The questions in this questionnaire are only ‘possible suggestions’ of what might be considered for inclusion in your Area AA history. This questionnaire can be easily printed by clicking “Print This” above, top right.
The A.A. Area History Project
Prepared by:______________________________________Date submitted:_____________
Group Name:______________________________________ Area/District:_______________
Location: Town, City, County, State, Country, Province, Territory, Republic, etc…:
___________________________________________________________________________
A.A.W.S. Group identification number (if known):_____________________
City-wide, Area, State, Country Histories
Due to trying to cover more than a single group, these tend to have a bit different focus. No one has covered ALL the areas noted below in their history. So you may need to consider which might be appropriate for the history you are writing. There do seem to be two general approaches – one covering only ‘early’ history and the other trying to be more comprehensive, including ‘early till today’.
How did founders meet?
-came to be there at that time?
-How they first heard about AA?
-if the mention is made of other methods founders tried to get sober … try to be factual and brief, rather than critical
Connections or help from AA outside the area?
-correspondence with GSO,
-contact with traveling members or other groups.
Early members contributions?
Non-alcoholic ‘friends of AA’?
-spouses, doctors, legal professionals, clergy, etc.
Reaching Out
-early 12 Step work.
– to doctors, hospitals, jails & prisons, clergy etc.
“Slice of Life”?
-descriptions of what early meetings were like?
-how members related? Sometimes called ‘fellowshiping’ today.
-formal meetings and fellowship.
Locations?
-changes from member homes or business to rented space.
Press coverage?
-about AA there,
-that helped bring AA there (ex. Liberty, Sat. Evening Post)
Growth?
-evolution of early groups and membership.
-current number of groups and members
Relations with entities outside AA?
-doctors, hospitals, treatment places, Alcohol Councils, legal community, etc.
-including Al-Anon.
Establishment of service offices?
-Central Committee or Office, Intergroup, etc.
Participation in Assemblies, Forums, Conferences and Conventions?
Contributions to AA as a whole?
-pamphlets, newsletters, prayers, “ideas”,
-current customs adopted on a general scale, etc
Local customs observed?
Any “AA First’s”?
-other ‘bragging rights’
Clubs? Recovery Houses and Farms?
Special Occasions?
Anniversaries, Banquets, holidays, dances, “Open to the General Public” meetings, etc
Visits by co-founders?
Notable adversities overcome?
_____________________________________________
Guidelines cited as used in one article:
Information should come from reliable sources:
members who were a part of the group at the time,
AA publications
and newspaper articles.
Some of the stories are either remembered or written many years after the event.
Memories fade and exact dates, even years, tend to merge over time.
Therefore, in your history, only events that were documented at the time they happened should be presented as hard facts.
All else, including after-the-fact accounts, should be cited as stories.
This policy should be particularly adhered to concerning public events such as meetings, locations, and dates.
Some stories are certainly true, and probably most of them are based in some degree on fact.