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An AA meeting is an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. It is a cyclical, weekly meeting attended by alcoholics (and not only – the open meeting may also be attended by someone who is not an alcoholic, e.g. a family member, therapist, doctor), during which alcoholics share their knowledge and experience on their way to recovery from alcoholism. To put it simply, they express themselves, talk about various topics related to alcoholism: how to develop, how to be a better person, how not to suffer and deal with the problems of everyday life without the need to use alcohol.
Are AA meetings different?
AA meetings are similar but differ in some details. You should go to at least a few different meetings to form your own opinion about AA meetings. They will differ in the scenario, way of conducting, atmosphere, topics discussed, certain rules, etc. Of course, their meaning is the same everywhere. It is about mutual help and exchange of experiences related to sobering up and recovering from alcoholism.
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How is an A.A. meeting? Scenario of the AA meeting.
The room is usually opened several minutes before the meeting. This is the time to prepare coffee or tea, literature and all the details that will help in running the meeting. One of the group members is the leader of the meeting, and his main tasks are keeping order and giving the floor.
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The meeting follows the scenario previously adopted by the group. Usually it takes about an hour and a half. Some are divided into two parts with a short break. Almost all meetings begin and end with a “prayer for serenity”, and in addition to the participants’ statements on the topics agreed at the beginning of the meeting, during each meeting the steps and traditions of AA are read, organizational issues are discussed and voluntary donations are collected for the hat, because Alcoholics Anonymous they will only live on their own, usually small, donations. Fragments of AA literature are also frequently read – “Daily Reflections”, “Alcoholics Anonymous” (the so-called Big Book) and “The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions”.
From the point of view of a new member of the community, it is especially important that at each meeting there is an opportunity to find a sponsor, i.e. another alcoholic who has already gone through the 12-step program and is ready to help other people in working with the program. It is worth noting that the term “sponsor” has absolutely no material dimension in A.A.