If you are here for the first time and have never been to a 12-step meeting before, we'd like to share some helpful things to hopefully guide and comfort you in choosing a meeting:
- Choose a meeting primarily based on your schedule and area of town to start
- Read the statements of purpose found on the S Groups page to see which program fits your ideals more closely
- All of the programs follow the same 12-steps as created by Alcoholics Anonymous but some vary slightly in definitions of sobriety and so on.
Some of the programs do what is called a "first step meeting" when a newcomer arrives. Do not be alarmed. What this entails is the newcomer will commonly be taken out from the group by two of the members where they will share their experience, strength and hope with the newcomer and answer any questions he/she may have. This is done to help the new comer feel more welcomed and comfortable as well as protect the anonymity of the rest of the group.
Coming to your first meeting takes courage and can sometimes be scary. All of us who have gone before have taken that same step and are here to welcome you and help you along the way. We all struggle, but none of us are truly alone. This is the power and strength of the program.