Weekly AA Principles Workshop Structure

Weekly AA Principles Workshop Plan

This plan outlines the general intention for a workshop designed to explore and grow in the principles as expressed in the program and fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. We have made an agreement to participate in this workshop together.  As a part of this agreement, we've agreed upon some common perspectives and commitments.  There are no rules or expectations of conformity in AA.  However, to maximize our commitment together and to understand what it is that we're doing here, we've come upon some common understandings.

If you are an alcoholic and are using the 3 legacies of Recovery, Service and Unity in Alcoholics Anonymous as your means to recover from your alcoholism, you are invited to participate with us in this workshop.  This is not a closed meeting (for alcoholics only) but only alcoholics are invited to share their discovery and use of the principles expressed in our 12 Steps, 12 Traditions and, 12 Concepts.  Families and friends of alcoholics (or anyone curious about what AA is) may find useful information here - they are welcome to attend but we request that they leave discussion and participation to alcoholics. This workshop is not a normal AA meeting in that we are collectively examining our ideas and experiences around the principles which we attempt to use in all the affairs of our lives.

This workshop is not a replacement for sponsorship, your AA home group or step work. We presume those attending will be active in each of those activities in their respective recovery efforts.  Our objective is to deepen our understandings of the totality of the program of AA as applied in our daily lives.  We are learning to live a spirit-led life in our respective journeys. 

So, following are the agreements we've made for this workshop.  We can change any or all of these agreements at any time per our group conscience.
  1. No one of us can presume any more “authority” or right to an opinion or perspective than any other.
  2. On a given evening, one person should be prepared to lead a discussion as a facilitator.  They may or may not be an "authority" on the topic we're discussing.
  3. If one feels compelled to respond to something shared, please ask for permission from the person sharing what you're relating to before responding directly.Please be sensitive so that participants don't feel they're attacked or "corrected" from their opinions or their experience.
  4. Questions are always encouraged but none of us has the authority or the permission to “correct” another in the course of our study. It is inconsistent with the spirit and intent of this workshop to attempt to change another person's understandings or beliefs (e.g., convert them to a particular religion).
  5. We share our AA experience and understandings of literature published by AA World Services and the principles we understand to be expressed in that literature and history only. 
    • Outside interests, publications or perspective issues should be left outside except as related to our specific experience.
    • In AA, we are all on a spiritual path but we don't have the right to convince someone that our path is better than any other path. 
    • Per our principles, we can not stand in judgment of another or their beliefs.
  6. This workshop will have a definite ending.  Once our purpose has been generally met, we will each move on to other journeys and lessons to pass that which we've received.

If you are interested in joining us along this road we hope you will commit to consistent attendance and participation. The nature and course of the discussions we have may seem strange to you but we invite you to join us in expanding our experience with AA principles as expressed in our lives.

 

Workshop Preamble

Welcome to our Alcoholics Anonymous Principles Workshop. If you are an alcoholic and are using the 3 legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous as your means to recover from your alcoholism, you are invited to participate with us in this workshop.

This workshop is not a normal AA meeting in that we are examining our collective thoughts and experiences around the principles which we attempt to use in all the affairs of our lives.

This workshop is not a replacement for sponsorship, your AA home group or step work. Our objective is to deepen our understandings of the program of AA as applied in our daily lives.

We have made an agreement to participate in this workshop which is further explained in a longer workshop plan. We'll be happy to provide you with a copy of that plan if you choose to join us. Briefly, we have agreed :

  1. No one of us has any more “authority” than any other. Questions are always encouraged but none of us has the authority or the permission to “correct” others' opinions or experiences in the course of our study.

  2. It is inconsistent with the spirit and intent of this workshop to proselytize your beliefs.

  3. We share our AA experience and understandings of AA literature and history and the principles we understand to be expressed in that literature only. Outside interests or issues should be left outside.

If you are interested in joining us along this road we hope you will commit to consistent attendance and participation. The nature and course of the discussions we have may seem strange to some, but we invite all to join us in expanding our experience with AA principles as we discover and use them in our lives.
 

AA Principles Weekly Workshop Meeting Format

Chairperson's notes:

This workshop follows a format.  Please just follow and read the following and minimize improvisation out of respect to the group conscience which has developed this format.

  1. Plan to attend on time or get someone to cover for you
  2. Before the meeting starts:
  • Find someone to read the Workshop Preamble
  • Coordinate with this workshop meeting's facilitator
  • Assist (suggest, encourage, cajole) folks in settling in and starting on time

Promptly at the starting time, start:

  1. My name is _________, please join me in starting this workshop with a moment of meditation and the serenity prayer. (a long moment of silence, then pray)
  2. I have asked ___________ to read our workshop preamble. (workshop preamble)
  3. (if there are any new people at the workshop, say:) We'll now go around the room and introduce ourselves.


  4. Tonight ___________ will lead us in an initial discussion of our AA principles as guided by our AA literature and personal experience. After 30 to 50 minutes, we will discuss our ideas and experience about AA principles.


  5. (after the share) We will now go open a discussion of our personal experience with the AA principle(s).  Please confine your sharing to the topic at hand and also limit your sharing so as many as possible can participate.

  6. (start at some arbitrary point in the circle and then encourage all to share  if someone is sharing too long or off topic, try to take control of the meeting again by stating that "...in accordance with our group conscience, we need to allow all who want to share...")
  7. (at the closing time, say...) That is all the time we have for discussion tonight.  We ask that you continue to discuss this discussion through the evening and over the next week.  Please join us next week when a discussion of ___________ will be led by _________.


    Now, please join me in the recitation of the 7th step prayer from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.     (close with the 7th step prayer: "My creator...")
 


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