#12-step

[loudlylovingreview]

Matthew J. Parker: Mother Jonesing

Willendorf Goddess. [Natural History Museum, Vienna, c. 30,000 BCE]  . “Hallowed landscapes lost their sacredness and were exploited as the local people became insensitive to the destruction, accepting it as a sign of progress.”  ~ Wangari Maathai Today, across Mother Earth, 122 million of her daughters are being denied their inalienable right to attend school, and this despite her ample…

Matthew J. Parker: Mother Jonesing

[aameetingsdirectory]

Sober Mother's Day: Support & AA Meetings Directory

A sober Mother’s Day can be just as beautiful—and even more meaningful—than one centered on alcohol. For moms in recovery, and their loved ones, this day offers a chance to build new traditions that honor both motherhood and sobriety. If you’re wondering where to start, AA meetings are a powerful anchor. The AA Meetings Directory makes it easy to find in-person, online, or telephone meetings specifically on Mother’s Day weekend. Many groups host speaker meetings or open gatherings where family can attend and show support. IDEAS FOR A SOBER CELEBRATION - Plan a nature walk or picnic - Create a home spa day - Cook a special meal together - Write a gratitude letter - Volunteer or do a small act of service HONORING A MOM IN RECOVERY Acknowledge her journey with a thoughtful, alcohol-free gift—like a custom AA chip, a recovery journal, or simply a heartfelt note. Your words of pride can mean the world. STAYING GROUNDED Use holiday relapse prevention tips: attend a meeting, connect with your sponsor, and have an exit plan if tensions rise. Remember, you’re not alone—reach out to your sober community. With a little planning, this Mother’s Day can be a celebration of strength, love, and the gift of sobriety.

[mentalhealthcenterdirectory]

AA & NA Meetings in 2026: Your Guide to Local & Virtual Support

The 12-step landscape has changed. Now, a mix of in-person and online meetings makes recovery more accessible than ever. Whether you’re new to sobriety or just looking for a different type of group, the options are wider than you might think. From church basements to hybrid havens Traditional meetings still happen in community spaces. But many groups now offer hybrid formats — you can attend in person or join via video, sometimes even within the same meeting. This flexibility helps people with transportation issues, health concerns, or packed schedules stay connected. Virtual meetings open new doors Online AA and NA meetings let you connect anytime, almost anywhere. They’re especially useful for those who live in rural areas, have social anxiety, or prefer niche groups like secular recovery or LGBTQ+ focused fellowships. You can find meetings around the clock, and digital participation often lowers the barrier to that first visit. Why local groups still matter Face-to-face connection carries a power that’s hard to replicate. A local sponsor you can meet for coffee, the reassuring presence of neighbors who understand your struggle — this kind of community builds accountability and hope. And when cravings hit at 2 a.m., knowing someone nearby can make all the difference. How to find what’s right for you Mental health center directories now integrate meeting schedules into their resource lists. They help you filter by location, meeting type, and focus. Whether you’re looking for a step study, speaker meeting, or a group that meets at a specific time, a quick directory search can point you in the right direction. Recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all. This year, take advantage of the many ways to connect — both online and in your community.

[aameetingsdirectory]

AA vs NA: Choosing the Right 12-Step Directory Near You

Sorting out the difference between an AA meetings directory and an NA search is more than semantics. AA grew around alcohol-specific stories and the Big Book; NA organized later for people wrestling with any mood-altering drug. That split shapes how each directory is built and what you will hear once you sit down. WHAT THE LISTINGS TELL YOU • AA pages focus on open/closed formats, Big Book studies, speaker nights, and sobriety coins for lengths of time without a drink. • NA pages highlight clean-time tags, Basic Text discussion, and special-interest groups such as chronic-pain or MAT-friendly meetings. LANGUAGE MATTERS Introducing yourself as “an addict” in AA or “an alcoholic” in NA can feel awkward. Picking the room that matches your main struggle helps you speak freely and hear stories that land. BUILDING A PLAN Many people start where the pain is loudest—alcohol? try AA, opiates or pills? consider NA—then cross-attend if mixed cravings show up. Let your counselor or sponsor know which fellowship feels like home so treatment goals and step work stay in sync. Different roads, same destination: honest connection, a spiritual toolkit, and daily freedom from the next drink or drug.

[hermajestieship]

I don't post on here much anymore but I saw a post yesterday that has been on my mind and I just need to get some of my thoughts out about it. It was complaining about governments requiring AA/NA attendance in order for alcoholics/addicts to get housing/get their kids/whatever other kind of rights get stripped when you get into a run-in with the law that surrounds drinking/using. That in of itself is a pretty complex issue that a lot of people have a lot of opinions about and I'm not going to delve too much deeper into that here.

The thing that tripped me up was the number of people in the comments/reblogs talking about how these programs are a cult that preys on the vulnerable and that they don't actually help people. I understand there are as many varied experiences with 12 step programs as there are people who have attended them, and that I am extremely privileged to live in an area with a thriving recovery community. I can't truly speak to AA because my experience is primarily with NA, so I am going to use NA language from here on out.

NA is the last house on the block. Addicts don't come to NA unless they have no other choice, because the disease of addiction will do everything in its power to convince you that you don't have to stop using. I did not want to stop using when I came to NA. I didn't think it was possible for me. I thought I needed drugs to live. I don't. I have going on 9 years clean and I wouldn't have ever been able to do it without the community that NA gave me.

This post is already long so I'm going to put the rest under a readmore. I'm not going to engage with anyone who responds in bad faith. If you are an addict and you are reading this please know that it is possible to reclaim your life from this disease.

"But it's religious". I am not religious. I have a terrible relationship with religions. NA drives home repeatedly in its writings that you do not have to be religious to get this program. The number of references to God in our literature is a controversial internal issue which addicts discuss to death. Addicts who are not religious, like me, like to use stand-ins like "Good orderly direction", or "Group of druggies" as a way of referring to a higher power. I personally chose to use the group/fellowship as my higher power - I believe that there is an energy and force of love that comes from decades of addicts striving to stay clean that aids me. Trying to stay clean on your own is like trying to swim upriver during a flood. It takes a power greater than any one person alone has. The love and care of my fellow addicts is my greater power.

"It's not evidence-based". There are hundreds of addicts in my metro area alone who get to be clean on a daily basis because of NA. There are thousands in my country and there are supposedly 76,000 NA meetings on a weekly basis across the world. Assuming each of those meetings have at least 3 members (in my experience meetings can range anywhere from two to forty attendees), that's 228,000 folks who get to experience at least one hour a week clean. I don't know if it's possible to explain to someone who hasn't gotten to experience that how important that is. Addiction is a prison and every moment that I get to experience outside of that prison is a life-affirming breath of fresh air.

"It's not evidence-based 2.0" This pamphlet is a review of several scientific studies of NA. This is a line directly from this pamphlet:

"In a 2018 survey of 28,495 NA members conducted by NA World Services, members with a wide variety of past primary drug choices reported an average of 11.4 years of continuous abstinence, with 85% of members reporting five or more years of stable recovery."

Five to eleven years of continuous recovery is HUGE. When we are in active addiction we can’t imagine a day clean. Years feels impossible. It’s not.

"It's based off outdated writings" AA was originally written in the '30s. NA started in the '50s and piggy-backed off the AA 12-step model. The basic text of NA was written in the 80s. This video talks through the 2nd ever NA world literature conference, where addicts took 800 pages of material submitted from addicts across the program and literally (LITERALLY LIKE WITH GLUE AND PAPER) cut and pasted it into a cohesive work. The Basic Text is a labor of love, made up of the knowledge and wisdom of hundreds of recovering addicts.

"It's a cult"

Borrowed from this website: According to the Cult Education Institute, there are specific warning signs to look out for when considering whether a group might be a cult. Cults are characterized by:

Absolute authoritarianism without accountability

Zero tolerance for criticism or questions

Lack of meaningful financial disclosure regarding the budget

Unreasonable fears about the outside world that often involve evil conspiracies and persecutions

A belief that former followers are always wrong for leaving and there is never a legitimate reason for anyone else to leave

Abuse of members

Records, books, articles, or programs documenting the abuses of the leader or group

Followers feeling that they are never able to be “good enough”

A belief that the leader is right at all times

A belief that the leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or giving validation

NA service structure maintains that the ultimate decision making rests in the hands of the group, which is made up of individual addicts (NA service concept #2). We do not have a leader. It literally takes AGES to get anything done (for example, modifying the language of the literature), because we have to get and receive input from literally. everyone. in the program. There is always an avenue for accountability, criticism and questions (NA service concept #5, #10). “Lack of financial disclosure” try being a treasurer on an NA service committee and then come talk to me about whether or not there’s financial disclosure.

As I stated previously, I am lucky enough to live in a community where the NA fellowship is thriving. I have no doubt there are places where that is not the case. I have no doubt there are places where the NA fellowship manifests in ways that are unhealthy. That is a result of the people who are involved in the program in that place. It is not because the program itself is unhealthy. We often state that it is a perfect program run by imperfect people. This is a hyperbole but the concept holds true - we are simply humans trying the best we can to do what we think is right. Sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes we're wrong. That doesn't mean we stop trying.

Personally I don't believe that addicts should be barred from housing/welfare simply because of their active addiction. Surprisingly (/s) it is a lot easier to get/stay clean if you don't have to worry about where you're going to sleep that night or where your next meal will come from. It is an incredibly tricky subject to talk about kids because the fact of the matter is that many children are put in danger on a daily basis when living with addicts in active addiction. There are many people in the program who talk about how their kids being removed from their care was the wake-up call they needed to face their problems. There are also people who the system abused and who will never get to see their kids because of incidents that occured with the law during their active addiction. The idea of addicts as 'unredeemable', which was perpetuated by the war on drugs, is incredibly harmful and something our community still has to reckon with today.

I know by posting this I'm probably inviting a lot of nonsense and I'm ready to block those engaging in bad faith and turn off reblogs. I’m not under the illusion that I’m going to change the world’s view of NA - I have four sponsees and multiple service positions, I’d rather keep putting my energy into building my community than fighting on the internet. I just really couldn't stand letting the shit talking on something that has truly changed my life go unaddressed. I was a shell of a person before NA because of what the disease of addiction brought me to. Today I am a part of my life, my family's life, I have friends and can travel and enjoy living again. If you want to hear about the experiences of people in NA I would suggest looking up speakers on youtube as there are a ton of good ones out there. This is a favorite of mine - I heard her speak in person at a convention and she has an incredible story. (“But she starts by thanking god”. She's allowed to have her own higher power of her own understanding, same as the rest of us. If you have a problem with her saying God, imagine it as the acronym I put earlier. Try a little open-mindedness and see what happens.) If you want to know more about NA there are many resources out there. If you think you may be an addict and want to chat with other addicts I’d recommend checking out your local NA meetings. There are plenty of online meetings these days too. I hope you find what you’re looking for.

ILS - an addict

[nameetings]

Kansas NA Meetings: A Practical Roadmap to Rural Recovery

NA in Kansas looks different than in Boston or LA. One week you’re in a Wichita storefront hugging newcomers; the next you may drive an hour of highway light to share in a grain-co-op break room. That range is why Kansans focus on portability over perfection. Key points: • Location first. Use the meeting locator, filter for “open,” “child-friendly,” or “wheelchair access,” then save the route in your phone. Rural carpools and county vans fill the gaps when buses stop twenty miles short. • Speak the vernacular. Facilitators translate Step One into weather talk: admit you can’t control hail or cravings, only prepare for them. Lessons stay grounded, not preachy. • Pacing matters. Sponsors often start with one pamphlet and coffee, mirroring farm cycles—plant, tend, harvest—so newcomers aren’t flooded with rules. • Hybrid backup. When storms or overtime hit, the same group re-assembles on Zoom. Consistency, not geography, protects clean time. • Celebrate miles and milestones. Some groups ring a cowbell for 30-day chips; others log sobriety in an app that pings you before your next meeting. Whether you’re stationed at Fort Riley or running combines in Colby, the framework stays simple: find a seat, listen, share when ready, come back. Kansas may be wide, but the fellowship makes it feel like one town square.

[depressed-and-jaloux]

I'm homeless in London, couch surfing with generous friends who have shown compassion. My niece took me in for a while to heko build my strength back up. We've had a huge heart to heart. About many things, losing her mum, who was my sister. My own mother, too. I've never felt so connected to family. I cried, letting the emotions all out cathartic and amazing. She's taught me the value of family and connection. It was a lesson I needed. All this time, I've been wandering and searching for somewhere and something, but what? I think I've found it with my niece. She's my world. I don't feel the urge to pack my back up and move on. Like I have so many times these last 20+ years. How humbled I am by a family member 15 years younger than me. I used to change her nappies, but now she teaches me how to live and be a decent human being. She is like water for my soul when it gets thirsty.

Hopefully I can stay with a friend next week. Travel hostels aren't much fun when you're homeless working a warehouse job 8 hours a day. But there's something healing and grounding about the physical aspect of the job. Well, I want to mash up the anhedonia, and boy have I beaten it. I'm 37 days clean. It's the longest time in over 2 years. I definitely snapped out of my self-pity and gotten stuck into life and recovery. Putting my things in storage in Nottingham, grabbing a rucksack, and heading to London has woken me up. I'm slowly finding myself again.