AA Groups

What Is An AA Group?

An AA Group consists of two or more alcoholics who gather together for meetings on a regular basis. These meetings are the start of recovery for the alcoholic who wants to stop drinking. Final responsibility and ultimate authority for World Services resides with the Groups rather than with the Trustees of the General Service Board or the National Office.

The primary purpose of the AA Group is to carry the AA message those alcoholics who haven't heard it yet. Much of this task is beyond the capacity of the individual Group, so all the Groups co-operate with one another to set up various means for reaching the suffering alcoholic n the community, eg:
a) District & Area committees to help new Groups get started, to carry the message into prisons & institutions;
b) Central offices to handle requests for help and to share local news
c) A National Office to provide supplies of uniform literature, to share AA experience among widespread Groups, to maintain contacts with the rest of the AA world.
These and other service activities are all governed by our singleness of purpose and are all the responsibility of the AA Groups.

How is an AA Group Organised?

There needs to be an open, readily-accessible channel of communication between the Groups and AA service structure in order to avoid problems of isolation. For this to happen, some organisation is necessary. The Group selects or elects officers. These are the "trusted servants" of the Group. They do the routine business of the Group and are responsible to the Group Conscience (the regular business meeting of the group). In which:
• AA members have one vote each, exercised through their Home Group.
• The Group should become informed about any matter to be discussed.
• A majority decision may still leave a most unhappy minority.
• A minority particularly a silent minority should be encouraged to voice their opinions.
• A decision need not be hurriedly made; it can be adjourned in order to achieve unanimity.
• Compromises granted by a majority may result in a decision which sits comfortably with all, or nearly all.
• A forceful advocate is not always right.

The Home Group Experience

Experience has shown that for most AA members, a feeling of "belonging" to a particular Group is important in maintaining sobriety through AA. In the early days of the Fellowship, the AA members met in the homes of fellow members to share their experience, strength and hope with one another. The concept of the Home Group has grown to thousands of Groups through which the Home Group member helps others to recover from alcoholism. Traditionally, AA members have found it important to belong to one Group which they call their Home Group. This is the Group where they accept responsibility and try to sustain friendships. And although all AA members are welcome at all Groups and feel at home at any of these meetings, the concept of the Home Group has still remained the strongest bond between the AA member and the Fellowship. The Home Group concept affords the AA member the privilege and right to vote on issues which might affect AA as a whole and is the very basis of our service structure.

One AA member states the following about her Home Group:
“This is the Group where I accept responsibility for being informed and available. My Group cannot be in a contest designed for individuals, Group rivalry, or competition to see which Group is the biggest, or stays sober the longest, or which Group contributes the most service, or who is the most sought-after speaker". Part of my commitment is to show up at my Home Group meetings, greet newcomers at the door, and to be available to the newcomer -not only for them, but also for me. These Home Group members are the people who know me, who listen to me, and steer me straight when am going off the beaten track. This Home Group cares about me, and thus I can care about the newcomers that come to my Group. When a newcomer walks in I want them to have the very best AA has to offer, just as I had. If each of us stays active in our Home Group, emptying ashtrays, making coffee, rotating onto steering committees, opening and closing meeting places, taking the 12 Step and practicing the 12 Traditions, our Home Group will not only survive, it will be there for days, months and years to come offering all of us the loving, joyful and free life that AA has to offer, not only to us, but to all who follow us in this life of giving.”