In Alcoholics Anonymous or AA, there is only one requirement to attend any meeting.
You do not have to sign up, pay money, or even talk if you don't want to. You can go and just listen. Anominity is a tradition for 12 steps and it doesn't matter what background you come from.
There is only one requirement for attending meetings and that is: A desire to stop drinking.
When I first went to an AA meeting, I thought I was joining a club of some sort. I was ready for the once over by the entrance committee or meeting some eligibility or screening requirements. There are none. Just go, simply attend. You will be surrounded by people from all walks of life who share one thing in a common, alcoholism. They are heading down the path of alcohol recovery by speaking and learning from like-minded individuals.
As with anything new, there may me some awkwardness or discomfort about going to your first meeting. With empathy and caring I say 'Get over it', just go. It really is that important to successful recovery. If you know anyone involved in 12 step groups, don't be shy, give them a call and ask if you can go with them.
If you don't know where a meeting is just call information and ask for AA. In most cities and counties, they maintain an inter-group hotline to give out meeting information. You can even go to Google on your computer and search: "AA meetings (your hometown, state)", you will be amazed at the number of meetings near you that you did not know about.
I strongly suggest that you get involved and start sharing in the meetings and start working a program, as opposed to trying to learn by observation from the back row or the outside. It is one of those things you can study until the cows come home, but at some point you must take action. A thought is just a thought, an emotion just an emotion, but nothing really happens until you take action.
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Bonus Tip: And to get the ball rolling if you are new, when the leader asks if there are any newcomers, raise your hand and say your name and "I'm new and can use some help". That is it. I guaranty people will approach you after the meeting to offer help. That is why they are members of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Here are some other great resources on Alcoholics Anonymous:
Why You Should Consider Alcoholics Anonymous? - Whether your drinking alcohol has cost you a job, a relationship, your health or your freedom, an Alcoholics Anonymous session can be extremely helpful. The meetings will help you stay away from alcohol one drink at a time, …
How Can I Quit Drinking? - Alcoholics Anonymous will welcome you no matter what your level of consumption. This is a wonderful organization which does an immense amount of good upon this earth and they deserve more praise than we could possibly bestow upon them. …
Is Alcoholics Anonymous A Cult - What comes to your mind when you hear the word cult? Jim Jones Kool Aid? David Koresh? Charles Manson? The Texas Polygamist Compound? Maybe even Scientology. Do the words Alcoholic’s Anonymous come to mind? …
Rehabilitation of Alcoholics - Additional support for alcoholics and their relatives and friends is available from self help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).Typically these groups consists of recovering alcoholics & recovered persons, who can provide very good …
Is Your Recovery Bullet-Proof? At The Recovery Club, we address the undlerlying issues of addiction. I invite you to claim your free mini-course"5 Avoidable Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Recovery"
Click On: The Recovery Club
3 responses so far ↓
1 Peter Tippet // Jul 6, 2008 at
In Alcoholics Anonymous there are the 12 Traditions of which there are the "short form" and the "long form"…yet we don't have 24 Traditions, we only have 12.It has been said that, "there is a lot lost in the translation" and well might it be said, "there is a lot lost in the abbreviation." The long form if the 3rd Tradition states, "Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation."
That certainly has a lot more "meat" than the short form, "The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking."
Clearly, except for those unaware of the Long Form or those who just choose to ignore it and go about things in their own way (a clear contradiction to the Long Form of the 1st Tradition), membership in AA is for lcoholics and there are many people who have a "desire to stop drinking" who are not Alcoholic.
Those folks, along with anyone who is inersted in AA may attend an Open Meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous but attendance at Closed Meetings of AA, and in fact membership itself, is limited to alcoholics. Alcoholics who have other issues are welcome to attend Closed Meetings and claim membership…as long as they are alcoholic. Alcoholics Anonymous cleaves to ts "singleness of purpose" in spite of the fact that there are many who speak and teach against it. I would ask that you respect Alcoholics Anonymous and make clear the
distinctions between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic, make clear the difference between an Open Meeting and a Closed Meeting as well as clealy defining the requirement for memberhip in AA…that of being an Alcoholic.
Peter Tippett
2 Bill Urell // Jul 6, 2008 at
I tend to avoid writing about AA, because no matter what is said it will stir controversey. The mission of my blog is to put good non biased information in the hands of those who wish to recover. I see such value in 12 step groups that I was trying to remove an objection that some may see to attending meetings. I respect your objection to the 3rd tradition as it is now commonly accepted. Though we have dissenting opinions, I will gladly post your comment as a rebuttal to mine, as it is my policy to not edit feedback. Here is a recording of what Bill Wilson had to say about the issue of singleness of purpose: this link may be long so you may have to cut and paste it in your Browser:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5003690050958526939&ei=kqhtSL6UG5WgqgKQks2jDw&hl=en
Regards,
Bill Urell
MA CAAP-II
3 Leeuh // Jul 9, 2008 at
I guess I'm really confused. Isn't al-anon a sub-group or somehow related to AA? I remember as a kid that I went to al-anon meetings because my father drank. I know that al-anon is directed at kids/teens, but isn't it all the same?
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