Bridging the Gap: Where Action and Service Meet in AA

By Doug W. webservant@aascv.org

Introduction

I am involved with my local Hospitals and Institutions committee and serve as a panel leader for several panels. I share my experience, strength, and hope with the residents, and sometimes I see someone who is receptive to AA’s message when we finish.

While I love H&I service, I wondered if I could do more—is giving about hour enough? This is where Bridging the Gap (BTG) can help. I worked with our Area 93 Treatment Chair to expand our efforts. Together, we placed a process to connect residents using the local and national Bridging the Gap volunteers who can take them to in-person meetings in their hometowns or online meetings.

I believe that when residents leave a facility without knowing how to connect with the AA fellowship in their own community, their chances of maintaining sobriety are significantly lower.

One of the clearest expressions of these values in real-world practice is **Bridging the Gap** —AA’s temporary contact program for individuals transitioning out of treatment, detox centers, crisis centers, or other facilities and reentering daily life. The program’s roots and ongoing effectiveness reveal how purpose-driven action and selfless service keep AA vibrant and open for all who seek recovery.

AA has a conference-approved pamphlet titled “Bridging the Gap” (P-49), which guides members who wish to serve as temporary contacts for those leaving treatment.

The Heart of Bridging the Gap

At its core, Bridging the Gap puts the Fifth Tradition into action: “…but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” For many individuals, leaving a structured environment after treatment can be daunting and fraught with risk. The first days and weeks of freedom are often marked by uncertainty, loneliness, and vulnerability to relapse.

Bridging the Gap directly responds to this challenge by pairing the newcomer with an AA member—a temporary contact—who becomes both guide and companion. The local contact introduces the newcomer to local meetings, may answers questions, and provides critical support during this fragile time. In doing so, the volunteer bridges that dangerous span between institutional support and independent, long-term recovery. A temporary contact is not asked to be a sponsor, only a guide into the Fellowship. The commitment is to take this person to a maximum of six meetings and encourage them to connect with other AA members, getting phone numbers, remembering their names, and start their process of feeling welcome and included.

“One Drunk Helping Another”: The Oldest AA Action

The practice of guiding a newcomer is as old as AA itself. The original “bridge” happened when Bill W. reached out to Dr. Bob, beginning one of the most significant partnerships in AA history. Ever since, the action of one alcoholic supporting another has been AA’s central practice for growth and survival.

Meetings, Local and National

People leaving a facility and returning home—whether locally or to another state—often need help finding AA meetings in their area along with meeting days and times.

The official AA Meeting Guide App provides the ideal solution. It synchronizes national areas, districts, intergroup/central offices, and international general service office websites, delivering meeting information from over 400 AA service entities directly to those looking for an AA meeting. The app currently lists more than 100,000 weekly meetings and updates its information twice daily.

How the Program Works

• Temporary Contacts: Many AA members volunteer as temporary contacts, ready to meet and support newcomers released from treatment or related facilities. The duration is limited but crucial, offering a safety net.
• Practical Support: The contact accompanies the newcomer to their first (up to six) AA meetings, explains the AA structure, answers questions, and helps them feel included.
• Safety and Matching: Whenever possible, contacts and newcomers are matched by gender and locations to enhance comfort and safety. The importance of a member meeting a newcomer and adhering to AA’s Traditions is emphasized for everyones well-being.
• Local Organization: In some regions, Bridging the Gap operates as its own committee. Elsewhere, it functions within Area Treatment, local Hospital & Institution (H&I) committees, or through Intergroup/Central Offices. The focus remains the same: provide a bridge for newcomers to a welcoming recovery community.

What the Program Does Not Do

• We do not give financial support
• We do not give legal or medical advice

Workshops

The national Bridging The Gap Workshop Weekend (BTGWW) is having their annual conference locally this year and we encouraged you to attend BTG workshop on September 5th-7th in Ontario, California. (Event Flyer)

The Spirit of Service: Why Members Volunteer

Why do we AA members step up to be temporary contacts? The answer is in the service and action of our AA program:

• Personal Experience: Many volunteers recall being in the newcomer’s shoes—the fear, confusion, and overwhelming nature of those early sober days.
• Gratitude in Action: Service is a way to “Carry the Message.” Many have been helped by previous generations of AA’s and seek to keep the chain of support unbroken.
• Staying Sober: Our AA literature asserts that doing service is critical to maintaining sobriety. As countless members say, “We keep what we have by giving it away.”
• Unity and Recovery: BTG brings together volunteers across culture differences, building unity through action and reinforcing AA’s principles of inclusivity and support.

Impact: Lives Changed, One Connection at a Time

The program’s results are seen every day:

• Newcomers attend meetings who might otherwise have felt too intimidated or lost to show up alone
• Volunteers often witness firsthand the difference a simple gesture of support can make—saving lives
• Local meetings receive new members and expand the spirit of the Fellowship
• AA as a whole remains strong by ensuring that “when anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there—and for that: I am responsible.”

Bridging the Gap as Basic Twelfth Step Work

It is less common today to make a “12-Step call”, today, people are using rehabs more. So, in today’s culture, we go to them.

Bridging the Gap is often described as “basic Twelfth Step work.” That means it’s the direct application of the Twelfth Step:

“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”

By stepping up as a BTG contact, volunteers put action behind the words—carrying the message and practicing the principles of selfless help in all aspects of life. It’s where the rubber meets the road.

Broader Service Connections

Bridging the Gap serves as a model for other service initiatives in AA:

• Treatment Committees: Often working hand-in-hand with BTG, they help link institutions with AA communities.
• Corrections Committee: For those leaving correctional facilities, a separate but related “contact upon release” program assists in reentry.
• Public Information and Cooperation with Professional Communities: Volunteers work with community organizations to share about BTG and AA, so professionals can refer clients who might benefit.
  In every aspect, the willingness to take action—to reach out, show up, and support someone—is what sustains AA’s growth and relevance.

Lasting Change Through Action and Service

Action and service are not just ideals in AA; they come alive through practical, ongoing commitment. Bridging the Gap is not a one-time project or a clever program, but the living legacy of AA’s founding purpose: one alcoholic helping another.

When a newcomer leaves treatment and is met by a friendly face, given support through their first few meetings, and gently guided toward a new way of living, the power of action and service becomes clear and tangible.

Through these efforts, the bridge between despair and hope, isolation and connection, addiction and recovery is built and rebuilt, day after day. In these simple acts, AA’s message remains ever fresh, ever accessible, and ever life-saving.

To Become a Temporary Contact

Area 93 has a Treatment Committee which organizes support for both those leaving a facility and those who want to volunteer as temporary contacts. If you would like to become a temporary contact volunteer, please follow this [link] or use the QR code.