Doug39

I have mainly been attending AA meetings in the mornings but since I am going back to work Monday I was on the AA website trying to find other meetings that will fit into my schedule.

I couldn't believe that AA meetings are held on Saturday and Sunday mornings at a local bar that I have drank at!!

Has anyone else heard of this or have they attended one? The place is full of liquor - what a place to hold a meeting.

It was odd enough last Tuesday when I attended an AA meeting at a UAW hall where I have gotten drunk during reverse raffles and other events but an AA meeting at a bar is wild.

Ringo123

Doug, congrats on getting sober and going to AA.

I was on a cruise several years back and guess where the AA meetings were held? In the lounge--before it opened for Happy Hour.

Big Book tells me that if I'm spiritually fit, I can go anywhere.

Good luck!

ElianL

I think thats so cool, i got sober last time around in a bar and staying at a new AA friends house that was stocked full of booze, like crates of it as he entertained in a big way. But yeah i see where you are coming from too and you need to make sure you look after yourself and find another meeting.

Forward12

I've never heard of meetings being at a bar, but that's actually not a bad idea to have some exposure therapy to show you can go anywhere and still be sober, even into the lion's den itself.

Mountainmanbob

That would be the key to sober success but,
some are not sure if they are spiritually fit?
Others may be?
Some thought they were right before the fall?
And some have made a (firm decision) to never drink again.
M-Bob

Db1105

There used to be a Sunday morning brunch meeting in my area back in the 1990's in a college town tavern famous for Edgar Allen Poe hanging out back in the 1800's. It was a great meeting, and some good food. Sure it smelled like stale beer but one got used to it quickly.

It was held in a side room first thing in the morning before the crowds came in. It was so good that my wife, who is a social drinker would go. It lasted about 5 years until the manager, who was in the Fellowship moved on. I've always wonder what there rest of the patrons thought when we closed with the lords prayer. Good Times!

August252015

My home group is held at lunchtime in a restaurant. We have the small private room and you pass by the bar to get to it. Anyone who wanted to could drink there after a meeting I guess....but then again the owner and designated servers know we are an AA group so it probably is notthe place any of us would choose. It feels very comfortable for me to be there. Then again, I am secure enough in my sobriety to work in a restaurant and serve alcohol every day....those held in bars or restaurants might not be the meetings for everyone....

NewRomanMan

It wouldn't bother me any at all. But I would be uncomfortable for the newcomer. Just not a good idea for someone who is still raw and really hurting.

Maudcat

I went to a meeting that was held on the beach in southern Florida. I don't really go to AA anymore, but I was curious. It was lovely. Meetings can be held amywhere, I guess.

tomsteve

when my 1st sponsor got sober, his HG was in the basement of a bar he used to crawl out of. he used to sit just about directly under the barstool he fell out of once or twice.
ive attended meetings at VFW's, K of C's and moose lodges that had a pretty good stock of liquor

Gottalife

The program has it covered both ways. If spiritually fit we can go to that bar. If shaky, we can work with another alcoholic which we will find in that bar.

Grungehead

The first AA meeting I ever attended was in the basement of a popular night club (it was a 5PM meeting called the "happy hour"). Part of the reason I picked that meeting to go to was because I knew how to get there. From what I heard the owner of the club was in the program and let AA groups use the space rent free. It was actually a great place for meetings...lots of parking, separate entrance, full amenities (kitchen/bathrooms), and had a large seating capacity.

Edit to add: Out of curiosity I just did a google search and that meeting still exists (different location now). It was April of 1990 when I went to my first AA meeting.

Doug39

OK so I guess AA meetings at a bar isn't that odd after all.

The meetings at the tavern I mentioned are held at 7:30 am on Saturdays and Sundays - I might check it out if I can get up and out that early.

Talkinandwalkin

Thats good stuff! Just to make a point whenever I would order take out at restaurants I would sit at the bar and order a mineral water. When you reach a certain point I believe you are either going to make it or not.

Maudcat

Long before my stint with AA, I was (and am) a grateful member of Al-Anon. The church where my home group met ended its commitment to the group and we had to find another meeting place. Our group was welcomed at a local AA clubhouse, and we could have stayed there.
But....several Al-Anon members did not like meeting there at all. Too much proximity? Too many memories? I never could get to the bottom of their dislike of the place. In the end, we found another church in which to meet.

Centered3

What?

The thought of newcomers who aren't yet recovered going to a meeting in a tavern is making me ill.

I think I need to take a break.

tomsteve

it does sound crazy, but it would be crazier if the meetings were held at happy hour instead of 7:30 A.M.

some small towns don't have many choices for meeting places,too.

Centered3

Thanks for helping me see it differently.... I didn't realize that. :-)