In AA we talk about the importance of ensuring we attend meetings on a consistent basis. I am very grateful for this community, however, I fall prey to self isolation. It is vital that we get out and be socially engaged. “Meeting makers make it.” If you want to stay sober, you need to attend meetings. Hear other people’s stories and get a hug from a friend after the meeting, So, are you being socially engaged in your AA community? Share your thoughts?
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I think social interaction with like minded people is the number one way to combat addiction. It gives you a sense of belonging, helps you to share your struggles, and you realize that you are not alone, others go through the same struggles as well.
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Meetings are a must, also a home group is a must. Regular attendance at meetings has kept me sober for almost 19 years ODAAT.
The home group is vitality important as that is where you’ll do your first service and you’ll probably find your first sponsor there, going to other groups is a great way to build up a recovery network, but, if you can only make one meeting in a week make sure it’s your home group. Sobriety is all about commitment, to the program, to your sponsor, to your sponsee, to your home group and most of all to your personal recovery.
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I am not currently very engaged in meetings and i do miss them. I started attended meetings (NA, CA, and AA) from about age 21 until 30 and it had its ups n downs but I found that if i stuck with those in the rooms that were recovery oriented, i really enjoyed the fellowship. There definitely is something about in-person meetings that u cant really get anywhere else. I stopped going to meetings when i moved provinces and then picked up the online meetings when i started my recovery this time around abit over a year ago. Again… theyre good but not the same as in-person. I miss the sponsorship aspect of it. I miss the coffees and the dry dances and conventions. It helped to bring me out of isolation bcuz in the beginning of recovery (and even now sometimes) i feel alone and i do feel isolated. But idk if going back to in-person meetings is where i need to be since id be starting from scratch with a home group, new people, etc. Theres something about meetings that trigger me and make me anxious. Havent figured that out yet. Online is different but diesnt have the added benefits.
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I need that social interaction because Isolation was my downfall into deep addiction. If I don’t feel like going to one of my regular meetings, that’s when I know I need to get my ass in a chair. Meetings alone won’t keep me sober though. It’s the hard work I do on a daily basis. A combination of meetings, step work and applying the principles in all my affairs is what’s keeping me on the right path.
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I attend 3 AA zoom meetings with my same crew weekly. Socialize with all of them outside meetings but a few who have moved too far away but have always been in this group love them like family. Also have a very strong community and friends from The Luckiest Club. I get all squirrelly if I don’t go to meetings regularly.
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Meetings saved my life so i decided to put back in what i got in early sobriety thats why i sponsor have been for decades now passing on the program and helping the still suffering Alkie , keep on trucking
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Are , “you” making meetings?.. i 
think, “i” statements mean “i’m” referring to “me”. What “i” need to do is not necessarily what others need to do. When i hear, “you” statements so often i feel like im in a class room and im uncomfortable and annoyed. Try sharing with more, “I” 's and speak for yourself please 
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I agree that meeting makers make it though 
Maria O.
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Its literally not the only way. Some of us climb out of a dark place, without the pats on the back, the light is the reward. Wish you well in understanding its not everyones journey to sit with the masses.
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There are many ways to recovery
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Mike 100% right, there’s many, many ways to recover from active alcoholism. I started with AA and stuck with it. 19 years ago there were no smart phones and the Internet was in it’s infancy, so getting information on other recovery methods would have been nigh on impossible and I’m not sure all the now available ‘programs’ even existed back then.
You and only you can decide on which is the right path to walk, but, in the words of Led Zeppelin, ‘you can always change the road your on’.
What ever you decide upon going
into go into it open minded with 100% commitment, it’s the only way you reap the rewards and benifits of sobriety.
I wish you well in your search and pray that you make the best choice, in the meantime, just concentrate on the day, which ever way you go and whatever you do it’s still one day at a time &
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A gentle reminder that the topic is AA meetings and support for people who attend AA.
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So right on with this post. It’s a completely new world as it relates to the options available for sobriety and recovery support. I use several myself. AA is a big part of my recovery. I soaked in a lot of wisdom from and still do from those that have been in the rooms for decades living one day at a time.
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When i got sober some people on here prob wernt born ,only AA was available today there are plenty of other ways to get sober and hopefully stay sober . Whether they work like AA worked for me i wont know ill be 107 lol
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I just wanted to call out the fact that the statement is loaded. Meeting makers fall off and relapse too. Also some of us recover without a program. AA is not a catch all security net.
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So much of it is the meaning being the act of going, right? Before I was able to recognize the fact that I’m an addict, even though I knew something needed to change in my life, the idea of trying a meeting was so repellant. It meant exposure and judgement. Now that I am free and in active recovery, I’m still nervous about meetings but I’ve tried a few and I plan on getting out to them more often, because my sobriety is my most precious gift and why would I not make every effort to protect it. Meetings may me more helpful to some than others, but at the end of the day if you’re truly ready for change- there’s no good reason to do this alone.
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Sobriety is such a precious gift. If there comes a day that I don’t reflect on this truth, that means it’s time to get back to actively engaging in my recovery.
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