by Joseph Back

The United Methodist Church building at 243 South Broadway will soon be host to a new Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) chapter meeting. Although the meetings are not officially sponsored by the United Methodist denomination, the local Stanley AA chapter will be meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Sundays in the church basement, with entrance being made through the side door on Oak Street off of South Broadway. After holding AA meetings at Faith Free on Madison Street before these stopped, the non-sectarian organization which seeks to help those wishing to either become sober or else maintain sobriety is starting again. Following of appropriate safety precautions is encouraged for the pandemic. That said, it’s meant to be welcoming.

“Anybody’s welcome,” the person who runs the local district website told this paper. “It’s an open meeting.” Of the desired anonymity he said only, “We’re called Alcoholics Anonymous for a reason.” A visit to the local AA district website at district06area74.org followed with a click on the “Alcoholics Anonymous” tab in the upper right shares the following description with readers.

“Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership. We are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution, does not wish to engage in any controversy neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help others to recover from alcoholism.”

Currently in the process of putting together a calendar of area meetings for posting on the website, the local intergroup for the Chippewa Falls area is set to include meetings in Chippewa Falls, Cornell, Jim Falls, Boyd, Stanley, and Colfax. Newspaper readers from outside this area may find out more about the far-reaching organization at www.aa.org.

For those who might be interested in the Chippewa Valley meetings, meanwhile, more information can be obtained by going to the website at district06area74.org (the ‘0’ in the address is the number, not a letter), by emailing district06area74 @gmail.com, or by calling 715-835-5543. The phone line of the Chippewa Valley Intergroup of AA is staffed 24 hours a day and confidential.

Staff photo.