Lack of diversity in 12 step?

[aihfl]

Thanks for the insight. I stand somewhat corrected on my observations - I've been to a few more NA meetings and the last one I went to corresponded more to the ethnic demographics of Greater Orlando (with the exception of Asians), and the chair was Jewish (not me). AA on the other hand, consistently is lily white.

 

[simco]

Thanks for the insight. I stand somewhat corrected on my observations - I've been to a few more NA meetings and the last one I went to corresponded more to the ethnic demographics of Greater Orlando (with the exception of Asians), and the chair was Jewish (not me). AA on the other hand, consistently is lily white.

Yeah, in my experience, not a lot of Jews in my NA meetings (except me) .

Actually, about a month ago I went to a speaker meeting. The woman who shared was raised in an Orthodox household in Brooklyn. It was a fascinating story of what goes on behind closed doors. But also fascinating because she was such an outlier, culturally speaking in NA.

 

[subotai]

I mean, if you go to meetings that are held in sonewhat segregated areas, odds are that it will be mostly white people. And odds are that some of them will be racist.

Ive been to meetings with more blacks and latinos than white people though, in the city a lot are like that. Then there's meetings that are mostly white people but still have a noticeable minority of other races

its not because AA or NA are racist, literally anyone can go to meetings, it's just that specific meeting you went to was.

ive never been to a religious-heavy meeting either. Honestly, I thought that was kind of an urban legend. Most meetings in the Philadelphia area don't talk about anything religious outside of the word God.

 

[aihfl]

its not because AA or NA are racist, literally anyone can go to meetings, it's just that specific meeting you went to was.

Actually I never said I went to a racist meeting. I don't like repeating myself, so I'll just direct your attention to the OP containing the quote from a book written by an acquaintance called "A Secular Sobriety."

I now focus going to treatment meetings,(AA/NA inside treatment centers).i feel like i can better help others early in recovery there by sharing my own experience,strength,and hope with those guys and gals. I suggest to anyone that goes to meetings that they should give a 'treatment' meeting a shot.

There are meetings here that take place at treatment centers but it's just a normal meeting that happens to use a space at a treatment center. No one who is actually in treatment is at the meeting. I enjoyed the one opportunity I had to go back to the place I was in treatment with AA, but those guys were a clique and I was never asked to go back. Probably because I dispensed advice that was actually effective like, "get a hobby" and "take charge of your mental health," instead of telling them to pray and be at a meeting 24/7/365. I was asked if I was interested in going to the next NA hospitals and institutions committee meeting and as of right now, I intend to go, so I'll see where that leads. Personally I find junkies a lot more down to earth and a lot easier to take as a general group than people in AA. Plus they seem on the whole to have a better sense of humor over the shit we've put ourselves through. I think there is humor in the insanity. I don't think I could handle the weight of all that if I didn't think so.

 

[cj]

I mean, if you go to meetings that are held in sonewhat segregated areas, odds are that it will be mostly white people. And odds are that some of them will be racist.

Ive been to meetings with more blacks and latinos than white people though, in the city a lot are like that. Then there's meetings that are mostly white people but still have a noticeable minority of other races

its not because AA or NA are racist, literally anyone can go to meetings, it's just that specific meeting you went to was.

ive never been to a religious-heavy meeting either. Honestly, I thought that was kind of an urban legend. Most meetings in the Philadelphia area don't talk about anything religious outside of the word God.

I think the religion aspect is a southern thing.

 

[RDP89]

I think the religion aspect is a southern thing.

I'm in the northern half of Illinois, and some of the meetings I went to they closed with the Lord's prayer. Other than that it there wasn't really religious talk, but I find AA and NA to be inherently religious what with the whole " god as we understood him" line, among others. They can try to disguise it all they want as "spiritual not religious", but I find that kind of splitting hairs anyway.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I think the religion aspect is a southern thing.

Most of the religious meetings I've been to are in LA (of course, most of the meetings I've been to are also in LA), and not just when they're held in church type environments. But stuff like overtly Christian messages, ideology, rituals and prayer are probably one of the most common aspects of the 12 step scene I've encountered here.

 

[bukweat]

I've bounced back and forth between AA and NA. NA people generally speaking are more open-minded. I laughed at the underground AA comment for blacks. That would be prison from my experience. Times they are a changing though.

 

[Ozekat]

I hate to revive this sucker but I had to say two things.

1. I think AA by large is very cultish and exclusive to old timers , they even seem to worship the old timers and look at them as your would some kind of head priest. It just disturbs me.

2. I was very turned off by when I went to an AA meeting and as shared, in which I said my sponsor at the time took me to a bar to drink non alcoholic beers and was really endangering my sobriety in turn I was immediately hung out to dry by this asshole in the room, really it was humiliating what he said and just treated me like shit made me feel fucking awful.

And this job why I hate these meetings I walk out feeling worse Than when I went in. These people are like totally psychic vampires at times. Like all the have to do is humiliate the fuck out of the newcomer.

Anyways it's always white people for miles, it's very annoying.

 

[Mmp85]

The rehab I was in was fairly culturally diverse because it's the biggest and most accessible around here and accepts various insurance.
What I noticed from the black women in my group (I can't speak on black men because we were seperated by gender except for when I moved to the 28 day program and there just didn't happen to be any black men in that program while I was in it although there were at the facility in general I was just never in a group discussion setting with them) was that most of them didn't sound interested in attending meetings after they left, they talked more about getting more active in their churches again. I'm from the south so of course religion is big in general but church is especially important in the black community. So if the women I met are any indication (and they may not be, a few black women I met in rehab don't represent all black women) it seems that black addicts and alcoholics see church as either something they're more comfortable with or something they think will work for them more so than AA or NA. Also like someone else mentioned family played a big role, a lot of their post rehab plans involved moving in with a sister or female cousin so they'd have a support system or for the younger ones moving back to their parents.

On another note, I've found that unless a meeting is specifically for women, the men far out number the women. Which I think makes the women not want to attend a mixed meeting as possibly being the only woman so she'll go to a women's meeting so the mixed meetings can't attract more women because they don't have women to reach out to other women in the first place. Also in my area list there are more meetings for only men than for only women. In general when I was looking for treatment options there were many that were exclusively for men ranging from rehabs to halfway houses and sober living and charities that specifically help recovering male addicts find jobs and very few resources for women. I feel like addiction is still very much treated as a mans disease, especially alcoholism.

Also I was in my late 20's when I sought treatment and while there were women and men in my age range in rehab there aren't in meetings. I used to get drunk with people older than me so I don't mind getting sober with them but our challenges in recovery are very different. I'm still at an age where socializing revolves around happy hour, craft beer tastings are trendy, your girlfriends want to go out for margaritas and guac, and if more than two single 30ish year old women are present there will be wine.

 

[aihfl]

Since going to NA regularly, I've noticed a lot more diversity, especially after getting involved in the Hospitals and Institutions subcommittee. I agree with the statement about often leaving an AA meeting worse than when I walked in. It's not for me.

 

[GIBSMEDAT]

Fresh out of rehab a few years ago I was all gung-ho about the 90-in-90 mantra. I'd say the area lacking in diversity was critical thinking and ideas. Not trying to bash the 12-step routine; but I found it obnoxious and whiney. I guess it works for some...