History of Bridging the Gap Presentation

Galt Ca

January 2015

The Earliest BTG work … began 24 days after the start of A.A.

This was when Bill W. and Dr. Bob had been twelfth stepping A.A.s third member,

Bill D. It was on that day (July 4, 1935), in Akron’s City Hospital that he, Bill Dotson,

admitted he couldn’t control his drinking and had to leave it up to God. Then they

(Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith) made him get down on his knees at the side of the

bed and pray and say that he would turn his life over to God. Before the visit was

over, he suddenly turned to his wife, Henrietta and said, “Go fetch my clothes, dear.

We’re going to get up and get out of here.” He walked out of that hospital a free

man, never to drink again. A.A.’s number One Group dates from that day. That same

day, they had plenty to celebrate. So they had a picnic. The Smiths, Bill Wilson, and

Eddie Riley (The first alcoholic they tried to help) were there

Reference: Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers pg 85

At that time, in the early summer of 1935, there were no meetings like we have been

enjoying for almost 80 years. Still, instead of leaving Bill Dotson to his own devices

when it was time to be discharged, someone decided that it would be a good idea to

stick close by – even if it was just a picnic – to help the newcomer get a good start in

sobriety. That is about as close to todays bridging the Gap (BTG) as one can get.

Long before BTG committees were formed, it was customary for groups and

members to visit one or more hospitals to connect with patients who may be

interested in A.A. If a patient expressed interest in getting sober in A.A., local

1

members arranged to take him or her to a meeting on the day of discharge. If the

patient’s home was in another city or State, A.A. members tried to connect the

former patient with one or two members in the patient’s hometown.

“By the 1970’s, this Twelfth Step work was call temporary contact service. A.A.

Committees on Correctional Facilities began to refer to that service as “Prerelease

A.A. contact.” A present you’ll see those two terms used in the Treatment Facilities

(TF) and Correctional Facilities (CF) workbooks. Today this service is known by a

variety of names in the A.A. Fellowship, such as Bridging the Gap, Prerelease

Contacts, Contact Upon Release, Temporary Contact etc.; however, all these

committees do essentially the same type of Twelfth Step Service.

In the early 1990’s, an appointed committee member serving on a trustees’

Committee of the General Service Board (GSB) wanted to start a service called

“Bridge the Gap, World Wide”. This member was from an Area where there were

many large and successful treatment programs. He believed there was a need for

ways to connect new people being released or discharged with A.A. where the

newcomers would be residing. He worked to begin a network of BTG contacts

throughout the U.S. that wasn’t associated with an Area, District or Intergroup.

Eventually, the member asked the General Service Office (G.S.O) to coordinate the

service. G.S.O. decided that it could not accept the responsibility because of the

relatively small number of members involved; and, because it would be starting a

new service without an “expressed need” (relative to A.A. in U.S. and Canada).

2

However in the following year, 1991, the pamphlet “Bridging the Gap” was first

published. The Bridging the Gap Workshop Weekend (BTGWW) also began that

same year.

A time line of the history of Bridge the Gap is as follows:

1939:

 After articles about A.A. appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, there was a

massive effort by the local A.A.s to reach the drunks in the nearby hospitals,

but they didn’t have enough older members to do the job. So brand new A.A.s

were sent in and it was discovered they could do as good a job as the old

timers, which included escorting the new men to the meetings. This is where

the idea of personal sponsorship for each new man and woman began.

1976:

 In Alberta, Canada, a committee initiated an After Care Temporary Sponsor

(ACTS) program to provide for persons being released from prisons.

1978:

 Dr. Jack Norris served as a Class A trustee on the GSB and worked in the

industry of helping alcoholics, wrote a report entitled “Bridging the Gap

Between Active Treatment and AA and Normal Living”. This was the first I

could find of the term “BTG. The report was a dismal view of the very few

prospective members coming to the doors of A.A.

1979:

3

 Leroy B., of Oklahoma City, had been to the General Service Conference and

he heard a story from a man from New Jersey talk about a treatment facility

that had 400 clients go through that program in the past year, however there

weren’t 400 new members in A.A. and Leroy wondered what happened to

them? Leroy returned to Oklahoma to start their BTG program.



1980:

 The California Northern Coastal Area (CNCA) newsletter the “Comments”

included an article proposing Contact Sponsorship.

1983:

 In CNCA, Alameda Districts 07 & &70, East Bay Intergroup and H&I started a

Contact Services Committee (December 1983), for people coming out of treatment

programs

1985:

 Alameda County establishes a new contact service available for those coming

out of recovery facilities, for temporary sponsors (August 1985)

 H&I General Chairperson, Bob Harrity proposes that we, General Service and

H&I, form a joint committee to sponsor those who are coming out of facilities

into the general population. Bob said he would like to see the day when,

“Never again will any man or woman be released without an A.A. cup of

coffee on the way home. Bob shared that H&I had a part of General Service

heritage before General Service was in Northern California, however, we all

share a sameness of purpose.” (September 1985)

4

 H&I Committee: Bob Harrity reported that the H&I business meeting

approved to set up a new service committee to work on contact sponsorship.

This committee agreed to cooperate with Area General Service. (October

1985)

 Bob Harrity’s proposal was as follows:

1. A joint committee be formed that will consist of several members from

each of the Northern California service groups.

2. That this committee evaluate the strength of each of its particular service

commitments in order to know how and where each service can be most

useful.

3. That an autonomous standing committee be permanently formed to

ensure the continuity of the work

Though this idea of a joint committee had merit it failed due to lack of organization,

fellowship awareness, and funding. Efforts did continue however at the Area level

in CNCA.

1986:

 The General Service Conference recommends to the Trustee Committee to

study ways for a contact sponsorship program.

1987:

 The Trustees Committee recommended a Temporary Contact report be

added to the Treatment Facilities Workbook. Stories about temporary

5

contact programs TCP) especially from Oklahoma and New Mexico were

added to the TF workbook.

 All CNCA districts have active Contact Services Committees

 A Treatment Facilities and Temporary Contact Program workshop was held

at the West Central Regional Forum in Fargo, N.D.

 Terry L. Southern Minnesota attended the Forum in N.D. and learned about

the TCP. Terry returned home contacted the Minneapolis Intergroup, some

treatment facility professionals, gathered A.A. volunteer contacts, produced a

pamphlet and started their temporary contact program in their District and

soon found the need for a network around the U.S. and Canada.

1988:

 Southern Minnesota invited treatment centers to attend seminars so as to

gain information about the TCP

 CNCA initiates proposal to align with General Service by forming a Contact

Services Committee

1989:

 More Districts in Minnesota started to be a part of TCP. St Paul Intergroup

became a second Contact Point for Southern Minnesota’s TCP.

 Contact Services in CNCA introduced as a regular committee.

1990:

 Box 459 newsletter contains an article on BTG.

 At he General Service Conference there was a recommendation that the

Conference Committee consider publishing a 4-page pamphlet for TCP. The

6

Conference Committee recommended that the pamphlet not be printed. A

floor action recommended that a Bridging the Gap pamphlet be developed by

the Trustees Committee and the Conference Committee and have it brought

back to the General Service Conference for consideration.

 More than half of the districts in Southern Minnesota were involved in

responding to over 100 temporary contact requests per month

 Southern Minnesota, Oklahoma and New Mexico participated in a panel for

BTG and TCP at the 1990 International Convention in Seattle. A World Wide

Temporary Contact Point (WWTCP) started because of all the interest from

this panel.

1991:

 Michael Alexander, chairman of the General Service Board stated in part that

since “50% of alcoholics who attend their first A.A. meeting stay only 90 days

… With willingness, imagination, and the many resources of our program, we

can make A.A. and sobriety attractive enough so that more newcomers will

stay with us longer…” (April 1991)

 The yearly Western Missouri Institutions Weekend was held in Raytown, Mo.

This event spared the idea for a BTG workshop for the entire Country.

 The first Conference-approved BTG pamphlet was printed and distributed.

(July 1991)

 The first Bridging the Gap World Wide Workshop Weekend is held in Des

Moines Iowa (September 1991).

1996:

7

 Box 459 prints an article from CNCA Comments containing four contact

service success stories.

1998:

 Box 459 publishes an article on the variety of ways BTG is organized

throughout the U.S. and Canada.

2005:

 Box 459 Article about BTGWW and mentions CNCA as having one of the

most active committees. The article contained additional BTG success

stories.

2006:

 California Northern Interior Area (CNIA) motion to adopt BTG passed

2007

 BTG guidelines ratified by CNIA ad hoc committee. Alternate Chair

position named a BTG liaison.

2009:

 BTG appointed chair position approved.

 Box 459 publishes an article about the BTGWW website.

2010:

 CNIA BTG workbook distributed

2011:

8

 CNIA 07 hosts BTGWW in Sacramento. This is the first time the

workshop weekend is held on West Coast.

My personal experience with BTG began in 1993. As a new GSR, an enthusiastic

woman, from Grass Valley, introduced me to the concept of Bridge the Gap. She

explained BTG and was actively promoting BTG to anyone willing to listen. I found

and read the BTG pamphlet and became excited as well, primarily because I had

never heard about it before.

Outside the Pre-Conference Assembly sat a well respected Past Delegate who had

service stints with Central Office and H&I. I approached this man and asked him

what he thought of BTG. Well you would have thought I insulted his mother I was

dismayed and confused. I didn’t understand why an A.A. member would be opposed

to a program that was conference approved. As I matured in Northern California

A.A. service I began to get an understanding why.

Another enthusiastic A.A. member appeared on the scene in CNIA, John F. John was

extremely active in promoting Bridging the Gap and did so without any CNIA

funding. John was tireless in his efforts and often appeared at District meetings to

give BTG presentations and to help start local BTG committees. John began

attending CNIA Area Committee Meetings asking to have an opportunity to speak

about BTG. The early sense of CNIA was that BTG was better handled by local

Central and Intergroup offices. The Northern California Hospital and Institutions

Committee also appeared to be cool the idea and as I recall did not offer to support

BTG either. Despite rejection by CNIA Officers, some Districts were engaging in and

9

starting their own BTG committees. A few years after John left the scene the BTG

idea resurfaced again because one of our Spanish Linguistic District DCM’s had

attended a BTGWW Conference and gave a moving report of her experience (2005).

The BTG idea began to resonate and discussion continued. In 2006, I began to

attend the BTGWW on my own. CNIA continued to believe that BTG was a local

matter but the Area agreed in November 2007 to assign the Alternate Chairperson

as the Area Liaison and encouraged them to attend District workshops and to

maintain supplies of literature appropriate for BTG. In November 2009 the Area

Assembly voted to create a BTG appointed Chair position removing the BTG Liaison

position and duties from the Alternate Chair.

Woody R.

Past Delegate Panel 50

California Northern Interior Area 007

10