Treatment Committee
Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. — Tradition 5
Treatment Committee
The Area 93 Treatment Committee helps newcomers bridge the gap between leaving a facility and finding a connection with Alcoholics Anonymous in their community. Area 93 includes parts of north Los Angeles County, along with all of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Kern Counties—making it a large Area in A.A.
Our primary purpose is simple: to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. To carry out this vital work, we rely on the service of volunteers like you.
We are always looking for members to join the Treatment Committee. There are many ways to be of service, and every contribution makes a difference. To learn more, please leave us a voicemail at (424) 284-9322 or email the Committee Chair at treatment@area93.org.
You are also welcome to attend the regular Area 93 Assembly meetings, where you can contribute to the Treatment Committee.
The Scope of Area 93 Treatment Committee
The CCAA Treatment Facilities Committee (TFC) provides information to treatment facilities staff and clients as to what AA is and is not. The TFC coordinates with California Hospitals and Institutions (H&I) for facilities covered. Area 93 TFC does not go to lockdown facilities. The committee maintains a list of treatment facilities in Area 93 by zip code. TFC also maintains a list of active members who are willing to help clients of treatment facilities to experience AA in their home community thru the Bridging The Gap (BTG) program. TFC also coordinates phone numbers for clients of treatment facilities to contact BTG for assistance to experience AA in their home community. On occasion the TFC may, with coordination with a facility, have AA meetings at a facility keeping in mind our tradition of non-affiliation.
Bridging the Gap (BTG)
Bridging the Gap is a true “grassroots” effort in Alcoholics Anonymous. Because AA is organized locally, this service takes on different names depending on where you are—such as Bridging the Gap, Pre-Release Contact, Contact on Release, or Temporary Contact Program. It may be carried out through a District, Area, Intergroup, Corrections Committee, or Treatment Committee.
The purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous Bridging the Gap (BTG) in Area 93 is to help newcomers who are leaving treatment centers, hospitals, or correctional facilities attend their first few A.A. meetings in their home community.
Experience has shown that attending meetings as soon as possible after leaving a facility is vital to a newcomer’s sobriety. The BTG program pairs each newcomer with a temporary contact—matched by age (when possible), gender, and location—who introduces them to local A.A. meetings and helps them get started in the Fellowship.
You are not asked to be their sponsor—only to be an A.A. friend who helps a newcomer make those first important connections.