Area 11 Connecticut General Service Committee
What Can Groups and Members Do?
Groups and members can discuss the topic of safety, to raise awareness in the Fellowship and seek through sponsorship, workshops and meetings, to create as safe an environment as possible for the newcomer, and other members or potential members. This can be the subject of sharing among groups at the district or area level.
Helpful suggestions and reminders
- Talk about issues of safety before they arise.
- Safety is something each member attending an A.A. meeting can be mindful of.
- Communicate clearly what A.A. is and what it is not.
- Sponsorship plays an important role and sponsors can be helpful in pointing out warning signs or unhealthy situations to sponsees and newcomers.
- A.A. members who are concerned about the words or actions of a sponsor or other member, may find it helpful to speak to someone they trust, their A.A. group, or a professional, as needed.
- Include Safety and the A.A. Meeting Environment as topics for a group inventory.
- Consider developing group guidelines and procedures on safety. Recommend no one walk to a car alone, but instead be accompanied by a trusted fellow or travel in a group.
- In all discussions about safety, keep the focus on our primary purpose, our common welfare, and place principles before personalities.
Helpful Resources for A.A. Members and Groups
- Box 459, October 2010 edition, articles on “Disruptive Members at A.A. Meetings” and “A.A. and the Law” (available on the newsletters page at www.aa.org).
- Report on “The 62nd General Service Workshop: Safety in A.A. Our Common Welfare.” *
- Final Report of the “Ad Hoc Committee on Group Safety of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, U.S. and Canada.”*
- A.A. pamphlet, “Questions & Answers on Sponsorship.”
- A.A. pamphlet, “The A.A. Group… Where it All Begins.”
- Contact your District Committee Member or Area Delegate for local shared experience.
*Available upon request by contacting G.S.O.
