If you are looking to attend AA meetings in Vermont, you should use an AA meeting locator. This will help you find the exact locations of meeting venues near your home. Attending AA meetings is the first step towards complete recovery when you have finished getting treatment at an alcohol rehab facility. This provides an ideal platform for you to seek guidance, support, and advice from fellow alcoholics.
But, for a newcomer, the thought of going to AA meetings in Vermont can be unnerving. It is not easy for someone to open up about his vulnerabilities in a room filled with strangers. The fear of the unknown triggers anxiety and nervousness; this is probably why many people get cold feet before attending AA meetings. The best way to deal with uncertainty is to find out about what exactly takes place in such meetings. Once you know what happens there, you can deal with it better.
What you can expect in your first AA meeting in Vermont:
When you step inside local AA meetings for the first time in your life, you will be greeted warmly by the others. It is better to reach there before time to take your seat as you wait for others to walk in. If it is an open meeting you can even get your friend or spouse to accompany you. But, if it’s a closed one, it is only meat for AA members.
The chairperson inaugurates the meeting by reading out parts of AA literature. Others follow suit, reading out the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and principles of recovery. Once the meeting is declared open for everyone, you are free to introduce yourself and speak about your problem. A newcomer who is hesitant to speak up will not be compelled to do so until the time he is confident about sharing his story with others. People share different kinds of experiences in an AA meeting; some will share his victories while some will confess about his setbacks. The idea is to be honest and humble about your condition so that you can seek help from others.
Everyone attending an AA meeting is battling the same addiction problem. They share almost similar stories of struggle, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. So, in an AA meeting, there is no discrimination or “cross-talking”. No one judges the other for his shortcomings, and interjecting opinions are discouraged. Rather, the AA encourages people to help one another in fighting addiction. People keen to share their stories are not keen to be counseled. They simply want to be listened to, not judged for their actions.
The AA also encourages you to use a Sobriety Calculator to track how many days you have stayed away from alcohol. When you achieve important milestones, like abstinence for a month or year, you are given chips to celebrate your achievement. This shows how the AA can facilitate your recovery once you step out of rehab. It also tells you why it is important to keep attending the meetings to stay sober.
Different AA meetings can have different formats; you can start by attending a few types to see which works the best for you. Visit https://www.aa-meetings.com to get locations of venues near you. You can start showing up for these and see how you feel after attending different types of meetings. Some meetings are linked to treatment programs while some are more religious in focus.