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But concerns that hospitals and churches have about the coronavirus has eliminated group meetings in New Jersey and New York. And no one knows for how long.
From Bayonne to Boonton, the list of cancelled Northern New Jersey Alcoholics Anonymous meetings continued to grow on Saturday. Paramus, Hoboken, Montclair, West Orange, Saddle River -- anywhere someone in need might find a meeting now can't.
At the same time, the arm of AA that runs the New York chapter closed its office to volunteers and customers while urging those in need to call their sponsors and peers or join chat groups.
Dozens of meetings were cancelled in Yonkers, Scarsdale, White Plains, Harrison, Tarrytown – as well as an estimated 600 a day in New York City -- at least through next Saturday.
AA’s New York Inter-Group encouraged members to start their own Zoom meetings or Google Hangout groups or use freeconferencecall.com.
“We will only be closed on a week-by-week basis,” the organizers said, “so please check back for updates. We will continue to offer help via telephone and chat to those in need of a meeting.”
In North Jersey, meetings for recovering addicts at hospitals and churches were cancelled or were being cancelled in, among other places, Paramus, Hoboken, Montclair and West Orange.
AA’s Northern New Jersey Intergroup assured its members: “Our phones will continue to be answered by our staff, volunteers or nightwatch.”
Organizers suggested the international Online Intergroup: https://www.aa-intergroup.org.
But will that be enough to replace the support of the in-person group meeting structure?
Hugs, hand holding, close personal contact -- the very things that increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 – are essential to overcoming the isolation that prevents recovery, experts say.
“As much as the coronavirus is a life and death issue, recovery is a life and death issue for addicts,” New York City editor Emily McCombs told The Daily Beast. “If we don’t do what we need to do, we could die.”
“It's not a matter of convincing people to get healthy,” another woman said. “[I]t's making sure they stay alive.”
There are other alternatives -- including one, in particular, has drawn increasing attention this week.
For the past 12 years, “In the Rooms” has conducted live-streaming recovery meetings for people who can’t join in-person groups because of work, travel or illness.
Its co-founders, Ronald Tannebaum and Ken Pomerance, are welcoming anyone shut out of a meeting by the pandemic.
“We have more than 130 live, online video meetings each week that you can attend from the safety of your home or anywhere else, available through your computer or phone,” Pomerance said.
“We’ve done our best to come up with a unique platform [that] gives the warmth and caring you'd find in any in-person meeting,” he added. “The only things missing are the hugs!”
Remote access is available around the world.
And it’s free.
GO TO: In The Rooms
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CLICK HERE for a list of New Jersey AA meeting closures: https://www.nnjaa.org/intergroup/cgi-bin/list_by_cancelled.php
CLICK HERE for a list of New York AA meeting closures: https://www.nyintergroup.org/list-of-temporarily-closed-meetings-due-to-covid-19/
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