Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Getting the word out -- Alumni Newsletters

A good example of how to spread the word about LifeRing appears in the current alumni newsletter of a treatment program in Concord, CA. A PDF scan of the page is here.

The newsletter is mostly full of 12-step content. In fact, a typical 12-step testimonial appears on the same page as the LifeRing article.

The newsletter is not an organ of any 12-step organization. It is the organ of the alumni group of the treatment center, and the treatment center is officially neutral and unaffiliated with any particular support group. Thus, publication of an article about LifeRing in this newsletter does not violate any rule of 12-step organizations banning material about "outside issues."

The article's author, identified only as "Owen," is a graduate of that treatment program, a member of its alumni group, an AA old-timer, and an active LifeRing convenor.

Convenors, please read Owen's article. It is a model of how to talk about LifeRing to a mostly 12-step audience. There are other newsletters similar to this one. Let's take advantage of these platforms to get the word out about LifeRing.

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