A.A. History—month & day unknown

1987: In its August/September 1987 issue [right], Box 4‑5‑9 published a front‑page story titled “A.A. Comes of [COMPUTER] Age.” The writer had recently been struggling to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) meetings:

I recalled some materials I had read about A.A. meetings on computer bulletin boards. I have owned a computer and modem, at home, for the past several years, but they have been used only for business purposes—certainly not for an A.A. meeting.… and soon I was in the midst of shared A.A. messages from all over the country…; there was straight-forward, traditional, hope-filled, right-out-of-the-Big-Book sharing; there was “dumping”; there was “a-day-at-the-office” sharing—it was all there, just like it would be at my home group. Resentments were revealed, slips acknowledged, and growth in sobriety clearly demonstrated. Principles necessarily prevailed over personalities, because the whole process was so totally anonymous, and I found myself in familiar “surroundings.” I was sometimes moved and sometimes amused, as I thought I recognized sharing just like that of “Joe” or “Susan” from my home group. Thus, while there is still no substitute for a real meeting, I felt that I had been involved in a bona fide A.A. experience likened (for me), perhaps, to reading the Grapevine, only with a much greater sense of on-line, present involvement.

1988: Box 4-5-9 announced the availability of a “List of ‘On-Line’ Computer Meetings Available from G.S.O.” in an article of the same name [left] in the April/May issue. The staff of the General Service Office (G.S.O,) appeared uncertain about the status of these meetings:

As more and more computer-equipped A.A.s are holding “on-line” meetings, a number of their groups have asked to be listed with the General Service Office. Because these meetings necessarily are “open” only to members with computers, it is not yet clear whether any or all such meetings, in the strictest sense fulfill the definition of a group as described by the group conscience of A.A. in the U.S. and Canada. In the meantime, G.S.O. has compiled a separate listing of on-line groups, very much as it has been doing with A.A. ham radio operators and Cbs who meet on a regular basis.

A “charter member” of the new listing is Q-Link BBS—short for Quantumlink Electronic Bulletin Board Service—an on-line group that can be accessed nationally. Says Ron H., of Woodside, N.Y., who acts as SYSOP (system operator): “Our meetings are no substitute for live meetings where A.A.s can see and hear and touch each other, but they are a great help to all of us who need to reach out between meetings and especially to the hearing-impaired and shut-ins—handicapped people, A.A. Loners and the aged who have difficulty getting to a live meeting. We have one woman member, for example, who was so phobic about mingling in groups of people that she rarely attended meetings. For some time, she has been on-line getting suggestions and help, and just recently she ventured out to a regular meeting again.

1989: The Dallas Intergroup incorporated and became the Dallas Intergroup Association, a non-profit organization.

1990: The Kansas Area Public Information Committee established “A.A. Message of the Day,” a telephone service featuring daily readings from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. A report in 1990’s Holiday issue of Box 4-5-9 [right] begins:

The Kansas Area Public Information Committee has found a way to carry the A.A. message directly into the homes of more than 100 people a day. All one need do is pick up the phone and dial a number. In response to the ring on this particular day, a friendly voice says, “Greetings from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Today’s reading is from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 88.” After reading the selection, the speaker concludes, “For more information or for the location of a group near you, call A.A.’s 24-hour ‘Hot Line’ number: (913) 384-2770. Pass it on.” “The response to our ‘AA Message of the Day’ has been tremendous,” says Roger H., P.I. chairperson of the Kansas Area Assembly. “The program is under a year old and we’re monitoring it closely, but so far all systems are ‘go.’”

Adds Roy H., P.I. chairperson of District 10, which embraces Kansas City, Kansas: “Many A.A.s say they find comfort in starting their day with the message. One newcomer told me, ‘it puts me on track for the next 24 hours.’ And a seeing-impaired member said that being able to hear the voice of A.A. any time of day or night makes him feel closer to the Fellowship.”

The P.I. committee records its “Message of the Day” through a local answering service. “The cost is unbelievably low,” Roger reports. “We pay about $26 a month for the service and there is no extra charge to the caller. Our speakers are all A.A. volunteers; we try to alternate voices of men and women for purposes of identification.” A side benefit of the project, he notes, is that “A.A.s who never thought about doing service work are becoming involved. Their enthusiasm is something to see.”