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In reply to the discussion: Is AA a legitimate group? I went to one meeting and something just didn't seem or feel right. [View all]OrwellwasRight
(5,317 posts)but many on my family do or did, including my ex. I tried Al-Anon for a while (meetings for family of alcoholics) and went to a few AA speaker's meetings with my brother in law, who was also an alcoholic. I found the meetings great and empowering, maybe not for the reason I was supposed to. I just found there were things in my life that I was super embarrassed about (screaming matches, having to drag a visibly and loudly drunk husband out of a wedding or work function, etc.), and when I listened to other people's stories, I felt "my life isn't so embarrassing, these people have been through way worse than me," etc. And I figured if they could make it through, so could I. And I left more ready to face my challenges. Anyway, it isn't a cult. And not all meetings say the Lord's Prayer. Some just say the Serenity prayer, which is not overtly Christian. Could be any god, including the flying spaghetti monster. Also, some meetings do just give a weird vibe. There is dysfunction everywhere, including in AA. So don't go back to those. Good luck! It's a tough road and one thing I have learned: you can't do it by yourself.