RESOURCES

IMPROVE YOUR RECOVERY AT TELEPHONE MEETINGS

All the below suggestions work best if you're able to find at least one consistent meeting to attend. It's much harder to get comfortable if you never attend the same meeting more than once.

• If you've only listened at telephone meetings, introduce yourself when the meeting asks for newcomers to introduce themselves
• Arrive 5-10 minutes early so that you can participate in any informal fellowship before the meeting, or offer to do any readings; it's a good way to get to know people so you'll feel more comfortable
• Take down phone numbers of other meeting attendees you'd like to reach out to in between meetings; most OA members are happy to answer any questions you may have
• When you introduce yourself, offer your own phone number so that people will know who you are when you reach out to them; they may also reach out to you
• Stay on the line after the meeting to participate in any informal fellowship after the meeting; again, it will help you get to know people and feel more comfortable
• As you get more comfortable at the meeting, share when you're able to
• Sign up for the GPI Email List and bring information back to your group
• Reach out to people from the meeting in between meetings, and see what other meetings they attend that you may be able to attend as well; you'll be more comfortable at meetings where you already know some of the people
• Get an abstinent sponsor to guide you as you work the Twelve Steps.
• Reach out to a newcomer or other member of your group and see how they're doing
• Reach out to someone you haven't seen at meetings in awhile to let them know you're thinking about them
• Choose a home group (a home group is a meeting which you commit to attend regularly and where you get involved in service)
• Sign up to chair your home group or another meeting you attend regularly
• Take on a service position at your home group or another meeting you attend regularly
• If you are abstinent and have worked at least the first three steps, become a temporary sponsor (suggestions available at Temporary Sponsors: Newcomers' First Twelve Days)
• Continue to sponsor other members; more information available at:
  https://oa.org/working-the-program/sponsorship/
  Sponsorship Kit (available via the OA bookstore)
• Attend a new Telephone or Online meeting
• If possible, attend a Face to Face meeting or Event
• Serve on a GPI Committee

IMPROVE YOUR RECOVERY AT ONLINE MEETINGS

All the below suggestions work best if you're able to find at least one consistent meeting to attend. It's much harder to get comfortable if you never attend the same meeting more than once.

• If you've only listened at Online meetings with your camera off, turn on your camera and introduce yourself when the meeting asks for newcomers to introduce themselves
• Arrive 5-10 minutes early so that you can participate in any informal fellowship before the meeting, or offer to do any readings; it's a good way to get to know people so you'll feel more comfortable
• Take down the contact information of other meeting attendees you'd like to reach out to in between meetings; most OA members are happy to answer any questions you may have
• Share your own contact information, so that people will know who you are when you reach out to them; they may also reach out to you
• Stay on the Zoom after the meeting to participate in any informal fellowship after the meeting; again, it will help you get to know people and feel more comfortable
• As you get more comfortable at the meeting, turn on your camera and share when you're able to
• Keep your camera on for the entire meeting
• Sign up for the GPI Email List and bring information back to your group
• Reach out to people from the meeting in between meetings, and see what other meetings they attend that you may be able to attend as well; you'll be more comfortable at meetings where you already know some of the people
• Get an abstinent sponsor to guide you as you work the Twelve Steps.
• Reach out to a newcomer or other member of your group and see how they're doing
• Reach out to someone you haven't seen at meetings in awhile to let them know you're thinking about them
• Choose a home group (a home group is a meeting which you commit to attend regularly and where you get involved in service)
• Sign up to chair your home group or another meeting you attend regularly
• If you know someone having difficulty with Zoom meetings and you have the skills/ability, set up a phone call or visit so you can help
• Sign up to Zoom Host your home group of another meeting you attend regularly
• Take on a service position at your home group or another meeting you attend regularly
• If you are abstinent and have worked at least the first three steps, become a temporary sponsor (suggestions available at Temporary Sponsors: Newcomers' First Twelve Days)
• Continue to sponsor other members; more information available at:
  https://oa.org/working-the-program/sponsorship/
  Sponsorship Kit (available via the OA bookstore)
• Attend a new Telephone or Online meeting
• If possible, attend a Face to Face meeting or Event
• Serve on a GPI Committee

IMPROVE YOUR RECOVERY AT FACE TO FACE MEETINGS

• Arrive 10-15 minutes early so that you can help set up, participate in any informal fellowship before the meeting, greet newcomeres, or offer to do any readings
• Take down contact information of other meeting attendees you'd like to reach out to in between meetings; most OA members are happy to answer any questions you may have
• Put your own name and contact information in the We Care Book so that people will know who you are when you reach out to them; they may also reach out to you
• Stay after the meeting to participate in any informal fellowship after the meeting
• As you get more comfortable at the meeting, share when you're able to
• Sign up for the GPI Email List and bring information back to your group
• Reach out to people from the meeting in between meetings, and see what other meetings they attend that you may be able to attend as well; you'll be more comfortable at meetings where you already know some of the people
• Get an abstinent sponsor to guide you as you work the Twelve Steps.
• Reach out to a newcomer or other member of your group and see how they're doing
• Reach out to someone you haven't seen at meetings in awhile to let them know you're thinking about them
• If someone you know has trouble getting to Face to Face meetings, offer to drive them if possible
• Choose a home group (a home group is a meeting which you commit to attend regularly and where you get involved in service)
• Sign up to chair your home group or another meeting you attend regularly
• Take on a service position at your home group or another meeting you attend regularly
• If you are abstinent and have worked at least the first three steps, become a temporary sponsor (suggestions available at Temporary Sponsors: Newcomers' First Twelve Days)
• Continue to sponsor other members; more information available at:
  https://oa.org/working-the-program/sponsorship/
  Sponsorship Kit (available via the OA bookstore)
• Attend a new meeting (Telephone, Online, or Face to Face)
• Serve on a GPI Committee
• If you need more meetings in your area, start one. See Start a Meeting for information and suggestions.

SUGGESTIONS FOR STRONG FACE TO FACE MEETINGS

• Arrive 15-20 minutes early
• Most newcomers arrive early; you want your meeting to be ready for them
• That means the meeting place is unlocked and any signs showing how to find the meeting are posted at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the meeting
• Ideally newcomers arrive to a completely set up meeting, but if they arrive while you're still setting up simply welcome them and include them in the setup
• Having time to chat before the meeting allows for informal fellowship, which is vital to strong meetings
• Not being in a rush before the scheduled start time allows for a more relaxed meeting
• Start and end the meeting on time
• Stay after the meeting to talk to newcomers, each other, and help clean up
• Hold regular group conscience meetings. Don't know how? See Group Conscience Guidelines
• Compare your meeting to the Strong Meeting Checklist; how does the group compare and what needs to improve or change?
• Are service positions filled? If so, is rotation of service being practiced?
• Typical service positions include a Secretary (who may or may not be one of the group's contact people for the meeting list), Treasurer, Literature Person, Intergroup Representative, and Newcomer Greeter; each group decides on what positions best meet their needs.
• Rotation of service means that no one holds a service position forever; each group decides what the term of service will be for each position.
• Compare your meeting to the Unity with Diversity Checklist; how does the group compare and what needs to improve or change?
• See if your group would be willing and able to sponsor a workshop on an OA topic
• See if your meeting would be willing and able to sponsor an OA event such as the OA birthday, Unity Day, Sponsorship Day, IDEA Day, or 12th Step Within Day
• Find our when your group was founded and plan a special celebration for your group's anniversary
• Stay after the meeting to talk to newcomers and other members, and help clean up
• Reach out to newcomers and stay in contact with other group members during the week

SUGGESTIONS FOR STRONG ONLINE MEETINGS

• Arrive 10 minutes early to greet newcomers (who tend to arrive early), allow the chairperson to assign readings, and share informal fellowship
• Start the meeting on time
• Apply the guidance in GPI's Online Best Practices document as best meets the needs of your group
• End the meeting on time
• Stay after the meeting to talk to newcomers and each other
• Hold regular group conscience meetings. Don't know how? See Group Conscience Guidelines
• Compare your meeting to the Strong Meeting Checklist; how does the group compare and what needs to improve or change?
• Are service positions filled? If so, is rotation of service being practiced?
• Typical service positions include a Zoom Host/Security Person, Secretary (who may or may not be one of the group's contact people for the meeting list), Treasurer, Literature Person (while not meeting Face to Face, some Online meetings have chosen to mail newcomers or other members literature and/or recovery coins), Intergroup Representative, and Newcomer Greeter; each group decides on what positions best meet their needs.
• Rotation of service means that no one holds a service position forever; each group decides what the term of service will be for each position.
• Compare your meeting to the Unity with Diversity Checklist; how does the group compare and what needs to improve or change?
• See if your group would be willing and able to sponsor a workshop on an OA topic
• See if your meeting would be willing and able to sponsor an OA event such as the OA birthday, Unity Day, Sponsorship Day, IDEA Day, or 12th Step Within Day
• Find our when your group was founded and plan a special celebration for your group's anniversary
• Stay after the meeting to talk to newcomers and other members
• Reach out to newcomers and stay in contact with other group members during the week
• If possible, plan a get together of the group's members so that members can see each other face to face.
• Meetings that existed prior to covid and transitioned to being online meetings have the advantage that some group members already knew each other, and getting together face to face outside out of meeting time allows the meeting to extend the warmth and camraderie of the group to newer members who don't have the advantage of knowing everyone from before covid
• This informal get together doesn't have to be on the same day and time as the meeting
• The get together can happen as often or as rarely as the group chooses

SUGGESTIONS FOR STRONG TELEPHONE MEETINGS

• Arrive 10 minutes early to greet newcomers (who tend to arrive early), allow the chairperson to assign readings, and share informal fellowship
• Start and end the meeting on time
• Stay after the meeting to talk to newcomers and each other
• Hold regular group conscience meetings. Don't know how? See Group Conscience Guidelines
• Compare your meeting to the Strong Meeting Checklist; how does the group compare and what needs to improve or change?
• Are service positions filled? If so, is rotation of service being practiced?
• Typical service positions include a Secretary (who may or may not be one of the group's contact people for the meeting list), Treasurer, Literature Person (while not meeting Face to Face, some Telehpone meetings have chosen to mail newcomers or other members literature and/or recovery coins), Intergroup Representative, and Newcomer Greeter; each group decides on what positions best meet their needs.
• Rotation of service means that no one holds a service position forever; each group decides what the term of service will be for each position.
• Compare your meeting to the Unity with Diversity Checklist; how does the group compare and what needs to improve or change?
• See if your group would be willing and able to sponsor a workshop on an OA topic
• See if your meeting would be willing and able to sponsor an OA event such as the OA birthday, Unity Day, Sponsorship Day, IDEA Day, or 12th Step Within Day
• Find our when your group was founded and plan a special celebration for your group's anniversary
• Stay after the meeting to talk to newcomers and other members
• Reach out to newcomers and stay in contact with other group members during the week
• If possible, plan a get together of the group's members so that members can see each other face to face.
• Meetings that existed prior to covid and transitioned to being phone meetings have the advantage that some group members already knew each other, and getting together face to face outside out of meeting time allows the meeting to extend the warmth and camraderie of the group to newer members who don't have the advantage of knowing everyone from before covid
• This informal get together doesn't have to be on the same day and time as the meeting
• The get together can happen as often or as rarely as the group chooses