Online Beginnings
It all began with two members of the 1994 Conference, Craig H. (Midwest Regional Trustee) and Jim S., a delegate from Northern California Area brought a motion to the Conference floor through the Public Information Committee. This motion was to obtain an internet domain (ca.org) and to put up a very limited web site on a server that Craig H. managed. The site was to be limited to the Preamble, the Self-Test and local telephone contact numbers. The “Escape Cocaine” billboard art was also used. This motion passed after considerable debate.
The domain, ca.org, was registered on October 20,1994. The site was online shortly thereafter generating a small number of telephone contacts to CAWSO. There was no e-mail address. CA was the first 12-Step Fellowship to have such a web site— AA.org (1996-04-24) and Al-Anon.org (1996-07-23), NA.org (1997-06-12) all put up sites in the following years. Kevin M. was our first Web Master.
In 1995, the Public Information Committee brought a motion to the Conference floor to add certain specified information to the website, such as “What is CA?”, “…And All Other Mind-Altering Substances” and “To the Newcomer.” The motion passed with an amendment to allow the PI committee to add Conference-approved information at its discretion.
Kevin M. undertook a redesign of the website. More pieces were added: a page on the Storybook, the PI Fact File, the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, “Crack”, and some of the results of the PI Survey of the previous year and an opening page describing the Fellowship and its goals. There was still no e-mail contact listed. This new version of the site went up, but it should have been reviewed and approved first by the WSBT and/or the WSOB, but none of them had Internet access!
In 1996, the new website was formally announced at the Conference and made available for viewing by the fellowship. E-mail addresses for Public Information inquiries (pubinfo@ca.org) and for technical comments (webmaster@ca.org) were also created, and all of these addresses were listed on the web site.
A motion was passed at the 1996 World Conference that any future substantive changes to the site would require Trustee or Conference approval and a motion was passed to translate the web site into French. The Montreal Fellowship translated the web site into French, and provided text and detailed information on how that text correlated to the English version, so that posting the French web site was merely a technical issue. The French version of ca.org went online on August 1, 1997, with WSO approval.
On February 1, 1997, Kevin M., started the “Hope, Faith & Courage” (aka HFC) – the first Email-based meeting of Cocaine Anonymous. Initially a speaker/discussion meeting patterned after AA’s “Lamplighters” online meeting, but soon changed to mostly a discussion format.
In time, the “speaker” portion of the meeting was replaced by inviting people celebrating a birthday to post their stories online. After a slow start, the meeting began to thrive. Due to the very low initial cost of operating the meeting, no 7th Tradition was taken initially. After some discussion, and a long talk with former Trustee Bob L, it was decided that the HFC meeting needed to take a 7th Tradition, as this was the only one of the 6 points regarding group status that HFC was not currently meeting.
In August of 1998, the second subscriber meeting, an Email-based meeting, KISCA—The Keep It Simple C.A. E-mail Group. Each week we discuss a topic dealing with life in sobriety. In order to accommodate off-topic discussion, there is also an optional “Parking Lot” list. The Parking Lot is NOT a meeting, but, well…The Parking Lot.
By 1999, two more email meetings were formed: Sisters In Sobriety is an e-mail-based meeting of Cocaine Anonymous. SIS is a women’s discussion meeting, where female addicts can talk more freely about issues pertaining to being a woman in sobriety. The Study of CA Online was for the purpose of an email-based Book Study meeting.
At the 1999 C.A. World Service Conference a motion is passed to create an Online Service Committee and ca-online.org is registered on 1999-09-16.
The First Online Area of Cocaine Anonymous
At the 2000 C.A. World Conference Cocaine Anonymous ratifies the Online Service Area. OSA Delegates representing the OSA are: Michael C. (2 votes) and Alt. Del. Sherri H. (1 vote). By 2010, voice meetings were introduced.
Then in 2020, the Global pandemic starts and C.A. moves to the virtual meeting platform and the OSA experiences exponential growth due to government lock-downs in an attempt to curtain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The ensuing result was hundreds of online meeting forming, many of which are still running today and currently the OSA has 29 Member Groups and 68 meetings per week!
A Second Online Area takes shape.
The Online Recovery Area of C.A. was started on September 3, 2025 with three founding Online Groups: 12 Steps in 4 Hours, T.G.I.F. & the Midnight Rounders, and the C.A. Service Sponsorship Group. With one service objective in mind: to attract suffering addicts searching the web looking for recovery solutions, and once finding the Area’s website, be directed to C.A. online meetings find a solution to their problem. It’s current size is 25 Member Groups, 38 meetings per week and 14 H&I meetings. The Online Recovery Area is seeking ratification at the 2026 C.A. World Service Conference.
The Formation of a Third Online Area
The C.A. Online GB Area began as the Online District within the Area of CAUK in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Helping those who could not get to any face to face meetings, giving them the chance to begin or continue their recovery online. It began with just 6 aligned meetings.
By 2021, The Online District had increased to nine meetings. Momentum continued in 2022 with 13 groups now part of the District and in 2023 it had expanded to 21. The pace of growth accelerated and 36 groups had now joined by 2024, and in 2025 the number had peaked at 54.
In 2026, reflecting its maturity and international reach, the CAUK Online District voted with a 98% majority, to pursue global recognition and ratification at the 2026 World Services Conference.
The Future of C.A. Online
The creation of online areas and their respective service committees that serve the online member groups, helps to remove any impediments that a suffering addict may encounter when trying to find the recovery they seek. Barriers to 12 Step recovery that online meetings can resolve include, but are not limited to:
- Physical disabilities and/or liabilities
- Social anxiety, fear of anonymity breaches, reputations, etc.
- Mobility and transportation issues i.e. no vehicle, can’t drive, no license or access to a vehicle.
- Old and infirm, i.e. physical weakness and instability, mental insecurities
- Financial limitations or constraints
- Parents with children or other care-giving needs
- Geographical distance i.e nothing local is available
- Sickness, health issues, chronic illness or pain
- Incarcerated: treatment facilities, institutions, detox, hospital, hospice, etc.
- On vacation or on a business trip or just out of the country or city and looking to attend a meeting
- Inclement weather conditions: blizzards, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, etc.
- City traffic and driving congestion and other urban barriers to an in-person meeting, i.e. parades, protest & demonstrations
- Pandemics, flu & cold season, etc
- Age vulnerabilities and issues, i.e. adolescents, teenagers and young adults.
- Travel Visas, Entering a country with restrictions, i.e. criminal convictions, medications, passports, etc.
- Political unrest, wars, riots, curfews, lock-downs, etc.
- Lastly, in-person meeting can be expensive: i.e. venue and parking costs, room rent, meeting insurance, damage deposits, etc.
It is apparent that the growth of modem to modem online recovery will continue to expand from hundreds of online groups to thousands of online groups in the coming years. With the help of area service committees staffed by C.A. elected trusted servants who are technologically adept and savvy to the online, virtual world of recovery, and who are equipped to deliver an online platform and forum to maximize GSR participation at the Group, Area, and World Services level, not only enhances our C.A. fellowship as a global whole, but ensures C.A. viability and long-term fulfilment of our primary purpose, to carry our message to the addict who still suffers.
Cameron F., Secretary
C.A. World Services Archive Committee