Podcast: Are AA meetings Enough to Recover from the Alcoholic Illness?

90 meetings in 90 days

This is the second podcast in the current series about Alcoholics Anonymous and how newcomers may benefit the most when they come to the fellowship. The general suggestion to the newly sober member is to try and do 90 meetings in 90 days. Is this a worthwhile suggestion? There are conflicting opinions in AA about this.

Replacing a bad habit with a good one

A psycholigical study revealed that it take 90 days to get rid of a bad habit. 90 days seems to be the time it takes. The study then goes onto to suggest that to get rid of a bad habit, it has to be replaced with a good one. Let’s face it; drinking alcoholically is a pervasive and self-destructive habit. The 90 meetings in 90 days is therefore a very good idea and based on psycholigical research. Rather then sit at home thinking about not picking up the first drink, by going to a daily meeting you immediately tap into a power greater then your self. I believe, as do most other AA members, that 90 meetings in 90 days is a sound investement into ongoing sobriety

Are AA meetings enough?

Initially as a newly sober member, that has to be a resounding YES! The important thing is to break the addictive cycle of alcohol dependence. After a while, most recovering alcoholics begin to expereince the unresloved issues that they drank to avoid dealing with. Attendance at meetings is great but its not enough. Meetings kept me dry for long periods but they werent enough to help me get truly sober.

The three-fold illness of Alcoholism

In AA, we are taught that the illness of acloholism is three fold: Physical, mental and spiritual. My experience has been that just attending AA meetings helped me to deal with the physical aspect of my alcoholism. Only the suggested program as offered in the twelve steps helped me to heal from the mental and spiritual aspect of the illness. Please listen to the podcast