How Effective Are Online AA Meetings?
The effectiveness of any recovery program largely depends on the recovering person. If somebody asks, “How effective are online AA meetings,” then we must also ask, “How serious is the person in attending the meetings.”
The pace of recovery differs for individuals. Some people relapse after undergoing a complete recovery program. Another person from the same recovery program may enjoy sustained sobriety. So, how do we decide the effectiveness of a program?
Usually, experts decide by the numbers. If a particular program shows a higher recovery rate, then it can be said to be effective.
In this context, meetings of AA can be said to be highly effective.
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Here are a few reasons that validate the fact:
- AA is an age-old fellowship. It is still thriving. This clearly shows that it works. If it weren’t, it would be dead by now. Do you know AA was started way back in 1935?
- The number of meetings is only increasing, and so are the members. Today, AA has spread its wings in more than 200 nations across the world. More than 1,00,000 meetings are held in different parts of the world every now and then.
- As per a report by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), over 2 million people from around 150 nations across the globe are members of AA. This implies that AA works well. Otherwise, it wouldn’t attract millions of people.
- In the same report, it is stated that participants of Alcoholics Anonymous show an 87.5% rate of abstinence in two years time period. This is a significant number compared to just a 21.2% rate of abstinence in people enrolling for a simple program.
- AA had continued during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns too. People met online and continued performing the steps. They found it effective; that’s why they continued to attend online meetings.
- It is the 12 traditions of AA that keep this fellowship alive. One of the traditions says about working for the welfare of each other. So, if you are recovered completely, you can help others recover too.
How to increase the effectiveness of meetings?
According to experts, the effectiveness of meetings depends largely on the amount of time a person spends in a meeting and in the frequency of meetings. Many experts are of the view that, in the first 90-100 days, a person must participate in meetings daily. If this is not possible, atleast attend three meetings a week.
Well, it is not that people who participate in meetings occasionally do not recover; but their recovery is slow. When you spend more time in an environment that motivates you to stay sober, you are more likely to recover faster. In Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, you are constantly bombarded by positive things, talks of sobriety, inspiring stories, and more. This inspires you to be one of the – people who have achieved sobriety and are now sharing their stories.
Some people are found to walk out from the meetings in between. Perhaps they didn’t find the environment conducive enough for their recovery needs, or they are still doubtful whether they want to become sober. It is okay.
Quitting drinking forever is a big decision for someone who has been drinking daily for years. It does not come easy, but then, all life’s successes never come easy, do they?
Significance of 12 steps
Completing all the 12 steps of the program is important for successful recovery. The steps are not limited to making you quit drinking. They also give you valuable insights into living a fulfilling life. So, you can use the teachings of these steps throughout your life.
Here are the 12 steps (source: www.aa.org):
- “We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.”
- “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
- “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
- “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”
- “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
- “We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
- “Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.”
- “Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”
- “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
- “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”
- “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
- “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
The above 12 steps stay almost the same whether you attendan AA meeting in Arizona or any other state. However, a few meetings may feature versions of the steps; but the ultimate meaning and motto stay the same.
Significance of sharing
The meetings effectively encourage support and provide a platform to vent out feelings. This makes recovery easier.
Addressing emotional problems is a significant part of addiction recovery. Without this, you cannot recover because the emotions trouble you. They may become a strong trigger.
That’s why meetings focus on sharing. Although it is not mandatory to share, you must do so when you feel comfortable, and advise experts. Sharing helps you break barriers in recovery, helps you come out of the shell, and connects better with others. This contributes to improving mental health.
Meetings in Arizonacreate a comfort zone where people want to share.
So, if you or your loved one is in need of recovery, it would be wise to attend a meeting. You may visit an open meeting at first to familiarize yourself with the environment.
However, if you truly desire to recover, you must make up your mind. Search for “meetings near me.”
Visit www.aa-meetings.com for more information.