"Private" AA Meetings
Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 1,701
I think I figured out why the "off the official schedule" meetings where I got clean were so good. The white vans from all the local rehabs sent people to the established clubhouses, which meant that 70 to 95 percent of any meeting there were people with less than 6 months clean time.
The off-the-schedule meetings were open to anyone but were in odd locatons and had people with longer sobriety.
This was probably a unique situation (since most areas do not have the huge number of rehabs and sober houses that this area did).
I realize now that anywhere else no being on the schedule is probably a red flag.
The off-the-schedule meetings were open to anyone but were in odd locatons and had people with longer sobriety.
This was probably a unique situation (since most areas do not have the huge number of rehabs and sober houses that this area did).
I realize now that anywhere else no being on the schedule is probably a red flag.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 334
We had a womens-only AA meeting here for a while. AKA "the cult." It was led (there's your first problem, right there) by one particularly strong willed woman, who was the unofficial leader and sponsored most of the women in the group. She picked the book they read from- not an AA approved book (More issues). People shared on whatever they wanted and rarely stayed on topic- most went on and on about whatever happened in their lives that week with little correlation to 12 step topics. Basically, it did not follow any real AA format and was a big you know what session where a few AA readings were read. The "leader" shared early and often, interjecting after every other share with her great wisdom and experience. Most of the women there just thought she was amazing.
Me, I never bought into the whole thing, having been "raised" in the real AA in a nearby city. This crap wasn't flying with me, so me and one or two other women never went to this meeting, and stuck to the other meetings, where we would sit with 15-20 men. There were two "old timer" women to mentor us, who had amazing recovery, so we had them. But I learned a lot from the "grumpy old men" and I can say this: they always play by the AA rules. A meeting is a meeting.
About 6 months ago, something happened, and the women's "meeting" imploded. A bunch of women stopped going, some quit having the "leader" as their sponsor, and the whole thing fell apart. Most of the women travel to meetings in other areas, so I don't see them anymore (if they're still around- I certainly hope they are). So, to me, that's what happens when you don't follow the format that has been followed for what- 80+ years? Me and the two old timer ladies are still around, along with the grumpy old men. Our meetings are fine. Actually, we are currently expanding and adding new meetings each week.
Me, I never bought into the whole thing, having been "raised" in the real AA in a nearby city. This crap wasn't flying with me, so me and one or two other women never went to this meeting, and stuck to the other meetings, where we would sit with 15-20 men. There were two "old timer" women to mentor us, who had amazing recovery, so we had them. But I learned a lot from the "grumpy old men" and I can say this: they always play by the AA rules. A meeting is a meeting.
About 6 months ago, something happened, and the women's "meeting" imploded. A bunch of women stopped going, some quit having the "leader" as their sponsor, and the whole thing fell apart. Most of the women travel to meetings in other areas, so I don't see them anymore (if they're still around- I certainly hope they are). So, to me, that's what happens when you don't follow the format that has been followed for what- 80+ years? Me and the two old timer ladies are still around, along with the grumpy old men. Our meetings are fine. Actually, we are currently expanding and adding new meetings each week.
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