The ways A.A's carry the message has changed over the years. The message hasn't.
1935: Bill W. & Dr. Bob meet face to face in Akron.
1939: The Big Book is published, carrying the message in print.
1939: First public service message about the Big Book appears in a New York Times ad, "Have You an Alcoholic Problem?"
1941: NBC begins a 13-part syndicated radio program called Is Alcohol a Problem in Your Home?
1941: Saturday Evening Post publishes Jack Alexander's article about AA.
1944: The AA Grapevine begins monthly publication as AA's meeting in print.
1945: Paramount Pictures releases the movie The Lost Weekend, based on the novel by Charles Jackson.
1946: Marty Mann explains alcoholism and AA on the radio show We The People. First Aussie meeting takes place in Sydney.
1947: First transatlantic telephone call is received by The Alcoholic Foundation from an Army hospital in Germany.
1948: An AA member explains principles of the program on Hi, Jinx, a morning radio show on WNBC.
1949: CBS radio broadcasts a 10 episode drama about an alcoholic who finds AA. GSO is deluged with inquiries.
1953: HAAM, an international fellowship of AA ham radio operators, is established.
1953: Art Linkletter interviews a masked woman member of AA on his TV show.
1954: The Grapevine asks for the signals of amateur radio operators who would like to communicate via the airwaves.
1956: An all-AA TV program, Mr. Hope, an actual closed meeting of masked AA members, debuts in Detroit. AA HQ in Detroit is besieged by telephone calls and letters from people wanting more information.
1956: Bill W. and Eve M. from general service are anonymous guests on the popular radio show Martha Deane on WOR.
1960: Broadcast of a radio show called Alcoholism - The Problem and the Hope, featuring Marty Mann and a GSO staff member.
1962: The Betty Furness radio program features a show on international AA.
1963: The movie Days of Wine and Roses is previewed by GSO staffers before its release.
l963: WNBC begins broadcasting an AA radio program called Ask an Alcoholic.
1966: AA creates a 60-second TV spot for distribution by public information committees.
1966: Five groups in two states hold the first telephone conference-call meeting.
1970: KUAT in Tucson, AZ, launches AA-of-the-Air, a radio show for homebound AAs.
1973: David Suskind interviews 5 women AAs on his TV show.
1976: Members of AA, Al-Anon, and Alateen are interviewed on the John Gentry Radio Show on WGCH in Greenwich, CT.
1979: The 29th General Service Conference views and approves Alcoholics Anonymous - An Inside View, a 28-minute color film produced by AA.
1980s: First AA bulletin boards, online meetings, and chat rooms appear.
1986: Q-Link, one of the first online AA groups, begins meeting, growing to 200 members nationwide in two years.
1988: GSO begins compiling a list of online AA groups.
1989: ABC-TV broadcasts My Name is Bill W. 1990s: TDD (text telephone) technology helps hard-of-hearing AAs talk with other AAs.
1990: Kansas Area public information establishes AA Message of the Day, a telephone service featuring daily readings from the "Twelve and Twelve."
1990: Connecticut's public radio show, Open Air New England, puts open AA meetings on the air.
1992: Thirteen 1-hour AA meetings airing 3 times a week are broadcast on cable TV stations in Portland, OR.
1995: Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (OIAA) is established.
2002: The Queensland Young People in AA Convention is netcast worldwide from Australia.
2002: Online AA reps meet, hoping to establish a service conference for AA in cyberspace.
From the AA Grapevine with addition.
2003-2004: Today there are literally thousands of Cyberspace Recovery sites and domains, AA chats, bulletin boards and meetings, a number of which are live voice meetings regularly scheduled 24 hours around the clock, and in many languages and countries other than the US.
I must admit I was leery about online AA...I had some preconceived ideas about it. When I first joined MIP I expected to see people that were using their alcoholism as an excuse for inappropiate behaviour, expected alot of 13-stepping, thought I would see people not willing to get honest with themselves. What I found was people willing to reach out and share their experience strength and hope with others and encourage the newcomers to find a meeting and get the f2f help that was available.
Being a member of this group has enhanced my recovery, and I have learned another valuable lesson in "contempt prior to investigation".
I love you all very much, Cheri
Nic said
Jun 29, 2005
Hi Cheri,
Your insight made me think. I am not sure if I had preconceived ideas when I came here...I guess I would have formed some sort of expectation. I definately knew I needed a group to keep in contact with. It is hard to imagine any 13 stepping in our group...*laughing*...this is the first time I have even considered it. *laughing really hard now*
Sorry. I know some folks really oppose it, and I have also been on the end of attempts to sidetrack from the primary purpose, and its not funny when you are trying to deal with it...so I will stop laughing at the thought of someone coming in and trying to crack onto our Gammy, or our Cabbagehead etc.
I guess it can and does happen elsewhere online, doesn't it? Actually...we really are free of any nonsense here, aren't we? Bar the occaisional spammer...What was that stupid photo post thing? (Cheering up my girl...or something like that)... I was nearly going to use my alcoholism as a reason/excuse to tell that bloke what a %*#%# he was, and had to think better of it a few times...lol. A friend introduced me to the cold shoulder concept recently, so figured I'd try practicing that. I decided it must have been a private joke, cos I certainly didn't get it, and am still hoping I didn't get a virus from the twit.
It's a good group. I think maybe because it takes effort to get involved and stay involved, and those with alternative agendas can't get those needs met here...so the folks who are here are all definately willing and sobriety/recovery focussed.
I think if I had any expectations or fears, it was probably that I was going to find a board full of messages I could find in a book, and I really needed contact with other members. I need to hear others ideas, views, interpretations, struggles, triumphs...it is easy for my mind to close down and become narrow when I am not in contact with a lot of people physically. It is also easy to slip into "everythings peachy" thinking...and I need a constant reminder of where I've been, so I don't forget how I got here, the site provides that for me...amidst online friendships which I also value.
I love you too.
cheri said
Jun 30, 2005
*giggle* Hey baby, come to my private chat and I'll keep ya sober **giggle**
Oh God, now I need to pee!! Thinking about it now it does seem sorta um...well, you know. But I think it is because we watch out for each other here, the same as we would do in a f2f.
The ways A.A's carry the message has changed over the years. The message hasn't.
1935: Bill W. & Dr. Bob meet face to face in Akron.
1939: The Big Book is published, carrying the message in print.
1939: First public service message about the Big Book appears in a New York Times ad, "Have You an Alcoholic Problem?"
1941: NBC begins a 13-part syndicated radio program called Is Alcohol a Problem in Your Home?
1941: Saturday Evening Post publishes Jack Alexander's article about AA.
1944: The AA Grapevine begins monthly publication as AA's meeting in print.
1945: Paramount Pictures releases the movie The Lost Weekend, based on the novel by Charles Jackson.
1946: Marty Mann explains alcoholism and AA on the radio show We The People. First Aussie meeting takes place in Sydney.
1947: First transatlantic telephone call is received by The Alcoholic Foundation from an Army hospital in Germany.
1948: An AA member explains principles of the program on Hi, Jinx, a morning radio show on WNBC.
1949: CBS radio broadcasts a 10 episode drama about an alcoholic who finds AA. GSO is deluged with inquiries.
1953: HAAM, an international fellowship of AA ham radio operators, is established.
1953: Art Linkletter interviews a masked woman member of AA on his TV show.
1954: The Grapevine asks for the signals of amateur radio operators who would like to communicate via the airwaves.
1956: An all-AA TV program, Mr. Hope, an actual closed meeting of masked AA members, debuts in Detroit. AA HQ in Detroit is besieged by telephone calls and letters from people wanting more information.
1956: Bill W. and Eve M. from general service are anonymous guests on the popular radio show Martha Deane on WOR.
1960: Broadcast of a radio show called Alcoholism - The Problem and the Hope, featuring Marty Mann and a GSO staff member.
1962: The Betty Furness radio program features a show on international AA.
1963: The movie Days of Wine and Roses is previewed by GSO staffers before its release.
l963: WNBC begins broadcasting an AA radio program called Ask an Alcoholic.
1966: AA creates a 60-second TV spot for distribution by public information committees.
1966: Five groups in two states hold the first telephone conference-call meeting.
1970: KUAT in Tucson, AZ, launches AA-of-the-Air, a radio show for homebound AAs.
1973: David Suskind interviews 5 women AAs on his TV show.
1976: Members of AA, Al-Anon, and Alateen are interviewed on the John Gentry Radio Show on WGCH in Greenwich, CT.
1979: The 29th General Service Conference views and approves Alcoholics Anonymous - An Inside View, a 28-minute color film produced by AA.
1980s: First AA bulletin boards, online meetings, and chat rooms appear.
1986: Q-Link, one of the first online AA groups, begins meeting, growing to 200 members nationwide in two years.
1988: GSO begins compiling a list of online AA groups.
1989: ABC-TV broadcasts My Name is Bill W. 1990s: TDD (text telephone) technology helps hard-of-hearing AAs talk with other AAs.
1990: Kansas Area public information establishes AA Message of the Day, a telephone service featuring daily readings from the "Twelve and Twelve."
1990: Connecticut's public radio show, Open Air New England, puts open AA meetings on the air.
1992: Thirteen 1-hour AA meetings airing 3 times a week are broadcast on cable TV stations in Portland, OR.
1995: Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (OIAA) is established.
2002: The Queensland Young People in AA Convention is netcast worldwide from Australia.
2002: Online AA reps meet, hoping to establish a service conference for AA in cyberspace.
2003-2004: Today there are literally thousands of Cyberspace Recovery sites and domains, AA chats, bulletin boards and meetings, a number of which are live voice meetings regularly scheduled 24 hours around the clock, and in many languages and countries other than the US.
Ref - http://www.barefootsworld.net/aacommtimeline.html
What a miracle.
I must admit I was leery about online AA...I had some preconceived ideas about it. When I first joined MIP I expected to see people that were using their alcoholism as an excuse for inappropiate behaviour, expected alot of 13-stepping, thought I would see people not willing to get honest with themselves. What I found was people willing to reach out and share their experience strength and hope with others and encourage the newcomers to find a meeting and get the f2f help that was available.
Being a member of this group has enhanced my recovery, and I have learned another valuable lesson in "contempt prior to investigation".
I love you all very much, Cheri
Hi Cheri,
Your insight made me think. I am not sure if I had preconceived ideas when I came here...I guess I would have formed some sort of expectation. I definately knew I needed a group to keep in contact with. It is hard to imagine any 13 stepping in our group...*laughing*...this is the first time I have even considered it. *laughing really hard now*
Sorry. I know some folks really oppose it, and I have also been on the end of attempts to sidetrack from the primary purpose, and its not funny when you are trying to deal with it...so I will stop laughing at the thought of someone coming in and trying to crack onto our Gammy, or our Cabbagehead etc.
I guess it can and does happen elsewhere online, doesn't it? Actually...we really are free of any nonsense here, aren't we? Bar the occaisional spammer...What was that stupid photo post thing? (Cheering up my girl...or something like that)... I was nearly going to use my alcoholism as a reason/excuse to tell that bloke what a %*#%# he was, and had to think better of it a few times...lol. A friend introduced me to the cold shoulder concept recently, so figured I'd try practicing that. I decided it must have been a private joke, cos I certainly didn't get it, and am still hoping I didn't get a virus from the twit.
It's a good group. I think maybe because it takes effort to get involved and stay involved, and those with alternative agendas can't get those needs met here...so the folks who are here are all definately willing and sobriety/recovery focussed.
I think if I had any expectations or fears, it was probably that I was going to find a board full of messages I could find in a book, and I really needed contact with other members. I need to hear others ideas, views, interpretations, struggles, triumphs...it is easy for my mind to close down and become narrow when I am not in contact with a lot of people physically. It is also easy to slip into "everythings peachy" thinking...and I need a constant reminder of where I've been, so I don't forget how I got here, the site provides that for me...amidst online friendships which I also value.
I love you too.
*giggle* Hey baby, come to my private chat and I'll keep ya sober **giggle**
Oh God, now I need to pee!! Thinking about it now it does seem sorta um...well, you know. But I think it is because we watch out for each other here, the same as we would do in a f2f.
And how great is that??
Love, cheri