Making Use of Back Issues

Because the Grapevine is "timeless," back issues are often used over and over again, and AA members often collect them for Twelfth Step purposes. Some groups keep a donation box in one corner of the meeting room, and members are invited to use it to "recycle" their old issues. One group decided to include a donated back issue of the magazine in the newcomer packs it makes available. For newcomers, the Grapevine is easy, fun, and inspiring to read while giving practical insight into the way the AA program is used in daily life. One area committee reported that it collected back issues to use as "sample copies" with new members, hospitals, institutions, and the military. In another area, back issues were put in reading rooms of the men's and women's prison, in city and county jails, and VA hospitals.