Sobriety requirements for institutional service
Is there a "guideline" or suggested sobriety length before a member of AA can take a meeting into either a public detox or rehabilitation center? What about to jail? For example, can a person who's a week sober take an AA meeting into a facility of such?
AA World Services' General Service Office publishes Guidelines for many AA activities, including one for Treatment Facilities; copies in PDF format can be downloaded from www.AA.org or G.S.O can mail them; Intergroup and Central Offices often have them in stock.
A review of those guidelines shows NO required or suggested length of sobriety. Some Intergroups are known to have such suggestions; groups, Districts, Areas and their affiliated committees may have some criteria, but there is no overall standard or requirement.
All published guidelines exist to simply inform group about the experience of other groups. They do not dictate what a group should do or what AA considers to be correct.
The length of time a person is sober is far less relevant than having what Dr. Silkworth called a "psychic change" or which Dr. Jung described as a "vital spiritual experience" (p. 27). That and an understanding of AA, our Traditions and history.
