WMAA34 DIRECTORIES COMMITTEE

Is Your Group Linked to A.A. As a Whole?

Service Material from the General Service Office

Most groups in the United States and Canada choose to be linked to A.A. as a
whole by listing the group with the General Service Office (G.S.O.), as well as
with the Area Assembly, district and local central/intergroup office.⁽¹⁾

Groups listed with G.S.O. have either General Service Representatives
(G.S.R.s), or “group contacts,” who act as channels for two-way information and
shared experience. Once a group is listed with G.S.O., the group information is
shared with the Area Assembly via the delegate. Group information may be first
received by the Area, which then shares the information with G.S.O.

What’s the point? Each group linked to the local general service
structure is automatically a part of the “group conscience” of A.A. in Canada
and the U.S. through their G.S.R.’s participation in district meetings and Area
Assembly. Each G.S.R. communicates his or her group’s “conscience” on important
matters of policy considered by the district and Area Assembly. During the
Annual General Service Conference, the Area’s groups are represented by their
elected delegate. Groups in our listings are included in the confidential
domestic directories⁽²⁾ published annually, which provide contact
information for traveling A.A. members.

New groups listed with the General Service Office are assigned an identifying
service number (ID),⁽³⁾ receive a “Group Handbook” (through their
G.S.R. or group contact), and are included in mailings sent to all listed A.A.
groups. For instance, groups receive our bimonthly newsletter Box 4-5-9
that keeps them informed on policies being considered by the Conference, changes
to A.A. literature, and when and where their Regional Forum will be held (Forums
are weekend gatherings where current experience is shared). Additionally,
G.S.R.s or group contacts for listed groups receive registration details for
each International Convention, held every five (5) years.

How? To participate in services provided by G.S.O. to A.A. groups, it
is vital to furnish simple information to G.S.O. through the

Alcoholics Anonymous New Group Form. To notify G.S.O. when group
information changes, i.e. the group contact or G.S.R. moves or resigns, and a
new G.S.R. or contact is elected; or, when there is a change in the group’s
location or meeting day(s) and time, please use the

Alcoholics Anonymous Group Information Change Form. Group changes
should also be given to the Area registrar/secretary, and to the District
Committee Member (D.C.M.).

A New Group: When a new group forms, the members usually take time to
decide on the name of the new group,⁽⁴⁾ elect trusted servants, plan
the time and format of meeting(s), and obtain A.A. literature from the nearby
central/intergroup office.

A new group may first ask to be listed with the local district and Area, or
through direct contact with G.S.O. Either way works well. When G.S.O. receives
an

Alcoholics Anonymous New Group Form, a copy is forwarded to the
delegate of the Area where the group is located, so that the delegate may
communicate the good news to the D.C.M. and Area registrar/secretary. Thirty
(30) days after group information is sent to the delegate, the group is assigned
an ID number for G.S.O.’s records, and a “Group Handbook” is mailed to the G.S.R.
or group contact.

Your District: Regardless of how new group information is received,
the D.C.M. will make contact and welcome the group to “general service.”

Whether a group is “new” or has existed for years, the D.C.M. is the primary
contact through the G.S.R. or group contact. Group representatives attend
district meetings where they are kept up-to-date on A.A. activities and topics
of interest. G.S.R.s attending district meetings are an excellent resource for
addressing group problems and concerns. In matters affecting A.A. as a whole, a
group’s “conscience” is communicated to the Area Assembly by their G.S.R.

If you do not know how to contact your group’s D.C.M., Area
registrar/secretary, and delegate, staff members in the General Service Office
can often provide that information.

Mailing
address:
General Service Office
P.O. Box 459
Grand Central Station
New York, New York 10163
Telephone: (212) 870-3400
Website: www.aa.org

Location:
475 Riverside Drive
11th floor
New York, N.Y. 10115

G.S.O. staff members are always happy to hear from A.A. members and groups.
G.S.O. has two primary purposes: 1) to serve as a resource to better enable
groups to carry the A.A. message of experience, strength and hope to the
still-suffering alcoholic; and, 2) to provide services to A.A. as a whole which
individual groups cannot usually manage, such as the publication of A.A.
literature. The A.A. group is the fundamental unit supporting A.A. recovery.

______________________

⁽¹⁾ To participate fully, a group lists itself 1) with the general
service structure (G.S.O., Area and District); and, 2) with the local
intergroup/central office.

⁽²⁾ Domestic directories are: Eastern U.S., Western U.S. and
Canadian. Each group is identified by city or town, Area and district, group
name, meeting day(s), and G.S.R.’s or contact’s name and phone number. Alternate
G.S.R.s or contacts are also listed. Directories are widely used by traveling
members, so only groups that provide a G.S.R. or contact’s telephone number are
listed.

⁽³⁾ Once an ID number is assigned and becomes part of a group’s
record, the number remains with the group and is not usable by any other group.

⁽⁴⁾ Guidelines for naming an A.A. group are based on “group
conscience” as expressed through the Annual General Service Conference. “The
A.A. Group” pamphlet, the basic guide for all groups in Canada and the U.S.,
suggests that a group avoid choosing a name that might suggest affiliation,”
“double trouble”, “alcohol and with any organization, club, political or
religious institution. New groups are also advised to avoid names that refer to
“family,” “double trouble,” “alcohol and pills” or the name of any actual
person, living or dead.” (“The A.A. Group” pamphlet is available at central or
intergroup offices or through G.S.O.)

Rev.8/2/02

http://www.aa.org/default/en_services_aa_sub.cfm?subpageid=89&pageid=34

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