The 12 Steps Of AA: Alcoholics Anonymous Alcohol org

They will not disclose your identity to others and you will retain as much anonymity as you wish – this is one reason we call ourselves Alcoholics Anonymous. Meeting formats include Lead/Speaker, Discussion, Big Book study, Step & Tradition, Open, Closed, Men Only, Women Only, etc… Family members or close friends are welcome at Open A.A. Generally speaking, if you are new to A.A., we suggest you attend an Open meeting.

Primary Purpose of Open Meetings

You can also search for a meeting in your area the old-school way by looking up AA in the white pages of your local telephone book and calling the number for information on meetings in your area. Each person who attends AA is unique, but they share a common goal of wanting to address their problem with drinking. Some might be sober; some might be struggling. Some may want to mentor alcohol and seizures can alcohol or withdrawal trigger a seizure others, while others want to observe and participate less. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

1. You can also search for a meeting in your area the old-school way by looking up AA in the white pages of your local telephone book and calling the number for information on meetings in your area.
2. Meetings welcome attendees from court programs and treatment facilities.
3. Turning to Zimbabwe, where our UN colleagues are calling for international support to help the country address the humanitarian impacts of El Niño.
4. One perspective sees them as “quasi-ritualized therapeutic sessions run by and for, alcoholics”.[59] There are a variety of meeting types some of which are listed below.

About Meeting Guide

AA speaker meetings are a great way to unwind after a hard day. You can leave the room with a sense that no matter how scary life seems, things will work out if you just keep trudging the road of happy destiny a day at a time. Your primary care physician or mental health professional can help you find a local 12-step meeting.

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Feeling a little nervous about going to your first AA meeting is normal! Learning more about how meetings work and what happens during a meeting can help you feel more comfortable. Each meeting is different but may focus on sharing personal experiences, discussing different steps of AA, or listening to scheduled speakers. Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) is an international program focused on supporting people during alcohol recovery, with a goal of helping them achieve and sustain sobriety.

AA Discussions Meetings

At both types of meetings, it may be requested that participants confine their discussion to matters pertaining to recovery from alcoholism. In a 12 & 12 meeting the group takes turns sharing about one step or tradition as found in the AA book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The format is to read out of the book, then whoever wants to share can.

Meetings aren’t based on a specific religion, they do include spiritual aspects. For some, these aspects of the program can be a stumbling block. Often, the next step is to read a passage from the Big Book and reinforcement about the importance of member privacy and anonymity. Meetings typically close with a prayer, moment of silence, treatment and recovery national institute on drug abuse nida recitation of the Responsibility Statement, or by reading a section of another A.A. There are no other requirements to join this fellowship and attend a meeting. We also discuss who can join Alcoholics Anonymous and what research has found about the effectiveness of attending these meetings when overcoming alcohol misuse or abuse.

Having social support has been linked to a number of important benefits, including better treatment retention and a reduced risk of relapse following treatment. This article discusses the differences between amphetamine short term and long term effects an open AA meeting and a closed AA meeting (and similar 12-step groups). It also explores how to determine which type of meeting might be right for you. Many AA meetings last no longer than an hour.

We are people who have discovered and admitted that we cannot control alcohol. We have learned that we must live without it to live normal, happy lives.

The chair will often ask if there are any people new to A.A. Attending the meeting who would like to introduce themselves. It isn’t mandatory to identify yourself but it might be helpful if you are attending your first meeting. Many meetings begin with a reading from the Big Book — frequently a portion of Chapter 5 (“How It Works”) or Chapter 3 (“More About Alcoholism”). As a valuable privacy principle for new and longtime members might be read. Many meetings close with members joining in a moment of silence followed by a prayer, or perhaps by reciting the Responsibility Statement or other A.A.

Like Big Book studies, these meetings are a great way to gain insight into others’ understanding of Alcoholics Anonymous and how they apply the program to their lives. Big Book studies are where the group reads a section of the book Alcoholics Anonymous together and people share about their understanding of the passage. In these shares, members usually relate the reading to their own life experience.