Starting a Cocaine Anonymous meeting is an act of service rooted in desire and willingness: find and rent a suitable venue, choose a day and time, notify your local C.A. Fellowship or World Services, and use a Starter Kit (literature, chips, suggested formats) to get going. Print a simple format, elect trusted servants, make tea or coffee, set out a Seventh Tradition basket, and spread the word via directories, websites, flyers, and announcements so newcomers and old-timers alike can attend. Tradition Five reminds us our primary purpose is to carry the message; even a small meeting begun with commitment and care can grow into a fellowship of support—minimal effort with immeasurable rewards.
“Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends—this is an experience you must not miss. We know you will not want to miss it. Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.”*
Desire & Willingness
Have you ever thought about how a C.A. meeting gets started? Your hometown may have several C.A. meetings or perhaps only a few. They usually began out of a need to carry the message of recovery to others. In every case, someone made a decision to help Cocaine Anonymous grow by starting a meeting. It was often scheduled for a day or time when there was no other meeting available. People needed a place to go to share their experience, strength, and hope with others in recovery—others who had “been there” and who could understand. Someone found an available location and arranged to pay rent. Cocaine Anonymous World Services or the local Fellowship of C.A. was notified and a Starter Kit was provided. Or perhaps a local meeting donated chips and literature to help the new meeting get going. Someone made flyers and phone calls to get the word out that there was a new C.A. meeting starting. Meeting formats were printed and speakers were scheduled. Eventually, the group held its first business meeting, a name was chosen for the group, and trusted servants were elected.