The Telephone Answering Service is often the first point of contact for people who are becoming aware that they have been affected by another person’s drinking and who are reaching out for help. A key message is that Al-Anon is always here and that we are always ready to listen.
A Telephone Answer Service (TAS) volunteer is an Al-Anon member with at least one year in the program. The service operates 7 days a week from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The shifts are daily from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
The call volume is low. You may continue to do what you normally do daily during this time. Occasionally a caller may talk about his/her situation. Listen. We do not suggest solutions to problems or give advice. Extend a hand of friendship and understanding. Explain how the program has helped us and how important meetings are to us.
A caller may simply want to know the date, time, and location of the closest Al-Anon meeting or may request that some literature be sent in the mail. A caller could be an Al-Anon member from out of town who feels a need for a meeting while away from home.
A caller may have questions about the program and you may be called upon to talk about how the program has helped you to recover from the impact of someone else’s drinking.
A caller may request that a member speak to an organization about Al-Anon. We maintain a speaker’s list for this purpose and you may advise the caller that the coordinator who keeps this list will be in contact with him or her.
If the caller is really looking for AA, we refer this person to the Ottawa AA phone number.
If the caller is francophone and is looking for a French-speaking meeting, we refer this person to the Gatineau Al-Anon phone number (819) 669-0543 (en Français
If the caller asks to meet you, you may choose to do so or not. The decision is yours. We suggest, however, that if you choose to meet a caller, you do so in a public place.
We NEVER give out the telephone number of another Al-Anon member and we NEVER leave a message on a caller’s answering machine or voicemail.