About Us
Greetings from all your A.A. friends at Combined Hollywood Districts!
That’s us - your local General Service structure. We’re proud to support over 200 A.A. meetings that together form our family of districts. Our boundaries extend throughout East Hollywood, Silver Lake, Mid-Wilshire, K-town, and DTLA, and are home to a truly diverse and eclectic mix of groups. Since your own meeting also resides in one of these communities, we’d like to reach out and officially welcome you to the family!
We at Combined Hollywood Districts are all A.A. members like yourself. We volunteer our time and services to ensure that A.A. exists for future generations. We want all who still suffer from alcoholism to find the same hand of A.A. that was once extended to each and every one of us. By working together, we help to make this very thing possible. A.A. meetings support individual recovery, and we in turn support A.A. meetings.
Here are six of the most common ways we assist our groups. We hope it will pique your interest. Feel free to share this information with your group and to contact us at any time. Our aim is to help, not intrude. We respect your group’s autonomy and its right to decide the ways in which it wishes to participate, if at all. We are simply grateful for any chance to help.
1. We host events that help our meetings find solutions.
Our annual workshops, panels, and roundtable sessions bring our groups together to address common problems that surface at meetings. At our recent Safety and Conduct in A.A. workshop, we explored sensitive issues such as disruptive, unsafe, and inappropriate behavior at meetings. These and other relevant topics have proven to be extremely valuable to our group members.
We also hold events to inform our groups about literature proposals, local service committees, correctional programs, and other exciting ways to involve members of your group in local A.A. affairs. Click here to see a calendar of our upcoming events and other district activities.
2. We give your meeting a voice in A. A. affairs.
Each year, groups within our districts receive a list of proposed changes meant to improve how A.A. functions and serves its membership. Every meeting has a right to weigh in on these agenda items. Your group’s collective voice matters. We urge you to share it. With more voices engaged, A.A. enjoys a greater diversity of experience, strength, and hope. If you would like to receive these agenda items or would like to learn more about them, just let us know. If you would like to learn more about how this process works, see "General Service 101."
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3. We’ll teach you how to reach an Informed Group Conscience.
When an important matter calls for a thorough and considered discussion, the Informed Group Conscience is the way to go. Its format provides equal sharing time for all participants. No single voice gets to dominate the discussion, and final decisions are delayed until the group feels it is ready to make them. This is a valuable tool that helps build a true sense of unity in your group. If you are new to leading business meetings and would like training on how to guide your meeting to an Informed Group Conscience, we can help you out with that.
4. We’ll introduce you to the benefits of a Group Inventory.
The Group Inventory is a great way for members to evaluate their group’s strengths, challenges, and progress. Several formats are available, but all invariably lead to a deeper understanding of your meeting’s values. It’s a 4th Step inventory, but at the group level. You can use questions from The A.A. Group pamphlet, you can review the traditions and even use the Traditions Checklist, or create your own questions based on frequent challenges and strengths of your group. You can contact us for more information on finding a format that best fits your own group.
5. We’ll show you how you can help the alcoholic you may never meet.
We know of many in Alcoholics Anonymous who were first introduced through courts, hospitals, treatment facilities, and senior citizen centers. We reach out and offer assistance to these local institutions, too. Members of your meeting who are looking to enrich their sobrieties can join in our community outreach efforts and experience service with a whole new pair of glasses. Click here to learn more about how to serve in this meaningful way.
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6. We make sure you have a chance to learn about the role of a G.S.R.
We realize many in A.A. are unclear about what the purpose of a General Service Representative is and what this position does. We’d be remiss if we failed to address this. Following are several benefits your group receives by electing its own G.S.R. The individual your group selects will:
Represent the needs of your meeting in local affairs. Your group now has a vote.
Give your group a voice in changes that are proposed each year in A.A.
Connect your group to the latest news and developments happening globally in A.A.
Bring A.A.’s 12 Traditions to questions, concerns, or issues that arise in the group.
Bring unity to your group by helping to conduct an Informed Group Conscience or a yearly Group Inventory.
Bring your group’s topic suggestions for the workshop to all of us at the district. Our events are planned with you in mind.
Know the latest on changes happening in A.A. literature, and what’s on the horizon.
Access a network of district members and their collective experience. Your G.S.R. is not alone, and neither is your group.
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If you would like more information on how we can help your group, or if you would like to schedule a training or workshop, please contact us or show up to our monthly business meeting - we would love to help! Feel free to download our brochure with all this info to provide at your meeting.​​