
Alcoholism Support Group
Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.

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Well, I am off tonight for a Womens group. I need to get support numbers. I have not drunk for 2 days, more some reason I am not getting severe withdrawal, I get loads of cravings.
Hopefully tonights group there will be fewer people. However, if I can stand up in my first meeting and say:
Hi I am Ruth and I am an alcoholic and a lady then talked how many issues she had had - they were so similar, almost identical to my own. The last thing I said was despite managing to stay off alcohol for 6 days, the drinking still followed an on/off cycle. I did finally say I cannot do this on my own.
I do not know how meetings work and whether I said too much for my first ever meeting. I guess there may be self-doubt.
I did get a list of meetings, perhaps someone can explain a little more. Such as what is the difference between open/closed and non-restrictive mean.
All of these are groups and/or meetings so I will just say the title!
MONDAY
Theres Hope
Early birds, step meeting
Big book discussion
Big book meeting
As bill sees it
A Vision For you
TUESDAY
We are not a glum lot
5th tradition (open)
Phoenix Recovery
Big book study
999
Live and let live
WEDNESDAY
Step meeting (open)
Keep it simple (open)
Discussion meeting
A vision for you and Chair and Share
THURSDAY
On Awakening
Child friendly meeting
Big book
Step one
Big Book Workshop and ODAAT
There is hope here
FRIDAY
Womens group - non restrictive meeting, I have no clue what this means.
Newcomers Meeting and ODAAT
A vision for you, Big book stories
Candle Lit
Living sober
999 (again)
SATURDAY
A vision for you, Big book study
As bill sees it
Candle Lit meeting (open)
999
SUNDAY
As bill sees it
Big book step, ODAAT
Yet again, sorry for my post which is long but as you can see I need more clarification. The one thing I am a firm believer in people (including ME )need to be open , honest and true to themselves.
So for now, thanks for listening
Take care of yourselves and each other,
Ruth x
Hopefully tonights group there will be fewer people. However, if I can stand up in my first meeting and say:
Hi I am Ruth and I am an alcoholic and a lady then talked how many issues she had had - they were so similar, almost identical to my own. The last thing I said was despite managing to stay off alcohol for 6 days, the drinking still followed an on/off cycle. I did finally say I cannot do this on my own.
I do not know how meetings work and whether I said too much for my first ever meeting. I guess there may be self-doubt.
I did get a list of meetings, perhaps someone can explain a little more. Such as what is the difference between open/closed and non-restrictive mean.
All of these are groups and/or meetings so I will just say the title!
MONDAY
Theres Hope
Early birds, step meeting
Big book discussion
Big book meeting
As bill sees it
A Vision For you
TUESDAY
We are not a glum lot
5th tradition (open)
Phoenix Recovery
Big book study
999
Live and let live
WEDNESDAY
Step meeting (open)
Keep it simple (open)
Discussion meeting
A vision for you and Chair and Share
THURSDAY
On Awakening
Child friendly meeting
Big book
Step one
Big Book Workshop and ODAAT
There is hope here
FRIDAY
Womens group - non restrictive meeting, I have no clue what this means.
Newcomers Meeting and ODAAT
A vision for you, Big book stories
Candle Lit
Living sober
999 (again)
SATURDAY
A vision for you, Big book study
As bill sees it
Candle Lit meeting (open)
999
SUNDAY
As bill sees it
Big book step, ODAAT
Yet again, sorry for my post which is long but as you can see I need more clarification. The one thing I am a firm believer in people (including ME )need to be open , honest and true to themselves.
So for now, thanks for listening
Take care of yourselves and each other,
Ruth x
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Open - is just that open to the public, you can bring your family members with you to this type of meeting, you don't have to have a "desire" to stop drinking to go to an 'Open" meeting.
Closed meeting Is for ONLY people with a desire to stop drinking, it is because these are usually step meetings, or open discussion meetings where people may be sharing intimate things, and for anonominity sake, only those who are alcoholic and have a desire to stop drinking are welcome. ( you wouldn't want the research scientist from the local College sitting in on the meeting taking notes) LOL.
Big Book Meeting - from what I know from the meetings around my town, these are just meetings where we read from the Big Book and then discuss what we have read.
As Bill Sees it, I would imagine would be the same, maybe they read from the book "As Bill Sees It" and then discussion, I think some of the ones you list may just be "names" of the group.
You will want to go to all kinds of groups, mark off the ones close to your home, and at times you can make them and just keep going, see which ones you like, and keep going. You will start seeing the same faces, and they will see you and get to know your name, and that is how the fellowship works.
I hope I have helped. God bless your journey!
Karen
I'd first start off by saying that you really do not have to understand how meetings work, they just work.
As for the difference between open and closed meetings. Closed meetings are for people who think they have a drinking problem only. Open meetings are meetings where you can go along with your loved ones who do not necessarily have a direct drinking problem. If you do not feel comfortable sharing in a room with non-alcoholics, then you can choose to just go to closed meetings.
Know that you do not have to share at any meetings and what you have said in the last meeting was great - I wish most alkies would keep it as short as that!
Non-restrictive is simply small print. Basically the AA traditions say that all meetings or groups should include anyone who suffers from alcoholism (male or female, no matter what creed, religion, race etc etc etc). Women's groups do exist however, but they have to be non-restrictive to males to follow the AA traditions. Men very rarely show up though out of respect.
As for all the different types of meeting. I would suggest Big Book and Step meetings and perhaps Newcomers Meeting and ODAAT (one day at a time). Ultimately the programme can be found in the book so it is worth getting exposed to it as early on as possible.
Having said that, it is useful to listen to other alkies tell their stories so go around exploring which meetings seem to suit you.
Here in my city in the UK we only have 3 formats. 90% of the meetings are speaker meetings, where we have 1 main speaker tell their story for about 25 minutes and then it is thrown open to the floor to share back to the speaker. Then we have big book studies and step meetings.
The main thing is to just attend, listen carefully, and feel the warmth, care and honesty of the fellowship.
In case you get a little confused by how it all works, here is my synopsis:
1) The aa programme of recovery is contained in the big book.
2) Alkies are advised to get a sponsor to take them through the programme in the big book (same sex is preferable).
3) The programme in the big book is actually a set of directions on how to work the steps.
4) The solution to alcoholism is a spiritual experience - so you do not need brain power for this. Thinking and intellectualising the programme doesn;t get us very far.
5) If you just use the magic password of AA, you'll be fine. That Password is "YES". Say yes to the things suggested and offered to you, even if you can;t see how it could possibly help you.
6) Act on that set of yeses. Action is the key to having a spiritual experience / awakening of the spirit / change of mindset.
Good luck and enjoy the wonderful journey ahead of you! Keep openminded and willing to try new things and you will be fine.
I've gone to 2 big book meetings recently & really got a lot out of them. A lot of helpful insight into some things that I did not understand.
If you google the following, everything you ever wanted to know will be answered. This site has a lot of useful info for the newbe. Not all places are exactly the same BUT simular.
Good luck and welcome.
Interpreting AA
(and other 12-step) Meetings
by Kayla E.J. Kirkpatrick
Listen out for meetings where people are not just talking about problems, they are talking about the solution too. We need to go to meetings in our early days to find out how to get well. So we need to go to meetings that will tell us how to do that.
If you find you are in a meeting where all people talk about is what they were like when they were drinking and the issues going on in their lives then it might not be the most effective place for you to be. You might get some identification with the problem but you need to hear the solution too.
Two women gave me their numbers and another asked whether I would like to go to a step one group tomorrow (UK Thursday). That was nice, it felt nice as it still seems daunting.
Tried to get their early but a bus had broken down and made me 10 mins late. At least I did not feel anxious or indeed angry, I couldn't change the fact vehicles break down!
I do not feel that open meetings are for me, I want to stay sober and share with others who want the same ie stay sober.
Take care of yourselves and each other.
Ruth x
I love share meetings, 12 step meetings, and I find topic meetings interesting. We'd sit around a table and give our perception on one word. Say, procrastination. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed these ones. I LOVED the Spiritual Concept meeting I attended on Sundays. I really did feel like I wore a halo when I left those meetings lol.
Funny enough, the one meeting I didn't enjoy and felt uncomfortable in was a womens group. They sat around, some knitted, I just could not relate to them. Probably because I was in the Navy and spent my whole life around sailors. We have an unusual meeting at a park here in Sydney. It's a walking meeting. They all meet up, and as they power walk their way around the park, the have discussions.
Just keep going and enjoy the experiences. I couldn't do it alone either ruth. :} Coogee xxx