To foster closer ties
CONNECTING AA MEMBERS FROM WITHIN
TO THE AA COMMUNITY OUTSIDE
Program to Foster Closer Connections Between AAs
Dear AA member,
The Facilitating Connection Program (FLR) connects new members being discharged from an institution with the AA in their community. You are asked to be that contact, called a Temporary Contact. When a new member about to be discharged contacts us, we match them with a Temporary Contact in the community where they will be living. If you have volunteered for this form of service, we will contact you for your consent and send you the contact's information. Your job is simple. You contact the new AA member and arrange to bring them to an AA meeting, ideally within 24 to 48 hours of their discharge. You commit to bringing them to at least six meetings. During this time, you help them get acquainted, get phone numbers, and perhaps find a sponsor and home group. You introduce them to other AA members so they have a broader network, and then you are available to serve as a Temporary Contact for someone else.
Please note: You are not expected to become their sponsor, even temporarily. It is best not to use the word "sponsor" to describe this type of service. The term "temporary contact" is preferable. If you are willing to reach out to AA when a member of an institution requests...
For assistance, complete the Temporary Contact form and submit it to your Resident Service Provider (RSG), the Resident Life Coordinator (FLR), or the Chairperson of the Correctional or Treatment Unit. Volunteers must comply with facility regulations regarding contact with residents, both while at the facility and after their discharge. The FLR Coordinator can provide the necessary information for each facility.
Suggestions for Temporary Contact
- Remember that you could be the first AA member outside the contact group to meet. Therefore, you represent all of us. It's important to be relaxed, friendly, and interested.
- Keep the conversation focused on recovery. Avoid discussing the new member's discharge. We do not offer opinions on external matters.
- Take the time to introduce the new person to as many AA members as possible. However, don't force contact. Some people are very shy.
- Invite him to the "after-meeting" if there is one. Show him that we are happy, joyful and free, and that abstinence can be enjoyable.
- Your commitment typically ends after attending six meetings, or as soon as a sponsor has been chosen. Use your good judgment regarding recovery to decide when to sever ties.
- Make sure the newly freed member receives a list of AA meetings, phone numbers, and publications.
- Encourage the new member to attend meetings as often as possible to find a home group and a sponsor as soon as possible. Tell them that even a temporary sponsor might be acceptable for the time being.
- Share your experience, your strength, and your hope with the member who has just been discharged, as you would with anyone new to AA in your community.
- Familiarize yourself with the FLR program suggestions contained in the brochure. We do not offer or suggest any other services or assistance unless you personally request them.
- Please respect the complete anonymity of the new member.
Copyright © 2011
by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
www.aa.org
FP-184