And maybe something not widely known about 12 step meetings:
there are women only meetings
Hispanic, or I should say, Spanish language meetings
There are 'open' gay meetings (you don't have to be gay, but be advised, most everyone else there is)
No smoking meetings have evolved over the years; when I first started, I lived in a town of 150,000 people, and there was precisely 1 no smoking meeting, and it turned out that was imposed by the church where the meeting was, I was the only actual non-smoker at the meeting. These days, most meetings are non smoking, and more actual non-smokers attend. There is a meeting I occasionally attend that allows smoking, but for some reason, the smokers sit opposite the exhaust fan, and that's where the non-smokers are supposed to sit, so the fumes waft over that side of the room. It's their way of making it a 'smoking only' meeting.
Meetings can be quite 'rigid' in how they approach 12 stepping, and others tend towards, for lack of a better word, a more liberal take on things. My first group was very strict. At the time, I had nothing to compare to, so it wasn't an issue, but nowadays, the 'strict' meetings seem pretty few and far between, I find myself missing the blood and guts variety.
Some groups are quite social, after a meeting some/most will go out for a meal or coffee. My first group was not social. At all. You were there for sobriety, no distractions.
Most groups in a given metro will be listed in a little booklet called the Where and When. It lists times, locations, handicap accessibility (some church basements are still not wheelchair friendly), some meetings have signing for the deaf. Some meetings are alcoholics only, others allow the public in if they want.
I have encountered Muslim, Jewish and Mormon alcoholics. I know a kid that had 5 years of sobriety on his 21st birthday when it was finally legal for him to drink.
Some facilities are 'owned' and managed as AA only concerns. Usually, somebody has died and left a major bequest to be used in that way. There will be a committee governing the facility.
There are 'private' meetings that operate under the radar, so to speak. There is an NA meeting in a home I have worked in a few times. That meeting has never been listed anywhere, they work via word of mouth, if you need to be there, someone lets you know. Sometimes teen meetings are held in a specific high school, those tend not to be listed either.
I have been in speaker meetings (someone addresses the crowd for an hour) with 500 people. I've also been in meetings with just 3 or 4 people in attendance.
Some sponsors will have meetings for just their sponsees. (disclaimer: I'm not big on sponsorship, but it has it's place)
Some companies, if large enough, might have a 12 step meeting for just their employees. I worked at a place that had one and I NEVER went, btw, LOL.
I currently live in a rural backwater, and even out here, there are meetings. I'd rather not know which locals are (and aren't!) there, so I go to a nearby city for meetings. There are some locals that know of my background, however. Generally, if you're local, and I've told you about my 12 stepping, it means, even if I don't say it, that I think you need to go.
I have encountered people that have managed to quit drinking 100% by themselves, and good for them, although, IMO, a couple of them would benefit ENORMOUSLY from going to a meeting.
there are women only meetings
Hispanic, or I should say, Spanish language meetings
There are 'open' gay meetings (you don't have to be gay, but be advised, most everyone else there is)
No smoking meetings have evolved over the years; when I first started, I lived in a town of 150,000 people, and there was precisely 1 no smoking meeting, and it turned out that was imposed by the church where the meeting was, I was the only actual non-smoker at the meeting. These days, most meetings are non smoking, and more actual non-smokers attend. There is a meeting I occasionally attend that allows smoking, but for some reason, the smokers sit opposite the exhaust fan, and that's where the non-smokers are supposed to sit, so the fumes waft over that side of the room. It's their way of making it a 'smoking only' meeting.
Meetings can be quite 'rigid' in how they approach 12 stepping, and others tend towards, for lack of a better word, a more liberal take on things. My first group was very strict. At the time, I had nothing to compare to, so it wasn't an issue, but nowadays, the 'strict' meetings seem pretty few and far between, I find myself missing the blood and guts variety.
Some groups are quite social, after a meeting some/most will go out for a meal or coffee. My first group was not social. At all. You were there for sobriety, no distractions.
Most groups in a given metro will be listed in a little booklet called the Where and When. It lists times, locations, handicap accessibility (some church basements are still not wheelchair friendly), some meetings have signing for the deaf. Some meetings are alcoholics only, others allow the public in if they want.
I have encountered Muslim, Jewish and Mormon alcoholics. I know a kid that had 5 years of sobriety on his 21st birthday when it was finally legal for him to drink.
Some facilities are 'owned' and managed as AA only concerns. Usually, somebody has died and left a major bequest to be used in that way. There will be a committee governing the facility.
There are 'private' meetings that operate under the radar, so to speak. There is an NA meeting in a home I have worked in a few times. That meeting has never been listed anywhere, they work via word of mouth, if you need to be there, someone lets you know. Sometimes teen meetings are held in a specific high school, those tend not to be listed either.
I have been in speaker meetings (someone addresses the crowd for an hour) with 500 people. I've also been in meetings with just 3 or 4 people in attendance.
Some sponsors will have meetings for just their sponsees. (disclaimer: I'm not big on sponsorship, but it has it's place)
Some companies, if large enough, might have a 12 step meeting for just their employees. I worked at a place that had one and I NEVER went, btw, LOL.
I currently live in a rural backwater, and even out here, there are meetings. I'd rather not know which locals are (and aren't!) there, so I go to a nearby city for meetings. There are some locals that know of my background, however. Generally, if you're local, and I've told you about my 12 stepping, it means, even if I don't say it, that I think you need to go.
I have encountered people that have managed to quit drinking 100% by themselves, and good for them, although, IMO, a couple of them would benefit ENORMOUSLY from going to a meeting.
