Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who want to recover from their drinking problems. But can AA get you sober? The only qualification for membership is a desire to stop drinking. You do not need to have stopped. It is free to attend though at some point in the meeting you will be given the opportunity to contribute to a collection to the running of the group – room hire, tea and coffee etc.
What to expect from AA meetings
It is a lot cheaper than going to rehab. And certainly worth a try if you want to address your drinking issues. You will meet some interesting characters there who will support you as you stop drinking. And who will continue to support you as you stay stopped. There you will find a sponsor who will take you through the 12 Step Programme and show you a way of living that will give you freedom from the things that have dragged you down in the past. And help you to deal with life’s ups and downs. It all sounds ideal.
How to find the right meeting
In order to find a meeting and give it a try, do a search on your computer for Alcoholics Anonymous. Then ‘find a meeting’. You need only type in your postcode and you will discover many meetings taking place each day of the week. Many are currently online due to the pandemic. You are advised to ‘look for the similarities rather than the differences’ with other people. Also do not be put off by the word God which you will hear at the meeting. It is not a religious God but a ‘god of your understanding’ . Something spiritual that you will be advised to connect with.
Some people can go to AA and get sober . I know of people who from their first meeting never drank again. However not everyone can stop drinking through AA. I went to AA for about 3 years before I got sober. I recognised that the message and support there was good. Sometimes I stopped drinking for periods of time but I never stayed stopped. This was at least in part because I was not that serious about stopping. I went to AA to ‘tick a box’ and to keep my family off my back – to show I was doing something. As often as not I would rush off at the end of the meeting to buy a bottle on my way home. Duty done for another week.
Can AA get you sober? Attending the meetings is not enough
So, for me, actually getting sober (finally) had to be done through the much more expensive way – of going to rehab. There I had time when I was not drinking to truly look at myself and my life. What damage I was doing to myself and the people I loved and to look at what drink had done for me in the good days (so I could get those feelings without it). And the destructive things it was doing for me now. I had ‘treatment’ for my alcoholism which I needed to finally get sober. Many people do and it is nothing to be ashamed of.
Now I am over 12 years sober and AA plays an important part in maintaining my recovery. Seeing newcomers at the meeting reminds me how bad it can be when you are still drinking and how I do not want to go back there. I can help people see what recovery can do for you – which gives me a sense of self worth and means that some good has come out of what I went through. It is a great feeling to understand what someone feels like and to help them to see that they can come through to better times.
So AA can get you sober but not everyone can do it through AA. For me I had to go to rehab to discover the truth about myself and what I needed to change to live happily without alcohol. So rehab was for discovery – but AA has been about maintaining my recovery. And a very good job it has done too during the past 12 years.