Lamplighters Group of Alcoholics Anonymous

The following is a part of our Lamplighters Group Conscience Document.
These sections were chosen because they contain general information.

I.  Our Group and its Principles

1. About Lamplighters

1. Who we are
   Lamplighters is a group of Alcoholics Anonymous which conducts regular weekly and monthly 24-hour-a-day closed meetings via e-mail in order to further the sobriety of its members and to fulfill our primary purpose of carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffers; We are also a "social" venue comparable to what we typically experience before and after most A.A. meetings.

2. Where we meet
   Lamplighters meets on the worldwide internet. In order to meet in cyberspace, Lamplighters has arranged with a commercial "Listserver" for several e-mail "lists" which allow the group to have its meetings designated "closed" (i.e. open to members only).

3. Our Web Page
   The Lamplighters group maintains a website on the internet at: http://aa-lamplighters.org/. This site contains basics on A.A. and Lamplighters, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), technical support, tips for live chat (ICQ, AOL chat, etc.), special access (WebTV, etc.) , the "12 Questions," plus links to the Online Intergroup (OIAA), A.A. Home Page, and Al-Anon web sites.

• The site is maintained by the Lamplighters Web Committee, whose functions are described below under Section III A 2, "Trusted Servants -- Other Trusted Service Positions".

2. How We Organize Ourselves

1. For group meetings we maintain two separate lists:

1. the Main list where weekly closed discussion meetings and monthly Tradition discussion meetings take place; and

2. a Business list where the group business is conducted.

2. All members are invited and encouraged to participate on our business list: That is where group conscience matters are discussed along with any proposed changes in *how* Lamplighters conducts its meetings and deals with all its other typical AA business affairs (e.g. holds elections, receives financial reports from the Treasurer, etc.).

3. Lamplighters has found it beneficial to have elected group officers (i.e. Group Chair, Meeting Secretary, Treasurer, etc.) as well as many other trusted servants who keep the meetings on track and the group focused on meeting its primary purpose - helping each member stay sober and other alcoholics achieve sobriety. (More detailed information on Service in Lamplighters is in Section III)

4. In order to serve the group and facilitate administrative communications, there is also a Trusted Servants list which permits the TS's to communicate and coordinate with each other about day-to-day support activities without having this take place on the business list.

3. The Lamplighters Group makes every effort to adhere to the 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
   This includes the 7th Tradition - Self-Support! See" Helpful Information" (Section V) for information on sending donations to our group Treasurer.

4. Disruption Of The Meeting

1. Since our common welfare must come first, we have entrusted the Group Chairperson and/or the Meeting Secretary, as elected trusted servants, to take the extreme action of escorting any disruptive*(see definition below) member out of our meetings (both main and biz) when they deem appropriate. The unsubbing action of the chairs may be overturned by an appeal, second and a 24 hour, 2/3rds majority vote of the biz list. There is no discussion of the appeal. This process occurs immediately (asap) and concurrently with ongoing business.

2. The duration of unsubscription will be as follows:

1. If the disruption occurs on the main list - unsubbing will be for at least the duration of the weekly meeting and possibly up to seven (7) calendar days (at the discretion of our Trusted Servants).

2. If the disruption occurs on the business list - unsubbing will be for the duration of time needed to deal with the business at hand but not more than seven (7) calendar days.

3. If it becomes necessary to unsubscribe a member for disruptive behavior three (3) times over a 90 day period, then our Trusted Servants will remove the individual from our lists for 30 days on the occasion of the third unsubbing. Should the member remain on the list for 90 consecutive days without being unsubbed, the possibility of extended unsubscription will revert to normal.

1. If, after returning to the group from a 30 day unsubbing, the member becomes disruptive again within 90 days, then our Trusted Servants shall unsub the member for a period of 90 days. Should the member remain on the list for 90 consecutive days without being unsubbed, the possibility of extended unsubscription will revert to normal.

2. Upon return to the list from a 90 day unsub period, if the member again disrupts the meeting within 90 days of their return, the member shall be unsubbed for another 90 day period. Either the Group Chair or Meeting Secretary will then place the matter before the Business List in the form of a motion to unsub the member for a period of 180 days (time spent unsubbed during the vote will be included in the 180 day period). There will be no discussion on the motion; the motion must pass by a simple majority. Should the motion to unsub the member for 180 days fail, the member shall remain unsubbed for the balance of the 90 day period. Should the member remain on the list for 90 consecutive days without being unsubbed, the possibility of extended unsubscription will revert to normal.

3. If, upon their return to the group from a 180 day unsub, the member again disrupts the meeting within a 90 day period, the member shall be unsubbed for another 90 day period. The Group Chair or Meeting Secretary shall immediately place before the business list a motion to unsub the member for a period of 365 days (time spent unsubbed during the vote will be included in the 365 day period). Again, the motion will go to vote without discussion, and will require a simple majority to pass. Should the motion fail, the member shall remain unsubbed for the balance of the 90 day period. Should the member remain on the list for 90 consecutive days without being unsubbed, the possibility of extended unsubscription will revert to normal.

4. Any other unsubscription arrangement must be approved by a 2/3 majority of those voting on the business list.

* A disruptive member is one who by his/her actions or choice of words creates a significant negative impact on the welfare of our group. This may include repeated "private" abusive or threatening posting to another Lamplighter member that is brought to the attention of our trusted servants.

5. Rule #62 prevails...don't take yourself too seriously!

II. Individual Conduct - Suggestions for the individual

1. Sharing Guidelines

1. Basic Guidelines for Sharing

1. When writing to the main list, address your mail to: lls@aa-lamplighters.org">

• When writing to the Business List, address your mail to: lls-business@aa-lamplighters.org.
• (Our Listserver *automatically* provides a subject line "leader" for (LLS) or (BIZ) depending on the list origin of the share.)
• Do not copy (cc:) Lamplighters in your post to another individual member, since that member will then receive the post twice. Same thing when posting to Lamps with a "cc:" to another member.

2. Subject lines - Try to keep the subject line reflective of the content of your share.   - If you respond to someone *privately*, please delete the (LLS) or (BIZ) in your subject line so the recipient will know the mail is private, and so that it will not be automatically filtered into an (LLS) or (BIZ) folder.  - If you are a digest subscriber, make sure you insert a subject line which reflects the subject of your share. The digest # as a subject is meaningless.

3. Avoid using all Capital letters! Using all capital letters is considered shouting in cyberspace; use them sparingly. More acceptable marks of emphasis are *this* and _this_

4. If you are posting to the group use "On Topic" or "Off Topic" in the subject header as appropriate. "On-T" and "Off-T" are ok, too. Do not use "OT" since it could mean both!

5. The following are considered "On Topic" in our meeting

• The main meeting topic posted each Friday
• The Tradition of the month
• The Secondary topic of the week
• Birthday/Anniversary shares
• The Inventory question of the week

6. Please DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS to our lists!!! These cause added work for our listkeepers.

7. "Private" vs. "List". When replying to a share, please post privately to individual Lamplighters unless you absolutely feel a real need to "go public" to the entire list. The two biggest reasons people quit this group are "too much mail" and "too much non-AA chitchat."

8. DO NOT MAKE SOLICITATIONS or requests for support of any activity or product that is not group or otherwise AA-related.

2. Be Considerate

1. Let's remember that any member of Lamplighters is free at any time to bring up, for discussion and sharing, personal issues which threaten their sobriety or which help them stay sober.

2. Please keep in mind common standards of decency and consideration when posting The use of vulgarity, profanity and insulting language is strongly discouraged. Repeated instances of this behavior may qualify an individual to be considered "disruptive".

3. "Let us remember to guard that erring member the tongue, and if we must use it, let's use it with kindness and consideration and tolerance." -From "Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers", (p. 338)

4. Remember that we are an international group with many members from different cultures and some for whom English is not their primary language. It may be helpful to keep this in mind when sharing and explain things that might be very foreign to other members experience

3. Use Discretion
   Avoid discussions of outside issues such as politics, religion, other substance-abuse issues, etc. unless they constitute your own alcoholism-related experience, strength and/or hope. Be mindful of the 6th and 10th Traditions. If you have a good joke about politics, for example, which you feel would be welcome to others, post it privately to those you think will enjoy it.

4. About Crosstalk
   Crosstalk is essentially conversation, although in AA it generally means sharing at the "group" level that is directed toward another member's share. It is most often meant to be helpful because, after all, here in AA we do "share our experience, strength and hope".

1. Crosstalk is ok and Lamplighters welcomes it. Unfortunately, this also sometimes results in misunderstandings, hurt feelings and in the extreme - "flaming". This "flaming" involves contentious arguing and, regrettably, can involve attacks of a personal nature. Our group considers flaming disruptive. If you disagree with someone, find a nice way to do so, and post privately.

2. We need to feel safe about expressing our experience, strength and hope without fear of ridicule or criticism. For many of us, AA is the first place we've felt safe speaking about our experience.

3. Also, we ask all members to keep in mind that in the written word we do not have some of the advantages of body language, tonal inflection or other common methods of enhancing our ability to speak the language of the heart. Due to this, our sharing can sometimes come across in a harsher way than actually intended. Therefore, we feel that it is always better to err on the side of kindness when sharing.

5. Anonymity, Privacy and Confidentiality
   "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions. Please respect this and treat in confidence who you "see" and what you "hear"."

1. Because all of our sharing is in writing and often times our full names are readily available in our email addresses, it is even more important to scrupulously guard the anonymity of our members.

2. Privacy and confidentiality are cherished here. Private posts should remain private. If permission to the contrary is granted by an author of a post that is a different matter. Each member is entitled to as much anonymity as they wish. (One exception to this "rule" might be addressed in (6) below!)

3. All of the usual principles regarding anonymity and the confidentiality of closed meeting sharing apply here. Posts should not be emailed or printed to show to others who are not members of Lamplighters.

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