For the Newcomer

Suggestions for the Newcomer

If you want to find out more about our fellowship and see whether it can benefit you, we have a few suggestions.

First of all, we recommend that you attend some A.A meetings. You can click here to search for meeting in your area.  There are over a hundred meetings a week in our district alone. You are welcome to join us at any of these locations and times. We respect anonymity at all of our meetings.

If you are unsure whether you have a problem with alcohol, but would like to explore our fellowship anyway, you are always welcome to attend one of our open speaker meetings. These meetings are so identified (with an OS) in our meeting list and are open to the general public. A speaker meeting is a good type of meeting to attend, at first, because it is easy to just listen. We recommend that you try to identify with the speakers and see if you can relate.

Our closed meetings are for anyone who has a desire to stop drinking. There are several meeting formats: discussion, 12 steps study, big book study and speaker-discussion to name a few. There is a key at the beginning of the meeting list that helps to identify each meeting type.

We are a friendly lot, so we hope that you will introduce yourself to us when you come and let us know that you are new. This way we can offer you a cup of coffee, a chair and answer any questions that you might have.

Secondly, we recommend that you read the book Alcoholics Anonymous, affectionately called the “Big Book” within A.A (this is because of the size of the book when it was originally printed). This text chronicles the history of our fellowship and has helped millions of people to stop drinking and stay stopped. The first half of the book describes our affliction and the solution that we have found. It lays out the program that we follow to avoid drinking and lead joyful lives. The second half of the book is a collection of stories from our members. Here they share what their drinking was like, how they gained sobriety, and what their lives are like now. Just as with a Speaker Meeting, we recommend that you read these stories and see if you can identify. You can get a copy of the Big Book at almost any of our meetings or you can download it here and read it online.

Thirdly, if, after attending some meetings and reading the Big Book, you decide that you want what we have, we recommend that you join a “home” group. This is the group where you make a commitment to get involved. Group members will explain ways that you can help and can contribute. It feels good to be a part of something that is helping so many people and it is also good to take the focus off yourself in a positive way.

Finally, if you see someone at meetings that you relate to, feel comfortable with, and whose life is heading in the direction that you want, we recommend asking him or her to be your sponsor. In A.A., a sponsor is a mentor, someone who has been able to stay sober for an extended period and whose life is improving. They have put the steps of A.A. into practice and they are able to share their experience, strength and hope with you. For more information on Sponsorship, you can download and read this pamphlet called “Questions and Answers on Sponsorship“.

This is enough to make a beginning. There are no rules in A.A. The above are just some basic suggestion for getting involved with us. We look forward to meeting you.