Questions about this group and how it works...

[Buzz L.]

Hey, folks...

I was wondering if hanging out here substitutes for a meeting. Or are there
online AA chat rooms that would work as groups? I'm on the road frequently
and end up in a lot of small towns (2k people or so) where I cannot find
meetings. I usually read the Big Book but was wondering if this online
thing would count.

Also, can an AA do his/her 5th step online instead of with another human
face to face?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Buzz

[Kenneth Burns]

In article <ApENc.31333$WP1.23975@fe1.texas.rr.com>,
Buzz L. <buzzl@lightyear.com> wrote:
>Hey, folks...
>
>I was wondering if hanging out here substitutes for a meeting. Or are there
>online AA chat rooms that would work as groups? I'm on the road frequently
>and end up in a lot of small towns (2k people or so) where I cannot find
>meetings. I usually read the Big Book but was wondering if this online
>thing would count.

This doesn't substitute for a meeting. There are online meetings, but this
isn't one of them. If you google "online," "AA" and "meetings," you will turn
up some online meetings. IMO they're not a substitute for the real thing, but
the Big Book talks about them, so what do I know?

>Also, can an AA do his/her 5th step online instead of with another human
>face to face?

Theoretically it seems okay in a pinch to do a fifth step in, say, an IM
session. But I had great success doing a fifth step in person and would not
trade the experience. Even if you're on the road a lot, couldn't you find
someone in your own city to share a fifth step with when you were home?

I've seen newcomers fail when they relied on cyber alternatives at the expense
of face-to-face AA contact. I think AA traditionally involves real, live
meetings for a reason: we alcoholics isolate, and meetings get us out of the
house.

k

[Ron]

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 02:43:44 GMT, Buzz L. <buzzl@lightyear.com> wrote:

> Also, can an AA do his/her 5th step online instead of with another human
> face to face?

I'm sure it would suit our tawdry amusement well to have you enumerate
your sins for us here. Whether that suits you, I can't say.

--
AB5DB9CC

[John Droge]

"Kenneth Burns" <krburns@cawtech.com> wrote in message
news:ce780s$66p$1@selandria.cawtech.com...
> In article <ApENc.31333$WP1.23975@fe1.texas.rr.com>,
> Buzz L. <buzzl@lightyear.com> wrote:
> >Hey, folks...
> >
> >I was wondering if hanging out here substitutes for a meeting. Or are
there
> >online AA chat rooms that would work as groups? I'm on the road
frequently
> >and end up in a lot of small towns (2k people or so) where I cannot find
> >meetings. I usually read the Big Book but was wondering if this online
> >thing would count.
>
> This doesn't substitute for a meeting. There are online meetings, but this
> isn't one of them. If you google "online," "AA" and "meetings," you will
turn
> up some online meetings. IMO they're not a substitute for the real thing,
but
> the Big Book talks about them, so what do I know?
>
> >Also, can an AA do his/her 5th step online instead of with another human
> >face to face?
>
> Theoretically it seems okay in a pinch to do a fifth step in, say, an IM
> session. But I had great success doing a fifth step in person and would
not
> trade the experience. Even if you're on the road a lot, couldn't you find
> someone in your own city to share a fifth step with when you were home?
>
> I've seen newcomers fail when they relied on cyber alternatives at the
expense
> of face-to-face AA contact. I think AA traditionally involves real, live
> meetings for a reason: we alcoholics isolate, and meetings get us out of
the
> house.
>
> k

I don't want to diminish what k has said by saying anymore then I completely
agree with him.
John
P.S.
Ken--love your work on PBS

[Mias]

A newsgroup is to a real group as a vibrator is to sex...
However, being a distance away from the nearest meeting
I have found this group extremely helpfull and the web links and other
information shared here is worth gold. This is my group, after my home group
where I became sober. This group is helping me to stay in recovery.
Kind regards
Mias
"Buzz L." <buzzl@lightyear.com> wrote in message
news:ApENc.31333$WP1.23975@fe1.texas.rr.com...
> Hey, folks...
>
> I was wondering if hanging out here substitutes for a meeting. Or are
there
> online AA chat rooms that would work as groups? I'm on the road
frequently
> and end up in a lot of small towns (2k people or so) where I cannot find
> meetings. I usually read the Big Book but was wondering if this online
> thing would count.
>
> Also, can an AA do his/her 5th step online instead of with another human
> face to face?
>
> Thanks for any help you can provide!
>
> Buzz
>
>

[rosie read and post]

buzz,
welcome to the newsgroup!
http://www.aa-intergroup.org/ is the place to go for online AA
meetings!
this is NOT a meeting.......................

--
rosie
http://www.plur.net/thisland.html









"Buzz L." <buzzl@lightyear.com> wrote in message
news:ApENc.31333$WP1.23975@fe1.texas.rr.com...
: Hey, folks...
:
: I was wondering if hanging out here substitutes for a meeting. Or
are there
: online AA chat rooms that would work as groups? I'm on the road
frequently
: and end up in a lot of small towns (2k people or so) where I
cannot find
: meetings. I usually read the Big Book but was wondering if this
online
: thing would count.
:
: Also, can an AA do his/her 5th step online instead of with another
human
: face to face?
:
: Thanks for any help you can provide!
:
: Buzz
:
:

[Blue Moon]

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 02:43:44 GMT, "Buzz L." <buzzl@lightyear.com>
wrote:

>Hey, folks...
>
>I was wondering if hanging out here substitutes for a meeting.

That depends how you define "a meeting", and what it is you seek. Due
to the nature of usenet I'm unaware of any usenet newsgroup, including
this one, that could constitute an AA group.

In some ways this group can be far more informative than a "standard"
AA meeting.

In other ways, this group can be far less supportive than a "standard"
AA meeting.

I used the one to supplement the other.

>Or are there online AA chat rooms that would work as groups?

There are online AA groups, which can be a good AA resource for those
who cannot attend f2f meetings.

>Also, can an AA do his/her 5th step online instead of with another human
>face to face?

He/she can. The question is, why would he/she want to? There may be
good reasons to take the 5th online, but isolationism or fear of
people aren't necessarily good reasons.

--
Blue Moon