Sober LivingThe anticipation of attending your first Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting can be an intimidating experience. It’s natural to feel anxious about the unknown, especially if it’s something as personal as your first support group meeting. You may choose to speak at your first AA meeting, or you might opt to simply observe and listen. This can help take the pressure off during your first meeting, giving you time to get more comfortable and familiar with how meetings work.
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The purpose of clean time is not to make people feel that some members have more seniority but to let everyone know that recovery is possible. It is meant to inspire newcomers and let people know that you can reach multiple years of clean time. Some meetings ask anyone with more than a year clean to stand up.
Different Types of AA Meetings
If you don’t want to join any group, that’s okay too. No one should tell you what to do about your drinking. If you want to keep drinking that’s your business.
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- The referred person is responsible for returning the proof of attendance.
- One person sits in the middle of the circle.
- Also, sharing about the topic is good, though sometimes you may need to share about something off-topic and that’s okay too.
- By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.
That said, terms like “higher power,” “character defects,” and “prayer” can be triggers for some, and many meetings have gone out of their way to modernize the language. Let’s face it, the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous) written by AA founder Bill W. Back in 1939 used terms that didn’t age all that well.
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Meetings often provide a complementary path toward sobriety. If you’re curious about what to expect at an A.A. Meeting or feel nervous about attending one, this guide provides a clear and detailed overview.
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Female Experience
During the meeting, members are advised not to engage in what is termed “cross talk,” meaning that interjecting opinions or advice is highly discouraged. People who decide to openly share something just want to be heard, not counseled. However, after the meeting there will be an opportunity to share your thoughts directly with the person if they are open to it. As the AA preamble reads, “The newcomer is the most important person in any meeting.” And those folks really mean it.
Meetings start promptly at the time specified and generally last one hour. We suggest for your first meeting to arrive a little bit early. If you are unsure that you are at the right place, just ask if this is the A.A. If so, tell them this is your first meeting and ask them where to go. Inside the meeting room there will be people milling about, setting up coffee and putting out literature. Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance use disorder, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions.
- We suggest for your first meeting to arrive a little bit early.
- Members often find that their struggles resonate with others, fostering a sense of belonging and reducing feelings of isolation.
- That way, you’ll be more prepared, and better yet, less anxious about your first meeting.
- But if you show up 10 minutes early, you can find the moderator or meeting chair and let them know that it is your first AA meeting.
- In speaker meetings, personal narratives take center stage, offering insights into how individuals have applied the 12 steps to their lives.
There will be people at the meeting who are also new to the program. Anyone can drop in an open meeting, including friends and relatives, community members, and college students studying substance abuse. Closed meetings are reserved only for those with addiction issues.
Every member of AA has a network of family, friends, neighbors, and pets, other drivers on the road, employers, and many others who are affected by their drinking in a negative way. If you can keep this in mind, maybe it will be less tempting to violate somebody’s anonymity by gossiping about who you see or what you hear at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. If you have never attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting before, the idea of walking into a room full of strangers and sharing your story can be intimidating. Feeling anxious or overwhelmed before your first AA meeting is normal.
This is called ‘cross-talking’ and it’s against the rules.It’s less of a faux pas but also a questionable practice to address that person directly during what to expect at an a a. meeting alcoholics anonymous your sharing time. You can always say something to that person after the meeting or during the break. It is a very good idea to limit your share to the time allowed. Also, sharing about the topic is good, though sometimes you may need to share about something off-topic and that’s okay too. Try to limit your sharing to topics related to alcoholism.
The program is built on the 12 Steps, a set of guiding principles for achieving and maintaining sobriety. While participation is voluntary, many people credit AA with helping them stay sober long after completing formal treatment. Yes, it is miraculous for an alcoholic or anybody else who likes to drink to go for a lifetime without drinking. The real miracle is that these people are happier than they ever were when they drank. Alcoholics get to the point where drinking isn’t fun anymore, and it causes a lot of problems. Being alcohol free can be just like being let out of jail.
Some people call that higher power God, and it has a spirituality component, but it’s not religion. By knowing what others have been through, you’ll get a more rounded idea of what AA meetings are like. Just as in the movies, everyone responds with, “Hello (first name)!” After they complete their “story” everyone in the room thanks them.
The material is not a substitute for qualified medical diagnoses, treatment, or advice. It should not be used to replace the suggestions of your personal physician or other health care professionals. Before the meeting, men and women will most likely be visiting with each other or sitting quietly waiting for the meeting to begin.
