HOW TO START A CO-ANON MEETING
Who can start a meeting?
Tradition 3-The only requirement for membership is that there is a problem with cocaine or other mind-altering substance in a family member or friend. The family and friends, when gathered together for mutual help, may call themselves a Co-Anon Family Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.
How to begin:
- Choose a day, time and location. It is suggested that one be started and held at the same time and day as an established Cocaine Anonymous meeting.
- Contact the establishment of desired location to check on availability and rental costs. Establishments may be a school, hospital, church etc.
- Choose a name for the group. A name identifies a group. Remember not to choose a name which affiliates the group with an outside enterprise (ex; the name of the church or establishment you are meeting at).
- Register the meeting with Co-Anon WSO using the Online Group Registration Form.
- Submit your meeting to the Meetings Calendar by clicking HERE
For Meeting Changes
For meeting changes or corrections, please fill out the online Change Form.
Once completed we will send a confirmation to make sure we got it right.
What types of meetings are there?
Invite a member to share what it was like, what happened and what it is like now. This involves one or more speakers who relate their personal stories and this may include their perspective or interpretation of the Program.
This meeting is for open sharing about the slogans, tools and Principles of the Program. The leader shares or selects a member to share on a topic and then it is open for others to share.
In this meeting, someone reads from one of the Conference Approved pieces; either a book or a piece of literature on the step to be studied. It is suggested that this be done with the traditions.
Choose from one of the Conference Approved books or “The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous” and read from it. Experience has shown us that studying from the “Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous” gives the family and friends insight into the book that started it all.
This meeting is designated for celebration of Recovery or Time in the Program. Members share their gratitude for the Program or their recovery.
The group writes a variety of Slogans and phrases on paper and puts them in a container. The container is passed around the room and each member gets an opportunity to pull a piece of paper from the container. They then read and share on what they have read.
In this meeting you have a different type of meeting each week (ex; week 1 speaker meeting, week 2 Step study meeting, week 3 Open Topic meeting, etc…).
What Group positions need to be filled?
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Literature Chairperson
- Hospitality Chairperson
- Group Service Representative
- (See officer’s duties in your new meeting packet for description.)
How to attract new members
- Make flyers to announce when and where the meeting is starting and notify hospitals, treatment facilities, therapists, social workers, clergy etc.
- Talk to family and friends of Cocaine Anonymous members.
- Let your nearest Co-Anon area office know you have started a meeting, or you can submit to the previous links above. Give them a contact name and phone number of someone who is willing to take calls regarding the Program.
- Announce in the local newspaper the time, day and location of the meeting; remember it is attraction rather than promotion. Lead by example!
God Only Prunes Those That Have Potential To Grow
The tree that grows the straightest and strongest, is the on which is pruned and trimmed. At the time of pruning, the tree looks bare and lonesome. But, it is the tree that will grow back stronger than before. Your greatest problems are God’s way of making you stronger. He is pruning you because he knows that you will become a better, more fully developed human being and most important, he knows that you can survive the pruning. A good gardener knows how much to prune.
Look at your problems as opportunities to learn and become stronger. Life was not designed to be problem free. If we allow it, our higher power will help us and we will grow and be stronger for the experience. If we open our hearts to our higher power and ask for guidance to handle the difficulties or changes in our lives, we need to listen for the answer. Our higher power will speak to us and show us the way to a new beginning and growth. The way is before us, the adventures great and our dreams achieved through our spiritual relationships with them.
In the spirit of Tradition Six, Co-Anon Family Groups is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution.