Maintaining – or getting – sober during a global pandemic is not something any of us have experience with. This time has been referred to by many as akin to wartime. Right now, we are making history in how we are navigating our sobriety and the challenges associated with the shelter-in-place order, including feelings of isolation and powerlessness. But this is not the first crisis AA’s have been through.
On Saturday, April 11 from 2 – 4PM, our Intergroup Archives Committee, in collaboration with Jackie B., is presenting A.A. in War & Crisis: A Historical Perspective. Special guests are Roger W. and Greg M. Join us to hear their experience with AA and sobriety during WWII, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. AA made it through then and we can do so now; join us to learn how. Meeting details can be found here.
And on Monday, HelpChat, our online chat service will host an orientation for new volunteers. HelpChat is the blue bubble on the lower right of your screen that reads “New to A.A. and want help?” HelpChat volunteers serve in support of Intergroup | Central Office in carrying out our primary purpose of helping the sick and suffering alcoholic and coordinating services which individual groups in San Francisco and Marin cannot provide on their own. All information, included requirements and registration information, can be found here.
As many of you who have been going to meetings hosted on Zoom know, navigating the security changes has been quite a challenge. We tried to get out ahead of this as best we could, but are still receiving requests for passwords. We may have missed some updates in the frenzy, but according to our data, these 168 meetings have not been in touch with [email protected] since the changes went into effect. We have outlined three options for staying listed. Details about this change can be found in the last update here.
We are requesting that each meeting send its meeting information, via a Zoom Meeting Invite, to [email protected]. This will give us the complete information necessary to update your meeting page to keep the schedule accurate. Please put the meeting name, day, and time in the subject field.
Note: Each group will need to decide on its own course of action with regard to the changes Zoom made to it’s service and the meeting host will need to implement it.
Detailed information about the options can be found here. In short, however, they are to 1) Keep the meeting wide open, 2) Maintain a password, but do not include it directly in the link and 3) Email the Group for the Password. We have made the decision not to list meetings that don’t allow for any of the above options as they are not accessible to anyone outside “the know” and therefore not helpful on aasfmarin.org or to newcomers.
If members of your group need help in figuring out how to remove meeting disruptors, please contact the volunteers at [email protected] for support. Many of the groups that have assigned co-hosts are up and running and they are happy to help. Zoom security protocols seem to change every day; we will do our best to help you stay up to date and accessible.
Stay tuned and please, for the love of an accurate schedule, share this information with your social media communities (but not meeting passwords!) and encourage our members to subscribe to The Buzz. All of our prior updates can be found here.
All decisions will be re-evaluated as the situation changes; we are doing our best and appreciate your support and understanding.
Your AA Central Office
