Living a Sober Life: 5 Benefits of Attending AA Meetings

Living a Sober Life: 5 Benefits of Attending AA Meetings


Alcoholics Anonymous, commonly shortened to AA, was founded in Ohio in 1935. After over 80 years, the program is still going strong and has quite a high success rate.

The exact percentage of success is debated, and we may never truly find out. Still, most studies seem to suggest that you're more likely to stay sober if you go to AA meetings than if you try to recover alone.

What's the secret to the program's effectiveness? There are several factors that play into it, not to mention other benefits. We'll talk more about the benefits of Alcoholics Anonymous in the paragraphs below.

1. Help from Others

Addiction is difficult to admit, and it's even harder to ask for help with. However, it gets a bit easier when you're surrounded by other addicts.

These people can understand and relate to your experiences. Hearing what they've gone through will help to reinforce that you're not suffering from some moral flaw. This a real, neurological condition, and it takes over people like a parasite.

You may even find that your group members inspire you. They've been through some of the same things, maybe even worse. If they can get sober, so can you.

There are even virtual AA meetings if you'd prefer to keep social distancing as much as possible.

2. 24-Hour Help

AA was founded by alcoholics, so they understand that the biggest struggles never happen when it's convenient. That's why they have resources that you can reach out to whenever you need to.

In many cases, this is done with the help of sponsors. Sponsors are usually people farther along in the program who can help advise newer members in living a sober life.

However, your sponsor won't be the only resource at your disposal. Other members of AA and even the organization itself will be just a phone call, text, email, or visit away whenever you need them. The program is specifically designed to ensure that someone will always be there for you.

Mutual support is a group dynamic, and one of the principles AA was founded on. An old saying sums this up more effectively--united we stand.

3. It's Free

If you're dealing with alcoholism, you probably have more pressing issues than money. Still, one less problem always helps.

Unlike an addiction center, there's no cost to join Alcoholics Anonymous, so you can recover no matter what your financial situation looks like.

This is especially useful because alcoholics tend to spend a lot of money on their habit. It often adds up to thousands of dollars. For instance, 6 drinks every day for one year adds up to $2000 in a single year, and that's assuming that every drink is only a dollar.

The Benefits of Attending AA Meetings

There's a lot to be gained from attending AA meetings, and the benefits increase the more you attend. We've talked about a few of these benefits in this article, but there may be others we can't predict.

Support groups have a lot in common, but none of them are exactly the same. Your group may benefit a little more or function differently than others just because of the experience of a few.

If you're thinking of going to AA or are in AA and are in need of a token please visit our site. We invite you to contact our customer service department with any questions you have.