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The Cocaine Anonymous Virtual Museum

The Cocaine Anonymous Virtual Museum

Protecting C.A.’s Future by Preserving C.A.’s Legacy

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C.A. Online Service Area

History of C.A. Online

1994 – 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 (https://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—NA, AA and Al-Anon all put up sites during the following year.

1995 – PI 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 from 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!

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.

Inception Design CA Website, circa 1996-1997

1996 – 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 up August 1, 1997, with WSO approval.

2nd CA Website with French translation, circa 1997-1998
2nd CA Website English, circa 1997-1998

First Online C.A. Meetings

On February 1, 1997 the “Hope, Faith & Courage” (aka HFC) became the first online/virtual meeting facilitated through email.

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.

1998 – In August, the second email subscriber meeting, “KISCA,” was started. By December of 1998, the online CA Groups were comprised of 200 members on 4 continents.

1999 – Two more email meetings were formed, “Sisters in Sobriety” and “The Study.”

1999-09-03 – The Conference approves the creation of an Online Service Committee and https://ca-online.org is registered on 1999-09-16.

2000-09-03 – The C.A. World Conference ratifies ca-online.org as a Cocaine Anonymous Online Service Area. OSA Delegates representing the OSA are: Michael C. (2 votes) and Alt. Del. Sherri H. (1 vote).

2001 “There is a Solution” meeting began.

2002 – “Steps On Line” meeting started.

2010 – Voice meetings were introduced.

2020 – Global pandemic starts and C.A. moves to the “ZOOM” platform. OSA experiences exponential growth.

Today the OSA has some 50 + virtual meetings with hundreds of members participating from countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Conference Badge Wallet – 2024

40. August 28, 29, 30, 31, September 1, 2024. The 40th World Service Conference in Fort Worth, Dallas TX. Theme: “Principles Before Personalities.” Cameron F. Badge Holder with various Conference …

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Unisex Hoodie – White – 2nd Annual OSA Globathon – 2022 – 2023

Everyone needs a cozy go-to hoodie to curl up in, so go for one that’s soft, smooth, and stylish. It’s the perfect choice for cooler evenings! • 50% pre-shrunk cotton, …

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Categories C.A. Online Service Area, Pacific South (North America) Leave a comment

Unisex Hoodie – Black – 2nd Annual OSA Globathon – 2022 – 2023

Everyone needs a cozy go-to hoodie to curl up in, so go for one that’s soft, smooth, and stylish. It’s the perfect choice for cooler evenings! • 50% pre-shrunk cotton, …

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Categories C.A. Online Service Area, Pacific South (North America) Leave a comment

Cuffed Beanie – 2nd Annual OSA Globathon – 2022 – 2023

A snug, form-fitting beanie. It’s not only a great head-warming piece but a staple accessory in anyone’s wardrobe. • 100% Turbo Acrylic • 12″ (30 cm) in length • Hypoallergenic …

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Jigsaw Puzzle – 2nd Annual OSA Globathon 2022-2023

Assembling puzzles is the perfect family bonding activity. Treat yourself to a unique puzzle and gather your loved ones for an evening filled with joy and teamwork. • Pressed paper …

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Mug with Color Inside – 2nd Annual OSA Globathon 2022-2023

Add a splash of color to your morning coffee or tea ritual! These ceramic mugs not only have a beautiful design on them, but also a colorful rim, handle, and …

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T-shirt – 2018 Bingo Event

Bingo event held in Granada Hills, CA, USA, as a joint fundraiser for both the San Fernando Valley Area Area (SFVCA) and the On-line Service Area (OSA).

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T-Shirt – Online Area

Categories C.A. Online Service Area 1 Comment

Logo – OSA 2003

Web page capture (2003-10-08 on web.archive.org) of the OSA Logo.

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Web Capture – 2001

Web page capture (2001-02-20 on web.archive.org) of the first online C.A. group, Hope, Faith & Courage.

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Figet Spinner – 2017

In 2017, figet spinners were the hot, fad item of the moment. The Online Service Area sold these as a fundraising item at the 2017 CAWS Conference held in Los …

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Button – On-Line Service Area SIS Meeting

Button created by Cynthia C. and distributed to Sisters in Sobriety (SIS) on-line meeting members in 2001 and 2002, probably at a meet-up during the 2001 and 2002 CAWS Conventions. …

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T-shirt – 2002 Online Service Area

Private Collection, Cynthia C.

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T-shirt – 2000 On-Line Service Area

First On-Line Service Area shirt was made before the On-Line Service Area was recognized as an Area by the World Service Conference. Shirts were sold as a fund-raiser at the …

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Flier – 2004 On-Line Service Area

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Luggage Tag – OSA 2019

Private Collection of Ruby C.

Categories C.A. Online Service Area, Pacific North (North America) Tags 2019, fundraiser, luggage tag, osa Leave a comment

Flyer – CA Online Area

Celebrating 20 yeas from 1997 to 1997 ca-online.org Image sent by Susan B. (Utah)

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Galleries

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About CAWS Archives

The purpose of the C.A. Virtual Museum” is not only to promote the value of the Cocaine Anonymous archives and highlight interesting C.A. objects from around the world and their representative C.A. Areas, but also to give C.A. members greater access to their collective history.

Disclaimer: Any opinions or interpretations visitors may hear on this site are solely those of the speaker or participant involved. All members are free to interpret the recovery program in their own terms, but none can speak for the local Group or C.A. as a whole. In the spirit of Tradition Six, C.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution.

This site is maintained by the CA World Services Archive Committee.

© 2024 The Cocaine Anonymous Virtual Museum. Disclaimer: In the spirit of Tradition Six, C.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution. The information presented on this website, such as online tools and tutorials are not an endorsement nor is Cocaine Anonymous affiliated with or any of the companies and/or services offered on the site. Any links to external websites or services are only provided as a convenience to our members. The online tools and videos are strictly informational and presented in the spirit of collaboration by fellow Archivists wishing to be helpful to other Archivists.