Can you go to AA if you’ve stopped drinking

[RebelliousHoping]

Hi,

Daft question possibly but can you go to AA if you’ve already stopped drinking?

Yes

Yes, that is the point of them for people to stop drinking

Yes, it is to support people in sobriety as well. A friend still goes ten years after giving up and only went after they had stopped.

Yep… some people have been sober for decades and still go to AA multiple times a week. Thier sober anniversary becomes thier AA “birthday”.
’old timers’ also love a ‘newcomer’ so you’ll get tons of support…. And phone numbers (from same sex) you didn’t ask for!

Oh cool, that would be nice. I think the one nearest me meets 11:30am on a Sunday.
I just didn’t know if I’d be welcomed as I seemed to have stopped drinking by myself, have more days dry this year then when I’ve drank but appreciate it’s hardly any length of time just recent events have made me isolated, the online community is going to end soon for Spring Sober and I wasn’t sure if I’d get a prescription of Wegovy ever again.

Thank you again.

Definitely! I’ve been in AA for nearly 18 years and your situation isn’t uncommon. People do get sober on their own and then want some solidarity or extra support. You’ll be very welcome.

Yes, of course. I got sober on my own (2 years now), but I sometimes think of going to AA just because I like to hear other people’s stories. I’ve been in the past and while the structure and the 12 steps isn’t for me, I found it nice to meet others f2f. Really it’s about staying sober, not getting sober, though some meetings are specifically aimed at newbies so to speak.

AA is amazing. My brother went and sometimes I’d go with him. Some people had been there 25years +

Absolutely of course you can go, haven't touched class A drugs for just over 12 years now but every so often if I've had a difficult day at work,I will pop along to an evening NA meeting or go to give some moral support.

I've known people with 20+ years of sobirety behind them and they still attend meetings at least once a week

Agh, wrong thread, sorry! I've asked for it to be removed.

Thank you for all the lovely and kind reassurance.

Can I ask though can AA get low numbers/no turn out? 🙈 Just a random thought possibly. I turned up 15 minutes late by my own error due to brain fog last weekend on Sunday and the towns centre/hall was in darkness and shut up so this led me to email AA who said possibly last week’s meeting had been cancelled or put off so I’m going to try again this coming Sunday 🤞 I’m sure the one I’d like to go has meeting as ‘open’

I cannot travel to another town or bigger one as currently have mobility issues.

What do ‘closed’ meetings or those that don’t show as open, mean out of interest?

I should have asked the advisor when I’d called just now but I forgot and whilst they think our town still runs a meeting they did say the AA website updates weekly so should be accurate. I’m sure I’ve seen a poster for AA up in the GP surgery even so we must have one in our town.

Thank you 🙏

I’ve never arrived to an AA meeting and found it wasn’t on, but I do live in a city.
have you tried online meetings too?

A closed AA meeting (Alcoholics Anonymous) is a meeting that is only for people who have a desire to stop drinking. It’s intended for those who identify as alcoholics or who think they may have a problem with alcohol.

In contrast:

• An open AA meeting is open to anyone — including family, friends, students, professionals, or anyone curious about AA — whether or not they have a drinking problem.

Ah thanks. I didn’t think about online. I must admit I was directed towards Ipswich for same day group.

I live in a town with a fairly big population so don’t understand it. The only time I went to church this year that was packed, pretty much nearly standing room only, both leisure centres are also open at same time this meeting in our town gets held so it makes me wonder. The time always struck me as very awkward.

My employer got a service that will speak to me once a month for the next 9 months but that isn’t counselling, just a safe space to sound off and coping methods if I were having problems with my job whilst reluctant with it being DWP based that actually went ok.

Appreciate it’s Father’s Day. Turned up on time same experience- centre locked up and in darkness. Entry for this morning live on the AA website.

Can only think maybe it is a seasonal thing? By request? but I’d like to think the person who answered Ipswich AA may have known this.

That’s unusual re: meeting not being on when you arrived. Where did you get the meeting info from?

AA folks are usually very reliable. The meeting secretary and anyone else doing service will wait around for the allotted meeting time just in case, even if it seems like nobody is coming, and and even if only 2 people turn up the meeting will go ahead. Although I suspect in an area where that’s the only meeting it would be busy!

The AA website will usually have a number or email attached to meetings that you can contact to check details are right.

There are online meetings literally around the clock, too. You can absolutely go whatever stage you’re at with sobriety. I haven’t drank alcohol in more than five years but still go to AA and don’t intend to ever stop!

Thank you, in the end I got through to the actual centre who host meeting there who are like the meeting is to the rear of the building 🙈 can’t access street side. Blooming heck I’d wish I called the centre direct.