Meeting

20 minutes ago
1 min read

Yesterday my mom casually suggested I should come with her to a meeting, the meeting being Alcoholics Anonymous. She said it’s “like free therapy.” I told her, well, that might actually be good timing since my therapist just informed me Friday is apparently our last session. Great timing, universe.

But after she left, I started thinking about it and realized I really can’t imagine AA feeling like therapy to me. Therapy, at least in my mind, is where you sit there and unpack your own chaos while someone trained helps you connect the dots. AA feels more like sitting in a room listening to a rotation of very intense life stories, and somehow you’re supposed to absorb wisdom from it while quietly wondering if it applies to you at all.

Also, if you read my memoir, you probably already know my thoughts on AA. But maybe part of my reaction is just the association. I can’t help but think back to the 90 days I spent in outpatient groups, which is basically the emotional equivalent of flashbacks from a long-running TV episode arc.

I know it helps a lot of people, which is great. Truly. I’m all for anything that helps people. I’m just not totally convinced it’s my version of therapy.