INTRODUCTION:
Moderation Management meetings have been occurring for over eleven years now. We have learned much about what makes them successful, and what hampers that success. This small volume is a summary of what we have learned about starting and maintaining a successful MM meeting.
Volunteering to bring MM to your community will enhance and accelerate the correction of your own drinking problem, and help you maintain a commitment to a more balanced way of life.
Minimally, what is needed to start an MM Meeting in any community is a place to meet, and one person committed to being there at a certain time so others seeking help have a place to go to share their concerns about their drinking. Establishing a stable and self sustaining meeting requires a little more work.
Ideally MM meetings are held once per week, for one hour. However monthly or bi-weekly meetings have been beneficial in many communities. MM groups do not require a large time commitment once they are underway. You will have help from the other members. The greatest challange is the initial development of the group to a point where it can become self-sustaining.
There may not be a one correct way to host an MM Meeting. The type and number people in attendance, the culture of the local community, even the location of the meeting may have an effect on the flavor of the meeting.
There are many different types of problems drinkers. Permit each member to discover the severity and type his or her problems. Help them find their best solution by sharing your experiences, both harmful and successful. Avoid giving specific advice to any individual. In a one hour meeting there is scarcely time for anyone to share their full story and specific advice may be resented or counterproductive.
Those of you who have never attended an MM Meeting are undoubtably interested in the basic structure of the meeting. Perhaps this description will help.
1. Begin by welcoming everyone to a group meeting of Moderation Management.
2. Hand out the Opening Statement, The Steps, and The Ground Rules to be read aloud by members at the beginning of the meeting. This is important when there are new people present.
3. Ask if anyone is attending their first meeting. Newcomers are asked to introduce themselves, if they wish to, by their first names only. Regular members should also briefly introduce themselves to all newcomers. If there are any visitors who are present to provide support to a family member or friend, or to observe only, they should also introduce themselves and briefly mention why they are attending a meeting. Most MM meetings are ?open,? meaning that non-members are welcome to attend, as long as they observe the anonymity tradition and are not disruptive.
4. Make any announcements regarding MM Network news or other group matters that should be brought to the attention of members. The group leader or MM internet liaison can update members about important news from our on-line mailing lists or Web site. Some groups make announcements towards the end of the meeting.
5. Ask if anyone has completed or is working on Step 2 (thirty days of not drinking). Completion of Step 2 is an accomplishment that should be acknowledged by the group.
6. Begin the first half of the meeting with a ?round-robin? where members get a chance to tell how they have been doing since their last meeting. Offer anyone attending their first meeting the opportunity to share why they came to the MM Meeting and what their concern is at this time. Assure them that they can wait until later in the meeting to share their concerns. Then all other Members can discuss what they are working on, progress they are making, or problems they are having. As members move beyond establishing personal drinking limits, encourage discussion about the second half of Step 7, ?small steps? toward finding balance and moderation in other areas of life. Remind the group that feedback is encouraged, but that everyone should get a chance to talk.
7. Open the meeting up for general discussion if there is time after the round robin. Ask if someone in the group has something specific they want to talk about or suggest a topic yourself. Suggestions for discussion: ideas from the MM handbook; current topics from our MM on-line groups; other excessive behaviors that members are trying to reduce, such as over-eating, coffee consumption, smoking (quit, or reduce then quit); or healthy behaviors that members are trying to increase, such as exercise, stress reduction techniques, and ways to reward oneself without using alcohol.
8. The treasurer should pass an envelope for voluntary donations before the close of the meeting. The treasurer should also give a simple report of donations and expenses from the previous week, and the balance of group funds. Remind everyone that MM groups are self-supporting and that MM Network is funded solely through membership fees and individual donations. Some groups choose to collect contributions at the beginning of the meeting.
9. Read the Closing Statement at the end of the meeting and ask for volunteers to help straighten up the meeting area.
CREATING A LIVE MM MEETING IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Now that you have a glimpse at the structure of a meeting, the following direction will help you create and sustain a healthy MM Meeting in your communitiy
1. Learn about the Process
First, you will need to learn about the program of Moderation Management. The best way to do this is to attend MM meetings, but if there are none within a reasonable distance, the next best option is to study the moderation.org web site, and join our on-line MM group.
The short readings that are often read aloud at the meetings summarize the nature and goals of an MM meeting and purpose of the MM community. They are included in this booklet and are called:
Opening Statement
Closing Statement
MM Meeting Ground Rules
A Moderate Drinker
Nine Steps Toward Moderation and Positive Lifestyle Changes
The MM Limits
2. Email us, with our Contact Form: Develop@moderation.org
Your city and contact information (such as a phone number, voice-mail number, e-mail address, e-mail alias, etc.) will be added to our list of national groups. You will need to decide what information MM can give out to people who call or email us. People who are interested in attending a group in your city can then contact you directly. This is how you will form the nucleus of your group, and get compainions to set up a first meeting. The National Office will also give you the contact information, usually and email address, of others in your community who have expressed an interest in attending a live meeting.
If you are a professional who is volunteering as a group coordinator, your full name and phone number will be given unless you are in recovery yourself and ask that your anonymity be preserved.
3. Participate in the MM LEADERS on-line group
MM has a great resource for current MM facilitators who are leading or starting a group. This is a private internet mailing list (listserv), called MMLeaders, that is made up of meeting facilitators who are leading groups. Practical suggestions, new ideas, policy issues, and many other topics are discussed weekly on this list. Each MM group is strongly encouraged to have a representative subscribed to MMLeaders. Once an individual has taken responsibility for facilitating a live MM Meeting, the National office will add them to this list.
4. Start the meetings:
With the help of your local core group of people interested in starting a live meeting in your community, or on your own if you have had experience starting groups, find a location, pick a first meeting date, publicize the group, make copies of handouts. And begin!
Section 2: FINDING A MEETING PLACE
It is important to find a place for the group to meet well in advance of the first meeting, 3-6 weeks should be adequate. This will give you plenty of time to publicize the meeting. Get out the yellow pages and call around to find out what is available. Ask some of the people helping you if they have any suggestions, such as a church or other organization that they belong to already.
Things to consider:
* Price
* Easy to find, central location
* Parking
* Good lighting
Each MM group is self-supporting so the amount you will be charged for a meeting place is very important. Some organizations offer free rental to non-profits, and many offer very low fees or only ask that your group pay a small percentage of the contributions you receive each month.
Here are some ideas for locations: churches, libraries, YMCA/YWCA, health clubs, community organizations such as the Red Cross, Senior Citizens Centers, community colleges, schools, municipal town hall, and hospitals (ask for the community relations department or the social services department).
Some of our groups meet at Unitarian churches - they usually charge very reasonable fees, require little paperwork, are friendly to new support groups, are open-minded, and can act quickly on your request.
When you have made contact with someone in charge of renting space, be sure to communicate that your group is a nonprofit organization. You may need to provide them with printed information about MM and proof of MM?s nonprofit status. We recommend providing the MM flyer, the MM Mission Statement handout. Some organizations will ask you for MM?s tax-exempt number: 38-3152354. If you need an actual copy of our tax-exempt letter from the IRS, or our New York non-profit incorporation papers, please let us know and we will mail them to you. (MM is a 501-c-3, nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable corporation.)
Note: MM does not recommend holding meetings in someone?s private residence. If you are having difficulties finding an inexpensive and convenient location, consider meeting at a local coffee shop temporarily.
VOLUNTEER DUTIES OF THE PRIMARY FACILITATOR:
Note: The following description of what MM group leaders do are suggestions only. Each group will evolve differently. The group facilitators, co-facilitators, and treasurer may share in all of these duties in different ways, and regular members may take on certain tasks.
Primary facilitator:
1. Chairs the meetings by following MM?s suggested meeting guidelines. The facilitator: opens the meetings; makes sure that the Opening Statement, The Steps, and The Ground Rules are read aloud at the beginning of meetings; gives everyone a chance to speak; and closes the meetings with the closing statement.
2. Regularly asks other members to lead the meetings.
3. Sets a good example and encourages members to respect and follow the ground rules for member and group participation.
4. Finds volunteers for a co-facilitators and treasurer to help conduct the meetings and share responsibility for maintaining the group.
5. Keeps the main office updated if there is a change to the main contact?s phone number, e-mail address, or snail mail address.
6. A small collection should be taken at each meeting to cover the costs of renting the meetings room, paying for the telephone, and other incidentals. Periodically the group leader may mail in a contribution to the Main Office from group donations (suggested: 25% of donations, quarterly, as soon as the group is well established). This should be done by the treasurer as soon as someone has volunteered for this position. Remind members that MM Network relies primarily on individual member contributions and group donations to fund our nationwide program!
7. Ensures that notices of the meeting are maintained in local papers and directories, and continues to explore new ways to let people in the community know about the existence of the group.
8. Establishes a local phone number for the group. Some groups start by using the chairperson?s personal or office number. The next step is to acquire a separate voice-mail service for a small monthly fee, and to become listed in the phone book and with local directory information. Eventually, when funding permits, a small yellow pages listing and a regular separate phone line should be considered.
9. Keeps a supply of MM literature at meetings. As funding allows, additional books from the suggested reading list should be added to the group?s ?mini-library? for loan to members
10. Brings the MM Group Folder to all meetings to keep the meeting guidelines, readings, and other literature and forms available and organized for group use.
11. Updates the group about announcements from the main office. If possible the primary facilitators should be subscribed to the MM Leaders on-line mailing list. If the group leader does not have access to the internet, often another member can volunteer to be the group?s internet liaison.
12. Assumes the duties of the co-leader and treasurer when they are absent. The primary facilitators is also responsible for finding someone else to assume his or her duties if they leave the group. (The new group leader should contact the main office.)
Co-Facilitators:
1. Assists the primary facilitator with the duties of maintaining the group.
2. Takes responsibility for meeting ?set-up and clean-up.? At MM meetings chairs are usually arranged in a circle, or around a table. A small table can be set up with literature and the ?mini-library.? A storage space at the meeting site for supplies and literature is useful if available.
3. Assumes the duties of the leader and treasurer when they are absent.
Treasurer:
1. The treasurer passes an envelope around the table and collects donations before the meeting ends First time visitors are not asked to contribute. Individual members can also make a larger contribution to the local group or the national office. A donation form is available on our Web site.
2. The treasurer keeps a simple record of donations and expenses and reports the current balance of funds to the group at each meeting. Local donations pay for the meeting room rental, copies of literature, voice-mail phone, publicizing the group, and other miscellaneous group expenses. As the level of donations/expenses increases, the treasurer may establish a small checking account for the group.
3. Periodically the treasurer mails in a contribution to the Main Office from group donations (suggested: 25% of donations, quarterly, as soon as the group is well established).
Qualifications are minimal. MM is a layperson led support group. Though professionals may coordinate and help establish groups, MM is made up of individuals who help each other by sharing personal experiences (not professional training) to recover from harmful drinking and lead more fulfilling, balanced, and happier lives.
1. Group leaders must be at least 21 years of age (or minimum-purchase age).
2. The Primary Facilitator should have a good understanding of the basic concepts of the Moderation Management program, and be familiar with the 9 Steps, MM?s suggested limits for moderate drinking, and the description of a Moderate Drinker. Primary Facilitator should be familiar with and follow MM?s suggested ground rules for member and group participation.
3. Primary Facilitators should have experienced at least one successful 30 days of abstinence.
4. No one should act as a Primary Facilitator who has had a recent (within six months) conviction for an alcohol-related offense, or who is required to abstain from alcohol as a condition of probation.
5. Any person in MM who is currently acting as a Primary Facilitator and is convicted of an alcohol-related offense is expected to have their position replaced by another member.
Leadership, Leadership, Leadership
Group Dynamics
Publicity, Publicity, Publicity
There are three main areas that group leaders need to concentrate on in order to build a group that will become self-sustaining. These areas are: developing leadership within the group, encouraging positive group dynamics, and getting the word out about the meeting.
1. Leadership: If you, as the first leader of your group, are the only one who does all the work, and for some reason in the future you cannot attend regularly, your group will fold! From the moment you start the group, and even before when you first talk to people about organizing a future group, get others actively involved. Here are some ideas on how to build leadership within your group:
* Ask other members to lead the meetings often.
* Ask others to help you with specific tasks, such as: distributing fliers; finding out how to establish a voice-mail phone service; making a list of the addresses, contact persons, and phone numbers of local newspapers and magazines; researching which city, county, and state directories the group should be listed in. Try to match your requests to the members whom you sense have an interest in that particular area, such as publicity, or research.
* Build on existing friendships within the group by asking pairs or trios to take on projects together. If members seem reluctant to take on a certain responsibility alone, ask two people to work together. For example, you could have two people work on writing a public service announcement for local radio stations.
* Make a point to express appreciation to those who have helped you during the meetings, so that everyone will realize what is getting done, and that these services to the group are not somehow accomplished by magic.
* Relate your own experiences as to how to approach a task (or ask another member to do so) in order to de-mystify the project and make it more approachable.
2. Group Dynamics: The following suggestions will help your group accomplish the main purpose of a layperson led self-help group: to provide a non-threatening, supportive environment where people can share their experiences in order to help each other overcome a common problem.
* Again, share leadership. If you, as the first group leader, have a strong personality, take on most of the tasks, and are always leading discussions, you may not only suffer from early ?burn-out,? but the group can become one-dimensional.
* Set up the meeting chairs in a circle, or around a table to encourage participation, and to symbolize that everyone in the group is equal.
* Encourage people to talk about their own experiences, their own challenges and successes. Discourage ?therapy? talk. Professional group therapy and treatment terminology have their place, but not in an MM meeting.
* Encourage regular attendance. Members cannot get to know each other and feel comfortable about speaking openly, if attendance is sporadic. Naturally members will attend less frequently as time passes, but they should still commit to ?regular? attendance. Most new members attend weekly. Over time people may choose to attend monthly, or even less often. The only way a group can survive, is if the more experienced members are willing to ?give back? to the group what they received when they first came to MM. Newcomers benefit a great deal by listening to the real-life correction stories of members who have had more time in the program.
* Try not to focus exclusively on alcohol. Chapter 4 of the handbook stresses finding balance and moderation in other areas of life. This is a continual challenge, and regular members should move on to MM?s ?spiritual? component: accepting and managing the natural tensions between abstinence, moderation, excess, passion, self-denial, self-indulgence, and striving for balance. In addition, members can discuss other excessive behaviors that they are trying to moderate: eating, coffee consumption, smoking (quit, or reduce then quit), and other aspects of their lives that they are trying to improve: career, physical exercise, more time with family, spirituality, etc.
* Make newcomers feel welcome. Offer newcomers a packet of literature before the meeting starts. If they are willing, have them introduce themselves to the group, and all regular members should briefly introduce themselves to the newcomer also. Regular members may want to talk about how they first came to MM and early experiences in the program for the benefit of the newcomer. (As your group grows, you may ask for a volunteer to ?welcome? newcomers: introduce them to the group, provide literature, answer basic questions, etc.)
3. Getting the Word Out: Building attendance is always a challenge for a new group. Expect some sporadic attendance to start. But don?t become discouraged! Brainstorm with your members on strategies to get the word out. Try all of the methods in Part 6, How to Publicize Your MM Group, that you think will work in your area. You may even have to consider moving your group or choosing a different meeting day/time if these variables are affecting attendance. As time goes on you will see a gradual increase in attendance and the momentum will take on a life of it?s own. Here?s a list of how people will learn about your group:
Section 6: RESOURCES
| Trifold Pamphlet- 2006 Edition |
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| Member's Booklet- 2005 Edition |
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1. Get this book: The Self-Help Sourcebook, by the American Self-Help Clearinghouse, Northwest Covenant Medical Center, Denville, NJ.
2. There is a great Web site for finding information about starting self-help groups, go to American Self-Help Clearinghouse Sourcebook Online
3. For more information about how to start, maintain, and advertise a self-help group, you can request a Self-Help Starter Kit for Laypersons or Professionals from:
National Self-Help Clearinghouse 212-354-8525
City University of New York
Graduate School & University Center
25 West 43rd Street, Room 620
New York, New York 10036
American Self-Help Clearinghouse 201-625-9565
(also the New Jersey Self-Help Clearinghouse)
Northwest Covenant Medical Center
25 Pocono Road
Denville, New Jersey 07834-2995
Also try your local state or regional self-help clearinghouse. Many of them can assist with training classes, referrals, and directory listings.
Or write to us anytime.
Use our convenient Contact Form: Develop@moderation.org