Online AA Group | Any Lengths

Next Business Meeting:
Saturday, October 31, 2020.

For all who are willing to go to any lengths for victory over alcohol… a daily reprieve is here, every day starting at 12-noon Pacific time.

welcome to the

“Any Lengths” Group

Click on the button below just a few minutes before the top of the hour -- 12PM Pacific time, (converted to your time zone) and we'll see you there!

quick-start meeting tips & information

QUICK GUIDE

No password is needed for our meetings
Here's a good sign-in example: Joe T (Reno, NV)
Convert 12PM Pacific time to your timezone for the right time to join the meeting from your neck of the woods (use this handy converter by adding your city in the field below San Francisco, CA)
When joining the meeting, first you enter a waiting room - you will be let in generally within a few seconds
Review the topics below if you need more detailed help related to devices & getting connected

general instructions for Zoom

HOW-TO: “ZOOM”

A common email we receive is, "I need a meeting. How do I join yours?" If you can relate - perhaps you've never done online meetings, or maybe you're new to AA altogether in a time when local in-person meetings can be very difficult to find - and so it's just not clear how to get started online, you are not alone. It's also wise not to let being an "online meeting newcomer" delay you from getting to a meeting.

Actually, once attempted most people find it’s pretty simple to join a Zoom meeting ("Zoom" is the platform our AA meetings are hosted on) - easier than most people imagine. It's also highly enjoyable and fun as well! And it helps, but one doesn't have to use a desktop computer, laptop or fancy tablet to attend either.

To help get you started, download this simple one-page instruction sheet covering the various options you have for setting up Zoom on your device(s) and rest assured... you'll be in our online meeting room in no time.

Remember too, you can always use a phone and good old-fashioned "dial-up" if and when needed. Those instructions are covered in the section labeled "other ways to join our meeting."

We look forward to seeing you in the room soon!

other ways to join our meeting

OLD-SCHOOL WORKS!

Don't have a smartphone, tablet or PC handy? Join a meeting by dial-in:

dial (669) 900-9128
when prompted, key in meeting ID: 166-876-977, then the hash/pound sign: #
hit # again when prompted for a participant ID number (a feature we do not use)

Once you're in the meeting following a brief hold in the waiting room, you will want to get familiar with using:

*6 (star + six) to mute & un-mute your phone to share
*9 (star + nine) to a raise your hand to share
please do stay muted at all times except when you are sharing, or in the informal chat after the meeting

observing/visiting "open" A.A. meetings

An "open" AA meeting is defined best by A.A. General Services in New York (click on the image to enlarge it):

Any Lengths Online AA Meetings - Open Meeting Statement of Alcoholics Anonymous

For our meeting purposes, what this means is -- "the only requirement for attending our online meetings is to have a desire to stop drinking." That is all that is required to become a regular member of the group.

Outside of that however, "non-AA visitors" - psychology students for example - are also welcome to attend as observers. Early in each meeting we invite our non-AA visitors to introduce themselves and ask only that they not share during the member-sharing part of our meetings. Those sent to us by the courts are welcome to join us any day as well.

meeting attendance verification

We commonly have new friends come and attend our meetings for a time who have been sent to us (well, more accurately, sent to A.A.) by the courts. We know this can be for any number of reasons - reasons which many of our regular members also have experienced. If you are one of these people, you are of course also welcome to attend our meetings as often as necessary (refer to section above about "open" A.A. meetings).

For those needing proof of attendance at AA meetings, whether sent to us by the judicial system or by the educational system (student observers also commonly need some form of proof they attended a meeting), we do supply an accepted form of verification for whatever number of AA meetings one needs to attend. Please do keep in mind, however, that this is strictly a voluntary public service - that neither Alcoholics Anonymous World Services nor any local or online A.A. group (each group being fully autonomous from each other and from A.A. as a whole) is compelled to, or responsible for, providing this service. Additionally it is the responsibility of the person needing attendance verification to follow our process (meaning they ought not insist on needing special forms of proof such as daily scanned signatures, etc.) as well as to submit requests for verification in a timely manner, directly after each meeting attended. We verify attendance for those we can physically see in attendance for each full, 1-hour meeting. We do not and cannot rightly verify attendance for partial meetings, late-comers or meetings that took place in the past, weeks or a month ago.

Excerpt from the Forward,
4th Edition of the Big Book
of Alcoholics Anonymous (2001)

“While our literature has preserved the integrity of the A.A. message, sweeping changes in society as a whole are reflected in new customs and practices within the Fellowship. Taking advantage of technological advances, for example, A.A. members with computers can participate in meetings online, sharing with fellow alcoholics across the country or around the world. In any meeting, anywhere, A.A.’s share experience, strength, and hope with each other, in order to stay sober and help other alcoholics. Modem-to-modem or face-to-face, A.A.’s speak the language of the heart in all its power and simplicity.”

AA Literature

Closing Readings

Service Materials

_______ _{HOW TOs} _______
Serving as Chairperson
Service Position Descriptions
How to Screen Share
Timer Screen-Sharing
_______ _SECURITY _______
Maintaining Safe Meetings
(defending against Zoom intruders –
key tools & steps for all tech hosts)
______ _TIME-KEEPING ______
Timer Tone – Ding-Ding
Timer Tone – Bell Tone
Zoom Fix for No Timer Tone
“Time’s Up” Image

New to the A.A. Program?

We link to PDF versions of A.A. literature above (& audio versions if available), but you can get hard copies of both the AA “Big Book” and the Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions at cost at your local AA Central Office. Just do a web search for “your town aa central office.”
Of course, you can also order copies of each from Amazon.com [Big Book | 12 & 12], or through other retailers; just be aware they will cost significantly more.

Extra Service Rooms

As a member of Alcoholics Anonymous you will find at times that you need a good, safe, private space to work with another alcoholic for step work, for example. We’ve set up these virtual Zoom rooms just for that purpose. Members of the group may freely use them for AA-related work. We will also use the Service Room for training & review of service position roles & responsibilities.

Daily Service Roster

click here to add
name or edit roster
(automatically saves as you edit the doc)

Meeting Scripts & Stuff

(right-click, choose “Save Link As”
to save these files to your desktop)

Make 7th Tradition Contributions

You can now help support our group to cover operating costs and make contributions to the General Service Office, A.A. Online Intergroup & more. Some expenses include the Zoom platform, web hosting, domain costs, sobriety chips & mailing expenses and ensuring we hold a prudent reserve. A monthly accounting will be reported monthly and viewable on our main business meeting page beginning August/September.

Celebrate Your Sobriety with Us!

Are you a member of our group and want to celebrate an AA milestone? We want to celebrate with you! Let us know using the online form to the right and we will send you a sobriety chip in the mail! International too, in most cases! And if you’re new or coming back to Alcoholics Anonymous, you can request a virtual 24-hour

chip as well, a memorable reminder of your early days in sobriety.

NOTE: Please fill out and submit this form within a few weeks of each upcoming milestone date. We do not store & proactively search sobriety dates for upcoming member birthdays.

sobriety date:

I am celebrating:

👏 days:

🎈 months:

🎂 years:

Sobriety Chips Presented:

24 hrs. - 29 days ……… virtual chip
1, 2, 3, 6 & 9 month.. colored chip
1 or more years ……… bronze chip

group mailing list:

please add me to your email list

We maintain an email distribution list that we use to keep group members informed about any important news, or Zoom changes that might affect them; also meeting minutes are sent out monthly so everyone knows what decisions are made at our business meetings. We send out just 1-3 emails a month - no spam. If you think you're already on the list, just leave this unchecked.

name:

email address:

mailing address:

NOTE: We use address data solely for mailing sobriety chips to our members. This information is not stored anywhere that is accessible from any network. Include this only if you are celebrating 30 days or more. 24 hour chips are virtual and not mailed out.

Any Lengths Business Meetings

next business meeting in

days

hours

minutes

BIG THANKS to everyone who participated in the business meeting! Congrats & welcome to all the new meeting chairs & service team members.

Get information about our business meetings including upcoming agenda topics, minutes of past meetings, treasurer, website and other group reports, general business information and more. Business meetings are held the 2nd Saturday of each month following the regular meeting.

Proof of AA
Meeting Attendance

Need some form of verification to prove you attended a meeting?

Please use our main Proof of Attendance (PoA) form initially, being sure to familiarize yourself with the information. Once you become familiar with our group and our process, feel free to use this homepage version, or bookmark the main form:
any-lengths.org/poa.

PoA questions of form issues?
Email us at: admin@any-lengths.org

Fill out & submit this form once for each full meeting you attend, and only if you are familiar with our group & our process and we are familiar with you (if not, go here).

date you attended:

let us know about you:*

a regular attendee new to this group familiar with AA meetings new to AA

new to our group?
please tell us how often you plan to attend:

3-4 meetings a week 1-2 meetings a week 1-2 meetings monthly 1, just passing thru

IMPORTANT FOR FIRST-TIME USERS: Please submit only one request for each full meeting you attend. We visually confirm attendance of those members who need proof of attendance once we become aware of their need, especially those who attend our meetings often enough so we can get to know them. If you are new to us, or plan to attend only on occasion, it's important that you... email us as soon as possible at admin@any-lengths.org to get on our radar - our visual watch list. Otherwise, if we don't recognize you, we cannot confirm your presence at a meeting. Be sure also that your device name (on login) clearly identifies you. It's suggested in A.A. to display first-name, last-init. - example: Robert G.). After we are familiar with you, you've attended your first few meetings and exchanged emails with us, THEN you can use this form exclusively for attendance verification going forward. Should you have any questions or issues, or do not receive an email verification back within 48 hours, email us again directly. Always be sure to first check your spam folder.

if new to us, please ✓ to acknowledge:

i have read and understand the information above

name:

email address:

add any comments or questions here:

Other Great Meetings

Here are some links to other groups some of us attend and recommend highly:

Feeling Adventurous?

One positive result of our present situation is that face-to-face meetings all around the world, meetings we once never had access to, are now online and accessible today. One can check out a meeting in Tokyo, or visit a meeting in Dubai, or Mumbai! So feel free! Have some fun. Explore! Try out any of these abundant meetings, just a click away:

International AA Meetings (Pacific Time)

“I am responsible...
When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help,
I want the hand of AA always to be there.
And for that, I am responsible.”

Meeting Information:
• an easy 'join now' button
• Zoom 'how to' guide
• other ways to attend
Meeting Materials:
• AA literature
• our daily readings
• service & training docs
Extra Meetup Rooms:
• for service training
• working with sponsees
• impromptu 1-on-1s
Service Team Materials:
• our daily service roster
• meeting scripts (formats)
Business & Member Services:
• contribute to our 7th tradition
• biz meetings, agenda & minutes
• sobriety, birthdays & chips
• getting proof of attendance
Contact & Other Info:
• finding other meetings
• contacting us via email
• joining our mailing list

Next Business Meeting: Saturday, October 31, 2020.