How Can Professionals Co-operate with A.A. Through aahamilton.org?

Professionals who work with problem drinkers—physicians, nurses, social workers, counsellors, clergy, and employers—can use aahamilton.org to learn how Alcoholics Anonymous co-operates with the professional community in Hamilton, Ontario. The site provides a dedicated "Co-operation with the Professional Community" section, a "For Professionals" information page, a Bridging The Gap temporary contact program, and a 24-hour telephone answering service at 905-522-8392. These resources are informational: they explain what A.A. is, how it works, and how to connect a client or patient with local meetings.

What the site offers professionals

The Hamilton Central Office website is organised around a few entry points that are relevant to professional referral and co-operation:

The site also links to the A.A. Preamble, the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts, and offers the Big Book online—useful if a professional wants to understand the program before discussing it with a client.

How co-operation typically works

A.A. co-operates with professionals rather than being directed by them. The general pattern is:

1. Understand what A.A. is and is not. A.A. is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other to solve their common problem and help others recover. It is not a treatment provider, and it does not employ professional staff to treat alcoholism.
2. Learn how A.A. relates to outside organisations. The Twelve Traditions, referenced on the site, explain why A.A. does not endorse or oppose outside enterprises and why it co-operates with professionals while remaining non-professional itself.
3. Connect the person to a meeting. Use the "Find A Meeting" tool to identify Hamilton-area meetings the person could attend.
4. Use Bridging The Gap when a warm hand-off helps. The Temporary Contact Program lets a newcomer be paired with an A.A. member who can accompany them to their first meetings. The site provides an online application for this.
5. Call the 24-hour answering service at 905-522-8392 if you or the person you are helping needs to speak with someone about drinking.

Bridging The Gap: the temporary contact program

Bridging The Gap is designed for situations where someone is leaving a treatment setting, hospital, or other institution and would benefit from a temporary A.A. contact to help them get to meetings. The site describes it as a "Temporary Contact Program" and offers an online application. This is the most direct mechanism on the site for a professional to help arrange a connection between a problem drinker and the A.A. community in Hamilton.

Contributions and boundaries

The site is explicit that, in keeping with A.A.'s Seventh Tradition, it can only accept contributions from members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Digital contribution options are available for individual members and for groups, but professionals and outside organisations are not the intended contributors. This matters for professionals who want to support A.A.: the appropriate form of support is co-operation and referral, not funding.

Practical steps for a professional

• Read the "For Professionals" and "Co-operation with the Professional Community" pages to understand A.A.'s approach.
• Use "Find A Meeting" to locate meetings near your client.
• Apply through Bridging The Gap if a temporary contact would help the person attend their first meeting.
• Call 905-522-8392 for the 24-hour telephone answering service.
• Contact the Central Office at 627 Main Street East, Suite 205, Hamilton, Ontario L8M 1J5, or by email at [email protected], with questions about contributions or general information.

The site also notes a "Member's Area" and "Hamilton Members Area," which are for A.A. members rather than professionals, so professionals should focus on the public-facing pages described above.