What is AA really like
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 80
What is AA really like
I am new to recovery and am having a hard time relating. I appear strong and focused but am ready to crack just under the surface. Trying to keep it together, I feel like no one understands me until I read some of the threads in here. But wondering if AA is helpful to someone who is not religious?
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,444
Hi Lia 
I'm not in AA so I'll make way for those who have personal experience
This is a pretty good link tho:
Your First AA Meeting<
D
I'm not in AA so I'll make way for those who have personal experience
This is a pretty good link tho:
Your First AA Meeting<
D
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Victoria Australia
Posts: 98
welcome LIA
I tried many ways and times to do alone and untimately with varying levels of success find myself thinking I can handle this lasttime was an aberration.
AnywayI have only done 2 AA meetings. My intial thoughts are in the groups I attended are an area of support and understanding amoungst members who have been there for sometime but also acceptance of newcomers
It is daunting and I felt demeaning onmyfirst visit (like how did I end up here) but again listening to people of like mind frankly explaining what alcohol has done to them and stories of recovery and fail and retry has to me at least givenme inspiration and I think an area to find support.
I am not sure about the spiritual side maybe I will embrace manybe I wont but as one speaker put it it is the people in this group and standing in front of them and being some what answerable keeps him sober and keeps him going back
I think it is about support in the end. Attend a meeting try it there is no commitment to return .
I will be going back for the foreseeable as best I can see
Try this site it is recordings of meetings and peoples experience
http://www.elmoware.com/
I tried many ways and times to do alone and untimately with varying levels of success find myself thinking I can handle this lasttime was an aberration.
AnywayI have only done 2 AA meetings. My intial thoughts are in the groups I attended are an area of support and understanding amoungst members who have been there for sometime but also acceptance of newcomers
It is daunting and I felt demeaning onmyfirst visit (like how did I end up here) but again listening to people of like mind frankly explaining what alcohol has done to them and stories of recovery and fail and retry has to me at least givenme inspiration and I think an area to find support.
I am not sure about the spiritual side maybe I will embrace manybe I wont but as one speaker put it it is the people in this group and standing in front of them and being some what answerable keeps him sober and keeps him going back
I think it is about support in the end. Attend a meeting try it there is no commitment to return .
I will be going back for the foreseeable as best I can see
Try this site it is recordings of meetings and peoples experience
http://www.elmoware.com/
Last edited by gorc; 08-29-2014 at 05:43 PM. Reason: additional info
Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,937
Originally Posted by ~Lia~ 
I am new to recovery and am having a hard time relating. I appear strong and focused but am ready to crack just under the surface. Trying to keep it together, I feel like no one understands me until I read some of the threads in here. But wondering if AA is helpful to someone who is not religious?
Sober Alcoholic
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,539
No need to say anything if you don't wish to. If you feel like you should say something, you might wish to say something like ""My name is Lia, and it's my first meeting. I'm here to observe".
What is AA really like?
I takes experience with it so that you can form an opinion for yourself. There is no requirement that you have any particular belief. As one of the founders put it, "although there is a spiritual quality about AA, it requires no theology or religious belief in the ordinary sense"... the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking".
My advise is, to the extent possible, attend with an open mind. Form an opinion for yourself after you have attended several different meetings.
I hope to hear how it goes.
All the best to you.
What is AA really like?
I takes experience with it so that you can form an opinion for yourself. There is no requirement that you have any particular belief. As one of the founders put it, "although there is a spiritual quality about AA, it requires no theology or religious belief in the ordinary sense"... the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking".
My advise is, to the extent possible, attend with an open mind. Form an opinion for yourself after you have attended several different meetings.
I hope to hear how it goes.
All the best to you.
Do your best
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 67,047
Aa showed me I wasn't alone and although I am no longer with them I look back and think thank the stars for aa there are 2 books I recommend the first is living sober i love that book
And of course the big book
These books got me through my first few weeks of recovery after I left aa for the first time
Good luck do what feels comfortable for you this is your sobriety nobody's else's
When we get sober we must get selfish with the emphasis being on self
Hope this helps
And of course the big book
These books got me through my first few weeks of recovery after I left aa for the first time
Good luck do what feels comfortable for you this is your sobriety nobody's else's
When we get sober we must get selfish with the emphasis being on self
Hope this helps
A Day at a Time
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Grand Rapids MI
Posts: 6,435
AA is like sober recovery on steroids. It takes a lot of courage to walk through the doors. You will be surrounded by people who understand and who want nothing more than for you to get better. AA is based on spirituality not religion. Your understanding of a higher power is up to you
Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: BC
Posts: 557
It is spiritual rather than religious for me. I was pretty much spiritually bankrupt when I first when in and was leery of the religious aspect too. But I was at the point where I was willing to do whatever it takes, including being open-minded enough to at least consider the possibility of a higher power. For me, for quite a while, the group itself was a higher power. I still don't have a precise definition, and it sure isn't the God I knew as a child, but I know there is something greater than me that is keeping me sober ... I know I haven't been doing it by myself! Good luck! Just go and see what it's like, no harm in that. And you don't have to speak if you're not comfortable with it.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 155
[QUOTE=awuh1;4867916]No need to say anything if you don't wish to. If you feel like you should say something, you might wish to say something like ""My name is Lia, and it's my first meeting. I'm here to observe".
What is AA really like?
Sounds like a lot to say if you are new and don't feel comfortable. Haven't been a ton, all I ever said was. "Hi, I'm INSERT NAME HERE"
What is AA really like?
Sounds like a lot to say if you are new and don't feel comfortable. Haven't been a ton, all I ever said was. "Hi, I'm INSERT NAME HERE"
Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Posts: 215
Personally speaking, the message of AA, the REAL one, isn't found in 90% of the meetings out there.
I discovered the real message of AA in their book.
Alcoholics anonymous
My advice is to buy the book or you can find free PDF downloads all over the net, just google.
Reading the first two parts of the book, "The Doctors Opinion " and "Bill's Story " takes about 25-30 minutes.
You will find out more about yourself in two chapters, than you ever could through self diagnosis or any other forms of "therapy"
AA is spiritual not religious and you only have to be willing to say "well maybe MY way hasn't worked too well thus far"
Any type or form of "God" doesnt exist simply because YOUR mind tells you that.
But remember... Your mind also tells you that booze is the answer to all your problems and to life in general.
So is the advice your mind gives you reliable or accurate?
Good luck with your journey
I discovered the real message of AA in their book.
Alcoholics anonymous
My advice is to buy the book or you can find free PDF downloads all over the net, just google.
Reading the first two parts of the book, "The Doctors Opinion " and "Bill's Story " takes about 25-30 minutes.
You will find out more about yourself in two chapters, than you ever could through self diagnosis or any other forms of "therapy"
AA is spiritual not religious and you only have to be willing to say "well maybe MY way hasn't worked too well thus far"
Any type or form of "God" doesnt exist simply because YOUR mind tells you that.
But remember... Your mind also tells you that booze is the answer to all your problems and to life in general.
So is the advice your mind gives you reliable or accurate?
Good luck with your journey
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Aberdeen SD
Posts: 180
The meetings I go to do not require any religious affiliation, BUT, a belief in GOD as your higher power is helpful. I've seen too many people get all wrapped around the axle on the 'higher power' thing, specifically step #3, and drop out. I think other treatment programs might work better for them. I'm a Catholic, so the steps are pretty natural for me. BUT, just believing in GOD will not stop you from drinking. You have to work on your character defects, and so far, that's been the tough part for me. For example, I'm compulsive AND a procrastinator. These defects are a big past cause of my drinking and I need to fix them.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: San Clemente, CA
Posts: 43
I went to AA almost every day for 4 years the first time I got sober but haven't gone back this time around but have considered it. The big book is great. People are definitely going to throw their own religious views into the mix in meetings as that is just human nature. I don't think it's possible to generalize the term "God" in any group setting. Just remember "Principles before personalities" because someone is bound to rub you the wrong way in AA but it's not worth drinking over. All in all I think AA is a good thing, especially once you have found a group that is a good fit for you. This is key.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 5,937
Originally Posted by ~Lia~
I am new to recovery and am having a hard time relating. I appear strong and focused but am ready to crack just under the surface. Trying to keep it together, I feel like no one understands me until I read some of the threads in here. But wondering if AA is helpful to someone who is not religious?
FWIW I am an atheist.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
I'm not religious. In fact, I really dislike religion.
AA has been very helpful to me in my sobriety.
I look at AA as a tool. It is a place of support and sharing and understanding and education. It's been very powerful to me to be in close company of others who understand the struggle with alcohol.
There is talk of God. The first time I encountered AA this really put me off. Later in life I was more able to understand and accept that I could see that term 'God' however I wanted. The principles of AA apply to the agnostic and even the atheist. All that is required is a willingness to consider that there may be a power greater than oneself, and that some level of belief in that higher power can help one attain sobriety.
If you have a hard time with even that notion, I suggest an experiment; tomorrow morning, go to a place where you have a view of the horizon. Stand there quietly and with all your might - will the sun NOT to rise.
If you can stop the sun from rising, you'll have achieved something I cannot. If you cannot stop the sun from rising, you will have direct evidence that there is at least one power greater than yourself.
With that alone in mind, perhaps you might then give AA a shot for what it can be for you. At the least, it can be a place to learn more about the struggles of alcohol and what others have learned. At the most - it might save your life.
You have nothing to lose with AA..... that's the thing I dig most about it. Nobody has ever tried to convert me. I have given nothing more than a few dollars here and there at meetings in donation to the basket. Not even that is a requirement. The only requirement, in fact, is a desire to quit drinking and your own time. The benefits - for me anyway - have been many. I'm sure that without AA's influence in my own path of sobriety I would not have learned all that I have, would not have had the strength on my own to break the cycle and would not be coming up on nine months sober.
Nothing to lose - your life to gain.
AA has been very helpful to me in my sobriety.
I look at AA as a tool. It is a place of support and sharing and understanding and education. It's been very powerful to me to be in close company of others who understand the struggle with alcohol.
There is talk of God. The first time I encountered AA this really put me off. Later in life I was more able to understand and accept that I could see that term 'God' however I wanted. The principles of AA apply to the agnostic and even the atheist. All that is required is a willingness to consider that there may be a power greater than oneself, and that some level of belief in that higher power can help one attain sobriety.
If you have a hard time with even that notion, I suggest an experiment; tomorrow morning, go to a place where you have a view of the horizon. Stand there quietly and with all your might - will the sun NOT to rise.
If you can stop the sun from rising, you'll have achieved something I cannot. If you cannot stop the sun from rising, you will have direct evidence that there is at least one power greater than yourself.
With that alone in mind, perhaps you might then give AA a shot for what it can be for you. At the least, it can be a place to learn more about the struggles of alcohol and what others have learned. At the most - it might save your life.
You have nothing to lose with AA..... that's the thing I dig most about it. Nobody has ever tried to convert me. I have given nothing more than a few dollars here and there at meetings in donation to the basket. Not even that is a requirement. The only requirement, in fact, is a desire to quit drinking and your own time. The benefits - for me anyway - have been many. I'm sure that without AA's influence in my own path of sobriety I would not have learned all that I have, would not have had the strength on my own to break the cycle and would not be coming up on nine months sober.
Nothing to lose - your life to gain.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: C.C. Ma.
Posts: 3,697
Hi Lia.
THE ONLY REQUIREMENT FOR MEMBERSHIP IS A DESIRE TO STOP DRINKING.
That says a lot and there is no papers I’ve seen in over 30 years that people sign up for anything except to do coffee or some service. Just keep showing up and listen. There are people who make a decision at the first meeting “it’s for them.” Give me a break! If one has heart disease do we only take one pill and know what’s best and not take another?
I’ve never been religious and have a non religious higher power that I respect since the day I asked for help and have not had a drink since.
In any program there are some successful suggestions that help in long term sobriety. Self honesty about our drinking and accepting that we cannot drink alcohol in safety.
Attending meetings many times helps us remember the pain we went through getting sober and we hear things that help us each day to remain sober. It’s also where everyone understands us because everyone had a day one at a meeting.
As far as reading I strongly suggest for newcomers and old timers the booklet “living Sober” often sold at meetings for a few dollars.
In respect to being afraid to go to a meeting I suggest calling the AA support line in your area and explain your situation and I’d expect they will give you a number to call for a ride or have someone call you.
BE WELL
THE ONLY REQUIREMENT FOR MEMBERSHIP IS A DESIRE TO STOP DRINKING.
That says a lot and there is no papers I’ve seen in over 30 years that people sign up for anything except to do coffee or some service. Just keep showing up and listen. There are people who make a decision at the first meeting “it’s for them.” Give me a break! If one has heart disease do we only take one pill and know what’s best and not take another?
I’ve never been religious and have a non religious higher power that I respect since the day I asked for help and have not had a drink since.
In any program there are some successful suggestions that help in long term sobriety. Self honesty about our drinking and accepting that we cannot drink alcohol in safety.
Attending meetings many times helps us remember the pain we went through getting sober and we hear things that help us each day to remain sober. It’s also where everyone understands us because everyone had a day one at a meeting.
As far as reading I strongly suggest for newcomers and old timers the booklet “living Sober” often sold at meetings for a few dollars.
In respect to being afraid to go to a meeting I suggest calling the AA support line in your area and explain your situation and I’d expect they will give you a number to call for a ride or have someone call you.
BE WELL
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