Volume 20 | Issue 01          Web version

Anonymous Times

Published by North Orange County Central Office of Alcoholics Anonymous Groups, Inc.

www.aanoc.org | (714) 773-HELP

 1661 E. Chapman Avenue, Suite 1H

Fullerton, CA 92831

May 2020 Issue

Step 5

"Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."

Twelve Steps deflate ego.  Step Five is difficult but necessary to sobriety and peace of mind.  Confession is an ancient discipline.  Without fearless admission of defects, few could stay sober.  What do we receive from Step 5?  Beginning of true kinship with man and God.  Lose sense of isolation; receive forgiveness and give it; learn humility; gain honesty and realism about ourselves.  Necessity for complete honesty.  Danger of rationalization.  How to choose the person in whom to confide.  Results are tranquility and consciousness of God.  

Tradition 5

"Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its' message to the alcoholic who still suffers."

Each Alcoholics Anonymous Group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose - that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

Concept 5

"Throughout our world service structure, a traditional "Right of Appeal" ought to prevail, thus assuring us that minority opinion will be heard and that petitions for the redress of personal grievances will be carefully considered."

An Epidemic with a Pandemic

May 5 is #GivingTuesdayNow, a unique chance to support the North Orange County Central Office as part of a global day of unity and giving.  If you are able, please consider making a personal contribution.  Thank you for helping NOCCO to keep our doors open during this time of change.

Mail Check or Money Order:  

NOCCO - 1661 E. Chapman Avenue - Suite 1H

Fullerton, CA 92831

Online Meetings

NOCCO Events Calendar

Thank You.

As we head into the beginning of May 2020, none of us could would have predicted that this new decade would start out like it has — no one would have even gotten close.  As alcoholics, we must remain grateful for the state and local officials and the wise decisions they made early on, in spite of criticism from all sides.

We want to thank our North Orange County community: the groups, members, and friends we all know and love. We believe that the worst of times has the potential to bring out the best in us. We have seen alcoholics helping other alcoholics.  We have seen those who have extra - reach out to those who do not have enough.  We have seen an outpouring of monetary support to help with the financial challenges at NOCCO.

Clearly we’ve never seen a pandemic of this magnitude anywhere on earth, much less here locally. And clearly we have a long way to go. But if early signs are any indication at all, we’re going to continue to see the best of our friends and community across North Orange County. 

With much gratitude,

Mark E., Wes M., Cheryle D., Christy W., Don H., Laura M., Jennifer L., Randy J.

NOCCO Board of Directors

ZOOM: We Are Making History

In a world where doors are being shut, distancing yourself from loved ones is expected and isolation is being enforced, many within our AA community are struggling with the loss of human connection.  Receiving support from others is important for maintaining our sobriety. 

Alcoholism is already a condition of isolation backed by anxiety and depression. So now, with social isolation being forced upon us, we are even more alone than ever.  In this time of the coronavirus, we could not have predicted all the ways the power of Zoom meetings would facilitate the social-distancing lifestyle or how it would keep an alcoholic like me plugged into the fellowship. 

At NOCCO, we have been discussing how to reach remote communities for years.  At the last National Alcoholics Anonymous Technology Workshop (NAATW), we all saw the benefits of technology in action when our panelists joined us from China, Australia and more.  Whether geographical distance between meetings or the social distancing between individuals, I was witness to how technology can carry the message. 

On the last Saturday of March, nearly 3 million people globally downloaded the Zoom app on their mobile devices for the first time—a record for the company.  It is now reported that they had 200 million daily users in the month of March.  That’s a lot of connection and what a blessing to have the Zoom tool available to the AA membership. 

We are making history.  I look forward to getting together with my home group and visiting that traditional Saturday morning meeting.  However, I am pleased that this pandemic has forced me to nurture my sobriety with new types of meetings.  It has continued to feed my soul when everything else can be overwhelming.

Whether you are a meeting traditionalist or embracing the new normal, there is community and technology available to carry the message.  Remember, recovery from alcoholism is the expectation, not the exception.

Faith B.

Big Book Milestones

It is expected that the 40 millionth copy of the Big Book will be sold this year.  To commemorate this milestone, a copy of the book will be presented to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).  The lead federal agency for research on alcohol, NIAAA's mission is to generate and disseminate fundamental knowledge about the effects of Alcohol on health and well-being, and to apply that knowledge to improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of alcohol-related problems.  

Meeting Guide

Brought to you by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Meeting Guide is a free of charge meeting finder app for iOS and Android that provides meeting information from A.A. service entities in an easy-to-access format. 

Meeting Guide syncs with area, district, intergroup/central offices and international General Service Office websites (some of which are listed on A.A. Near You), relaying meeting information from more than 300 A.A. service entities directly to you. Over 100,000 weekly meetings are currently listed, and the information is refreshed twice daily.

 New & Enhanced Features

• Search — Find A.A meetings by name or location, in addition to day and time
• Daily Reflections — a selection of reflections by and for A.A. members
• Enhanced location functionality
• Expanded user interface, with a new menu bar and “Contact” feature.
• “News” — Learn about events at the General Service Office (G.S.O.) and Grapevine, as well as information about updates within the app.

To Install Meeting Guide App:

Go to your App Store (iPhone or Android)

Download App (Blue Background with White Chair)

Install

Let the app access your current location (GPS)

It is free and safe.

February 2020 Group Contributions

$3,432.50

March 2020 Group Contributions

$5,484.10

April 2020 Group Contributions

$4,369.46

Statement of Income & Expense

(Unaudited)

"Call Five, Stay Alive"

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month.  Promotion raises awareness of trauma and the impact it can have on the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of individuals and communities.  Hmmm.

Alcoholics are not alone.  This is a unique time where outreach is more important than ever.  Many people do not have access to Zoom or do not want to do it.  The NOCCO Outreach committee is encouraging people to use phone lists to check in on others.  When calling 5 people a day from your group, or any other list, we continue to carry the message of hope to those impacted by the Coronavirus.  

March 2020 Website Activity

April 2020 Website Activity

InterGroup Meetings

Please join us at the next NOCCO InterGroup Meeting.  InterGroup Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm.  The May meeting will be held via ZOOM. 

Meeting ID: 860-4109-6976 | Password: Serenity | Dial-in Phone: (669) 900-9128

I am Responsible. 

When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there. 

For that, I am responsible.

Financial Support Requested

Your North Orange County Central Office was sitting on 1.4 months of prudent reserve when the COVID-19 hit.  We made it through April without touching the reserve.  However, it will be several more months before we expect to see 7th tradition contributions again. 

If you are able, please consider making a personal contribution.  No amount is too small.  Thank you for helping NOCCO to keep the doors open during this time of change.

Mail Check or Money Order:  NOCCO - 1661 E. Chapman Avenue - Suite 1H - Fullerton, CA 92831

Thank you to the NOCCO Board and Volunteers.  

© Copyright, 2020, North Orange County Central Office of Alcoholics Anonymous Groups, Inc. • 1661 E. Chapman Avenue - Suite 1H, Fullerton CA 92831

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