How to Make AA Friends

One of the first recommendations made to newcomers at Alcoholics Anonymous is to change the people, places and playthings that you used during your drinking. We get accustomed to the company we've kept and the things we did together. Unfortunately, many of those activities included drinking. An AA meeting can be a great place to start building a network of support. Making friends takes a little more effort.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Stay late after AA meetings and join groups talking outside. People will begin to talk about other aspects of their lives, and you may find things in common.
2. Find out where members are going for coffee or to eat after a meeting. Alcoholics Anonymous does not endorse outside issues, so you won't find out how people feel about them until you've socialized. Weekend AA meetings are the best places to find people going out after meetings.
3. Listen to when people share in meetings. You can pick up facts about the kind of work they do or if they have children--subjects you may have in common.
4. Approach those people after the meeting and ask for more information about their lives outside of meetings. If you find some commonality, suggest a lunch date to explore a friendship.
5. Ask your AA sponsor for ideas about people with whom you might be able to form friendships. Often people who have been around the program for a long time know many of the personal aspects of others in the rooms.
6. Get phone numbers and use them. Recovering people in Alcoholics Anonymous have been trained to accept phone calls from other alcoholics and will be glad to accept your call. You can begin a conversation with a program question, and then let the talk move to personal interests you might find in common.