District 23 is an Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Committee within Area 30 of eastern Massachusetts. The committee meets monthly on the 2nd Tuesday at 7:30 pm at Faith Community Church, 146 E. Main Street Hopkinton, Room 237 (from the lobby, follow corridor on right), and online via Zoom (see the calendar or announcements page for Zoom information).

District 23 supports AA's primary purpose via services such as AA alkathons, workshops, roundups, and outreach to the local community, and by connecting local AA groups to Area 30 and it's delegate. The website serves the district by sharing information with local AA groups, members and others.

Supporting District 23

District 23 relies on contributions from local AA members and groups for funding. AA members and groups can contribute online via Venmo (for info: click here) or by mailing contributions to:

District 23 Treasurer      P.O. Box 492      Framingham, MA 01702

District 23 also relies on local AA members for it's service committees and functions. GSRs and interested AAs help District 23 fulfill its primary purpose.

District 23: Who We Are

District 23 serves the A.A. groups in these cities and towns (see also the Area 30 Districts Map page):

Ashland Bellingham      Blackstone Framingham      Holliston Hopedale Hopkinton Marlborough Mendon Milford Millville Natick Sherborn Southborough Wayland

District 23: What We Do

District 23’s 12-step work is done by general service reps (GSRs), interested AA’s, officers and committee chairs. All AA’s are welcome and encouraged to attend a district meeting (in-person or via Zoom). For most service positions, one year of sobriety is expected; for some (e.g., treasurer, DCM), two years of sobriety is expected.

The officers of the District 23 committee are:

• District Committee Member(DCM)
• Chairperson
• Secretary
• Treasurer

The committees overseeing District 23’s 12-step service include:

• Accessibilities Committee
• Alcathon Committee
• Archives Committee
• Cooperation with the Professional Community Committee
• Corrections Committee
• Grapevine Committee
• Literature Committee
• Picnic/Social Committee
• Public Information Committee
• Treatment Committee
• Website Committee

About the AA Service Structure

The AA service structure is described below. See the Circles of Love and Service pamphlet for an overview of AA service.

The general service structure of AA is often depicted as an "inverted triangle", as shown below.

At the top of the triangle are the A.A. groups, each represented by a General Service Representative (GSR). At the bottom of the triangle are two corporations: A.A. World Services Inc. (AAWS) and A.A. Grapevine Inc. (GV), which are governed by a General Service Board (GSB) which in turn is governed by area delegates via an annual General Service Conference (GSC). (Note: the GSC should not be confused with the General Service Office (GSO) which refers to the office and staff of AAWS.) In the middle of the triangle are AA areas and districts, as described below.

North America is partitioned into Regions, with each region represented by a Regional Trustee who sits on the GSB. Each region is divided into Areasc, and each area is represented by an Area Delegate.

And Area is divided into districts and each district elects a District Committee Member (DCM) to represent the district’s GSRs at area meetings and assemblies. A District is a geographical division within an area that provides an opportunity for the local A.A. groups to have a voice in matters affecting groups and A.A. as a whole.

Each District Committee is composed of General Service Representatives (GSRs) and interested A.A.’s from AA groups.A GSR is an A.A. group’s link to the A.A. service structure. Each A.A. group may elect one GSR to attend district meetings and Area assemblies to represent their group’s conscience and vote on matters brought before the assembly. The area delegate, in turn, represents the area's conscience at the annual General Service Conference. For an overview of how the GSC operates: click here.

Each District Committee elects at least one District Committee Member (DCM) who serves as an essential link between the District and the Area. As a member of the Area 30 Committee, the District 23 DCM represents District 23’s conscience to the Area 30 Delegate who in turn represents the Area’s conscience at the General Service Conference attended by all area delegates from the U.S. and Canada.

District 23 and AA

A total of 93 Areas comprise AA’s North America service structure (shown here). Massachussetts is comprised of two Areas: eastern Massachusetts (Area 30) and western Massachusetts (Area 31). District 23 is one of Area 30's districts (shown here).

Each area may have one or more central service or intergroup offices providing local services to AA groups. The Worcester Area Intergroup Office is located in Worcester and the Eastern Massachusetts Central Service Office is located in Boston. The Western Massachusetts Intergroup Office is located in Holyoke. There is also a Berkshire Intergroup Office, a Cape Cod Intergroup Office, Martha’s Vineyard Intergroup Office and a Nantucket Intergroup Office.

The A.A. Service Manual describes Alcoholics Anonymous service concepts in much greater detail. Area 30 publishes an Area 30 Handbook for its service volunteers.