Telephone

'The London Telephone Service is commencing as a home-based system on the 5th of October and we are looking for experienced Volunteers and Team Leaders who have not yet been contacted and are interested in doing this service, to contact the telephone committee on ltts-volunteers@outlook.com asap. Must have a smartphone and Internet access via desktop or laptop'.

Corona Virus and 12 step calls

A quick update on where we are with telephone service and phone responding given the recent changes. The Southern Service Office is closed. The contingency plan stops calls from the 0800 number being diverted to the London office. The 12 step calls for London will be taken elsewhere and passed on to a small group of volunteers. Responders will still get calls from phone office volunteers based in London, they just won't be sitting in the Southern Service Office. When people on the 12 step list are called, we need to check that they have thought about how to make the approach to the newcomer. Suggestions about what a 12-stepper might do:

• Inform the caller that AA meetings are usually face-to-face but have moved online
• Check if they are familiar with Zoom, and ask if they need help with it
• Ask (gently) for the suffering alcoholic's email address, in order to share the websites with links to online meetings.
• Introduce them to the literature on the AAGB site.
• Let them know that WhatsApp groups are widely used. Encourage them to consider joining one.

If a 12-stepper is not confident about providing this guidance they could call the newcomer and talk generally about the AA programme. They can point the newcomer to online meetings. If the newcomer needs help with Zoom, the 12-stepper may need to ask if someone else can contact them to provide that.