Hey guys and gals question about AA as I just started going again recently and when j used to go about a year ago I only went to one one day a week which was part of my problem! So I’m going to go to a meeting everyday and I ask look up meetings in my area as you know (if you do lol) there are MANY different types, open, closed, discussions, speakers, etc. what is the difference between open and closed? Is it that open is available to anyone who wants to sit in and closed is only for alcoholics? Thanks in advance! Stay strong everyone! 
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Open are for all addictions and sometimes you will see supporting family. Closed are usually strictly alcoholic. I am an alcoholic never tried anything else but I enjoy NA and CA. Might try one.
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Ok thanks! The one I was going to and went to again was open and I thought for some reason closed was members only or something lol! I am an alcoholic so I’m exploring my options, finding one I really like so I can find a sponsor!
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Good choice. Good luck. Yeah I’m sold on meetings for my recovery. I’m driving 30 to hit one tonight
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I have no bias towards one fellowship or another but then again I qualify myself as a person who can not imbibe ingest or use any type of substance therefore I will use mtg etiquette wherever I am…Aa I’m an alchoholic other fellowships I’m an addict…I do generally attend CA which although sounds drug specific really isn’t…instead of looking at the differences I try to look around and understand that the 12 steps are working in these people’s lives-hope…
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Oh I know thanks!
You go @Chad_R ! Whatever it takes! I’m going to go to one everyday I’ve done 2 so far and it really helps! Also keep in mind if you can’t get to one there are online ones or phone call in ones so you can still listen and or participate without leaving your house. Stay strong!
So what is CA? I feel like the 12 steps ones would be good I attended one of those tonight in error and they were on 6 and I haven’t done any yet lol so I’ll keep exploring until I find ones that I like to keep consistently going to. But no matter what, a meeting is a meeting!
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CA is cocaine anonymous which is a smaller fellowship that uses alchoholic a anonymous literature…although it sounds like it’s specifically for cocaine anonymous it welcomes anyone who feels they have a substance abuse problem…see AA when it’s a closed mtg only welcomes people with drinking problems(which in my opinion is if someone is an addict they have a drinking problem but some addicts refuse to believe so even tho they practice abstinence)(also there was a point in time addicts where getting kicked out of AA mtgs which led to a few deaths leading to the genesis of Narcotics Anomymous)all of these fellowships use the 12 steps,and although their may be slightly different methods of working the steps between them the fact remains is there are people in all 12 step fellowships who have found a way out of the hell they were in while in active addiction/alcoholism-your bound to come across certain beliefs of individuals regarding all this and tbh it can be easy to get caught up in the politics of it all(which is why I just let people do what they do and accept them for who they are)The reason I prefer CA is because that is the fellowship that I found a sponsor who helped me work the steps my very first time all the way thru leading me to find out what this way of life really is all about–I still attend AA mtgs and have been to plenty of NA mtgs in my life but because I personally study and have been thru the work using the Big Book of AA I stick to fellowships that use that literature(because that is where I can be of maximal service to the still suffering indiviual looking for a way out)not because I think this fellowships way is better then that one or whatever…
Any anonymous program uses the 12 steps and so does celebrat recovery…it’s fairly easy to find reference to the 12 steps if you look them up on line but my suggestion is to find someone with some time who has been thru the work and ask them to sponsor you…the best way to find a decent sponsor is to find someone who has learned to respond to life rather then react/is selfless when it comes to helping people out/and can communicate clearly…if you have any other questions feel free to ask
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Step study’s are always really good in my opinion. I have yet to be at one that is actually on the step that I was currently on. Lol. But I attend 3 pretty often and they are all just about to come around to step one. So I’m looking forward to that.
Anyways, step study’s usually have a lot of years worth of sobriety in the room. No matter the step being studied, I always pick up some good stuff from the meeting
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Yeah I like them especially since they have a lot of experienced ppl in sobriety. I know I need to work the steps and would be nice to find a group that is starting at the beginning I know I’ll get there eventually!