[Businessmtg] >>> TOPIC: ASP's Archiving of Personal Shares <<<

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 "ASP's Archiving of Personal Shares" 

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I had hoped to have an introduction to this topic voiced by the person
who suggested it. That may still happen - folks do have their personal
schedules. Not knowing the particular concerns which brought this topic
up, I can at least point out a few things and make some general
comments: 

ASP archives member's shares from our recovery meetings. The archives
are accessible to any ASP member who wishes and can be searched by date
and author. While access to these shares may add to many members'
recoveries, it is not at all a normal practice within Al-Anon to
document personal shares from recovery meetings for future use - if
you're not in a particular meeting you just don't get to hear what other
members share. You may recall this standard language from Al-Anon's
Suggested Closing: 

"...The things you heard were spoken in confidence and should be treated
as confidential. Keep them within the walls of this room and the
confines of your mind." 

I think we do this pretty well at ASP - at least IF we consider "the
walls of this room" as the entirety of ASP's seven daily recovery
meetings, our website links, and our host server's storage. In f2f
meetings, though, it is the usual interpretation of this phrase that
what's said in any one particular meeting does not leave that one room -
ever. Only the group members who are physically in the room at the time
a share is spoken get to hear it. It is the assurance of this degree of
anonymity which makes Al-Anon such a resource for open expression. 

When I joined ASP we had, I think, fewer than 200 members. We've grown.
We now have over 2,100 members. Yet the number of topic shares per day
has not grown to the same degree, barely doubling from my feel of
things. It has occurred to me that there may be as many as 2,000
registered members out there who never share at all. Other than what
they tell our greeters when they join our fellowship I have no idea who
they are. Hey, sharing is optional, so I don't mean to project here, but
who hasn't had newcomers to f2f meetings admit to being a student in a
college course which has required them to attend a 12-Step program as a
part of their classwork? Notes taken, etc.? Ever had an alcoholic attend
their wife's Al-Anon meeting without revealing that they're snooping? I
sure have. We're not immune from this. 

As I said, to my knowledge we've not had these problems. As we grow,
though, I can't help but admit that it's more and more likely we'll be
at risk. 

Hopefully this will start a conversation on the anonymity we expect for
ourselves and assure other members. Please give this some thought and
share your ESH on the topic here in the Business Meeting over the next
week. Thank you.    

 In service, 

 Jerry H., Acting BM Chair 

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