Returning to AA: A Reminder of the Importance of Community in Recovery
Last Saturday, I found myself sitting in an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting for the first time in a year. Before that, it had been another year and a half since I had attended a meeting. Although I have continued to maintain my sobriety, returning to AA reminded me of something that can be easy to forget as time goes on: the importance of remaining connected to the recovery community.
The room was absolutely packed which was a bit of an overwhelming experience at the outset. It did however serve as a very good reminder of the reality of alcoholism and addiction. I'm sure many of us who have been in recovery for a while can become a little complacent. The memories of just how bad it all was can start to blur with time. I don't think you necessarily have to go to meetings on a regular basis to stay in recovery, but I do think there's a real benefit in being periodically reminded of where you came from and what you've actually got to be proud of.
Despite being a bit overwhelmed by the number of people in the room, we were all very welcoming. Having been to dozens if not hundreds of AA meetings over the years I know that no two meetings are the same. Some are absolutely welcoming and comfortable, some are quite intimidating and some just aren't the right meeting for you.
I think that's particularly relevant for people in early recovery or people who have just moved to a new town or city. Finding a meeting where you feel at home, where you're accepted and genuinely welcomed can make a massive difference. It can be quite daunting to walk into a room full of strangers and talk about something so personal as addiction, especially if you're still in the process of working through your own relationship with alcohol or other drugs.
Research into peer support and mutual aid groups has repeatedly pointed to the value of social connection in the recovery process. A 2020 Cochrane review actually found that AA and the Twelve Step Facilitation approach can be more effective than some of the other established treatments at achieving sustained abstinence from alcohol. Of course AA isn't the right option for everybody, but the emphasis on community and shared experience is a very powerful one.
One of the things I've always loved about AA is that it brings people together who would otherwise have absolutely nothing in common. You've got people of all ages, from all walks of life, all sorts of professions and life experiences, all coming together because they have a common understanding of something which is very difficult to describe to someone who hasn't actually been there. There's a real comfort in knowing that you don't have to go into every detail of your experience in order to be understood.
Overall I'd say going back to AA was a good thing, even if I'm not quite sure how often I'll be attending meetings in the future. I don't necessarily think that everyone in long term recovery needs to be in meetings. I am, however, glad I went.
More than anything the experience has reinforced the fact that I have a community right here locally that I can call on whenever I need it. Having been away from the meetings for so long I was able to walk back into a room and be welcomed in. That's something I don't take for granted at all.
Recovery is going to be different for everyone and what works for one person may well not work for another. For me the fact that this community is still here is very reassuring even if I don't necessarily feel the need to be out there doing anything.
If you've enjoyed reading this post or found anything in it to relate to then please do leave a like or a comment below! I'd be very interested to hear about your own experiences with AA, your own recovery journey or indeed anything at all to do with addiction. Questions, suggestions and ideas for future posts are all very much welcome.
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Thanks for reading and for being part of the community. If you're in recovery yourself, if you're supporting someone in recovery or if you're just interested in learning more about addiction then thanks for being here.
-ZF
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