That's an excellent point, John, about initial contact. On reflection, perhaps the most difficult part of the whole experience for me was making that initial phone call to AA. It involved an admission, and a venture into the unknown. I'm not sure how many times I picked up the phone before finally making the call--several times over a period of several days, at least. If initial contact were made online, that might facilitate initial contact--like gradually immersing oneself in the pool rather than diving in. But I wonder about the "quality," if you will, of that initial contact and how it might affect a newcomer. Perhaps it should be, ideally, someone who's trained to interact with newcomers. This medium can promote misunderstanding, so perhaps a good familiarity with online communications should be a prequisite, too. OTOH, I've seen some support forums that require only user registration, permitting newcomers an opportunity to "lurk" and read the comments of others--that might be beneficial as well. It seems to me much depends on the individual.
Perhaps this involves "self?" (Enjoyed reading the transcript of your speech, and the Zen page too.)
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