Can you bring the kids?
You should not bring children to a meeting, unless there is absolutely no way around it. If a judge has ordered you to go to meetings, and there is no one at all that can watch them for an hour, then you should make sure that they are occupied and quiet during the meeting. Remember this is an adult meeting, people will cuss sometimes, sometimes they will get loud, alcoholics and addicts have very adult issues and an AA meeting is the place where they need to feel comfortable sharing their lives with other people, and it is not always pleasant. I’m not saying you need to worry about things getting crazy, but people do get emotional sometimes, especially when they are sharing some deep emotional problems with others.
Praying
At the end of meetings it is customary for the people around the table to hold hands and say a prayer, it can be The Lord’s Prayer, or the Serenity Prayer, or whatever everyone agrees on. If you don’t believe in God, or praying, or feel uncomfortable, you may quietly excuse yourself a stand off to the side while the others pray, or just hold hands in the circle and remain quiet. Don’t run out of the meeting like a jack rabbit because it’s over.
Meeting Sheets
If you have a sheet that needs to be signed, proving that you attended an AA meeting, you should now ask the leader of the table, or anyone else who was at the meeting to sign it. Do not ask them to sign before the meeting. If you want your sheet signed, you should stay for the meeting.
How Much Do Meetings Cost?
You do not pay for AA meetings, there are however expenses for meetings, for coffee, for rent, etc. Usually a basket is passed around and people give a dollar, if you don’t have money, do not worry, no one will care, seriously, you do not have to pay to go to AA! If you can’t afford to pay, it is etiquette that you help clean up after the meeting, straightening chairs, clean ash trays, stuff like that.
Why Do I Have to Ask for Numbers?
After the meeting, if you are a woman, now is the time for you to seek out other women, simply tell them you are new and ask them for their phone number, normally they will make a big deal out of it being your first meeting, and do everything they can to help you out. If you need rides to meetings or someone to talk to, that’s what the phone number is for. Do Not go to the opposite sex and ask for phone numbers. This is not the place to find a new guy. For men, vice verse, seriously, think about it. If you have just attended your first meeting, and are trying to stop using or drinking, do you really think this is the place to find the right guy for you?
The Meeting After the Meeting
You probably just want to go home but, sometimes after a meeting people will get together at a nearby restaurant or coffee shop, if you feel up to it, and you are invited, go, even if you are not invited, go anyway. You might feel funny, but think about it, these are the kind of people you need to be hanging out with.
It is popular for AA people to say something along the lines of, if you wanted to get drunk or high, you’d go hang out with drinking and using people. Doesn’t it make sense if you are trying to get sober, to hang out with the sober people?
What does 90 In 90 Mean?
You should try to take the suggestions that AA people offer you, even if you don’t like them. You will here things like try to go to 90 meetings in 90 days. It is a good idea, and if you have been ordered to AA it is normal for the judge to tell you to go to 90 in 90 anyway.
What's A Sponsor and Why do I need one.
You should try to find a sponsor. A sponsor is someone of the same sex, that you feel comfortable with, to help guide you through the AA 12 steps and offer you moral support. You probably won’t want to do it, but again, the judge will probably tell you to anyway. Try to find someone that you feel comfortable talking to, that you have something in common with, near your age, or with a similar background, it’s not mandatory, but it help’s. Sponsors will generally tell you to call them everyday, just to check in, just do it, you’ll see all they why’s later. For right now, just pretty much do what people suggest, go to meetings. Depending on where you live there will be a meeting near you at least everyday, sometimes several times a day. Larger cities have more meetings than the rural areas, but AA meetings are everywhere. Just look in the yellow pages under Alcoholics anonymous or go online to http://www.aa.org/ that is the official AA website, it has links to all types of information including how to find the meeting nearest to you. Click on the “How To Find Meetings” tab and put in your zip code. The website has all types of information about AA and alcoholics check it out.
One Day At A Time
So if you find yourself in an AA meeting, chances are you belong there. I have not explained all there is to know about AA. I will tell you that it is a popular choice for people in recovery and whether you believe everything or anything they have to say, it is a good place to be when you are trying to get sober, for the simple fact that everyone else there is doing the same thing. Remember One Day at a Time; take it One Day at a Time, what choice do you have really. Seriously, what they mean is yesterday is over, do not worry about tomorrow, just take care of yourself today, and the rest will follow as long as you don’t use.
