Category Archives: Alateen Safety Guidelines G-34

‘Mothers With A Purpose’ Fighting Teen Drug Problems Sends Them To AA Meetings

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These two Mom’s met at an AA meeting and ended up starting ‘Mothers With A Purpose’. If you notice all they are offering the teens is to attend AA and NA meetings. They do not point out that AA and NA have no meetings for minors. There are only adult meetings with court mandated felons. It is great to see an effort being put out to reach teens.
They need to offer them something other than the 12 step program. www.smartrecovery.org has teen literature for those that want to start a teen meeting in their area that is non-religious and science based.

Local Moms Fighting That Drug Problem on Our Doorstep
Meet the Pleasanton moms and founders of Mothers with a Purpose, who want to beat the pervasive drug problem through education.
By Autumn Johnson and Tanya Rose Email the authors March 8, 2012

In July of 2010, when Donna and Kelly spearheaded Mothers With a Purpose, a group that provides support and raises awareness for families battling prescription pill addictions, they had no idea they would end up foraging friendships from working through the pain. The duo met when Kelly recognized Donna’s son while attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with her own son. The two mothers connected and realized their children were going through a similar battle of prescription drug addiction.

After meeting for hours and crying over the agony of the opiate addictions their children were fighting, they decided to take action and to start a support group. They have asked that their last names not be used, to protect the privacy of themselves and their families. Donna recruited other families in the community who were suffering from the same problem. The group rapidly grew from the two tenacious mothers to now close to 100 people.

“Forty years ago, addicts were seen as the scum of the earth,” said a former addict, who has spoken before the group about his own struggles in an effort to help Pleasanton kids who are suffering. “Today, it can be a child from a family that makes a million dollars. It’s not someone who lives in alleys; it’s your own neighborhoods.”

Mothers With a Purpose meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of every month at Foothill High School in Pleasanton. They welcome anyone who wants to attend and both say it takes courage to walk through the door of those meetings to face and work through their worst fears.

The former speaker said that before Mothers with a Purpose, there wasn’t really an organization out there solely for support.”The best way to get help was to talk to another parent in the same situation,” he said. “There’s no place to turn — it’s not like you can go to church and ask around. It’s really a hidden thing.”

“Everyone is hurting from something,” says Donna.

According to Donna, the mission statement of the group is to provide total awareness, support and resources to those children and families confronting and struggling with the disease of addiction.

The group, which has recently become a non-profit organization, has had overwhelming support from the Pleasanton Police Department, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, the Mayor’s Office in Pleasanton and the Pleasanton Unified School District.

In addition to the bi-monthly meetings and a website that offers many resources, Donna and Kelly attend local drug and alcohol forums. They often bring children to speak who are recovering addicts. After the forums, parents usually thank the pair for their candor. Both agree that the disease of addiction, specifically prescription pill addiction, is a nation-wide problem. Locally, they say the knowledge of this problem in the schools and in the community still shocks residents.

Donna says every parent should have to go through a class before their kids start school. “[This experience] teaches you different areas you need to balance,” says Kelly. “I look at life differently now. When it happens, you are a fish out of water. It is a life-time journey.”

Donna says her biggest challenge in starting the group has been standing up in public forums. For Kelly, the biggest challenge has been getting parents to listen. “Listening is what is going to cause change,” said Kelly. “The only way to beat this is to educate people.”

“It is our recovery too,” added Donna. “If I had had this education growing up, maybe things would have been different,” the forum speaker said. “I didn’t even know what an alcoholic was; I just knew that I did drugs and I did it well and I loved it. Every day, I struggled with addiction but now I have tools so I don’t need to do drugs. I can cope with life.

“It is all about the parents being educated,” he says, noting that he knows of a parent of a drug-addicted teen who wanted to take her own life, because she didn’t know what else to do and felt so desperate.

http://pleasanton.patch.com/articles/prescription-pill-problem-on-your-doorstep

AA Fails To Protect Minors From Predators They Invite To Meetings

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Now this is rich, some AA members are actually showing concern for minors at meetings and wanting to do something about it. Yet they are shot down, because of liability concerns. If they admit there is a problem with minors not being safe at AA meetings, then you are looking at liability concerns. For anyone reading this in AA, let it be known that MANY people are aware of this problem including AA headquarters In New York City. We know you know! There is no way to pretend that you do not know. It is an outrageous statement to come back with. They put it all on the groups themselves. To protect minors in AA should be a priority that includes AA headquarters.  Of course anything each group decides to do to protect minors in meetings would be helpful.They can stop inviting minors, not allow mandated minors and stop having youth outreach campaigns to have minors come to adult AA meetings!  You need to look at what Alateen does to protect minors.

Here are some of the highlights presented by our Southeast Regional Trustee

The General Service Board received a request to develop a policy on making the rooms safe for young people who are coming to AA. They wanted to be sure minors are being protected. We received all kinds of background material as to why our rooms aren’t safe from predators. The idea was sent to the General Service Board, and the board sent it to a committee. The committee deliberated and said we want the rooms safe for everybody. The question is, is that just in the AA meeting room or is that outside the meeting room’ The Board had a discussion as to what do we do’ The decision was that it was the responsibility of each group. All that we could do as a Board is to say that it is the responsibility of each group. Part of that is because we have no authority to tell groups how they need to function or what they need to do. That’s the groups’ autonomy. The other part is that we may not know what the issues may be in your group or your community. We need to work hard to make sure the rooms are safe.

Question ‘ Would it be reasonable to have a service piece on the safety in the rooms of AA that might open the eyes of the fellowship’
Answer ‘ I am not an attorney but we have had counsel indicate that if you say there may be a problem and you don’t do something about it, and there is a problem, then you may be liable because you have said there may be a problem. The best way of saying it is, if we print anything that says there may be a problem then if there is a problem then we got a problem. We not only struggle with the spiritual responsibilities but the legal responsibilities in providing information. So the board decided to send people out, like me, and you to do something about it. If your Area feels like we need a written piece, then that is where the voice needs to come.

http://www.area26.net/Reports/2010-10-9-10_Area_26_Reports_For_Oct_2010.htm#District_26

ALATEEN SAFETY GUIDELINES G-34

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Alateen is a branch of Ala-non headquartered out of Virginia Beach VA. They have a safety guidelines brochure G-34 addressing the minors in their care. They speak many times about how each area should review their local laws and regulations in regard to teens, as they vary from state to state. Unfortunately it does not tell members what state agencies for them to contact to find out this information.

As many of you know Alateen and Ala-non are based on 12 step principles. Some how they have managed to put into place safety guidelines for Sponsors and teens for their program. They have implemented procedures that AA/NA Corporate offices state they cannot possibly do, because it would break traditions. This is what they hide behind to have no accountability. Yet Alateen follows the very same 12 step principles, and their safety precautions are mandatory. In fact if a group is not compying, they will remove them as a group pronto! Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous refuse to have any safety guidelines and are flying under the radar when it comes to protecting minors or other vulnerable members of society.

I assume Alateen has taken this step to satisfy Insurance Companies and themselves from liability. Yet we have AA and NA going into high schools, juvenile detentions centers, and have literature stating you are basically never too young to join the adults in AA/NA. Yet they follow zero safety guidelines. DCF seems to look the other way. Why is this obvious lack of accountability with minors being ignored?

Courts are mandating level 3 sexual predators, rapists, and other violent felons to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous everyday through out this country. AA and NA are aware of minors being sexually assaulted by AA members, yet they have voted to do nothing about it. Except to solicit more minors to attend dangerous meetings.

Plus many women have been raped and others killed,stabbed and financially scammed by 12 step members they met at meetings. There needs to be safety measures put into place to protect people attending meetings.

Here is the start of Alateens G-34 phamphlet-

Alateens are members of the Al-Anon fellowship who have suffered because of the alcoholism of a loved one. They have come to Alateen seeking recovery. Before recovery can take place, an environment of trust and safety must exist. It is the responsibility of Al-Anon and Alateen as a whole to work together to maintain a healthy, loving, and supportive environment.

These guidelines offer procedures for insuring the safety of Alateen members, their Sponsors and Al-Anon/Alateen as a whole. All guidelines, including the Alateen Safety Guidelines, offer the shared experience of Al-Anon/Alateen members. Following these guidelines is not a substitute for knowing and obeying the law of your area as it relates to minors. Each state and province has its own way of regulating these issues, and it is important that each person involved with Alateen is aware of and follows local legal requirements.

Read the rest!

http://www.al-anon-ak.org/cms_uploads/G34.pdf

EMOTIONS RUN HIGH AT HOLLY HILL Fl MEETING DISCUSSING NA AA PARK MEETINGS

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HOLLY HILL Florida — Holly Hill Police escorted two individuals pointing fingers and raising voices at each other out of a workshop on the issue of regulating public parks on Tuesday. The incident prompted Commissioner John Penny to remind the citizens attending the workshop the commission was “setting park policy irregardless of any individual group,” and that behavior and discussion should remain professional. In a rare move, the commission allowed the public to speak during the workshop, which is not the usual procedure. AA Daytona and NA Daytona Meetings in Daytona and Holly Hill Area.
Among 37 citizens who attended, some spoke their minds about wanting further and stronger regulations to include requiring any larger groups to reserve space and pay a fee for using the park, among other things. Steve Smith suggested having an educated and trained park director would help resolve some of the problems. Mr. Sanderford presented a petition with 88 signatures of citizens wanting stronger regulations. He operates a shop across from Sunrise Park.

A few individuals hinted at the value of self-help groups using the park often, and one person even said the groups using Sunrise Park on weekends had relocated. Not until the commission closed public discussion did the crux of the issue surface clearly. “This has turned into a battle of two worlds, and I don’t think we should be in the middle,” said Commissioner Liz Towsley Patton. “There’s no secret we are here because of the NA (Narcotics Anonymous) and AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings at the park. I don’t think we are here to micromanage public parks.”

But Commissioner Donnie Moore had a different take, and said he had spent two hours speaking with park officials in Daytona Beach. He recommended the city attorney, who was not present, get with the Daytona Beach city attorney and park staff to come up with rules applicable to all who use the park.

The policy being discussed encompassed 13 rules laid out by acting Police Chief Steve Aldridge. The rules included such items as smoking in designated areas, pet rules, no alcoholic beverages except by permit at organized events, no littering, no discharge of firearms, designated parking and no children on the playground before sunrise or after sunset. Penny said he was comfortable with Aldridge’s list and recommended the list be forwarded for action at a future commission meeting.

Commissioners agreed to look at giving designated smoking areas a 90-day trial, and to ask the city attorney to speak with park officials in Daytona Beach to better understand the issues.

Comment- Citizens are demanding stronger regulations for the local parks
because of the increasing problems that have arisen because of the presence
of Large Party Groups and Daytona Beach Area Narcotics Anonymous and Daytona Beach Alcoholics Anonymous- Volusia County Intergroup.  Interesting that the City attorney was not present.Still no action has been taken by the City of Holly Hill regardless of the pleas from numerous local citizens.
Citizens have had their life threatened by Daytona Beach Narcotics Anonymous members and been confronted by Daytona Beach Alcoholics Anonymous Volusia County Intergroup. Others have been cussed out. Police have been called numerous times- yet Holly Hill only protects the felons that attend the meetings that have been mandated by Drug Court and the Department of Corrections.
Update- Even though Holly Hill has passed NO Smoking in the parks- AA and NA groups continue to smoke in our parks with no repercussions.

Dangers Of Teenagers and Children Attending Holly Hill Fl AA NA meetings

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Local citizens have witnessed children and teens of all ages attend Daytona Beach AA and NA meetings.These minors are exposed to very detailed horror stories of drug and alcohol abuse. It is not healthy emotionally for children to be exposed to the adult nature of these meetings. Many people who attend are felons who have committed violent crimes, and even sexual predators that are mandated by the court system to go to Daytona Beach AA meetings.This is putting members at risk-but what is even worse is putting children and teens in harms way. Daytona AA and NA need to do what is in the best interest of children and teens, and protect them from emotional and physical harm. It is outrageous this is allowed to go on. These organizations know of the dangers minors are exposed to at meetings. Yet they turn a blind eye to this harmful practice of allowing young children and even encouraging teens to attend adult meetings. Your children or teenagers are NOT healthy or safe at Daytona Alcoholics Anonymous or Holly Hill Narcotics Anonymous meetings.Please do not take them to meetings.