Alcoholics Anonymous is, as its name suggests, a fellowship of alcoholics.
But what happens when someone wants to talk about drugs?
Perhaps alcohol wasn’t the only substance involved in their addiction. Perhaps drugs played a significant role in their drinking history.
Are they allowed to talk about that at an AA meeting?
The answer involves an important AA principle: singleness of purpose.
What does AA literature say?
Tradition Five tells us that each AA group has one primary purpose: carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
AA’s pamphlet Problems Other Than Alcohol explores why the Fellowship has maintained that focus.
The idea isn’t that other addictions are unimportant or that people with other substance-use problems are unwelcome.
It’s that AA has a particular purpose and a particular message.
Members who have experienced both alcoholism and other addictions may naturally discuss those experiences when sharing their stories.
But AA meetings generally maintain their focus on alcoholism and recovery from alcoholism.
There is also an important distinction between open and closed meetings. Anyone interested in AA may attend an open meeting, while closed meetings are for those who have a desire to stop drinking.
Why do meetings differ?
Some groups encourage members to keep their sharing focused specifically on alcohol.
Others are more comfortable hearing about drugs when those experiences form part of someone’s story of alcoholism and recovery.
Both may be attempting to honor AA’s primary purpose.
The difficulty comes when a group’s interpretation becomes so rigid that a newcomer feels unable to tell the truth about their experience.
Or, conversely, when a meeting loses its focus on alcoholism altogether.
Why does it matter?
AA’s singleness of purpose has helped preserve a clear message for people seeking recovery from alcoholism.
But it doesn’t require us to pretend that alcoholism always occurs in isolation from other problems.
As with many things in AA, a little understanding and consideration can go a long way.
If you’re unsure about a particular meeting’s approach, ask a member afterward.
And remember: AA’s purpose is to help alcoholics recover—not to conduct a vocabulary examination.
From AA’s Literature
For further reading, AA publishes:
Problems Other Than Alcohol
Available through AA.org.
If you’re new, try a few different meetings. Your room is out there.