AMERICA ONLINE Internet Connection Answerman: Wednesday, January 17, 1996; 9 P.M. EST Topic: Internet Resources for 12-Step Recovery Programs Host: Kevin Savetz, "Netanswers" Copyright 1996 America Online, Inc. _______________________________________________________ Netanswers: Hi everyone! We'll be starting in just a couple of minutes. CJ Patty: Welcome to Answerman with our Host, Kevin Savetz, "NetAnswers." Tonight's topic: "Internet Resources for the 12-Step Recovery Program." We are using protocol. If you have a question, type ? on the main screen. If you have a comment on the current question, type !. Please wait to be called on in turn. Netanswers: Good evening! Thanks for coming to AnswerMan. This area on AOL is dedicated to helping Internet "newbies" learn their way around the Internet. Four times a week, I host a live chat about Internet topics. This is one of those nights. :-) Netanswers: Tonight's subject is Internet resources for people interested in 12-step and other recovery programs. Netanswers: *Please - if you have a question, type "?" and WAIT until I call on you.* GMelchor: ? Msmacs: ? JZechman: ? PKorpinen: ? Netanswers: The Internet does a fantastic job of connecting people to each other, especially people that might not have found each other otherwise. ;-) So, there are a lot of self-help and support resources on the Internet. From Web pages, to mailing lists to newsgroups and more. Steelm1066: ? Army Puke: ? CJ Patty: Queue: GMelchor, MSMacs, JZechman, PKorpinen, Steelm1066, Army Puke, Angel 1026: ? Netanswers: This hour, I'll point you to some resources that I've found, and take questions. Please try to keep your questions on topic. OK? Lets start with my friend GMelchor. Your question, George? GMelchor: Yes, does AOL's web crawler access AA's web page? Netanswers: Yes--the AA web pages should be in WebCrawler, as well as the other Internet indices. I scouted around for some Alcoholics Anonymous Web pages to get--here are some of my finds: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/ This is the official Web page from the AA organization itself. You can find out about the history of AA, AA meetings, and other good stuff. There are also many non-official AA Web pages out there-- Steelm1066: ? CJ Patty: Queue: MSMacs, JZechman,Steelm1066, Army Puke, Angel 1026, Netanswers: I was impressed to learn that the AA "Big Book" is available online in its entirety--it's on the Web at http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~clyde/BillW/BB_Introduction.html There's also an index to the Big Book on the Web at http://www.moscow.com/Resources/SelfHelp/AA/bbidx/index.html Netanswers: Yahoo!, an online Internet index, has a great list of alcohol support groups on the Web--this list is at http://www.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Substance_Abuse/Alcoholism/Support_Groups/ Netanswers: There are others--I'll get to them in a bit. MsMacs, your question? Msmacs: Is the Big Book of AA available on the Net? You just anwered my question. Thanks Answerman, you're great. CJ Patty: Queue: JZechman,Steelm1066, Army Puke, Angel 1026, Netanswers: Hey, you're biased. Netanswers: JZechman, your question? Netanswers: *Please - if you have a question, type "?" and WAIT until I call on you.* JZechman: How do I communicate with a friend in Ukraine that has "Talk Service" I need for tomorrow. BAn3783d: ? Netanswers: JZ, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a tool for communicating with other Internet users by typing to them. Netanswers: AOL currently doesn't offer internal support for IRC. However, if you use Windows, you can use an IRC. Mac users currently can't use external Internet apps from America Online, so no IRC for them, for now. However, if you use Windows, you can use an IRC client as an "external application" to America Online. Check out the Pro's Corner Internet area (Keyword: PROS) for details. CJ Patty: Queue: Steelm1066, Army Puke, Angel 1026, BAn3783d, L for Life: ? GMelchor: Kevin, thanks for the Info......you are very good at this! Netanswers: Steelm1066, your question? CJ Purple: He just left Kevin.. Army Puke: Thanx, Is it possible to use Agent to view newsgroups while connected to AOL? Netanswers: Army, if you install AOL's special Winsock, you can use external applications like Agent. Go to Keyword: WINSOCK to download it. However, AOL doesn't have a public news server, so you won't be able to get your newsfeed from AOL. Kind of a catch-22. :-( Netanswers : It's difficult to find a public newsfeed. Dandydon25: ? Army Puke: Thank you very much! CJ Patty: Queue: Angel 1026, BAn3783d, L for Life, Daz4224, Dandydon25, Angel 1026: My question has been answered thanks./ga Netanswers: *Please try to keep your questions on the topic of support groups on the Internet* Netanswers: Some more 12-step resources on the Internet-- Cocaine Anonymous is at http://www.ca.org/. Cocaine Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other so that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from their addiction. The site includes a self-test for cocaine addiction as well as a list of cocaine information and help phone numbers. URSUSP: ? Netanswers: Here is a set of jumping off points for material related to 12-step recovery...including AA, overeaters anonymous, and Al-Anon / Alateen. Its at http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~clyde/BillW/Intro.html More resource pointers are at http://www.moscow.com/Resources/SelfHelp/AA/ This site has pointers to a large number of 12-step resources on the Net. It's worth checking out. CJ Patty: Queue: BAn3783d, L for Life, Daz4224, Dandydon25, SOUNDVAN, Netanswers: AL-ANON (and ALATEEN for younger members) is a worldwide organization that offers a self-help recovery program for families and friends of alcoholics whether or not the alcoholic seeks help or even recognizes the existence of a drinking problem. Members give and receive comfort and understanding through a mutual exchange of experiences, strength and hope. Sharing of similar problems binds individuals and groups together in a bond that is protected by a policy of anonymity. Information from this organization is available at http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~al-anon/ Netanswers: BAn3783d, your question? BAn3783d: How do I flip through topics on the Internet without having to load up every address I find? Thank you. CJ Patty: Queue: Steelm1066, L for Life, Daz4224, Dandydon25, SOUNDVAN, Netanswers: BAn3783d, I'm not sure I understand the question... If you want to browse some of the topics on the Internet, start with Yahoo! -- go to Keyword: http://www.yahoo.com -- This is a huge index of Web sites on the Internet. It tells you something about each site, so that you can decide if it's worth checking out before you go there. You can also go to Yahoo and search for a topic (like "basketball") and it will list the sites on that topic. Good luck. Netanswers: Steelm1066, your question? CJ Purple: Kevin, he left... BAn3783d: How do I get Yahoo? CJ Patty: Queue: L for Life, Daz4224, Dandydon25, SOUNDVAN, Netanswers: BAn3783d, pick KEYWORD from your GO TO menu. Enter "http://www.yahoo.com" (without the quotes). Netanswers: Life, your question? BAn3783d: Thanks L for Life: What is the difference between the WWW and the Internet? Thanks. URSUSP: ? Netanswers: The Web (also called WWW if you're a lazy typist) is a part of the Internet. It lets you browse the Internet using point-and-click "hypertext" access. That means that if you see something that you are interested in, you can click on it for more information. The Web is the fastest-growing part of the Internet -- there are tens of thousands of "Web sites" or "homepages" on the Internet today. The Web is also the coolest part of the Internet, because it's graphical, and can even include multimedia elements like sound files, various types of text, and even animations. Army Puke: ? Netanswers: Daz4224, your question? CJ Patty: Queue: Dandydon25, SOUNDVAN, URSUSP, Army Puke, Netanswers: Dandydon25, your question? L for Life: Wait, the Internet is the Web? Netanswers: Life, the Web is one part of the Internet. L for Life: OK THANKS. Daz4224: Is there a 12 step program for recovering alcoholics with MPD available? Dandydon25: I recently changed from Prodigy to AOL. On Prodigy there was a specific chat room for friends of Bill W. Is there a private chat room on AOL for this? Netanswers: *Please - if you have a question, type "?" and WAIT until I call on you.* JBond15: ? Netanswers: Let's look at more Internet sites for 12-step programs... CJ Patty: ***Remember*** Protocol is in effect here. Type ? for a question or ! for a comment and WAIT to be called on. Thanks! :) URSUSP: ? Netanswers: There are a variety of mailing lists--private discussions that occur via electronic mail--on 12-step and support topics. Many of these are used by hundreds or thousands of individuals, and the members of the mailing lists often create close-knit communities. There's one called Recovery (for information email recovery@wvnvm.wvnet.edu) ... Recovery is a forum and support group for survivors of childhood sexual abuse/incest and/or their SO's. Postings are published in digest format and contributors may post anonymously. The emphasis is on healing and recovery through the use of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as adapted for our purpose. Netanswers: Daz4224 , sorry to keep you waiting... Your question? Daz4224: A 12 step program for AA's with MPD. BAn3783d: ? CJ Patty: Queue: Dandydon25, SOUNDVAN, URSUSP, Army Puke, JBond15, ZeusVsGod, BAn3783d Netanswers: Daz4224, I'm not aware of any groups specifically for AA w/ MPD, but I wouldn't doubt that there is such a group out there. You should start by exploring the AA Web pages, and see if you find any. If I do, I'll let you know :-) Netanswers: Dandydon25, your question? CJ Patty: Queue: Dandydon25, SOUNDVAN, URSUSP, ZeusVsGod, BAn3783d, Daz4224: Thanks. I didn't know where to begin..... Netanswers: Another mailing list...This one is for discussion about Al-Anan/Alateen...Al-Anon has but one purpose; to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics, and by giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic. (I stole that from their Web page.) :-) For information on this mailing list, visit the Web site at http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~al-anon/ To subscribe, send email to listproc@solar.rtd.utk.edu and in the body of the message, put subscribe Al-Anon CJ Patty: Queue: SOUNDVAN, URSUSP, ZeusVsGod, BAn3783d, Netanswers: SOUNDVAN, your question? CJ Patty: Soundvan left Netanswers: URSUSP, your question? URSUSP: Looking for a place to chat professional video & computer editing - tech talk rooms? Netanswers: URSUSP, I'm sure they're out there, but that's not tonight's topic; sorry. CJ Patty: Queue: URSUSP, BAn3783d, Netanswers: BAn3783d, your question? BAn3783d: Yes, how do I get into Sony online? Netanswers: There's another mailing list called smoke-free. It is a support list for people recovering from addiction to cigarettes. For information, email maynor@ra.msstate.edu (Natalie Maynor). To subscribe, send email to listproc@msstate.edu and in the body of the message, put subscribe smoke-free Your Name Netanswers: BAn3783d, go to Keyword: http://www.sony.com Netanswers: This mailing list is interesting-An online closed men's meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. In keeping with the Third Tradition of AA, "The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking." To subscribe, send email to majordomo@io.com and in the body of the message put subscribe AAMEN help end ..Just like that :-) BAn3783d: Yes, and when I push the icon for games, it says the server is down, http://www.proxy.com CJ Patty: Queue: Netanswers: *Please - if you have a question, type "?" and WAIT until I call on you.* BAn3783d: ? BUCK1453: ? DSwan76: ? Netanswers: BAn3783d , your question? DRensel: ? Awger: ? BAn3783d: When I click into something on Sony, it says http://ww.proxy.com. what does that mean? Netanswers: This is an Internet chat area--but let me sneak in the fact that there are many 12-step chat areas on America Online itself. If you go to the People Connection, then you can find these semi-private rooms--Friends of Bill W, Real Friends of Bill, Recoverylink, Friends of Jimmy K, Alanon. JAM262: ? Netanswers: BAn3783d, I don't know what that means. I've never seen that. I suggest asking in the ASK ANSWERMAN message board, Keyword: ANSWERMAN. CJ Patty: Queue: Buck1453, DSwan76, DRensel, Awger, JAM262 Netanswers: Buck1453, your question? BUCK1453: I'm looking for rental homes in the Orlando Florida area, how can I find info on this subject? Netanswers: BUCK1453, you can try searching WebCrawler for "florida real estate". Keyword: WEBCRAWLER. Netanswers: *Please, folks, try to stay on topic.* Thanks. Netanswers: DSwan76, your question? DSwan76: What does it mean when I get a message that says...URL cannot be retrieved...Error communicating with AOL browser. Netanswers: DSwan76 -- it means your browser is confused. Send email to "macfixes" (any subject line, any message body will do) and you'll receive a help file that will explain how to fix that problem. DSwan76: Thanks! CJ Patty: Queue: DRensel, Awger, JAM262, BAn3783d, Netanswers: We have about 10 minutes left--I have a couple more sites to share, then we'll finish off with the last of the questions. There's a mailing list called "12 step"...its purpose: To discuss/share experiences about 12 step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Alanon, ACA, etc. Questions will also be answered. To subscribe, send a message to listproc2@bgu.edu and in the body of the message put subscribe ODAAT@bgu.edu BAn3783d: ? Netanswers: For a large index of substance abuse resources on the Internet, visit http://www.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Substance_Abuse/ Netanswers: DRensel, your question? DRensel: What is the topic? and thanks, you already answered my other question. Netanswers: Awger, your question? CJ Patty: Queue: JAM262, BAn3783d, Netanswers: DRensel , the topic is 12-step recovery programs on the Internet. Netanswers: JAM262, your question? JAM262: I was told that Retailinfo@Kronos.com was not one of the permitted email recipients. Why? Netanswers: JAM262, I dunno. Thats odd. Try it again, is all I can suggest. JAM262: Thanks CJ Patty: Queue: Netanswers : OK, folks, we're about out of time. Thanks for coming - I hope you found something useful here. Tomorrow night, I'll be talking about "What is the Web?", so if you're confuzzled about this Web business, tomorrow is the evening for you. Msmacs: ANSWERMAN, THANK YOU THIS WAS GREAT CJ Patty: Thanks for all the great information Netanswers! G'night folks! Netanswers: Thank you, Patty! Night all! One day at a time :-)