GROUP REQUESTS:Every DRA group is autonomous, they are free to decide how they want their group to be organized. And how they want to conduct their meetings. They are free to request assistance from someone who is not personally in dual recovery.There may be a group of men and women who want to start a DRA meeting, however, they feel that they lack the organization or communication skills that might be required to carry out the tasks necessary to start a group and conduct meetings.The key to that approach is that the decision making rests with the group itself. It is the group who made the decision to: start the DRA meeting, to ask for assistance, who to select and to terminate the process if they feel that they do not have a good working relationship with that individual.Another key aspect of that approach is that they have asked for an assistant who will help them learn how to help themselves in terms of learning how to organize their group and conduct meetings.SELECTING AN ASSISTANT:The person that a group chooses to ask may be considered a ‘special help’ or a group assistant. That person may be a professional or someone in another Twelve Step program. There are no set rules regarding who that person may or may not be.DRA groups that request an assistant have asked: someone that they know, respect, and trust, and someone who they feel they can work with. They have asked someone who understands dual disorders, the recovery process and the principles of the Twelve Steps.The group members also look for someone who has the groups best interest in mind. In that way, they can avoid many problems. For example; someone else trying to turn their DRA meeting into a group therapy session or someone who would carry out all of the tasks and does not allow the group’s members to participate in the process and learn for themselves.ROLE OF AN ASSISTANT:Someone who has been asked to assist a group may participate in a variety of ways. For example; they may participate in organizational, planning, or business meetings, and offer suggestions and help solve problems. They may help identify community resources that may provide space for the group to hold their meetings and help them provide information to the community about their meeting. During the DRA meetings that person may participate by sharing in the readings as the meeting is opened and as it closes.BENEFITS OF AN ASSISTANT:Ideally, the members of the group will begin to gradually develop their organizational and communication skills. As the members of the group gain experience, they may begin to feel more comfortable taking on a more active role.Over time, they may begin to rely less on their assistant and begin to turn to them only for help with specific problems and situations.