How do I know which AA meeting to go to?
 

So.. I didn't end up going yesterday like I had hoped. I'm still terrified. But I want and need to give it a try.

It's confusing when I look up meetings. They all have different names (i.e. - LifeMatters - Step Study, Big Book Study, "As Bill Sees It" group). I don't know what all of the names mean and I don't want to pick the "wrong" meeting and then totally turn myself off from AA. There is a women's only meeting in 4 hours that sounds OK...

What does everything mean? Any clarification appreciated!!:tyou

theres really no wrong meeting to go to except the one ya talk yerself out of.
"as bill sees it" is the name of the group. hard sayin what the format is.

BIG BOOK MEETING : A meeting which is formatted to the study of the book entitled "Alcoholics Anonymous" , the basic text of A.A. often called the Big Book.
CLOSED MEETING: Only for persons who qualify for A.A. membership. A.A. makes no determination as to who does or does not qualify for membership. When considering attending closed meetings, you are asked to apply A.A.'s Third Tradition, "The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking."
DISCUSSION MEETING: These meetings are organized as general topic discussions on the issues pertaining to alcoholism and staying sober.
OPEN MEETING: Anyone interested in the subject of alcoholism and how to stop drinking may attend.
SPEAKER MEETING: Usually consists of a member selected beforehand who tells their story of what it was like, what happened, and what it is like now.
TWELVE STEP STUDY MEETING: A meeting dedicated to studying those parts of the "Big Book" that will gain a more thorough understanding of A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

TWELVE AND TWELVE MEETING: A meeting which is formatted to the study of the book entitled "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions," a book written by one of the co-founders to further explain the process of recovery from alcoholism through Alcoholics Anonymous.

Thanks.. so far as the meeting names go.. those are just names they are given and don't necessarily specify anything about the meeting itself? For instance in "As Bill Sees It".. that left me a little hesitant ... who the heck is Bill haha.

I'm trying to really gather the courage to go today.. on my day 13.

Bill Wilson is the founder of AA :).

I agree that it doesn't matter too much, it sounds like you're in a place where there are a lot of meetings, so go with an open mind and expect to try out at least 10 before you find one you like. This is the advice I got from someone when I first started to go and it level-set my expectations.

I would encourage you to just GO, walk in, you don't have to do anything else. It helps if you introduce yourself, not so you stand out, but so people know. I know, the last thing you want to do is have anyone talk to you, but the only way out of this is to start facing some fears. The rooms are the most welcoming, kind place you could possibly be right now, trust me :).

Just go. Otherwise, you're just continuing to wait for things to get better.

Go to the woman's meeting. Next I would consider the big book study. I can't wait to hear how it goes. You can do it, and I'll betcha a nickel you'll be glad you did.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to back out this time. I actually told my husband and he said "that's great,proud of you". Even though he is very supportive, I was scared to tell him this, thinking he was going to think I has lost it. He's very anti-religion/anti-organization, so his reaction was definitely a pleasant surprise.

I think I'm going to do this. I'm excited but terrified.

fear knocked at the door. faith answered. no one was there.
courage would help at this time. that doesn't mean the absence of fear. it means you will do it in spite of fear.

I hope you find a meeting that works for you.

You can ring the AA helpline in your area and chat to them about the different meetings.

Wishing you well.