Is A.A. Right For You?
Women in A.A
“Women have been central to Alcoholics Anonymous from its inception. Nevertheless, in the early years alcoholic women who came to AA seeking help for themselves generally found a Fellowship of men. “Some of these struggles can seem like ancient history to us now, since women alcoholics quickly find their seats in the rooms of AA ” Exerpts from the Welcome in the Grapevine book Voices of Women in A.A.
Many women thinking of attending A.A. meetings often have questions about things other than just acheiving sobriety.
This page is geared to helping the new woman in AA find answeres to the questions she may have about, attending Meetings, Sposorship, Safety, and much more.
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Is A.A. Right For You?
Young people
Coming into A.A. as young people, we found that there were common challenges to face. In the beginning, we often felt we were too young to be alcoholics. Some of us didn’t drink for a long time; others didn’t drink hard liquor, stumble around, or forget what we did or said when drunk. Being young in the everyday world we face peer pressure, stressful relationships with our parents, and parties being a way of life. In A.A., we often feel different because we may be the youngest person in our group, and some have even had an uninformed older member discourage us by saying things like “I spilled more booze than you drank.”
These are hard realities for young people in A.A. On the other hand though, by sticking with it and finding younger and older members to help us, we’ve found a solution to our drinking problems. In A.A. we’ve found a way of life that helps us deal with everyday stress and peer pressure, and that life is better and more fun without alcohol. Excerpt from the AA pamphlet YOUNG PEOPLE in AA
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Is A.A. Right For You?
Native North American
There are approximately four million Native people in the United States and Canada, many still living on reservations and many who have moved to big cities.
Wherever they are, alcoholism is a major health problem. It is not unusual for Native North Americans to feel torn between their native culture and the dominant culture. Many turn to alcohol for escape from their problems. Many want to stop drinking and yet cannot — whether by trying to do so in the white man’s world or by employing their ancient healing practices. But there is hope, and it lies in Alcoholics Anonymous. A.A. has a spiritual foundation and respects the spiritual beliefs of each of its members. Excerpt from the AA pamphlet AA for the Native North American.
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Is A.A. Right For You?
Active Military/Veteran
Few individuals in the armed services (or any other walk of life, for that matter) like to admit they’re having trouble with alcohol. Many active and retired veterans deal with issues related to their recovery from alcoholism and the challenges alcoholics in uniform encounter, often under difficult circumstances and far from loved ones.
The following page offers resources available to the Active Military/Veteran who is seeking help in Alcoholics Anonymous. Excerpt from the AA pamphlet AA and the Armed Services.
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Is A.A. Right For You?
LGBTQ
In A.A. you will find a community of kindred folks from every walk of life and “of everystripe.”For those of us who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ), A.A. extends a helping hand, an open heart, and a life-saving and life-affirming program of recovery. Together, we share an overarching and deeply felt kinship, as we’ve learned that anyone can suffer from the disease of alcoholism. We have also learned that anyone who wants to stop drinking can find help and recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. Excerpt from the AA pamphlet LGBTQ in AA. P-32
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Is A.A. Right For You?
Athiest/Agnostic
A.A. is not a religious organization. Alcoholics Anonymous has only one requirement for membership, and that is the desire to stop drinking. There is room in A.A. for people of all shades of belief and non-belief.
Many members believe in some sort of god, and we have members who come from and practice all sorts of religions, but many are also atheist or agnostic. It’s important to remember that A.A. is not a religious organization; we have a simple idea that there is a power greater than us as individuals.
In 1965 Bill W. wrote: “We have atheists and agnostics. We have people of
nearly every race, culture and religion. In A.A. we
are supposed to be bound together in the kinship of
a common suffering. Consequently, the full individual
liberty to practice any creed or principle or
therapy whatever should be a fi rst consideration
for us all. Let us not, therefore, pressure anyone
with our individual or even our collective views.
Let us instead accord each other the respect and
love that is due to every human being as he tries to
make his way toward the light. Let us always try to
be inclusive rather than exclusive; let us remember
that each alcoholic among us is a member of A.A.,
so long as he or she declares. Excerpt from the AA pamphlet The “God” Word
Agnostic and AtheistMembers in A.A.
Is A.A. Right For You?
Loners/International/Remote Communities
Many A.A. members live in underserved or remote communities — communities that are difficult to reach because of the geography, language or culture. It might be a community that is far away, or one that is right around the corner; one that is comfortable using English-language resources or one that is not. It could be a group of people who have frequently been underserved: African-Americans, Eastern Europeans, Asians, Hispanics, Women. Excerpt from the AA pamphlet Serving
all Alcoholics Making the A.A. Message Accessible