AA Chat Rooms: How They Can Help
Have you or a family member considered joining a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous? Are you looking for virtual options that don’t require meeting in person? Joining an AA chat room might be right up your alley. AA chat rooms offer a great way to participate in alcohol addiction support groups online. This is important for those who may be homebound, have transportation issues, or not be able to find an in-person meeting nearby. If you’ve never heard about virtual group meetings for alcoholics or need more information, we’ve got you covered.
Whether you’re a binge drinker or a heavy drinker, there are different types of alcohol and drug therapies designed to help. Consider all that Zinnia Health has to offer at one of our rehab centers near you. Contact us online or by phone at (855) 430-9439, and let us help you get on the road to recovery.
What Are AA Chat Rooms?
AA chat rooms are an alternative way to join Alcoholics Anonymous self-help groups, typically held in person. Rather than meeting face-to-face, AA members can participate online. The internet-based Alcoholics Anonymous meetings follow a similar format as regular AA meetings, where you can share experiences and support in trying to maintain a sober life. The only requirement to join is the desire to stop drinking.
It’s important to know that, unlike detox, family therapy and sober living homes AA chat room meetings don’t fall under the care of a medical professional or addiction specialist.
What Is Alcoholics Anonymous?
Alcoholics Anonymous (commonly called “AA”) is a non-profit organization that helps people maintain sobriety. According to the organization’s website, Alcoholics Anonymous is “a fellowship of people who come together to solve their drinking problem.” Members meet in a wide range of places, including churches, community centers, parks, treatment centers, office buildings, etc. Some meetings are also held via phone conferences and online chat meeting rooms (e.g., Zoom meetings).
AA began in Akron, Ohio, where two men sought answers to living a sober life. In 1935, Bill Wilson (Bill W.) and Bob Smith (Dr. Bob) formed a support group and later added the 12-step approach. The program ensures anonymity (protection from being identified as alcoholics) for those who choose to participate, making it a safe place for sharing and receiving support.
The free AA program has been around for more than ten years. Today, AA boasts over 2 million members in over 123,000 AA groups worldwide.
What Are the 12 Steps of AA?
The founders of AA developed a 12-step support system to help people stop drinking and maintain sobriety. The twelve steps are actions that each participant must take throughout their journey to lasting sobriety.
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to God’s care as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Are you or a loved one seeking ways to overcome alcohol addiction? At Zinnia Health, we understand how challenging it can be for substance users. That’s why we offer a range of treatment programs, including group therapy like Alcoholics Anonymous. If you’re ready to start, call us on our 24-hour hotline at (855) 430-9439.
Is Alcoholics Anonymous an Effective Treatment Option?
AA has often been criticized because medical professionals don’t run the programs. Instead, meeting facilities and sponsors work with members. However, multiple studies have found it to be effective.
For example, a Stanford School of Medicine researcher and collaborators researched the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous. They explored abstinence based on several factors, including length of time not drinking, amount of drinking reduced, consequences of drinking, and health care costs.
As a result of the study, they found that Alcoholics Anonymous is the most effective method — up to 60% more effective than other interventions. In addition, people who participated in AA had lower healthcare and mental health costs.
Mutual support groups, along with medications and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), are one of several evidence-based treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Unfortunately, less than 10% of people with AUD seek treatment. Even more alarming is that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reported that about 140,000 people die every year from alcohol-related causes. If you have a drinking problem, it’s vital to get help now.
What to Expect When Joining AA Chat Rooms
If you’ve never been to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, then the idea of AA chat rooms may be new to you. Typically, virtual AA chat rooms are run like in-person meetings.
Meeting Agenda
The online meeting itinerary will vary, but you can expect AA chat rooms to go something like this:
- Meeting opens with the Serenity Prayer
- Leader speaks and announces new members, sobriety chips, and birthdays
- Reading is done from The Big Book
- Members are asked to share
- Announcements are made about A.A. literature, events, etc.
- Meeting is closed with the Lord’s Prayer or other prayer
Code of Conduct
The AA website indicates the purpose of meetings for members: “share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.” Facilitators often have a difficult time managing virtual meetings, so they put rules in place to help keep order.
The code of conduct will vary but might include the following types of rules:
- Be polite and treat everyone with respect
- No porn, excessive profanity, or other inappropriate posts
- Don’t post identifying photos, videos, or links
- Refrain from posting personal information
- No advertising or promotion permitted
How To Find AA Chat Rooms
If you or someone you know has been looking for virtual treatment options, knowing where to turn may be challenging. There are many ways to find AA chat rooms, but the quickest and easiest way is by going through the organization’s website.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) also indicated that you could download an app to help you find AA 12-step meetings nationwide. The Meeting Guide app is a free finder that can be used on both iOS and Android mobile devices.
Get Help to Overcome Your Alcohol Addiction
AA chat rooms are a great option when you can’t find nearby in-person AA meetings or can’t travel to the location. You text, voice, or video chat using your smartphone, tablet, or computer, regardless of location. Whether you participate and get support online or face-to-face, Alcoholics Anonymous plays a crucial role in helping many people deal with sobriety in their everyday life.
AA is just one type of program for substance use, so be sure to work with a professional to find the program that’s right for you. Keep in mind that you may need medical help if you suddenly stop drinking — alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be life-threatening.
If your alcohol consumption has gotten out of hand, know we’re standing by. But it’s up to you to take that first step by acknowledging your problem and enrolling in a treatment plan. Call (855) 430-9439 to speak with one of our Zinnia Health addiction specialists about the treatment process to achieve a sober life.