Lets see, I guess I could answer your questions about the different kind of meetings,
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 can see your confusion - wow what a choice you have there in your city - you lucky thing!

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.

Ruth-I'm just a baby here in this AA stuff, so I don't know as much as most people on here, but I had only gone to the closed discussion meetings until recently.

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.

Hi Ruth,
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

Hey Ruth, I would suggest you try out lots of different meetings and find the ones that you feel most comfortable in. Every meeting has a "personality" of its own.

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.

Terri - one of my friends in the fellowship is hearing impaired. He says it's great cos when all the moaning and whining kicks off he just subtly turns down the volume on his hearing aid and sits in quiet serenity :D

Maybe I need to get an i-pod and turn it up when the crazies start rambling.... LOL

isn't that an interesting site though? Pretty informative.

I have to confess that I only skim read it, but yes, very thorough view from an outsider it appears.

No you are doing fine,keep up the good work. Get yourself someone to take you through the steps as soon as possible, that is where the healing begins.

Thank you for all of your feedback and clarification. I went to a women only meeting last night. A lot smaller with a different vibe. I did ask whether some people could give me their phone numbers incase I needed support, vent or just have someone listen.

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

Hi ruth, good to see your experiences. I love meetings. They gave me a lot of strength and reality in early sobriety. Tears well up as I recall all the wonderful support I received back then. They were amazing and I'm truly grateful to them.

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