News – Information – Announcements

Most of our meetings have resumed in person attendance. For the most up to date listing of on-line meetings in the South Eastern Pennsylvania Region pleas refer to our Intergroup meeting list you can find here.

On-Line Meeting List

For Zoom users: With the rush to shift to online meetings, many of us did not take time to investigate what this meant to the spiritual foundation of our recovery – namely, anonymity. Now that online meetings are accessible, we want to pass on best practices for protecting anonymity. These have been curated from the membership and online resources. 

The default Zoom settings run counter to AA’s spiritual foundation of anonymity. The meetings are publicly accessible and full names and faces are often displayed. Additionally, by default all Zoom meetings are recorded to the cloud. Turning that feature off is simple, fortunately.

There are other settings in the Meeting subtab that can also be adjusted, such as disallowing remote control of devices, file transfer, data sharing with Zoom, and screen sharing.

Here are some suggested settings for your meeting to use. Please note that most, if not all, of the settings below are not the Zoom default:

Go to: Settings > Recording and click off the Local and Cloud recording features.
In the Zoom Settings section, under the Meeting subtab:

• Require Encryption for Third Party Endpoints
• Disable Auto saving chats
• Disable File transfer
• Disable Feedback to Zoom
• Disable Screen sharing
• Disable desktop/screen share for users
• Disable Remote control
• Allow Virtual background (this is the Zoom default and allows the user to use a virtual background instead of the inside of their apartment, for example)

In the Zoom Settings section, under the Recording subtab:

• Disable Local recording
• Disable Cloud recording
• Disable Automatic recording 

We will update this page with additional information as we learn it and encourage you to share tips and tricks with us that we can include. And stay tuned for information on Seventh Tradition contributions.

Our District meeting are in person on the first Wednesday of each month. Hopefully we will not need to update this Covid Updates page but it will remain here just in case. Contact Us for more information.

District 23 Meetings on SEPIA Web Site and Meeting App Please Check Your Meeting For Accuracy and If it is listed as Active or Suspended.

Meeting Status Update Form or Call phone: (215) 923-7900

As we move forward with re-opening our groups we can share our experience and ensure we do our part to reach the still sick and suffering alcoholics in a safe responsible manner. There are many people in our community who have fallen into the clutches of full blown alcoholism in this pandemic shut down and will be scared at best to reach out to us for help. Lets do our part to make our fellowship the safe haven it has been for so many despite current conditions. Our Primary Purpose Is To Reach the Still Sick and Suffering!

It’s not about us going to meetings
It’s About Us being there for the New Comer.

GSO Letter May 2020 7th Tradition

Reopening Groups Area 59

Reopening Groups Area 48 Ad Hoc (Helpful Information)

A Letter from our General Service Office About Corona Virus and AA Meetings

Grapevine and La Viña Are Here to Help…. 2020 Issues & Audio FREE On-Line

Shareable link of readings for On-Line Meetings Preamble How It Works Promises etc.

On-Line & Telephone Meeting Information

For our members of high risk or those who want to avoid face to face meetings there is an abundance of online and telephone meetings.

Philadelphia Area Online Meetings

District 23 On-Line Meetings

 Worldwide Online Meetings 

Phone Meetings

In addition to these there are meetings listed from other areas when online you can attend meetings anywhere from the convince of your home.

Tips For Starting and Participating
Zoom On-Line Meetings

Before attending or creating new Zoom meetings take a look at these guidelines for protecting our anonymity.
ZOOM MEETINGS: PROTECTING ANONYMITY & DEFAULT SETTINGS

New Zoom Protection Tips (from NYIA)

BEST PRACTICES FOR A DIGITAL 7TH TRADITION

The digital 7th tradition practices was written on the A.A. Intergroup of SF & Marin

Setting Up Online Meetings: Help! Google HangOut, Zoom, Phone and More
Very well written with illustrations from Inter-Group Association of A.A. of New York

If you have access to other quality on-line resources contact us. If your group in SE Pennsylvania has started an on-line meeting be sure to inform SEPIA.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

1. Line up extra AA activities (help on the phones, speak, empty the ashtrays).
2. Be host to friends, especially newcomers, at home or at a coffee shop.
3. Keep your AA telephone list with you at all times.
4. Find out about holiday meetings or celebrations in your local groups.
5. Skip any drinking occasions you’re nervous about.
6. If there’s one you can’t skip, take an AA friend–or keep candy handy.
7. Don’t think you have to stay late (plan an “important date” in advance).
8. Go to church. Any church. And don’t forget about extra meetings.
9. Don’t sit around brooding; catch up on reading, museums, walks, letters.
10. Don’t project about holiday temptations: remember “One day at a time.”
11. Even if you cannot give material gifts, enjoy the beauty of holiday love.
12. Carry the message. Give the joy away, and it will be yours to keep.
    
    — Adapted from Box 4-5-9

Download or Print the 12 Tips for Sober Holidays here

The holiday season can be a stressful time for anyone but for us Alcoholics we need to be on extra guard. With office parties and family gatherings it is very easy to be within arms length of Alcohol. Not to mention the gifts (booze) that can keep on giving us trips to jails, institutions or death. These twelve tips published in Grape Vine magazine and Box 459 have been used by our members for years to help survive the holiday season. Print out some copies and take them to the meetings you attend.

Carry the message. Give the joy away, and it will be yours to keep.