The Pros And Cons Of AA Meetings

My idea of what AA meetings are like was largely shaped by the portrayal in movies and sitcoms as people sitting in a circle of chairs in a church room or an empty gymnasium, crying as they take turns oversharing their tragic circumstances. I assumed both NA and AA would be religious in their approach to recovery based on what I knew the 12 steps were. However, from knowing people who have attended AA before, I knew the movie representation of these meetings was dramatized and I was interested in gaining my own experience. I was inspired to explore this project and wanted to better understand both AA and NA meetings, so I attended one of each. I also wanted to see how greatly religion shaped the flow of the meetings and decided to choose one

In the process of comparing these two meetings, I noticed more similarities than differences, and experienced the support of two different communities that touched my heart.

The first meeting I attended was an NA group called Living Clean based in Georgia. It was a small group of 11 people plus me, and about half seemed to be regular attendees. We first discussed the “NA scripture”, which I had never heard of, and seemed to be an embellished version of the 12 steps read in a spiritual tone that reminded me very much of going to church. The meeting then proceeded to read passages from the book Living Sober. During the discussion section, people talked about their experiences in relation to what we just read, and I was thankful for the warmness the group members welcomed each other’s stories. Each introduction began with “Hi I’m __, and I’m an addict.” Some people shared stories that were short, and others much longer, with varying levels of vagueness. Many people spoke abstractly, using language like “my drug of choice” and “I messed up my relationships”, electing not to share many details. Someone who was actually

This was a much larger group, around 40 young people, and was led by a young, upbeat host. We started by reading the 12 points of AA scripture which was very similar to the NA group but was adapted to a nonreligious tone and modern language. After an energetic introduction of the speaker, the meeting proceeded rapid fire with group members sharing their triumphs and struggles that week, 3 mins per person. A few burning desires were shared, but not lingered on, and the meeting flowed quickly through the stories in a way I found a little impersonal. I could relate to many of the member’s stories, myself having been in the bars in Brooklyn they had blacked out in, having walked by the liquor stores some were deeply tempted by. The open discussion about the culture of drinking and partying in New York, especially in the LGBTQ community, was related to by all members. The meeting went by fast and numbers were exchanged by people who voiced their need for support, group chats were formed, volunteers for sponsorship were collected, and it was over just like