How to Include Dual Members in Al-Anon Service While Maintaining Our Policies

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How to Include Dual Members inAl-Anon Service
While Maintaining Our Policies
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How would you describe a dual member?

• A dual member is a member of both Al-Anon and
• Alcoholics Anonymous.

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What exactly is the policy?

• Read pages 78-79 of the 20102013 Al-Anon/Alateen
  Service Manual

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When and why did it start?

• 1966 A.A. and Al-Anon work together to create
  the policy that differentiates the two
  fellowships.

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Separate Fellowships

• 1967 The guidelines for group separation between
  A.A. and
• Al-Anon were approved at the
• Al-Anon World Service Conference.  

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Separate Fellowships

• Officers of each group should be members of
  either A.A. or
• Al-Anon, depending upon the groups affiliation.

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Separate Purposes

• The primary purpose of A.A. is to help fellow
  alcoholics recover.
• The primary purpose of
• Al-Anon is to help the member live with
  herself/himself, as well as with the alcoholic.  

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Separate Purposes

• We are separate entities with separate purposes.
• Dual members do not serve in
• Al-Anon policy-making positions, otherwise this
  would give the appearance of not being separate.

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Consider Some Ways Dual Members Can Serve.

• Depending on Area/local policies, serve on event
  committees
• Area
• District
• Group
• Al-Anon Information Service

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Consider Some Ways Dual Members Can Serve.

• Assist Public Outreach/Institutions
• Area
• District
• Group
• Al-Anon Information Service

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Consider Some Ways Dual Members Can Serve.

• Support fellowship communications
• Area district Web sites
• Area district newsletters

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Consider Some Ways Dual Members Can Serve.

• Attend to technology needs
• Area
• District
• Group
• Al-Anon Information Service

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Consider Some Ways Dual Members Can Serve.

• Become certified as an
• Al-Anon Member Involved in Alateen Service
  (AMIAS).

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Consider Some Ways Dual Members Can Serve.

• Contribute to WSO publishing

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Consider Some Ways Dual Members Can Serve.

• Support strategic planning by serving on Thought
  Forces and Task Forces
• Area
• District
• Al-Anon Information Service

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Consider Some Ways Dual Members Can Serve.

• Liaison to local A.A. via convention or
  Intergroup service.

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Strategy 1

• Develop a workshop for all service arms to use as
  a framework to begin a productive discussion.

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Strategy 2

• Create service tools (i.e., guidelines) to
  support the fellowship in identifying service
  roles for dual members, to assist service arms
  to
• Clarify the criteria to use when deciding
• which service positions are appropriate
• for dual members.
• Generate a list of available service
• opportunities that can be filled by dual
• members, based on established policy.

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Strategy 3

• Encourage members to write Forum articles that
  support constructive discussions about dual
  members in service.

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Lets discuss

• Which strategies presented do
• you believe can be effective?
• Which strategies presented do
• you believe may not be
• effective?
• Are there other possible
• strategies that are missing?

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Strategies

• 1. Develop a workshop for all service arms to
  use as a framework to begin a productive
  discussion.
• 2. Create service tools to support the
  fellowship in identifying service roles for dual
  members to assist service arms to do the
  following
• Clarify the criteria
• Generate a list of available service
  opportunities
• 3. Encourage members to write Forum articles.