Worms News and Notes From the General Service OJJice of AA.

VOL. 27, NO. 5/ OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1982

Let’s Take a Closer Look at Our Tradition Of Self-Support Events both in and out of the Fellowship tell us that serious thinking is needed on the subject of finances in A.A. If we review our policy of total self-support and the reasons for its development, we’ll all be better prepared to deal with our own good intentions (financial) and those of our friends outside A.A. In this effort, the new leaflet “Supporting the A.A. Support System” can be helpful; it offers a wide choice of plans for group contributions to the various A.A. service entities, and is designed to avert possible misunderstandings. Regarding outside contributions, representative problems are: An obituary of an A.A. member, printed in a NewJersey newspaper, identifies the deceased (with the family’s permission) as a member of A.A. and suggests that, instead of flowers, friends send contributions to Alcoholics Anonymous. With the best of intentions, that suggestion breaks Tradition Seven by asking for support from outside sources. A contribution received by G.S.O. from a person in Florida is accompanied by no information as to whether or not the donor is a member ofA.A. The check has to be returned to avoid a possible Tradition violation. A check is received from the members of a Sundayschool class in South Carolina in memory of a person who may or may not have been a member of A.A. However, the donors are not A.A.’s, so that check also has to be returned. (In-memoriam contributions from A.A. members or groups are welcomed, of course.) In all cases, G.S.O. and all of us in the Fellowship appreciate the efforts of others to aid us as A.A.’s effectiveness becomes more widely understood by grateful families and communities. But G.S.O. must still politely decline such offers. In the early days of A.A., the principles of corporate poverty and financial independence were agreed upon after our pioneers considered how the ill effects of too much money had caused the downfall of other societies. Divisive arguments over ways to spend it could develop, those A.A.’s realized, and outside dona-

’’

New leaflet’s good ideas for groups delight Dennis Manders, G.S.O. controller, and Virginia Poole, assistant supevsor of the Steno Department (both nonalcoholic).

tions could lead to benefactors’ attempts at influence and interference in our affairs. Through the painful experiences of some early members and groups (in financing and managing drying-out farms, for example), it became obvious that one good way to assure our attention to the spiritual was to remove the temptation of the material. We had to learn to “keep it simple” and concentrate all our efforts on sobriety – maintaining it for ourselves and sharing it with still-suffering alcoholics. Therefore, it is the responsibility of each of us to inform others, whenever possible, that A.A. cannot accept contributions from nonmembers. In addition, A.A.’s should be aware that their own contributions can be accepted only up to the amount of $500 from any individual in one year. The sum left to A.A. in a will should not exceed one $500 bequest (in the year of death), acceptable only if the deceased was an A.A. member. Every A.A. group does need hard, cold cash to pay the rent, buy coffee (not to mention coffeepot, cookies, cups, etc.), and buy literature to give to the newcomer. So does every intergroup or central office; without groups’ contributions, there would be no friendly voice on the phone to answer the alcoholic’s plea for help. In the general service structure, our area committees also need fundsto hold assemblies, for instance, or to cover trusted servants’ traveling expenses, including

those of Conference delegates. That money is raised by our own contributions, aided by whatever fund-raising events groups may wish to hold within the boundaries set by the Traditions. And there would be no General Service Conference, no G.S.O., no A.A. literature without the groups’ support. The leaflet “Supporting the A.A. Support System” (replacing “60-30-10”) offers suggestions on how to do just that – contribute to our own support. It recommends regular monthly contributions and a planned division of the money among A.A. services: intergroup, G.S.O., area committee, and perhaps district committee. The number of service entities and the percentages may vary according to local needs, it is explained. Traditions Seven and Four work in partnership here; the right division can be determined only by each group and its conscience. Besides suggestions on ways to contribute, this brief folder also tells where our money goes and how, if we wish, we can learn more about its uses. All those uses have “but one primary purpose,”just as all groups do: to carry the A.A. message. The self-support Tradition is a vital part of our A.A. heritage, to be understood and appreciated by every grateful member. If we do understand it fully, we can help newcomers know and claim this part of their heritage. And we can make the Tradition clear to any interested non-A.A.’s we happen to encounter. The result, as past experience has shown, is likely to be added respect for the Fellowshipand that, in turn, can guide more alcoholics in our direction. While every recovering alcoholic needs emotional support and love, Alcoholics Anonymous itself needs to be financially self-supporting through its own contributions.

PleaseNo Cash! Ifyou’re thoughtful enough to send a contribution, or interested enough to fill out a literature order, you surely want your money to reach G.S.O. But if it is mailed in the form of cash, that may never happen! So we repeat a reminder printed here in the past: Please use only checks or money orders in making contributions and paying for literature. Thank you.

G.S.O. Changes Affect Archives and Directories Frank M., formerly administrative assistant at G.S.O., has been transferred to the Archives Department, where

he will become archivist upon the retirement of Nell Wing at the end of this year. Frank’s responsibility for the A.A. directories has been reassigned. The A.A. staff member on the group services assignment (currently Beth K.) will be the primary contact for the Fellowship on directory matters. Dotty McGinity will handle all the mechanical aspects ofdirectories. Dotty, a nonalcoholic, is already known to many area committee secretaries and others involved with group record-keeping. It is not planned to replace Frank in the administrative assistant position at this time.

Seventh World Service Meetinga Milestone The World Service Meeting acquires a new aspect as the Seventh approaches, taking place in San Juan del Rio, Mexico, October 14-18, 1982. For the first time since the Meetings began, in 1969, a good deal of G.S.O.’s correspondence concerning overall planning has been conducted in a language other than English. Thanks to the services of Teresita Giraldo (nonalcoholic), a bilingual member of the Stenographic Department, communication in Spanish has proved to be very satisfactory. Also for the first time, at the recommendation of Sixth W.S.M. delegates, there will be simultaneous translation at the general sessions, in Spanish and English. The theme of the Meeting will be “Carrying the A.A. Message.” Among topics for discussion will be “A.A. Service Structure,” “Public Information,” “How to Arrange a Press Conference,” and “Young People in A.A.” To close the Seventh W.S.M., a program similar to the final session of the 1982 General Service Conference (U.S./ Canada) has been scheduled, entitled “The A.A. Traditions in Personal Recovery.” Thirty-eight delegates are expected to attend, representing 25 countries, a total that includes two participating for the first time: Uruguay; Trinidad and Tobago.

Box 4-5-9 is published bimonthly by the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, 468 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. ‘ Alcoholics Anonvmoiis World Services, Inc., 1982 Mail Address: P.O. Box 459, Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163

Subscriptions: Individual, $1.50 per year; group, $3.50 for each unit of 10 per year. Check – made payable to A.A.W.S., Inc. should accompany order.

Mailbag: ’Those Other Addictions’ Revisited Letters continue to arrive on the subject ofdual addiction and how to handle it in the A.A. group if it becomes a problem. And a problem it is, according to Albert C. of the Southern Star Bilingual Group in Quispamsis, N.B., Canada, who writes: “We say there is no such thing as dual addiction. If anyone wants to talk about drugs, they can do it at a drug meeting or outside A.A.” He goes on to say that because too much time is “wasted” on drugs in some groups, it is a problem that affectsA.A. as a whole (Tradition Four) and, as such, should be stopped at the group level. Millie B. of Locust, NJ., a member of the Red Bank Group, writes that copies of the April-May Box 4-5-9 article “A.A. Groups’ Dilemma: Those Other Addictions” were passed around for comment. “Members are distressed over the large number of A.A.’s (mostly young) who in their case histories stress their abuse of drugs other than alcohol. I don’t believe it is necessary to say, ’I am an alcoholic and dually addicted.’ Dually addicted to what? Most of us (perhaps I should say many of us) are dually addictedto coffee, cigarettes, food. The only addiction A.A. is about is the drug alcohol.” She suggests that those “other” drugs may be mentioned in talks, but concentration should remain on alcohol. She does, however, take issue with the idea of leaving one’s home group – “without doing everything in my power to overcome a problem that is endangering my group. I am not overwhelmed by this ’drug problem.’ We are working on it quietly within our group. It is the group conscience that has to prevail.” Chances are, there are as many different points of view and possible solutions to any A.A. “problem” as there are A.A. groups. Thanks for sharing.

More Breakthroughs For Senior Citizens “The Golden Years Group of North Hollywood, Calif., is well into its fourth year of existence,” writes Teet C. in the Los Angeles Hello Central newsletter. The founding of that A.A. group spearheaded a response to the growing needs of senior-citizen alcoholics. More and more A.A. groups are being formed specifically for older alcoholics – though, as other “special”

groups do, they hold their doors open to anyone with a desire to stop drinking. “In North Hollywood,” writes Teet, “we never have a meeting without some participating members whose ages put them far below retirement. “In all of our senior groups, there are some ’long survivors’ with sobriety stretching from 25 to 40 years. They got their start in meetings involving folks of all kinds but are happy to lend their experience, strength, and hope to our senior group. Over the years, they have seen many older alcoholics fall by the wayside because they felt they did not belong in ’wide open’ meetings. “All newly sober elders who come to our meetings are cautioned against making this group their sole participation. “One more purpose for such a special group as ours is that involvement there provides one vital factor for a newcomerfinding a home group. “Special groups of any kind do share that one requirement for membershipa desire to stop drinking. If a special group can make it easier to break through the wall of denial and come upon surrender and acceptance, it is filling a purpose.”

As this sketch from the pamphlet “Too Young?” indicates, an alcoholic can’t be “too old” tofind a gratifying recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Are We Forgetting How to Make Twelfth Step Calls? Our Twelfth Stepcarrying the messageis the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. “A.A.’s Legacy of Service,” by Bill W. Concern over a possible crisis in A.A. was expressed at the Pacific Regional Forum in Las Vegas, Nev., in June of this year. Is a diminishing number of actual Twelfth Step calls being made by A.A.’s today? If so, what effect is this change having on our effectiveness in reaching the suffering alcoholic?

The first speaker on the subject was Lois F., a G.S.O. staff member, who recalled her early days in the program. Her sponsor convinced her that Twelfth Step work would help combat her self-centeredness and self-pity. Lois’s impression of carrying the message had been based on movies like “Days ofWine and Roses.” “I had always enjoyed high drama,” she said, “so I was more than willing.” In actuality, she learned undramatic truths: Some active alcoholics may forget that they called A.A. and so be less than eager to welcome A.A. guests; others even fail to walk their dogs for days on end! Lois did, however, find it difficult to concentrate on her own problems when her energies were focused on helping another drunk; she now feels that such calls taught her a great deal about herself and her illness. She then reviewed the vast number of other types of Twelfth Step work being done today. For example, the General Service Office lists 540 area and local public information committees, more than 100 committees on cooperation with the professional community, and 150 institutions committees. Because of the proliferation of treatment centers, Lois suggested letting local centers know that we’re available to introduce patients to A.A. and that we can provide interim sponsors. We can stand ready to meet members of “inside” A.A. groups immediately upon their release from prison. Lois pointed out that times have changed; it’s not too likely that you’ll see an alcoholic convulsion at a meeting anymore, since detox units are usually nearby for that shaky period between drunkenness and sobriety. Finally, she suggested that a lot of our own problems and needs, often expressed at meetings, could be handled simply by giving help instead of looking for help – in other words, doing Twelfth Step work. Sam E., Northern Coastal California delegate, echoed Lois’s feeling about the changing nature of Twelfth Step work and explained that, to him, this Step is the very foundation of A.A.: “One man needed to tell his story to another man who needed to hear that story.” He cited the principle of “Use it or lose it”keep your sobriety by giving it away: “Bones and muscles, for example, are strengthened by activity and waste away with inactivity.” John B., a general service trustee, credited the P.I. form of Twelfth Step work for impelling him to call A.A., though he approached so warily that he wouldn’t even give his first name on the phone. (He figured “John” would be a dead giveawayin an area with a population of about 150,000!) But he did agree to meet and talk with an A.A. “That first moment was tremendously important in my sobriety,” he said, and doing Twelfth Step work “has been an absolutely essential part of my sobriety. That being the way I got sober, everybody should do it that way, right?” Not necessarily, John answered himself. He came to that conclusion through his intensive work with the A.A.

membership surveys. In the 1977 survey, he noted, 19% of the sober A.A.’s responding cited a counselor or a rehab as an outstanding factor in their arrival at A.A. In 1981, the figure was 33%. And the surveys also indicate, even when the comparison is made across a whole decade, that people were staying sober just as successfully in 1981 as in 1971. With those facts in mind,John proposed changing the key question from “Have we forgotten how to do Twelfth Step work?” to “Have we learned how to do Twelfth Step work in the present environment?” Additional reports on the subject come from Northern Virginia Intergroup’s newsletter, The Unity Lifeline, which reports that “the A.A. desk,” being the first point of contact for many suffering alcoholics, is the office’s most important function. Intergroup representatives are circulating cards among the groups, asking for volunteers to answer the phone. The search for members willing to do Twelfth Step work has had “less than perfect” results, the newsletter says. The office has tried many systems of keeping volunteer lists: by group in the area where the group meets; by phone exchangefirst three digits of volunteers’ home numbers; and others. Currently, volunteers are listed by ZIP Codes. In Colorado, Denver Central Office’s Night Watch program uses a phone-exchange system for dividing the metropolitan area into workable zones. One Night Watcher describes the particular satisfaction of handling late-night calls: the joy of sharing this experience with a newcomer, of giving some relief (even temporary) to the active alcoholic, of knowing that the message has been heard and a fellow alcoholic has “seen, heard, touched, and smelled hope.” All the foregoing experiences make it clear that many A.A.’s continue to respond to the needs of the still-suffering alcoholic, meeting the demands of the times and carrying the message in new ways as well as old. If a decline in traditional twelfth-stepping has been perceived as a problem in your area, perhaps local members have developed still other approaches, and we hope you will share them.

MINNOW

IL . On November 13 (see article at right), this New York City school will open its doors to A.A. members visiting G.S.O., a block away.

Trustee Corner

Central Office Corner

Time to Seek New Trustees

Simple Plea: Common Sense

Two new regional trustees (Northeast and Southwest U.S.) and a trustee-at-large/Canada will be nominated at the 1983 General Service Conference in April. RØsumØs should be received at G.S.O. by January 1, 1983. (If they arrived later, there would be no time to circulate them for full consideration before the Conference.) The new Northeast trustee will replace Richard D.; the new Southwest trustee will fill a post vacant since the death of LaVelle C. in October 1981; and the trustee-at-large/Canada nominee will succeed Stan C. Trustees in both categories serve four-year terms. Area assemblies in the region or country concerned make the initial choices. At the Conference (see “The A.A. Service Manual,” pp. 98-101, for procedures), the lists are narrowed down, and the candidate chosen for each trusteeship is elected by the General Service Board at its meeting immediately after the Conference.

A thoughtful insight is provided in The Intergrouper, a newsletter from Orlando, Fla. Tom C. writes: “I am one ofa not-so-rare breed, the handicapped A.A. A few have cerebral palsy, like me. Others are blind or have poor eyesight, are hard of hearing or have arthritis. “We don’t ask for much from able-bodied A.A. membersjust a little common sense. If a hard-ofhearing member asks to sit close to the speaker, it’s to see the speaker’s lips to get everything being said. Speakers, don’t cover your mouth or mumble. Everyone in the hall will enjoy your talk more if you are easy to see and hear. “Sometimes, a blind member will bring a dog. Don’t pet the dog unless its owner says it is okay. The dog is doing ajob and should not be distracted.”

Transatlantic Identification G.S.R. Day Coming Up! Whether you call it G.S.R. Day or G.S.O. Open House, it’s Saturday, November 13. Informal tours of our transformed offices at 468 Park Avenue South will begin at 9:00 am., and all interested A.A.’s are welcome. At 10:00 a.m., coffee and doughnuts will be served outside the auditorium of the Norman Thomas High School, 111 East 33rd Street (one block north, across Park). Inside the auditorium, commencing at 1:30, brief presentations will be made by the G.S.O. general manager, the archivist, and members of the G.S.O. and Grapevine staffs. The program should be completed by 3:30 p.m. While arranging for the events outside G.S.O., staff member Betty L. had a pleasant surprise. She identified herself as an alcoholic – whereupon the official she was dealing with did the same and gave the name of his A.A. home group!

G.S.R. Corner

As Conference week for U.S./Canada neared its close in April, Great Britain’s three-day General Service Conference began. In spite of minor differences in procedures and terms, the two meetings had in common a spirit that exemplified A.A. unity. Many of our delegates would identify with the keynote speaker, Ian T., London Region (Area, we’d say). Elected in 1981 to chair the 1982 Conference (another difference), Ian said he “began to have the feeling that this time I had bitten off more than I could chew.” But he confided his unease to an A.A. friend. “He pointed out that this was merely another step in service. I have always been afraid of the unknown, but I now know what to do about fears and self-doubts. I did not have to do it all on my own. And I began to enjoy what has been a wonderful year of self-searching and change.” “Freedom to Change” was considered as a Conference theme, but Ian’s friend suggested the final choice, “Freedom to Develop.” “Change can be destructive as well as constructive,” Ian said. “The secret is in knowing when change is necessary.”

Delegate Corner

Those Far-Flung Corners It seems that truth is still stranger than fiction, and A.A. is thriving everywhere…. John L. of Mamaroneck, N.Y., writes that he’s been to meetings in Rome, Tokyo, Malta, Hawaii, and many U.S. cities, but was impressed and moved to find a wellprinted meeting notice taped to a wall outside a tiny church, 1,000 feet up a mountain he’d climbed at Yalape, a two-hour boat ride south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Another, tacked to a coconut palm near his hotel on the beach (Playa de los Muertos), led him to a different meeting: six speakers in an outdoor schoolroom the size of a “couple of basketball courts.” The meeting turned out to be held entirely in Spanish, but did the trick: “Much of it I could make out, as I have heard probably much the same over the past 30 years.”. Among the workmen on the recently completed construction project at G.S.O. was a paperhanger from Scotland, who had been in this country for only a few weeks. As he worked, he became aware of the surrounding talk and literature. “It dawned on me,” he said, “that I was actually in the General Service Office of A.A. in New York, and I was so excited that I almost fell off the ladder. I’m an alcoholic and joined A.A. over in Scotland. My friends had told me to be sure and visit G.S.O. when I arrived, but I just hadn’t done so yet – and here I was actually working there!” Our new friend made an exuberant tour of the office, sharing happily along the way. (Please note: You don’t have to climb a ladder or help paint the ceilings. Just come; the doors are always open.) Aggrey W. writes from the Western Province of Kenya that his life was in the process of totally falling apart when he was introduced to A.A. by a friend from Nairobi. “One day, after what I considered complete loss of self-control, loss of respect, repeated ins and outs of hospitals, my conscience told me to examine my very purpose ofbeing. I regretted having been born. I had no purpose in life. What I used to think were my purposes were, in fact, dreamsbecause they never, ever came true.” When the friend suggested A.A., Aggrey at first thought he was joking, but got to a meeting anyway and found friends, strength, and hope. He is now well on the road to recovery, back at work as a teacher, and in the process of starting a meeting in his own village. To date, it boasts two membersbut that was enough to get all of A.A. started, wasn’t it?… The article “Let’s Make Them Want to ’Keep Coming Back’ “(February-March Box 4-5-9) inspired a communication from another far-flung corner, Caracas, Venezuela. Gladys M. shares with us the workings of El Bosque English-Speaking Group. In the past eight years,

it’s grown from six members to more than 20 at some meetings (American, British, Finnish, French, Dutch, Indian, and naturalized Venezuelan). They are mostly executives, wives of officials, and professional women, so that anonymity is a major consideration. Gladys reports that newcomers are “truly desperate – there is literally nowhere else. Doctors know little or nothing about alcoholism; hospitals refuse alcoholic patients; there are no proper treatment centers – and Venezuela is one of the highest alcoholic-beverage consumers in the world. “I think it’s safe to say the way we keep them coming back is to surround them with loving concern. Telephone numbers are urged on new people; their numbers are asked for; they are called; transportation is provided if needed. Sponsorship is encouraged, and if they are slow in this area, old timers will self-appoint until the newcomers are ready to make their own decisions. Most meetings are discussion, dealing with either a Step or a current problem, such as coping with temptation, depression, stress, or family demands.” Sound familiar? Certainly, our problems as alcoholics are universal, and every report from a “far-flung corner” supports and inspires A.A.’s everywhere.

Easily transported, these Regional Forum displays were first used in Las Vegas in June. Nonalcoholics Tony Osnato, G.S.O. office manager, and Carrie Himmel of Records admire the informative and decorative arrangement. With the first event listed below, the Forums begin theirfourth round. Regional Forums 1982 December 3-5

Southeast U.S.

Nashville, Tenn.

west Central U.S. Northeast U.S. Newfoundland (mini-forum) East Central U.S. Southwest U.S.

Sioux Falls, S.D. Somerset, N.J. St.John’s, Nfld. Indianapolis, Ind. Denver, Coin.

:1983 March 4-6 June 3-5 July September 6-18 December 2-4

etffl,X_ULLETIN BOARD r-

Items and Ideas on Area Gather’incs for A.A. ’s-Via G.S.O.

Calendar of Events October

9-10 – Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Second All-Island Roundup. Write: Cnvnr., P.O. Box 46, Ocho Rios,Jamaica, West Indies. 9-11 – North Bay, Ontario, Canada. 27th Annual Area Conf. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 494, North Bay, Ont. P18 8K3

Sept. 30-Oct. 3 – Amarillo, Texas. Top o’ Texas Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 412, Amarillo, TX 79105

14-17 – Albany, Georgia. 29th State Cony. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 936, Albany, GA 31702

1-3 – Wenatchee, Washington. Area Assy. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 2444, Wenatchee, WA 98801

14-17 – North Falmouth, Massachusetts. S. New England Professional Group Annual Mtg. Write: Secy., 228 Hadley, South Hadley, MA 01075

1-3 – Clarksburg, West Virginia. Jackson’s Mill Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 825, Clarksburg, WV 26301

15-17 – Clear Lake, Iowa. State Fall Conf. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 413, Clear Lake, IA 50428

1-3 – Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 38th Annual Conf. Write: Corn., 5 Wakefield Bay, Winnipeg, Man. R2M 2135

15-17 – Boyne, Michigan. 30th State Conf. Write: Ch., Box 868, Gaylord, MI 49735

1-3 – San Diego, California. 31st S. Calif. Cony. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 10365, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

15-17 – Grenada, Mississippi. N. Miss. Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 2025, Big Creek, MS 38914

1-3 Fargo, North Dakota. State Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 1991, Fargo, ND 58107

15-17 – Rome, New York. 31st Annual Area Cony. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 33, Rome, NY 13440

2-Chicago, Illinois. All Chicago Open Meeting. Write: Conf. Corn., Chicago Area Service Office, 205W. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606

15-17-Sacramento, California. Annual Fall Conf. Write: NCCAA Ch., 1046 Irving St., San Francisco, GA 94122

8-10- Butte, Montana. Fall Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 1266, Anaconda, MT 59711

15-17 – Hays, Kansas. N.W. Kans. Conf. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 421, Hays, ILS 67601

8-10 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 24th Annual Bilingual Cony. Write: Secy., 190, Rue de Castelneau, Montreal, Que. H2R 1P4

15-17 – Tucson, Arizona. 32nd Area Cony. Write: Cony. Corn., P.O. Box 35773, Tucson, AZ 85740

8-10 – Lake Yale, Florida. 15th Annual Autumn Mtgs. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 996, Merritt Island, FL 32952

15-17 – Claresholrn, Alberta, Canada. Ninth Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 45, Claresholrn, Alta. TOL OTO

8-10 – Buffalo, New York. 12th Annual Reg. Cony. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 817, Derby, NY 14047

22-24 – Lake Shawnican, British Columbia, Canada. Fall Weekend. Write: Ch., 306715 Vancouver St., Victoria, B.C. V8V 3V2

8-10 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. First Annual Freedom Roundup (sponsored by Lesbians and gay men). Write: Ch., P.O. Box 15978, Philadelphia, PA 19103 8-10 – Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, 18th Annual Atl. Assy. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 554, Sydney, N.S. B1P 6J7 8-10 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Gay/Lesbian Conf. Write: Ch., 31 Alexander St., #614, Toronto, Ont. M4Y 1132 8-10 – Madison, Wisconsin. Five-State Reg. Conf. Write: Conf. Treas., 3221 Derby Down, Madison, WI 53713 8-10 – Geneva Park, Ontario, Canada. 17th Annual Georgian Bay Dist. Conf. Write: Host Corn., do Lefroy P.O., Lefroy, Ont. LOL iWO 8-10 – Hope, British Columbia, Canada. Sixth Annual Thanksgiving Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 876, Hope, B.C. VOX 1LO

Planning a December, January, or February Event? Please be sure to send your information on December, January, or February events for A.A.’s in time to reach G.S.O. by October 15. This is the calendar deadline for the Holiday issue of Box 4-5-9 (to be mailed November 15). Naturally, G.S.O. cannot check on all the information submitted. We must rely on local A.A.’s to describe the events accurately.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1982

Closed Meeting Topics From the Grapevine October: The title “Okay, I’m Sober -Now What?” expresses a topic inviting useful sharing from A.A.’s at every stage of recovery; articles on the Traditions in everyday life and the Steps as a continuing guide can be starting points for two series of meetings; three others suggest exploring the truths in our slogans. November: Read Bill W.’s timeless comments on communication within A.A. and discuss today’s possible problems of members who seem “different”; among other gems mined from long-past Grapevines, find prime topics in articles on the Third Step, the importance of work, and A.A. self-support.

22-24 – Beaumont, Texas. Ninth Dist. Mini Conf. Write: Treas., 2035 W. Lucas Dr., Beaumont, TX 77706 22-24 – London, Ontario, Canada. 29th Annual Area Cony. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 725, London, Ont. N6A 4Y8 22-24 – Monterey, California. Conf. by the Sea. Write: CcYPAA Ch., 2261 David Ave., Monterey, CA 93940 22-24 – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 32nd Annual Area Cony. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 2707, Spruce Grove, Alta. TOE 2C0 23 – Washington, District of Columbia. 40th Banquet W.A.I.A. Write: Ch., 1637 13th St., NW., Washington, DC 20009 23 – South Bend, Indiana. 11th Michiana Conf. Write: Ch., 2345 Gassopolis, Elkhart, IN 46514 23-24 – Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Second Annual Triangle Club 76 Fall Banq. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 94, Eau Claire, WI 54702 29-31 – Beaverton, Oregon. Seventh Annual Columbia R. Young People’s Roundup. Write: Corn., P.O. Box 1594, Portland, OR 97207 29-31 – Lincoln, Nebraska. Fall Frolic #3. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 2334, Lincoln, NE 68502 29-31 – Rochester, New York. Second Annual Cony. Write: Ch., Suite 1036, 183 E. Main St., Rochester, NY 14604

Flip up this end of page-many more events listed on reverse side

5-7 – Cosa Grande, Arizona. 17th Sahuaro Agape Weekend. Write:Secy., 5627 N. 14th Dr., Phoenix, AZ 85013

14-17 – Helen, Georgia. Third Chattahoochee Forest Conf. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 508, Statesboro, GA 30458

29-31 – Duncan, British Columbia, Canada. 13th Annual Rally. Write: Ch., Box 595, Chernainus, B.C. VOR 1K0

5-7 – White Haven, Pennsylvania. 24th Annual Area Con. Serv. Cony. Write: Ch., 34 Berger St., Emmaus, PA 18049

19-21 – Lake Whitney, Texas. Fifth Annual Brazos Riverside Conf. Write: Ch., 6350 LBJ Freeway, Suite 124, Dallas, TX 75240

29-31 – Asheboro, North Carolina. Eighth Annual Fall Fest. Write: Ch., 221 Greenvale Rd., Asheboro, NC 27203

5-7 – Everett, Washington. Sixth Annual Conf. Write: Corn., P.O. Box 1758, Everett, WA 98206

19-21 Jonesboro, Arkansas. 28th Thanksgiving Program. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 755, Jonesboro, AR 72401

29-31 – ThiefRiver Falls, Minnesota. Seventh Annual Harvest Fest. Write: Ch., 820 Reserve Ave., Thief River Falls, MN 58701

5-7 – Lincoln, Montana. Fourth Wilderness Agape Weekend. Write: Coord., 23 Konley Dr., Kalispell, MT 59901

21 – Kearny, New Jersey. Fall Roundup, Area Election Assy. Write: Ch., 23 White Ter., East Rutherford, NJ 07073

Intergroup Assoc. 30New York, New York. Annual Dinner and Dance Mtg. in Honor of Bill W. Write: Dinner Corn., 175 Fifth Ave., Em. 219, New York, NY 10010

5-7 – Cardiff, Wales. Second Welsh Cony. Write: Registrar, Welsh Cony., Flat 2, 65 Cathedral Rd., Cardiff, Wales

27-28 – Neosho, Missouri. Winter Holiday II. Write: Secy., P.O. Box 43, Neosho, MO 64850

October continued

All Serenity Gp. Round 31Lubbock, Texas. Robin. Write: Ch., 4002 Ave. A, Lubbock, TX 79412

November 4-6 – Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. TenthJarnboree. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 335, Ocracoke, NC 27960 4-7 – Bossier City, Louisiana. Annual TriState Cony. Write: Ch., 1711 Tulane Ave., Shreveport, LA 71103 4-7 – Honolulu, Hawaii. 21st State Conf. Write: ConE Secy., P.O. Box 23434, Honolulu, HI 96822 5-7 – Sherbrooke, QuØbec, Canada. 12th CongrŁs, Dists. 88-02, 88-15. Write: Corn. d’I.P., C.P. 1541, Sherbrooke, QuØ. J1H 5M4

7 – Newton, Massachusetts. Third Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 362, Newtonville, MA 02160 8 – Milton, Ontario, Canada. Second OneDay Roundup. Write: Treas., 330 Williams Ave., Milton, Ont. L9T 2G2 12-14 – Las Vegas, Nevada. 16th Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 43177, Las Vegas, NV 89116 12-14 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Area Cony. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 38, Sta. A, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2L8 12-14 – Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Fourth Annual Dist. 4 Lighthouse Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 465, Yarmouth, N.S. 4A5 4134 12-14 – Minneapolis, Minnesota. 42nd Annual Founders Day Weekend. Write: Bang. Ch., Alano Society, 2218 First Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55404

December 3-5 – Nashville, Tennessee. S.E. Reg. Forum. Write: Reg. Forum Secy., P.O. Box 459, New York, NY 10163

March 1983 Mar. 31-Apr. 4Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 23rd Nat. Cony. Write: Cony. See)’., P.O. Box 662, South Brisbane, Q4101, Australia