- Advice-giving, criticizing, or making comments about what others have already shared,
- Questioning or interrupting the person speaking,
- Talking while someone is sharing, or
- Speaking directly to another person rather than to the group.
By avoiding crosstalk, we accept what others say because it is true for them.
Together we create a safe environment for self-discovery. Trust, confidentiality, and honesty allow us the freedom to reveal our secrets, our fears, our deepest hurts, our worst mistakes, and admit to one another the vulnerable, undisclosed aspects of ourselves. It further encourages the individual’s own ability to hear the truth as spoken to his or her heart.
Crosstalk doesn’t forbid a person from speaking on a topic already mentioned during the meeting. However, there are some basic guidelines that we, as a Fellowship, have found to be helpful. First and foremost, when we speak, we share about our own experience honestly: what it was like, what happened, and what it is like for us now.
Experience has shown us that the greatest progress occurs when we each focus on our own recovery. When we focus on our own thoughts, feelings, behaviors, actions, activities, and recovery, we are taking responsibility for our own lives. Let us keep our focus on ourselves, using first-person statements like I think, I feel, and I need as we share our own experience, strength, and hope in CLA℠. Remember that you are not speaking to please other people or to fix someone else or being graded on your recovery. You are speaking to help yourself! In this way, we are better able to truly assist our fellow brothers and sisters in recovery.
We request that all members adhere to our Code of Conduct.
