The World Wide Web of AA
The World Wide Web of AA
On November
11, 2000 at 8pm the first meeting of the Staying Cyber Coffee Pot group was
called to order. Sitting around a
few tables in the Best Inn Café in Williamsburg Virginia gathered 12 people
sharing their experience, strength and hope.
What was even more amazing than the beautiful stories of love and hope
that were being shared were the circumstances leading up to this night.
April 7th, 1999, I
was sitting at my desk at work hung over after a weeklong bender that almost
cost me my life. Knowing that
something in my life had to change I did a search on the internet for
alcoholism. Something popped up on
my screen that looked interesting. The
name of the site was Staying Cyber. I
investigated further to find that the site offered online meetings on
alcoholism. I was familiar with the
existence of AA, but I had no real idea what it was or what the 12 steps were.
On the first page a welcome and a brief description followed.
“Staying Cyber is a series of weekly Alcoholics
Anonymous meetings. Each meeting runs for a full week so that you may read
or contribute at your convenience.
Anyone who has a desire to stop drinking is welcome
to share in any of the meetings. We ask that you limit your discussion to your
drinking or your alcoholism as it relates to the current topic.
The Coffee Pot page is available for general
discussion, sharing, group business, announcements, greetings, jokes, etc.”
The Coffee Pot is what sparked my interest. I still wasn’t ready to admit I was an alcoholic, but I could read general discussions, jokes, etc. As I read the message board I began recognizing the feelings and fears of the people posting. They were saying things that I had said about my drinking. I felt a camaraderie and love there that I had not experienced before. I found myself typing in the “Add Your Comments” box at the end of the page. With my fear and anger and loneliness pouring out onto the screen before me I asked for help, advice and the hand of AA. It reached back towards me. Suddenly I had a number of people telling me to go to an AA meeting, to call the local number in Atlanta and that someone would tell me where I could find a meeting. I was scared and didn’t know what to do or what to expect. The comforting words from people all over the world was overwhelming. People said they understood, that they too had been in this pain, but that they walked through it. What is more they told me that I too could walk through this, without the help of alcohol. I had been 12th-stepped from around the globe. I went to my first meeting that night and picked up a white chip.
Fast forward to September 2000. I had already been sober over a year. Along with going to my meetings at the clubhouse I also checked in to my Staying Cyber site. I shared in the discussion meetings, step meetings, but especially on the Coffee Pot. I had already met a number of people from the site. I had attended meetings in a few different states as a guest of other members of the site and had hosted a few friends in my hometown, taking them to meetings. At some point one of our members in Israel mentioned that she would be in Canada to visit family. Soon another member in Florida told her he would love to meet up with her for a visit. It was soon decided that they would meet somewhere in between. In her infinite wisdom and kindness Julie mentioned another member of the site in Virginia who had not yet attended a meeting in real life. It was decided if he couldn’t go to a meeting than they would bring a meeting to him. The idea blossomed. Soon people from all over the country were discussing ways to attend the Coffee Pot Roundup. A date was set, reservations where made and an event was set in motion. Looking back in hind sight it is clear that this was far bigger than any of us ever imagined. It is so obvious that a Higher Power was involved in each of us attending. People from New York, California, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Indiana, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Israel descended upon a little inn near Colonial Williamsburg and history was made.The first meeting that night is something I will never forget. At the suggestion of another member of the Coffee Pot, we each decided to tell our story and how we found the Coffee Pot. As I looked around the room it seemed as if every person was hanging on every word the other spoke. Tears and laughter permeated the room. Story after story was told. The gratitude that each of us expressed for our Internet AA friends was entwined in each story. The meeting was spellbinding. We hardly noticed the clock quickly approaching midnight. Then it was Skip’s turn. At the time most of us were unaware that this was Skip’s very first AA meeting. His story was similar to mine. He knew that alcohol was no longer working for him. He searched for websites regarding alcoholism and came across the Staying Cyber site. I can still hear the words “Hello my name is Skip and I’m an alcoholic”.
The weekend was awe-inspiring. There are no words to describe the bonding and love that was experienced. The fellowship of AA is not only reaching across economic and social boundaries, but reaching across geographical boundaries also. Through the Internet AA not only comes into our lives, but literally into our homes any time of the day and night. I think that we forget sometimes how many people are out there unable to attend meetings for various reasons. They are in remote areas with little or no meetings. They are losing their hearing and listening in a meeting is getting progressively harder. They are at home with children running about and just need to reach out and be heard. More and more AA and recovery web sites, chat rooms and message boards are popping up everyday on the Internet. This often-overlooked tool could be such an asset to our program.
Another Coffee Pot Roundup is in the planning already. I know that I’ll be there with bells on. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Mel B