Alcoholics Anonymous can be a great resource for judges, attorneys, probation officers, court-appointed counselors and other referring professionals. A.A. has a committee in place, Cooperation with the Professional Community, or C.P.C., designed to bridge the communication gap between A.A. and the legal community. C.P.C. welcomes any suggestions or feedback to take back to A.A. at the district level, a source that would normally be unavailable to the general public through our tradition of anonymity. C.P.C. can also provide informational presentations that will explain how legal professionals can utilize A.A. and the resources that are provided to the general public.
Please contact cpc@aadistrict61.org to schedule a free presentation for your legal practice, your court department, or just for you! Two A.A. members will explain briefly about how they found A.A., their experience in A.A., and how their lives have changed since attending meetings and working the twelve steps. These members will provide a male and a female contact for the attendees of the presentation. Attendees will be informed as to how they can and cannot use the contact. These contacts can meet with anyone who has a desire to stop drinking, take the potential alcoholic to meetings, or simply share their story with the potential alcoholic in the hopes of relating. These contacts are anonymous and therefore cannot provide “letters of recommendation” or reports of offenders to the court system. All that can be expected is that the alcoholic will learn to live a happy, sober life and hopefully this will serve as its own recommendation.
Occasionally, judges ask that an offender acquire written proof of attendance at meetings. These slips will usually be signed by a meeting chairperson or secretary (usually the first name only), but because of A.A.’s principle of anonymity, this cannot be required of any meeting. Court professionals should understand that these signatures do not signify any affiliation to A.A., cannot guarantee that the offender attended the entire meeting, or warranty that the offender is remaining sober.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a 12-step program that aids recovery from alcoholism. A.A. cannot help the offender with any other problem or addiction, although in some cases there are other 12-step programs available for problems other than alcohol. Anyone, however, can attend an Open A.A. meeting. Closed meetings are solely for those who have a desire to stop drinking. Meeting schedules for both open and closed meetings are available upon request by emailing cpc@aadistrict61.org.
