Alcoholics Anonymous

[COYBIG1997]

I am a recovering alcoholic, sober for 4 years.

I’m in grad school at the moment and also starting my own AA group locally. When I first started AA I had apprehensions, and to some degree I still have critiques about it.

What are some of the critiques you had on AA when you first started or still had? I want to get a general overview so that I can understand people’s reluctance more when joining. Or perhaps, to advise, it’s okay that you don’t like this specific part of the programme - you can reframe it to this (insert here).

Hope this made sense. Overall just looking to get an idea of criticisms of AA.

For example: one of mine was females not being allowed male sponsorship.

Well done on 4 years of sobriety. I’m 2.5 years myself.

I have been to AA, but I don’t do AA, if that makes sense.

For me, what didn’t click was that it was too structured. I didn’t want to attend meetings with a particular format or to work through the steps or to have a particular book to read and follow.

I don’t think that’s something you need to ‘fix’ or re-frame for people though. Some approaches are a good fit for some people, and others are a good fit for other people. I think AA works for the people it’s the right fit for. I found another much more informal support group, did lots of reading and listening to podcasts, and a lot of physical healing of my body and that worked well for me because it was less formal and structured and much more individual.

What are some critiques you have of it?

It doesn’t exist so therefore how can something exist?

I tried this summer to attend 2 meets (both a waste of time that led nowhere) if anyone had been bothered I’d know love to know the side door I need attend under AA but no one bothered not even those people answering the phones under aa Ipswich so hardly blew my mind when others charities are like the AA who.