What to expect at an A.A meeting.
Attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting for the first time can be nerve wracking. Maybe your therapist told you that it would be a good idea to go to one or maybe you feel it is something that can work for you but the unknown is holding you back.
While meeting structure can somewhat vary; here is a simple break down of what a general alcoholics anonymous meeting can look like.
When you walk in you will likely see some people standing around getting coffee or sitting at chairs. There is no need for you to do anything at this point besides for find a chair and sit!
Most meetings aim to start on time. There is often somebody leading the group who will open with a few standard readings. This might what they call 1) “The AA preamble” which is just a short intro into what AA is. 2) ‘tHE serenity Prayer” which is a brief prayer that many say collectively though do not sweat it if you do not know the words. 3) The 12 Steps.
At this point people might introduce themselves saying something like “Hi my name is John and I am an alcoholic”. Feel free to introduce yourself at this point if you would like but you certainly do not need to if you just want to watch.
From here things may vary as there are different types of meetings. There are speaker meetings where one person tells their story of recovery for most of the meeting. There are discussion meetings where a topic is picked like honesty or amends and people take turns sharing their thoughts and experiences with them. There are also step study groups in which the group reads from AA materials like “The Big Book” or “12 & 12” and then discuss it collectively.
There is never any pressure to do anything but sit and listen though you will find that the format becomes intuitive. In terms of sharing, everyone speaks one at a time and there is no cross-talk. This just means others don’t interrupt or give advice; people just simply share. Again, no pressure here.
After the meeting people often stay and chat and somebody may approach you just to make an introduction. If you need more assistance or have questions about anything at all - people at meetings tend to be VERY receptive to answering questions from newcomers so please feel free to approach somebody and ask whatever you would like.
Also, please note that you do NOT need to be sober to attend, everything is confidential and any AA meeting will be completely free.
If you are looking for more addiction resources in the Philadelphia area. Local therapist Noam Dinovitz can be contacted by the form below or:
by emai: Noam@Dinovitzcounseling.com
by phone: 484-4247722