For many individuals attempting to quit drinking, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings provide enormous help.
The get-togethers can be fantastic outlets for those focusing on recovery, with sets of others in similar situations offering support through comradery, advice, or even just active listening.
But finding the right AA meeting is almost as important as attending at all, to simply help ensure you connect with the group, fully engage with the meeting and its teachings, and give yourself the best possible shot to truly have a successful experience with the program. What Are AA Meetings Like?
Before figuring out how exactly to find a very good Alcoholics Anonymous meeting for you personally, it may be beneficial to understand what an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is similar to in general, so you have a concept of what to expect.
All the time, the meetings are held in places attached to churches or community centers. You'll likely arrive as a tiny crowd is gathering, with members chatting, making coffee, or sitting quietly. There's also many online AA meetings that you can conveniently attend from the comfort of your personal home.
Eventually, everyone takes a seat on among the chairs arranged in a semi-circle. The meeting starts when the group leader—called the chairperson—experiences a number of readings, like the AA Preamble and the Serenity Prayer. Other members of the group will likely then recite other passages from the AA Big Book, such as the 12 Traditions and the 12 Promises.
The chairperson then opens up the meeting. It may be a Step Study meeting, where the focus and discussion revolve around one of many 12 Steps. Much more likely, it will be an open meeting, where members can talk about anything recovery-related that's on the mind.
Once everyone who wants to share is completed, the meeting wraps up with another group prayer. In general, an AA meeting takes around an hour. Finding An Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Near You
There are several ways to get an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting near you.
Probably the easiest—and most to the point—is employing this AA Meeting Finder and trying to find your selected location.
Indeed, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings may be held in a variety of formats within our virtual world, including through online video conferencing, phone conferencing, group emails, or chatrooms.
You might even decide—when determining what the best AA meeting for you personally is—that you'd prefer one of these brilliant formats to in-person meetings. Virtual meetings can actually be quite helpful for people that have tight schedules, transportation issues, or physical disabilities. Still, many experts propose that in-person meetings should at the least be tried whenever a person first begins the 12 Step program.
The portal organized by the OIAA should help you sort out meetings by format, time zone, preferred language, and meeting type, among a number of other options.
Still, finding a meeting is just the first faltering step toward choosing the best meeting for you.