Gottalife

I see people expressing disatisfaction with AA after attending a few meetings. Before anyone jumps down my throat, based on my experiences at meetings I can agree with the criticism. A meeting is a very random affair, some are great, and some can be off the wall.

But there is more to AA than just meetings, so I wonder if folks would have a better experience if they tried other aspects of AA. Lets call them:

AA; The fellowship and meetings, often good for support, quite a few people stay sober on meetings alone. I bit random, often people object to certain things about some meetings.

AB: The fellowship, meetings and the steps. Those that can't stay sober just on meetings seem to progress to the steps and stay sober that way. Sometimes it's difficult to reconcile religious overtones but if we can work our way through, the result seems to be quite good a lot of the time.

AC: The fellowship, meetings, steps, and helping others through service. Another bunch seem to progress through to this experience in AA. The drink problem is removed, independence from meetings and in fact all other humans is actually accomplished, and a good deal of freedom gained as a result, as well as a new purpose in life.

For myself I started in AA and, after a relapse got into AB for quite a long while which was OK, then drifted back into AA having forgotten a lot of what I had been taught. A few years back I had a second awakening of sorts and moved throug AA to AB and then onto AC. I wish I had done it sooner.

fini

gottalife,
independence from all other humans isn't something i see as doable or desirable.
i'm assuming you mean this in the sense of depending on "a power greater than myself" alone?
it's taken me a long time to understand just how much i/humans need others; not in the sense of slavish dependence but in the sense of community and simple mutual benefit, and needing as well as offering help from/to others is part of being human.
what independence do you have in mind?

Gottalife

Not worded well on my part. I mean my sobriety and happiness etc is not dependent on what other people do or say, on any set of outside circumstances, and neither do I need to be at meetings everyday. Some folks are very dependent on meetings and their lives start to unravel if they miss a few. and of course therre can be unhealthy emotional dependencies on sponsor for example.I have in mind the pamphlet Emotional Sobriety,

I am suggesting that it is possible for a recovered alcoholic to live freely in the world and do anything that ordinary free people can do (except drink of course).

Soberintexas007

AA is just another group. There is no universal concept that AA will get someone sober. We like to believe in these concepts because they give us hope.

I will tell you why AA works. I works because it is a group of people suffering from the same malady.

awuh1

Justbreathe, you are of course entitled to your opinion. However, I believe your thoughts on AA and your insights on how to stay sober would carry more weight if you were not currently drinking.

Boleo

For me, meetings are just one of many venues to practice to practice my spiritual program of action. It's been a long tome since I have gone to a meeting for myself or "my" sobriety. I sometimes like to go, but is to see others grow, not self preservation. I sometimes go because some friend invites me, but again, that it is not for my benefit.

That's not to say that I don't need to think of others. I have found a plethora of ways to be of service. If all the AA meetings closed down near me, no big deal. I would find new venues. I could stay sober on a desert island without any external resources. Simply by being of service to sand-crabs and seagulls.

IOAA2

Hi.
First let me say I’m here but not all there.

I’ve been happily sober for many years with the help of AA and it’s fellowship and the 12 steps, + 10,000 meetings. Many of which being very active.

My circumstances permit me to go 1-3 meetings a day and many times I did mainly to stop isolating and see friends along with hearing pearls I’d forgotten.

Then my ism crept in and for various reasons I mostly stopped going to meetings, maybe one a month, this lasted about 8 years and with never a thought of drinking.

About 4-5 years ago I could see my alcoholic characteristics creeping back in and resumed 3-5 meetings a week.
With the above example I feel for me a certain amount of AA thru CC had been slowly erodeding and perhaps by now I’d have had a bad relapse drinking as for so long I’d heard about going to meetings to see what happens to people who don’t go to meetings.

BE WELL

fini

ah, thanks for rewording. yes, i get what you're saying, gottalife.