Do’s and Don’ts of AA Meetings You Must Know

If you are new to a meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, then you must know what you can do and cannot do in a meeting. This will help you open up in a meeting properly and avoid awkward moments.

Please do:

Attend AA meetings for as long as you like. Recovery is different for everybody. Some may recover faster, while others take time. Keep your own pace.
Respect every member. Avoid backbiting or discussing a member outside.
Maintain anonymity of yourselves and other members. This is Alcoholics Anonymous. That’s why meetings use only the first names of people.
Share your alcohol-related stories and experiences in the meeting.
Participate actively in reading from the Big Book, saying slogans, and other such rituals that every meeting has.
Be on time for every meeting. It shows your seriousness towards quitting drinking and your respect towards other members’ time.
Be sober when you attend a meeting. Do not barge in drunk!

Please don’t:

Interrupt somebody when he or she is sharing their story. Keep your questions for later.
Cross talk when somebody is speaking.
Talk on your phone or text when somebody is speaking.
Talk on topics other than those related to alcohol.
Share too intimate details or gory details of your alcoholism-related incidents. Also do not share personal information about yourselves or of any member of the meeting.
Go on talking and talking. Keep it to a maximum of 5 minutes.
Stay silent in every AA meeting in New York. You must participate once you become comfortable.

Things that are not mandatory in meetings

It is not mandatory to speak in your first few meetings. Usually, introverts and shy people take time to open up. You can simply sit and listen.

It is not a rule that you must say a prayer, hold hands, sit in the front, and so on. Do as you like, provided you respect people and are on good behavior.

You may or may not drink coffee or help members with refreshments, clean up after the meeting, or stay to socialize. All these are your choices.

People arrange chairs, clean up after the meeting is over, help put up posters of slogans, and do other such things of their choice. They want to do it. Doing such activities gives them a sense of confidence that they are doing something towards their sobriety.

Not everybody is alike. Do as you feel comfortable. The ultimate goal is to banish alcohol from your life. Focus on your goal.

What if I find somebody in the meeting whom I know?

One of the 12 traditions of AA is to maintain anonymity. So, even if you recognize a member in the meeting, resist the temptation to shout out aloud, “Hello Sam (or whatever their name), what are you doing here!”

You can talk to them later in person when the meeting is over. Maintaining the traditions is compulsory in each meeting.