The purpose of this page is (for now) a rather brief look at other ways to make small local organizations more visible.
By the term "increasing visibility" -- and using NicA as an example -- I mean (a) that more people are aware of NicA, and (b) that people who have already heard of NicA can find NicA in their city.
One might say that another word for "increasing visibility" is "advertising". However, like all Twelve Step and Anonymous groups that use the Traditions (guidelines) of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), we avoid self-promotion. But, we feel an obligation to make ourselves known and find-able to those who might be interested in our program. For those familiar with the Traditions of Twelve Step groups, there is a discussion later in this page about the issues of advertising and "attraction rather than promotion".
Listing NicA in the phone book and on regional Web directories is a way of increasing its visibility. Another way to increase NicA's visibility is to run newspaper "ads", but they are expensive in major newspapers. However, why can't several Twelve Step organizations get together and finance a simple ad, where each organization and its phone number is listed? That would seem certain to cost less, per organization, than for each to run a separate "ad". (Where ad means just listing the organization's name, its local phone number, and perhaps a 60 character description of purpose).
I've heard that some smaller community papers will list a support group organization like NicA for free. However, this does not appear to be the case for the ones I have looked into.
AA has the 12 Traditions that are guidelines (effectively rules) for its operation. Most 12-step organization, including NicA, use AA's 12 Traditions without any modifications other than a change in name (e.g. "Nicotine Anonymous" instead of AA, and "nicotine addict" instead of "alcoholic" ).
One of AA's traditions is Tradition 11:
Tradition 11: "Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films."Long Form of Tradition 11: "Our relations with the general public should be characterized by personal anonymity. We think AA ought to avoid sensational advertising. Our names and pictures as AA members ought not be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed. Our public relations should be guided by the principle of attraction rather than promotion. There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us."
Most of this, and the chapter about Tradition 11 in AA's "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" book (aka the "12 X 12"), is about the need for individuals to remain anonymous when in the public arena. So as to avoid indirectly (or directly) promoting themselves as individuals. However, in the 12 X 12 book and in the Long Form of Tradition 11, there are remarks about how it is better for others to recommend us (as an organization or a group) rather than for us to promote our organization or group.
But consider also these words in the Long Form of Tradition 11: "There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us." To me, this indicates that we shouldn't praise ourselves. But putting a notice in the paper letting others know we exist and where to find us is not praising ourselves. And consider this sentence from the Long Form of Tradition 11: "We think AA ought to avoid sensationsal advertising." To me, that leaves the door open for "unsensational" advertising. If they meant that it is wrong to advertise in any form, then they would have said so.
I am one who believes a notice in a newspaper -- saying who we are and where to find us -- is appropriate.
I have seen ads for AA and other 12-step organizations in the local papers. As for NicA specifically, the NicA official book, "Nicotine Anonymous" includes a sample ad to run in a newspaper.
Al-Anon, a large 12-step organization (providing support for relatives and friends of alcoholics) does television advertising. Also, their Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions book, in its discussion of Tradition 11 has more discussion of this subject. There is nothing in AA or twelve step literature that says 12 step organizations are to be secret societies that people *only* find out about through referrals and word of mouth.
The below is my personal experience in trying to find Nicotine Anonymous in the Twin Cities. It illustrates how hard it can be to find an organization that isn't listed in the phone book. It also shows that some other agencies that should know of NicA either didn't, or purposely steered callers away from NicA to their own non-free quit-smoking program.
In 1993, I tried to quit smoking. I had heard of Nicotine Anonymous previously. I looked in the Minneapolis phone book and didn't see Nicotine Anonymous listed. So I assumed that Nicotine Anonymous did not exist locally, and thus I pursued the matter no further.
In 1996, in another quit smoking attempt, I again looked in the phone book for Nicotine Anonymous and did not find it. I called the American Lung Association (ALA) and told them that I had quit 2 days ago. I asked if there were any support groups for people quitting smoking. She told me about ALA's Freedom From Smoking class ($125 cost, meets 1 1/2 hours a week for 8 weeks). But that all classes were too far along for me to join them. And that new classes will not be forming until the fall (about 1 1/2 months away). I asked if there were any ongoing support groups in the Twin Cities area, like Nicotine Anonymous. She said she wasn't aware of any.
I pursued the matter no further, and quit on my own. I also completely relapsed a few months later.
In 1997, a friend told me that he had heard that there were Nicotine Anonymous meetings in the Twin Cities. Again, I looked in the phone book, with no success. Again, I called the American Lung Association (ALA). The conversation went exactly the same way as in 1996. Except that I then said that I had heard that there were Nicotine Anonymous meetings in the Twin Cities. She got some directory, and looked up Nicotine Anonymous, and gave me the number of the International Nicotine Anonymous office in San Francisco. I called that office, and they sent me a list of meetings in Minnesota (and also some other literature).
Not all agencies were ignorant or unsupportive of NicA. As a test, I also called First Call For Help and the American Cancer Society. They both had heard of Nicotine Anonymous and gave me a local phone number.
By way of background, Nicotine Anonymous has had more than one group in the Twin Cities since the 1980s. Also, recently, a friend showed me some material that he had received from the Twin Cities American Cancer Society in early 1993. It listed a number of quit-smoking programs and groups, including American Lung Association programs and Nicotine Anonymous. It listed all of the Nicotine Anonymous groups in the Twin Cities.
The question that we in Nicotine Anonymous must ponder: do we want to be like the local American Lung Association, that will not tell people about anyone else's quit - smoking program and groups? Or do we want to be like the local American Cancer Society group that tries to be truly helpful?
I don't believe our non-endorsement tradition (Tradition 6) absolutely forbids us from mentioning other help. At least, some AA intergroups don't think so. For example, if you call the Twin Cities AA Intergroup and ask for a program to quit smoking, they will tell you the NicA phone number. They maintain a long list of other programs, 12 step and non-12 step, to help others in need. Someone wrote me that it is also true in Jacksonville, FL.
Are these AA Intergroups violating their non-endorsement tradition, Tradition 6? It seems so. I've read the Tradition 6 discussion in the AA 12 X 12 book. Although the examples cited are all much more extreme than telling a caller about Nicotine Anonymous (e.g. affiliating AA with a hospital, getting involved in a political cause, etc.), the Tradition seems ambiguous:
An AA groups ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."
Granted, the "lest" part doesn't mention simply telling a caller about Nicotine Anonymous or Narcotic Anonymous. There's not a problem of money, property, and prestige involved in this simple act of human decency.
The Long Form of Tradition 6 also deals with big issues like property, hospitals, clubhouses, and political causes. However, it closes with this sentence: "While an AA group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never to go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An AA group can bind itself to no one."
If we're really serious about this, we should call the local AA Intergroups, and tell them that we feel that they are violating Tradition 6 by telling callers about Nicotine Anonymous. And that we would feel better if they did not tell callers about us, as we feel that we should not be an accomplice to the crime of violating Tradition 6.
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