(Hyperlinks in this archive may no longer work and other information may be obsolete)

SOS Web Site Launched in Canada

On December 16th, 1998 a new website was launched to promote SOS in Canada.  Titled 'Don's Unofficial Canadian SOS Site,' the site is located at http://www.bcity.com/soscanada/

The webmaster, Don Garvey, has over 9 years of sobriety. While he has been an AA member for many years, Don has become increasingly frustrated at the many people who come into the AA program each year and leave because of problems with the "spirituality" of AA.

"For many years, I've felt that there has to be an alternative to AA for people who wish to become clean and sober. One of my main objections to AA is its singular approach to sobriety. Many people today are dually addicted, but AA refuses to address this. AA's basic textbook, Alcoholics Anonymous, was written in 1939, with no revisions to the main body of the text since its initial publication."

"I'm not AA bashing here. My sobriety started in AA. However, I feel that SOS is a more viable alternative. I hope that the site will promote discussion in Canada about SOS, and that meetings will begin as a result of the site."

Plans for the site in the New Year are to add a links page to non-AA related sites. In time, Don hopes that a mirror site will be started in Canadian French to serve the potential members in the province of Quebec.   (12/98)                                      

Two New Meetings in San Francisco CA Bay Area

Two new secular sobriety meetings will begin in the San Francisco Bay Area in January, 1999.  On Sunday January 3, a new 11:00 a.m. meeting will commence in Richmond, at the Richmond facility of Kaiser Permanente, 901 Nevin Street, Medical Office Building 2, Conference Room 1.  The meeting will go to 12:15.  Contact Gil S., gseward@jps.net (707) 746-8145 for details.  With the addition of this Sunday meeting, the San Francisco Bay Area becomes the first in the country to offer secular sobriety meetings seven days a week.  On Monday January 11, a new evening meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Chemical Dependency Recovery Program of Kaiser Permanente at 1201 Fillmore Street in San Francisco.  Contact Marty N., [...] or 510-763-0779 for details.  (12/98)

New Meeting Forming in Portland OR

A new SOS meeting is forming in Portland OR.  Currently, members are meeting in private homes on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m., and are looking for a public meeting site.  Please contact Don W. at 503-771-5320 for information.  (12/98)

Dallas TX Realigns Meeting Schedule

The Dallas/Ft. Worth TX SOS groups have closed the Tuesday night meeting in Plano and opened a Monday night meeting in Dallas instead.  The new Monday night meeting will convene starting December 14 at 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the First Universalist-Unitarian Church, 4015 Normandy Avenue, Dallas TX.   Contact Duaine M. 972-272-7331 for details.   (12/98)

Grays Harbor WA Area Adds Two More Meetings

The Grays Harbor, Washington, SOS chapter has changed the meeting place of its first meeting and added two additional weekly meetings.  The original Monday night meeting has moved from the public library in Aberdeen to the EastCenter Recovery facility at 1006 North H Street, also in Aberdeen.  A new meeting now convenes on Wednesday nights at 7:30 at Evergreen Counseling, corner of 8th and Levy Streets, in Hoquiam.   A second new meeting now convenes on Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at the EastCenter Recovery facility at 1006 North H. Street in Aberdeen.  For further information contact Mike G., 360-533-8039.

Western Massachusetts Chapter Adds Second Meeting

SOS has added a new meeting in Western Massachusetts with the opening of the Holyoke meeting, set for December 18, 1998.  The meeting will convene every Friday from 6:30 - 8:00 pm in the NEF Office at 709 Main Street in Holyoke.  For further information contact Ward T., ww_t@hotmail.com, (413) 283-4849.

Missoula Secular Sobriety Society Commences Meetings

The Missoula Secular Sobriety Society has commenced recovery meetings on Sunday nights from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Cactus Club (a sober meeting place) at 1916 Maple Street in Missoula, Montana.  The meeting's draft Bylaws provide that "the group requests that all topics of a religious nature be held for any other meeting that welcomes such discussion."  For further information, contact ken_i_m@geocities.com.

New SOS Meeting in Paris, France

A new SOS meeting was launched in Paris, France, on October 26, 1998.  The meeting will convene Monday nights at 6:00 p.m. at the atelier of Charles Boggs, Tel. Pris 01.43.22.47.74.  The meeting is bilingual.

New SOS Meeting in San Antonio, TX

A new SOS meeting will open Thursday night, Nov. 5, 1998, at 11849 Perrin Beitel Rd. in San Antonio, TX.  The meeting will go from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.  For further information contact Jack H., telephone (210) 637-5994.

New SOS Meeting in Palmer, MA

A new SOS meeting will open Monday night, Nov. 2, 1998, at 6:30 p.m. at the Palmer Municipal Building, 4419 Main Street, Palmer, MA.  The meeting will go to 8:00 p.m.  For further information contact Ward T., telephone (413) 283-4849. 

New SOS Meeting for "TDCJ Alumni" in Ft. Worth, TX

A new SOS meeting for graduates of the Substance Abuse Treatment Program of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (aka parolees) started Oct. 5, 1998, in Ft. Worth.   The meeting will convene every Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the TDCJ Parole office at 3628 McCart, Ft. Worth, TX.  The phone number at the facility is (817) 921-9886.  Steve L., the convenor, says that there is an expectation that the meeting will become open to the general public after a period of time.  Duaine M. is the email contact for the meeting. 

Christopher Visits Brussels -- a Report

By Steve M.

SOS, Brussels; Webmaster, SOS Europe website

Jim Christopher's recent visit to the Benelux countries was a resounding success. As well as having the opportunity to sample the delights of Belgium french fries with mayonnaise and climb windmills in clogs, Jim was able to boost the morale of SOS members through individual discussions about the SOS approach and building groups in Belgium and Holland. Consequently, we now have the nucleus of a group near Eindhoven in the Netherlands and a new Flemish-speaking group in the old university town of Leuven in Belgium.

On Friday the 2nd October, Jim and Steve M. from Brussels were the guest speakers at the Cultural Circle of the European Commission " Free Thought for Europe " forum, which is sponsored by the European Federation of Humanists. Jim spoke for about 20 mins in (american) English, explaining the SOS secular alternative and then Steve spoke for about 10 mins in (welshy) French to appeal for support for SOS Europe. The audience was made up of officials of the European Parliament, doctors and representatives of European NGOs, and following the meeting Steve was approached with offers of possible no-strings attached, financial aid from Belgium and European governmental sources.

On Saturday, Oct 4th SOS Brussels hosted a SOS public meeting, followed by an afternoon mini-European conference bringing together SOS members Charley B and Hassan from Paris, Ad and Ingeborg from Holland and SOS members from Brussels. In all 15 people attended the public and closed meetings and new attendees from the Flemish AA groups expressed their interest in starting a SOS group in their area. A person with eating disorders also decided to join SOS Brussels for help. The conference discussed how such a meeting could not have taken place one year ago and that thanks to publicity through magazines, the humanists and the Internet, the tender plant of SOS in Europe was now beginning to sink roots and spread to surrounding countries.

In the Netherlands, Ingeborg and Ad reported that Novadick, a huge government recovery network and famous clinic has reacted enthusiastically to SOS and promised to provide facilities, publicity and help in establishing our groups there.

In France, Charley and Hassan are exploring friendly links to the secular sobriety group " Vie Libre ", which claims 20,000 and who have responded positively to SOS by inviting us to attend their meetings. It was decided that this event should become an annual event and to look at next year holding a residential two day event including SOS UK members. Many thanks from all of us to Jim for his inspiration and advice.

Texas Substance Abuse Professionals

Express Appreciation for SOS

Leading staff members of the Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP) of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice wrote letters of appreciation to SOS founder Jim Christopher this month.   Madeline Ortiz, Assistant Director of the Program, wrote Sept. 8:  "We recognized the need to have an effective alternative to the spiritually based self-help programs within our prisons and state jails and, after considerable research, felt that the sobriety priority message of SOS was what we wanted to have available to those in our system."  Ortiz continued that "SOS is flourishing inside the prison setting" and expressed appreciation to Christopher and the "many SOS members" who have helped establish SOS meetings in Texas outside the jails.   Read full text of letter.   See related news item. 

Guy Ogan and Bob Lewis, respectively the Clinical Trainer and the head of the Volunteer and Education Program Section of the SATP, sent a follow-up letter on Sept. 12.   They wrote: "Many of those who abuse or are addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs, and who find their way into the criminal justice system have great need of both treatment and a self-help/peer support group.  However, many of these 'offenders' have serious personal misgivings whenever the issue of God is raised, even 'the God of your understanding.'  SOS calls for those seeking sobriety to deal with sobriety as their number one issue, without any prerequisite that they at least give lip service to acceptance of a deity. ... [W]e feel the openness and acceptance of S.O.S., as you expressed it, must result in its growth into one of the premier recovery organizations."   Read full text of letter.

Christopher in Brussels at EC Conference

SOS founder Jim Christopher will be addressing a conference of the «Pensée Libre Pour l’Europe» (European Free Thought), sponsored by the European Humanists Federation, at the Cultural Circle of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, on October 2nd, 1998.  Christopher will also be speaking at a SOS public meeting on Saturday, October 3rd at 11 a.m. in the ICA Building, 8 rue Amédée Lynen, 1030 Brussels. He will also be visiting clinics and associations dealing with alcohol and drug addiction throughout Belgium and the Netherlands.   For details, visit the SOS Europe web site. 

Nashville Meeting Goes Weekly

The Nashville SOS meeting, which began recently as a monthly meeting, has now gone weekly.  The meeting convenes Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m., at The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, 1808 Woodmont Blvd. in Nashville.  Contact Gregg F., GreggF1@aol.com or  (615) 794-8988.

SOS Convention Postponed to Summer

The International SOS Convention, originally announced for Feb. 13-14, 1999, in Berkeley, California, has been postponed to the summer of 1999, new date to be announced. 

Houston Finds Meeting Place

The new SOS meeting in central Houston TX has found a meeting site.  The gathering will convene every Monday at  8:00 p.m. on the Rice University Campus, Rice Memorial Center, Myer Conference Room.  For directions contact Dieter 713-522-5821.

Two SOS Meetings Start in Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ, now has two new SOS meetings, one on Tuesdays and one on Fridays.   The Tuesday meeting convenes at the VA Medical Center, 3601 South 6th Avenue, at 8:15 p.m., in Building 2, Floor 1-N, Room 179.  The Friday meeting convenes at 7:00 p.m. at Aztec Counseling Services, 6816 N. Oracle Road, Suite 310, also in Tucson.    For both meetings, contact Jerry S., (520) 792-1450 xt. 6900.  (9/15/98)

Second SOS Meeting in Houston, TX

A second new SOS meeting will begin in Houston, TX, starting Monday, Aug. 31, 1998.  The meeting will convene in the Rice University and Medical Center area every Monday from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.  Please contact Dieter at 713-522-5821 or Scott N. at newsom@hypercon.com or 281-485-0547.

Former TX Inmate Starts Sunrise SOS Meeting in Austin

When Steve A. was a prisoner in the T.R. Havins unit in Brownswood, TX, he was one of the first to join the new SOS group there last year.  (See Texas Prison System Adopts SOS as Secular Alternative, below.)   He read Jim Christopher's book Unhooked in the prison library.  He had his Dad buy him a copy of Sobriety Handbook: The SOS Way from LifeRing Press.  He had his brother buy Jim Christopher's other two books.  He read them all and was one of the leaders of the SOS group at Havins.  The Unit Director (head warden) fought them tooth and nail.  He called them "Sons of Satan" and other names.  But they persisted.  One of the things that was always thrown in their face was "where are you going to go when you get out?  There's no SOS meetings out there.  You're going to have to go to AA anyway, so you might as well start here."  That determined Steve to start a meeting when he got out, and he did.  He and two other ex-prisoners hold their SOS meeting every morning at sunrise in the halfway house where Steve is staying.  Steve doesn't have his own place yet or his own phone, so if you want to contact him, you have to write him at P.O. Box 90981, Austin TX 78709-0981.  Steve says he's still in contact with friends inside and that the SOS group at Havins is alive and well.

SOS Austin Chapter Adds Own Web Site

The SOS chapter in Austin TX now has its own web site to make the meeting known to the local community.   The site runs on the servers of the Austin-American Statesman, a local newspaper, which provides the web site free as a service to community organizations.  The webmaster is Paul M. email: sosaustin@the-answer.com.   The web address for the Austin SOS web site is http://www.austin360.com/community/groups/sosaustin

Clearinghouse Announces Christopher's Texas Speaking Engagements

The SOS International Clearinghouse has announced that SOS founder Jim Christopher will be appearing at the following times and places during the "civilian" side of his Aug. 1-10 Texas speaking tour.  This itinerary does not include his engagements at Texas prisons on behalf of SOS meetings behind bars. 

Sunday, August 2:  Planning sessions for new SOS meetings in Woodlands and Houston.   Christopher will be in Woodlands at 2:00 PM at Woodlands UU Church, 1370 North Millband Drive; and in Houston at 5:00 PM at Colonial Campus (inpatient treatment facility), 3520 Toliver.  For additional information on these events, please contact Scott Newsom at Newsom@hypercon.com.

Monday, August 3: Planning session for meeting in Fort Worth at: 8:00 PM at the office building at 905 North Sylvania, Fort Worth.  For information on this location contact Dick Hogan 817-831-1150.

Wednesday, August 5:  Christopher will speak about "Alternatives to AA" at 7:30 p.m. at Shoal Creek Hospital in Austin. The talk will inaugurate the reopening of the Austin meeting at its new location and on its new regular day.  For more information telephone Paul at (512) 301-4357 or Megan (512) 912-0522, or send email to sosaustin@The-Answer.com.

Friday, August 7:  Planning session for San Antonio SOS meeting at 11:30 AM, Via Rosa Hospital, 5115 Medical Drive, San Antonio.  For information on this location contact Joyce Greenlee 210-705-5600.

Wednesday Meeting Opens in Rochester NY

The SOS chapter in Rochester New York has opened a new meeting on Wednesday evenings, in addition to the ongoing Monday and Thursday meetings.  The new Wednesday meeting convenes at 7:00 pm at Westfall Associates, 911 Westfall Rd., Building "C", Genesee Valley Medical Center, Westfall at South Clinton, Rochester.  Contact SOSinROCH@aol.com for further information.

New SOS Meeting Opens in Santa Barbara, CA

A new SOS meeting has opened in Santa Barbara, CA, the second in that city.   SOS convenor Jim E. advises that the meeting convenes Wednesday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Veterans Memorial Building, 112 West Cabrillo Boulevard, in the Ocean View room (upstairs).  For further information contact Jim E. at sossbca@aol.com. 

LifeRing Press Announces Online Edition of Sobriety Handbook: The SOS Way

Sobriety Handbook: The SOS Way, the concise introduction to SOS published in 1997, is now available in an online edition on the LifeRing Press web site, LifeRing Press announced May 29.  The online edition contains the full text of the 100-page paperback book with the exception of the Index, according to Marty N., webmaster of www.lifering.com.  Readers can use their web browsers to search, download and print out the text using the freeware program Adobe Acrobat Reader.  The paperback book edition continues to be available, also via the LifeRing Press web site.   

Clearinghouse Announces Christopher's Texas Tour Itinerary

The SOS Clearinghouse has announced SOS founder Jim Christopher's itinerary for his Texas speaking tour in August 1998.   Christopher will be in Houston Saturday Aug. 1 and Sunday Aug. 2, in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area Monday Aug. 3 and Tuesday the 4th, in Austin Wednesday Aug. 5 and Thursday Aug. 6, in San Antonio on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 7-8), and back to Houston Sunday Aug. 9.  Christopher will return to Los Angeles Monday Aug. 10.  Groups wishing to book Christopher for speaking engagements are asked to contact the Clearinghouse.

Scandinavian-Languages Online Forum Opens

Speakers of  the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian languages are invited to participate in a new SOS Scandinavian online discussion forum, now open.  Click here to connect to the forum. Connecting to this site requires registration and discussions are only for the Scandanavian language speakers. Send email inquiries to Jan A. in Sweden.

New Meeting Opens in Nashville TN

A new SOS meeting will open June 16 in Nashville, TN.  The new meeting convenes on the third Tuesday of each month in the meeting room of the Greenhills Public Library, 3801 Greenhills Village Drive, Nashville.  Persons interested in participating are asked to contact Michael H. in Nashville at 615-780-2969. 

LifeRing Press Announces $1000 Grant to Jim Christopher for Texas Tour

LifeRing Press has awarded a grant of $1,000.00 to Jim Christopher, founder of SOS, to support Christopher's efforts to expand SOS in the State of Texas, Tom Shelley, President of LifeRing Inc., announced May 1.

"Carrying the message of secular sobriety to Texas is one of the most important goals of SOS today," said Shelley.  The Texas Department of Criminal Justice in 1996 adopted SOS as its secular alternative for the entire prison system, following a presentation by Christopher.  Now the task is to build up meetings outside of the Texas prisons, Shelley said.

Christopher, a native of Texas, plans to tour major Texas cities in August, 1998, and will speak at 'civilian' venues as well as at major prisons.  The LifeRing grant is to cover the 'civilian' side of his tour, said Shelley.  Click here for more on this story. [5/4/98]

Los Angeles Times Covers SOS Founder's 20th Sobriety Anniversary

 The Los Angeles Times covered SOS founder Jim Christopher's 20th Sobriety Anniversary April 24 with a photograph (left) and a news story on the front page of its Valley section in the April 27 issue.  Entitled "SOS Members Don't March to the 12 Steps -- Secular Organizations for Sobriety offers support like Alcoholics Anonymous but without any religious overtones,"  the article by Times staff writer John Dart describes the history of SOS and quotes Jim C., Larry B., Tom H., and other members of the Glendale meeting about the organization's philosophy.  Excerpts:  "'I once lived to drink, but it has no place in my life now,' said Christopher, who, like AA, advocates total abstinence from alcohol.  'It's a comfortable sobriety.'  The organization, run by Christopher from an office near Marina del Rey with the help of volunteers around the country, has several hundred U.S. chapters and a core membership of 20,000, he said.  In addition, Christopher has established ties with secular groups of recovering alcoholics abroad. ...  His organization's acronym has inspired a second name -- Save Our Selves.  'We credit ourselves for achieving sobriety' rather than dependence on a god or higher power, he said."  For the full text of the article from the online edition of the Los Angeles Times, click here.  [4/30/98]

SOS Founder Celebrates 20 Years of Sobriety

[Press Release from SOS International Clearinghouse]

SOS (Secular Organizations for Sobriety/Save Our Selves), the first and largest secular alternative to traditional 12-step programs for alcohol and drug addiction, is pleased to announce that its founder, Jim Christopher, will celebrate twenty years of continuous sobriety on April 24, 1998.

When Mr. Christopher stopped drinking permanently almost 20 years ago, he quickly became disillusioned with the religious orientation of Alcoholics Anonymous. In 1985 he founded SOS as a self-empowerment alternative for thousands of alcoholics uncomfortable with the AA approach. SOS meetings are free, anonymous, and open to all who seek sobriety, regardless of religious belief or non-belief.

Since its inception, SOS has grown from a single meeting in North Hollywood, California to meetings held throughout the United States. In recent years, SOS has grown internationally as well: meetings are now held in other countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, France, and Belgium.

As a result of court cases ruling that mandatory AA attendance violates one's constitutional rights to religious freedom, SOS has been selected by numerous courts and correctional institutions (including the largest of these: the Texas Department of Criminal Justice) as an alternative choice for inmates with drug and alcohol problems.

SOS publishes a quarterly newsletter and maintains an international clearinghouse in Los Angeles.

Contact Tom Hill at (818) 769-1132 (email: tom@amicustech.com)

See also: A Salute to Jim Christopher, on the SOS Europe web site.  (4/21/98)

New SOS Meeting Starts up in Amsterdam, N.Y.

A new SOS meeting has started up in Amsterdam, N.Y.  The meeting convenes on Monday nights from 7:30 to 8:30 in the first floor conference room of the Wilkinson Center, behind the Amsterdam Memorial Hospital in Amsterdam.  For more information contact Brook Gaston at 518-842-5112.  (4/21/98)

SOS Meeting in Salem, OR, to Revive

Bruce Stock, convenor of the former SOS meeting in Salem, Oregon, says he intends to revive the group and is looking for interested sobrietists to help him take responsibility for the meeting.  He is not on the Internet, and requests people to telephone him at (503) 371-6109.  (Posted 4/21/98)

New Unofficial SOS Information Sites Add to SOS Internet Presence

Two new web sites containing information about SOS went up in early April, 1998, expanding the SOS presence on the Internet.  Created and maintained by Jim M. of Daytona Beach, Florida, the two mirror sites run on the geocities and aol servers.  Original animations and extensive links to alcoholism research sites distinguish the sites. 

New SOS Europe Web Site Goes Up on Net

A new web site serving SOS Europe went up on the World Wide Web on March 28.  The url is http://users.skynet.be/sosalcohol/   Steve Morgan of Brussels, Belgium, is the webmaster.  The site carries the basic message of SOS in eight languages: French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, and English.  It will also be the center of an email list in French, German and English.  The site is at the center of a growing interest in SOS sobriety in Europe.  Morgan has been invited to represent SOS before a committee of the European Parliament in April.

SOS Adds Meeting in Santa Barbara, CA

A new SOS meeting has formed in Santa Barbara, CA.  The new group meets Sunday nights between 6 and 7 pm at Goleta Community Center, 5670 Hollister Avenue, Room 5-A, Santa Barbara.  For further information contact Jim E. via 805-564-8141 or email sossbca@aol.com. 

SOS Adds Second Meeting in Bradenton FL

The Tampa Bay SOS group has added its fifth meeting, the second in Bradenton County.  The new meeting convenes on Sundays at 6:30 p.m., at the Manatee Glens Hospital, 2020 26th Ave. E.  For further information, contact Mark Page, markp@gte.net, or telephone 941-746-0552. (3/22/98)

New SOS Meeting in North Fork, Long Island (NY)

A new SOS meeting will convene March 11, 1998, in the North Fork, Long Island area of New York.  The meeting will happen on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in the Unitarian Universalist Church on the Main Road in Southold, NY.  For further information, contact MOG at 765-4302 or email mog@peconic.net.

SOS Adds New Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland

Secular Organizations for Sobriety has added a new group in Glasgow, Scotland.   The meetings began Sunday, Feb. 15, 1998 and will continue every Sunday evening at 7.30 pm at: "The Meeting House," 38 Elmbank Street, Glasgow G2 4PS.  For information, please contact Mark W., telephone 0141 641 1759.

SOS Adds New Meeting in Bremerton, WA

Secular Organizations for Sobriety has added a new group in Bremerton, Washington.  The meetings will be held Wednesday nights beginning Feb. 18, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. in the Unitarian Church, 4418 Perry Ave NE, Bremerton WA 98310.   For further information contact Jim S. GNSB77D@prodigy.com.

SOS Adds New Meeting in Austin, TX

Secular Organizations for Sobriety has added a new Austin, Texas group.   Meetings will be held every Monday night, beginning March 2nd, 1998, at 7:30 PM in Room 11 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin at 4700 Grover Avenue in the Hyde Park area of Austin.  For further information about the new meeting, contact Megan M., telephone 512-912-0522; or Paul M., email sos@The-Answer.com (LM 1/29/98 rev 5/11/98)