Newcomers to AA are often suspicious and hesitant and have all sorts of blocks to seeking help. When they ask, it's a big deal. Here's my approach to handling newcomer requests and indeed other requests for help in AA:
- When the phone rings and it's an unrecognised number, it's often a newcomer or someone else seeking help; I answer it.
- This is especially the case if I have been told someone might be calling me.
- If I miss a call, I text back as soon as I discover I have missed the call and ask, 'I saw a missed call: can I help you?'
- If I can't ring back straight away, I let them know when I will ring back.
- I then follow through.
This has a top priority in my life. If I get everything else right in AA but drop the ball on this, the rest is a waste of time. If I get nothing right but this, I am a success. These contacts with newcomers are the moments that change the course of people's lives. If we miss the opportunity, they might not call someone else. The fog descends, and they're off again, sometimes for years, sometimes forever.