Other Factors In A.A. Recovery
The original A.A. experience, as described in the books Alcoholics Anonymous and A A. Comes of Age.
The desire to be sober for oneself.
Release from the compulsion and removal of the obsession.
Who can be a member of A.A. and how to join.
- Many newcomers are greatly relieved at the absence of any official ritual, “signing up,” or other procedure for becoming an A.A. member.
- Anyone may attend open A.A. meetings.
- Membership in A.A. is open to anyone with a drinking problem.
- Dually-addicted people are also eligible for A.A. membership, if they have a drinking problem.
Acceptance of facts about ourselves; self-honesty as the basis of the program.
The Serenity Prayer.
The A.A. Slogans.
Sponsorship; how to get a sponsor, how to change sponsors, if necessary. (See the pamphlet “Questions and Answers on Sponsorship.”)
The family (see Chapters 8 and 9, “To Wives” and “The Family Afterward,” in Alcoholics Anonymous) and ways in which non-alcoholic relatives can get guidance in understanding alcoholism and thus helping the alcoholic (the Al-Anon Family Groups and Alateen).
The A.A. language.
- Most leaders of beginners meetings agree that it is very important to explain any specialized A.A. jargon to newcomers. Indeed, it is essential to make all discussions at these meetings as simple and understandable as we can. Many newcomers arrive with no prior knowledge of A.A., and (as most of us recall from our own histories) few newcomers are mentally in the best shape for rapidly absorbing complex information or ideas.
Spiritual awakening. Ever since Ebby T. first successfully twelfth-stepped Bill W., A.A.s have been encouraged to arrive at their own conception of A.A. recovery tools.
- For a discussion of the role of a spiritual awakening in recovery, see in Alcoholics Anonymous the chapters “We Agnostics,” “Working with Others,” “A Vision for You,” and “Spiritual Experience.” Also refer to Step Twelve in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions and in A.A. Comes of Age; plus the pamphlets “Frequently Asked Questions About A.A.” and “Questions and Answers on Sponsorship.”
Are sedatives dangerous for alcoholics? (Refer to “The A.A. Member-Medications and Other Drugs.”)
From MU-1 Suggestions For Leading Beginners Meetings
Rev. 11/12
with permission of A.A.®, World Services, Inc