work carried out by PI at all levels of the Fellowship, all too often the media tend to focus on the problem rather than the solutions. It is the hope of this question that Conference might consider whether there might be more that can be done at the national level of AA in Great Britain to reach out to national-level press in order to increase the awareness of AA among the public as a whole.

Establishing a committee to study this question, perhaps including outreach to GSOs in other regions of the world to learn about what methods they are using for press outreach and whether those have been beneficial, might be a prudent approach to examining whether additional public information efforts by GSO in Great Britain could be an effective means of ensuring that there is greater public awareness of the existence of AA in the UK.

2. Section 17, AA Service Handbook for Great Britain, ‘Public Information’.

3. “We believe that there are opportunities for all members to participate in PI activity,

and that carrying the message is every member's responsibility". (Conference 2011, Committee 4, Question 1).

Consider the contribution to the carrying of the message, financial and practical implications when deliberating each question."

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)