[Businessmtg] Newcomer Packets

[Steve Rankin]

Hi folks,

 

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.  In Al-Anon we share our experience, strength and
hope.  That is, we share what it was like, what happened and what it is like
now.  Ideas on what I believe would have helped have no place in Al-Anon
simply because that didn't happen, so it is not part of our experience.  

 

For example, my college sweetheart was a gal named Suzie.  Of all the women
in my life, Suzie was the only one that did not have alcoholism in her life.
Twenty years ago, we were preparing to move to our retirement home and I ran
across a shoebox of letters from Suzie.  Wow!  That beautiful young lady was
certainly in love with this messed up idiot!  Yeah, an idiot because I
messed up that relationship.  Not deliberately, but none the less the burden
for the demise of the relationship is mine.  OK, so does that mean that I
know that life would have been better with Suzie?  Nope.  I simply do not
know what life would have been like if things had been different - I only
know what it was like, what happened and what it is like now.  FWIW, I have
made several attempts over the last 20 years to find her and make an amends,
but have been unsuccessful.  

 

1.	A fact of life is that the vast majority of newcomers leave Al-Anon
quickly.  Very quickly.  For decades, I have watched newcomers attend
face-to-face Al-Anon meetings.  Almost one a week.  My home group is a
pretty darn good meeting - people regularly drive from other towns to attend
- yet we continue have 15 or so members instead of hundreds.  

One thing that I have noticed is that every time a newcomer says "This is
WONDERFUL, I'll be here for the rest of my life!" is the last time I ever
see that person.  Yes, that IS my experience, and yes, I do have theories on
that, but we aren't here to discuss theories.  We're here to discuss our
experience, strength and hope.  

 

So, while I do believe that Newcomer packets do have their place in Al-Anon
face-to-face meetings where meetings traditionally donate them to newcomers.
However, WSO does not give away anything that would otherwise generate
income for WSO and the Newcomer eBooklet is an obvious example.  Since the
Newcomer eBooklet is NOT available as a free PDF for the asking, the process
of obtaining and distributing it is problematic on several levels; short
term and especially long term.  Asking a newcomer for their real name and
mailing address is an obvious violation of anonymity, as well as a serious
afront to the newcomer that is already overwhelmed with life. 

 

About researching the issue. . .  If a member, or group of members, wishes
to pursue this issue, then I believe it is up to them to do the research and
find a solution to the problems that have been raised.  The Steering
Committee is responsible for implementing policy and practices of ASP.  It
is not the Steering Committee's responsibility to research and find
resolution to ideas that the members come up with.  

 

The problem we have today that we are trying to resolve is that we have an
existing group conscience that we deliver paper Newcomer packets via snail
mail to ASP newcomers.  For reasons that we do not have good facts on, that
project got started but never actually put into action.  The intervening
years have changed the landscape, and as we know today, there are both real
world and Tradition problems with the idea of ASP distributing newcomer
packets, whether they be paper or electronic.  As a result, the best
solution available to us today is clean the slate by repealing Motion #7.  

 

Love and SERENITY,

Steve

 



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