About Treatment

The Treatment Facilities Committee is responsible to ensure meetings and/or panel discussions are held and supported in those treatment facilities wishing to have such meetings.
This outreach subcommittee shall:
• provide training for individuals and groups taking part in the work of
the outreach subcommittee.
• provide Intergroup-approved literature at the direction of the Operating Committee.
• cooperate with these facilities in providing assistance and service in
accordance with the primary purpose and Traditions of A.A.
• deal directly with facility staff and personnel who are responsible for
the alcoholic.
The chairperson of this outreach subcommittee is responsible to ensure compliance with the policies of each treatment centre.
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.

Treatment Committees are formed to coordinate the work of individual A.A. members and groups who are interested in carrying our message of recovery to alcoholics in treatment and outpatient settings, and to set up means of “bridging the gap” from the facility to an A.A. group in the individual’s community. A Treatment Committee may function within the structure of a general service committee on the area or district level or it may serve within the structure of a central office/intergroup. Prior to forming these committees, this Twelfth Step service is sometimes handled by an individual group or member. As A.A. groups grow in number in a community, experience suggests that a committee works more effectively. In some parts of the country, A.A.s interested in carrying the message into treatment and correctional settings work together on Hospitals and Institutions committees independent of, but in cooperation with, general service and intergroup committees. This structure also works well in areas where lines of communication between the various service entities remain open.


A.A. Guidelines for Treatment

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.

This Treatment Committee Workbook is dedicated to the many A.A. members who carry the message into treatment facilities and outpatient settings. The contents are the result of the shared experience of professionals, clients, A.A. members, and the trustees’ and Conference Treatment and Accessibilities Committees. The primary purpose of a Treatment Committee is the same throughout the United States and Canada, to carry the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers. There is probably no better place for an A.A. member to find a suffering alcoholic than in a treatment facility or outpatient treatment setting. According to the A.A. 2014 Membership Survey, 32% of our members cited treatment facilities as a factor most responsible for them coming to A.A. Carrying the message to alcoholics in treatment is basic Twelfth Step work — sharing experience, strength and hope — giving it away in order to keep it! Some A.A. members may be apprehensive about doing this kind of Twelfth Stepping. If they follow the suggestions presented in this Workbook and stick to the basics of the A.A. program, their efforts will be successful and rewarding. To quote Chapter 7 of the Big Book: “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. . . . Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail.”


A.A. Treatment Workbook

via aa.org/literature

video: Hope via aa.org

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).


Bridging The Gap

via aa.org/literature


A.A. In Treatment Settings

via aa.org/literature


A Newcomer Asks

via aa.org/literature