TheRestorative

I'm searching for local AA meetings for women in my area again, and there are several. The only thing is, I don't know how updated this website is (Alcoholics Anonymous Area 11 - Connecticut > Home), and I'm also unsure about going mainly because I don't want to walk into a room of men in their 60s, as a 25 year old woman. Did anyone else feel this way? I don't want to be too picky, but I definitely don't want to stick out like a sore thumb either.

I'd like to find a place I can attend maybe 2 nights a week. Maybe two different places even. Any advice about AA for the beginner?

doggonecarl

search for the nearest women's meeting.

Search for Meetings

ElegantlyWasted

Great idea... Also, you may want to try a couple of different meetings to find one you feel fits you best... At least here in AZ meetings vary a lot as far as their makeup.

janiebluebird

I was very nervous about meetings for a long time. I've tried a few different meetings and have been surprised at the amount of young people there. Some are mixed but you're most likely not going to be with all older people.

awuh1

Call 1-866-783-7712 (answering service for your AA central office) and ask the person at there to have a young female call you back. Then get information from her.

AnotherPaul

For me, it was trial and error. I've been to five different groups, two of which became my regular spots, whereas the other three didn't seem to fit as well with me. As with all groups of people, even people with a major thing like this in common, there is a lot of variance in the group dynamic from place to place. I'd say try a few and see which ones make you feel like you want to go back.

TheRestorative

Thanks for the great ideas! I think I'm just going to do the trial and error thing. It's kind of thrilling, at the same time it's unnerving. Because I don't know what to expect, I can just ride out the adventure of trying a few groups and even if it doesn't work out, I still had an experience, right?

AnotherPaul

Yep. And if you're not feeling that room or that group of people, there's nothing stopping you from getting up and leaving. No one will think anything of it - happens a lot, actually, for many reasons.

Also, speak up and introduce yourself as a newcomer. You'll likely make some acquaintances very quickly if you hang around afterward, and the people who are serious about AA will help you find the groups that are serious, as opposed to the groups that are, frankly, a bit more like social clubs. Not that there's anything wrong with the latter, but they won't be as useful to a newcomer as a group that is there to work on their 12th step and help you with your 1st step, you know?

Anyway, good luck.

Gottalife

I just moved to a new town and the AA here is great. You could go to any meeting and find a good cross section of society, all ages, both sexes, and a safe and healthy environment. This was the kind of AA I joined when I got sober.

The town I came from has become very strong on women's groups. The unintended consequence is that there are not as many women in the general meetings, often none at all. This can leave new women that come to the regular meetings with the impression that AA is for men, or worse, can expose them to a less than safe envronment.

"Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women"... works for me.