Prepared By a Member of Alcoholics Anonymous

All of the information in this report comes directly from the AA Service Manual, GSR pamphlets, the Big Book and an Intergroup committee report. Bear in mind that, "each Group has but one primary purpose - to carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers" (Tradition Five), and "each AA group needs the least possible organization ... but may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve" (Tradition Nine, long and short).

The strength of our whole AA service structure rests with the home group. The group elects a general service representative who attends district meetings, carrying group information to the district and district information back to the group.

The general service district meeting is made up of GSR's who elect from that body a secretary, a treasurer, and a district committee member who chairs the meeting. The district is a geographical unit containing the right numbers of groups - right in terms of the DCM's ability to keep in frequent contact with them, to learn their problems, and find ways to contribute to their growth and well being. The DCM is part of the general service Area structure.

The general service Area depends on the size and needs of the AA population. In our case, the province of Saskatchewan is Area 91 and has about 300 groups in 21 districts.

An Area assembly - in Area 91 held in spring and fall - includes all GSR's, all DCM's, and table officers, including the delegate. An Area committee meeting, held in January here, includes all DCM's and table officers, including the delegate. Where there are alternates to GSR/DCM's, they are also included.

At every other fall assembly in Area 91 we elect new table officers and a delegate to the General Service Conference. The delegate's job is to attend the annual general service conference, canying the conscience of the Area to the conference and reporting back to assemblies, districts and groups about the work of the conference. In the United States and Canada, there are 93 general service areas that are represented at the conference.

While the General Service Conference operates all year round, the annual meeting, held in New York City in April, is the culmination of the year's activities, the time taken when the collective group conscience of US/Canada AA comes together to take actions that will guide the groups in the years to come.

The General Service Office (GSO) staff and the General Service Board (trustees) provide the services that help AA function as a whole throughout the year. They do the work of canying the message that would be impossible for anyone person or anyone group to do alone - publishing the big book and other literature and helping other countries to establish service structures are only two examples. They also make it easier for groups and individuals to help carry the message by acting as a clearinghouse for information - anyone can contact GSO to find out, for example, how other groups handle their problems.

GSO and the board of trustees, since 1951, have been directly linked to the AA groups and their members through the general service conference structure.

Intergroup is local groups banding together to help alcoholics just in our locality. We carry out functions that are best handled by a centralized group. The AA Intergroup Office maintains a 24 hour help-line, sells AA conference-approved literature, copies and mails out pertinent AA in formation to groups, updates the meeting list, and serves as a bridge between the general public and AA. We also have a dozen other services and committees including: 12th Step committee, newsletter, website, speakers meetings, public information, corrections, treatment facilities, cooperation with the professional community, alcathon, round up, social functions, and information committee.

In no uncertain terms, "we alcoholics see that we must work together and hang together, else most of us will finally die alone. The long form of Tradition One states the need for unity:

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