Online Alcohol Therapy

101 Responses to “What happens in an AA meeting”

1. Liz says:

   4 February, 2013 at 9:13 am

   Hi – I tend to agree with you. I attended one AA meeting and found it very uncomfortable as I don’t do religion. The 12 steps just make me shudder, hence I’m trying forums etc where I can say what I want without fear of rejection.

   Finally after 5 years (since the death of my father) decided I can’t kick my binge drinking on my own so looking for the support of others (alternative to AA).

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   • malcolm says:

     15 May, 2013 at 7:12 am

     AA is categorically a christian concept ,it has a very low success rate. Having attended AA meetings for an alcohol problem I found it a ridiculous concept. Having had an evangelical christian background the similarities were 99% the same as sitting through an evangelical meeting. You sit around and hear everyone talking about alcohol, their ‘sin’ in drinking again and their helplessness. Not a positive model! CBT and hypnotherapy help because they look at the reasons behind the drinking and offer a positive solution. well it worked for me nearly 4 year without a drink…I know never say never, BUT I am not in a negative spiral of saying I will always be an alcoholic!!!

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2. Kevin says:

   29 January, 2013 at 5:36 pm

   In my opinion AA is a ruse for Churches looking to add new members. In the town where I live there is only one meeting not held in a church, and even one of the two buildings that are not churches are owned by a church.

   I find a striking correlation between the twelve steps and the Christian recipe for what they call salvation.

   The “Big Book” is held in the same esteem for AA members as is the Bible. They will read passages, comment on what that means to them, and actually hold the writings up as though they were delivered from a “Greater Power”.

   Consider the twelve steps

   1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable. Christian version – You are a sinner

   2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Christian version – You must believe in God

   3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Christian version – Jesus can save you if you believe in him

   4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
   Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Christian version – confess your sins

   5. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
   Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Christian version – Be Born again

   6. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Christian version – Be forgiven for your sins

   7. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Christian version – More of be forgiven for your sins

   8. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Christian version – Become a new person

   9. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Christian version – Your prayers will be answered

   10. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Christian version – Go forth and share the good word

   I was an AA member for 6 months – during one session when I refused to accept the “higher power” concept, I was told outright that believing in a higher power is the foundation for AA and if I could not accept that AA might not be what I needed. I never went back.

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   • Mark says:

     22 February, 2013 at 12:38 am

     This reinterpretation of the 12 steps I find very reassuring. I’ve attended four AA meetings now and couldn’t understand the 12 Steps until I read this. I’m not religious so I just substitute the Universe wherever I see God Highrr Power. No one hassled me yet to go to mass. What I like is there are people just like me with my troubles giving me some vocabulary and frameworks to gain a perspective on my boozing. I shared in a meeting i thought they were drunks and full of shite. i wish someone asked me to leave. No one did. I repeated the same rant at several other meetings in other places. Nothing happened.

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