AA Meetings: Santa Fe

AA Meetings and Addiction Treatment in Santa Fe, NM

Drinking alcohol is often a pleasant way to relax and socialize for many people. However, excessive alcohol consumption is detrimental to your health and can negatively affect your loved ones.

If you suffer from a substance use disorder (SUD) or alcohol use disorder (AUD), rehabilitation at a drug rehab center and 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can help you get started on the journey towards sobriety.

AA is an international organization of peer groups that meet to support each other. Members frequently meet to discuss concerns and issues related to their addiction and support each other through relapses and milestones.

More seasoned members act as sponsors for new members, guiding them through the alcohol rehabilitation process. Although AA is successful in helping recovering alcoholics maintain sobriety, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that 12-step and self-help programs are effective for aftercare but not as a replacement for therapy or rehab.

Support groups usually complement professional treatment and aren’t as effective as evidence-based approaches in alcohol addiction treatment programs.

If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol use disorders, the professionals at Icarus Behavioral Health can help you reclaim your life from addiction.

Keep reading for more information about AA meetings in Santa Fe, as well as for professional medical advice on the best treatment options for your drinking.

How Does AA Work?

12-step programs like AA are powerful peer support approaches aimed at helping people recover from SUDs, behavioral addictions, and co-occurring mental health disorders. These programs can help you achieve abstinence from drugs and alcohol.

What are the Benefits of AA Meetings in Santa Fe, NM?

While 12-step programs aren’t the best tool for everybody, they can help you:

• Acquire new coping mechanisms
• Get support and acceptance from a loving community
• Transition into sobriety
• Maintain long-term recovery from addiction

The 12-Steps in AA

Alcoholics Anonymous uses the 12-step approach to help to recover alcoholics stay sober. Members must complete each step, usually with the help of a sponsor. The steps include:

• Step 1: Admit you are powerless over alcohol addiction
• Step 2: Accept that a higher power (in whichever form) can help
• Step 3: Choose to turn control over to the higher power
• Step 4: Take a personal inventory or moral inventory
• Step 5: Admit to yourself, another person, and a higher power the nature of your wrongdoings
• Step 6: Accept that the higher power can help correct the shortcomings in your character
• Step 7: Humbly ask the higher ability to eliminate your shortcomings
• Step 8: Make a list of the people you hurt during your addiction and be willing to make a mend
• Step 9: Contact any person you wronged and make mend, unless doing so would harm them more
• Step 10: Continuously take personal inventory, and admit when you are wrong
• Step 11: Seek enlightenment from the higher power through prayer and meditation
• Step 12: Carry the AA message to other people with AUD and continue practicing the principles of the 12 steps in your everyday life

AA members can revisit the steps at any given point, and some people work through the steps multiple times.

What Are AA Meetings in Santa Fe?

For one hour each week, alcoholics and those battling substance abuse can find support and encouragement at AA meetings.

People working on their recovery can benefit significantly from hearing the personal tales of AA members who have attended a meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico. An AA or 12-step meeting welcomes people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and colors who share our commitment to staying sober and contributing to society. No matter your background or preferred style of sober support, we feel that Icarus Behavioral Health stands firm as one of the best rehab centers in New Mexico from which to begin your recovery journey if you need additional support beyond the Fellowship.

Some AA groups have a friendship club. A friendship club allows members to meet up and take part in everyday activities like meeting for a meal at a restaurant or for an adventure walk in scenic Santa Fe.

How Do AA Meetings Work?

Anyone can attend open sessions, but those who want to sober up are the only ones who should go to closed ones.

If you’ve never been to a meeting, try an open meeting with a friend or family member. You can get more out of your AA experience by bringing a friend or family member with you to the meetings. If you’d like a sneak peek of possible subjects often discussed, check out our AA meeting topics article to best prepare yourself!

People who have had difficulties with alcohol can learn from one another at AA meetings. Attending meetings allows you to network with other recovering individuals who can serve as role models and mentors as you work through the 12 steps.

The chairperson of a meeting is usually chosen to preside over the gathering. At the beginning of the meeting, the chairperson may take a quick poll to see if anyone is attending their first meeting. They inform any Santa Fe newcomer staying sober and helping others to do the same is AA’s primary goal.

Choosing an AA Meeting in Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe, New Mexico, has a vast range of AA meeting types you can choose from. It’s essential to have an understanding of the many AA meetings and the demographics of their attendees before deciding which one to attend.

Below are the common AA types of meetings in Santa Fe city:

Open AA Meeting: An open AA meeting is considered to allow anyone who wants to attend AA is allowed to do so. It is not necessary to have a drinking problem to attend an open AA meeting. You are welcome to bring your kids, friends, and family to these gatherings.

Closed AA Meetings: The only requirement in these meetings is that only those with a genuine interest in sobriety should attend closed AA meetings. Your loved ones and friends won’t be able to join you here.

Big Book Meetings: When members get together for a “Big Book Meeting,” one person reads from the book and then encourages members to engage in discussion.

Speaker Meetings: An AA speaker meeting is where a recovering alcoholic or AA member shares their experience, strength, and hope with others in the fellowship. The Santa Fe speaker might only use up part of the allotted time, and they might even invite audience participation at the conclusion.

Literature Meetings: This is an AA or 12-step meeting in which members read aloud from a piece of literature approved by Alcoholics Anonymous and then either have a discussion or invite a speaker to talk about the readings.

Step Study Meetings: One or two steps are studied during a step meeting. This meeting type can take the form of a speaker-led discussion of the step, the reading of relevant material, and a subsequent discussion of the step.

Meditation Meetings: In a meditation AA meeting, members meditate before, after, or during the entire meeting time. Often, a guided meditation will be followed by free-flowing dialogue and daily reflections.

Since each AA meeting in Santa Fe operates independently, members can set their own ground rules. You may find meetings in Santa Fe that don’t follow the standard format.

For more information on Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in Santa Fe, New Mexico, you can contact your neighborhood AA intergroup or visit aa.org.

You can also find AA meetings in Santa Fe, NM through the comprehensive directory at Santafeaa.org. If you are unable to attend a physical meeting, an online meeting in Santa Fe is best for you. An online Santa Fe meeting can help you connect with other alcoholics.

Get Ready for AA at Icarus Behavioral Health in New Mexico

The battle against alcohol addiction is often particularly challenging. However, you do not have to go through the process alone. At Icarus Behavioral Health, our alcohol addiction treatment programs can help you build a solid foundation before transitioning to 12-step support groups like alcohol anonymous or sober living homes.

Addiction is a chronic disease that can have devastating effects on your physical, emotional, and mental health. 12-step programs can help you achieve and maintain abstinence from alcohol and other drugs.

Contact us today for confidential advice on how to reclaim your life from alcohol and start living sober from this day forward!