About CPC

In the spirit of cooperation without affiliation, the Cooperation with the Professional Community Committee (CPC) shall be responsible to develop and implement activities designed to provide information about A.A. to those who have contact with alcoholics through their profession. This group includes health care professionals, educators, members of the clergy, lawyers, social workers, union leaders, industrial managers, government officials, as well as those working in the field of alcoholism. Information is provided about where we are, what we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do.
This outreach subcommittee shall:
• provide training for members interested in CPC work.
•fill requests for A.A. speakers and/or panels for non-A.A. events.
• investigate ways to carry the A.A. message to those who have contact with alcoholics through their profession and to take action at the direction of the Operating Committee.
• ensure an adequate supply of Intergroup-approved literature is available for these purposes.
The outreach subcommittee shall meet regularly and encourage participation.

GVIS Procedures & Guidelines

via vancouveraa.ca

The Intergroup Committee shall consist of members of Alcoholics Anonymous duly elected to represent their respective groups as Intergroup Representatives, sitting members of the Operating Committee, outreach subcommittee chairs and a non-voting recording secretary. The Intergroup Committee provides direction in the management and operation of the affairs of A.A. in the Intergroup service area. The Intergroup service area will be defined by the Intergroup committee. Each member is entitled to one vote.

By action of the General Service Board, January 1970, the trustees’ Committee on Cooperation with the Professional Community
(C.P.C.) — a spin-off from the Public Information Committee — was developed. A similar Conference committee was formed the following year. Since that time, A.A. members in local areas have been responding to local need by establishing C.P.C. committees. A.A. is considered by many professionals to be a valuable resource for alcoholics who want help. When there is a good working relationship between A.A. members in the community and paid alcoholism workers, the sick alcoholic is the winner — he or she gets the help needed from both.
We are not in competition with these non-A.A.s; we have our separate functions. A.A. is not in the business of education, research, medicine, counseling, treatment, prevention, or funding. We simply have a message to carry about a program of recovery for alcoholics — a program that works for hundreds of thousands who want it. The professional can reach out to alcoholics — by education, counseling, and rehabilitative treatment — and can also be of aid through making the community aware of the millions still suffering from the progressive illness of alcoholism.

A.A. Guidelines for CPC

via aa.org/literature
A.A. Guidelines are compiled from the shared experience of A.A. members in various service areas. They also reflect guidance given through the Twelve Traditions and the General Service Conference (U.S. and Canada). In keeping with our Tradition of autonomy, except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole, most decisions are made by the group conscience of the members involved. The purpose of these Guidelines is to assist in reaching an informed group conscience.

“Our Twelfth Step — carrying the message — is the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society for alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die.” The A.A. Service Manual, “A.A.’s Legacy of Service,” page S1 C.P.C. came into being as a distinct entity in 1970 when the trustees’ committee was formed as an outgrowth of the Public Information Committee. In 1971, the Conference C.P.C. Committee was established. Today, many local communities, areas and regions consider C.P.C. an activity separate from public information, treatment or corrections work. In some places, though, there is overlap. Members of C.P.C. committees inform professionals and future professionals about A.A. — what we are, where we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do. They attempt to establish better communication between A.A.s and professionals, and to find simple, effective ways of cooperating without affiliating.

A.A. CPC Workbook

via aa.org/literature
This Workbook is service material, reflecting A.A. experience shared at the General Service Office. A.A. workbooks are compiled from the practical experience of A.A. members in the various service areas. They also reflect guidance given through the Twelve Traditions and the General Service Conference (U.S. & Canada).


How A.A. Members Cooperate
with Professionals

via aa.org/literature


If You Are a Professional..

via aa.org/literature


A.A. in Your Community

via aa.org/literature