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Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings are a great place to find support and fellowship from other people who are struggling with alcohol addiction or problematic drinking that is causing unwanted side effects. At AA meetings, members share their experiences, strength, and hope with each other. This can be a very powerful and helpful experience, and it can and does help members to stay sober, a day at a time, as held by a common AA slogan.
There are many different types of AA meetings, and each one has its own focus. Some meetings are focused on sharing personal stories, while others are more focused on discussing the AA program and its Steps and Traditions. Some meetings are open to anyone, while others are only open meetings to women or men and others are for LGBTQ folks looking to stop drinking.
Keep reading to learn more about AA meetings and their discussion topics, and how the Rehabs Of Armerica team can help you find professional treatment options nationwide today!
If you are new to AA, it can be helpful to attend a few different meetings to see which one is a good fit for you. You may want to try a few different types of meetings, including online meetings, or participate in different groups through varying locations throughout your area.
Knowing what AA meeting topic to expect when participating in these support groups can help you be prepared for your beginners meeting. Here are some common topics that are discussed at AA meetings:
If you are struggling with alcohol addiction, AA meetings can be a great source of support and help. If you are not sure where to find an AA meeting, you can use the AA website to find a meeting near you.
If you are planning on attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, there are several suggested topics that are particularly important to be ready to participate in. Each of these can help you stay committed to maintaining sobriety, while requiring rigorous honesty about your drinking problem.
A spiritual awakening is a fundamental change in the way a person views themselves, the world, and their relationship to a higher power. It is often described as a feeling of peace, love, and gratitude. Spiritual awakenings can be sudden or gradual, and they can be experienced in many different ways.
In Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), spiritual awakening is seen as a key component of recovery. The AA Big Book states that “a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps [of AA] often brings about the necessary change in attitude and outlook, and enables the individual to become happily and usefully whole.”
There is no one right way to experience a spiritual awakening. Some people may have a sudden, dramatic experience, while others may have a more gradual and subtle change. There is no right or wrong way to experience a spiritual awakening, and what matters most is that it helps you to achieve sobriety and live a happy and fulfilling life.
Many AA meeting attendees can attest that the goal of these meetings is not perfection. Progression, promises, and perseverance are the primary purpose of this 12-step recovery group. There are twelve traditions that help support this goal, which go as:
When it can be tempting to have just one drink, staying sober can feel impossible. Most AA meetings will discuss the lengths of which members are willing to go to stay sober. Chapter 5 of the AA Big Book states that members should be willing to go to any lengths to maintain their sobriety.
For long-time members of the recovery group, this is not an unreasonable expectation for their life’s terms. Literature used in AA speaks of lengths, willingness, wisdom and patiently waiting for it to become easier to avoid drinking.
This topic has several directions that it can take when used in meetings. Learning how to overcome an emotional hangover, for starters, and turn negative thoughts and behaviors into positive ones. This may include trying to replace negative feelings with their opposites. Instead of gratitude, greed. Instead of jealousy, joy.
One of the many topics that come up in these meetings is the connection between mental health and addiction. People with mental health conditions are more likely to develop addiction, and people with addiction are more likely to have mental health conditions.
There are a number of reasons for this link. One reason is that people with mental health conditions may use substances to self-medicate. They may use drugs or alcohol to numb their pain, escape from reality, or cope with difficult emotions.
Another reason for the link between mental health and addiction is that both conditions can be caused by changes in the brain. For example, people with depression and anxiety have been shown to have changes in the brain’s reward system, which is involved in processing pleasure.
People with addiction also have changes in this system, which may make them more vulnerable to the rewarding effects of drugs and alcohol. When participating in a 12-step program, spirituality, sponsorship, and support are seen as integral to maintaining physical and emotional sobriety.
Any AA member can attest to the fact that staying sober is not always easy. There are many temptations that can make staying abstinent more difficult. The temptation to drink in moderation, money troubles and stress, and a lack of ways to pass time can all tempt a recovering individual back into their old habits.
It is important to remember that your first drink after being in recovery can quickly turn into multiple drinks, and it can be hard to stop once you have started. Knowing how to recognize your triggers and manage them is crucial to maintaining your sobriety.
Triggers are anything that can cause a person to use drugs or alcohol again after they have been in recovery. Triggers can be internal or external. Internal triggers are thoughts, feelings, or memories that remind the person of their addiction. External triggers are people, places, or things that are associated with the person’s addiction.
Some of the most common include:
It is important to identify your triggers so that you can develop coping mechanisms to deal with them. When participating in an AA program, focusing on your “now step,” and saying a simple serenity prayer or a mantra, such as “one day at a time,” can be all you need to keep yourself on track.
Having other methods of staying calm and collected while maintaining your sobriety is also important. Some of these include:
When participating in an AA group, many members will express the idea that gratitude is a powerful emotion with many benefits for mental and physical health. In addiction recovery, gratitude can be especially helpful for:
While the spiritual and emotional support provided by twelve-step recovery groups like AA can be helpful, it is important to always balance this with evidence-based and clinical treatment.
Evidence-based addiction treatment is important because it has been shown to be more effective than other types of treatment in the reduction of drug use and cravings, the improvement of family bonds and healthy interpersonal relationships, and a decreased risk of relapse.
There are many different types of evidence-based addiction treatment, including medical detox, inpatient and outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment, and behavioral therapies. When seeking professional treatment, there will be many benefits that come with this decision:
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction and are ready to get professional help, the Rehabs Of Armerica team is here to help. We work with an extensive network of rehab facilities nationwide that provide evidence-based and comprehensive care.
Our hotline is available 24/7 to help answer all of your recovery questions and find a treatment center that is right for all of your needs. Give yourself a chance at sobriety, and call now to get started today!
The Big Book of AA says that people are “driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity.” It is believed that these are the driving factors of addictive behavior, and without finding healthy ways of fighting these fears can make people suffer greatly.
Many AA conversations will be centered around the topic of fear, and how members can battle their fears through spirituality and surrendering to God.
While there are certain AA meeting topics that are generally expected to be discussed, this does not mean there is no freedom for conversation. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are meant to share your experiences honestly and openly when attending these meetings.
