AA Meeting Observation: Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Analysis

Role and Purpose of the Observer

Upon the request of a friend, I chose to observe an open Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting last year. Unlike a closed meeting, which is reserved solely for people who have admitted to having an alcohol addiction, AA open meetings are open to addicts contemplating recovery, friends, family members, and outside observers. I had previously attended an open meeting several years earlier to support another person. At this meeting, I was an observer acting as a supporter, as well as a critical analyst, drawing on my greater knowledge of social work and psychology. Since I had learned more about therapy, I was curious to see how the group dynamics operated, as well as to accompany my friend at her request.

AA has created open meetings for several reasons. Recovery from alcoholism is a complicated process, and many people spend a long period of time contemplating recovery before they take the first step of abandoning alcohol. AA believes it is important for members to have meeting formats that allow them to bring friends and family members along in support of their loved one's recovery. Open meetings also allow people observing for academic purposes — such as myself — to demystify the 12-step process. This makes AA different from traditional group therapies facilitated by a trained counselor, which are seldom open to the public in any form.

Nature and Purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous is a support group for recovery from substance abuse, and it specifically proclaims itself as such. It is unique in that rather than being facilitated by a trained therapist, it is led by former addicts. The program has a very specific process of proceeding through different steps and stages — a guiding framework for recovery — and this format has formed the basis of most existing 12-step programs. The group was founded by an addict and designed based upon what had worked for him personally, rather than on evidence-based medicine or a specific therapeutic theory.

AA is a very practical program. It is based on the principle that once someone is addicted, they should not continue drinking, even socially. The approach relies on the shared experiences of addicts and uses mentorship from others in recovery to further its goals. Although recovering from co-occurring issues such as depression may be part of the broader recovery process, the group does not offer treatment for additional psychological conditions beyond alcohol addiction.

Meeting Environment and Member Comfort

The AA meeting took place in the basement of a church, where coffee was being served and folding chairs were arranged in a circle. The comfort level of various members varied widely. Some people had coffee, chatted with other members, and joked before the meeting began. Others were silent and mainly looked at their phones. Some people who were evidently there with their partners seemed very at ease — there was almost a party-like atmosphere as they introduced their companions to friends in the group.

Because open meetings encompass such a wide range of individuals at all phases of recovery, some people did seem uncomfortable with the dynamics, particularly if they did not know anyone. Some of these individuals, of course, may have been alcoholics who were not yet ready to commit to change, given the open format of the meeting. Additionally, just as in any group with regular participants, there may have been some discomfort rooted in interpersonal history. However, the combination of coffee, facilitators who identified as fellow substance abusers, and the informal atmosphere of the church basement all fostered a more relaxed environment than a clinical setting would. There was, in other words, a meaningful social dimension to the interactions beyond their therapeutic purpose — or, arguably, the social dynamic was itself part of the therapy.