ACA Meetings

ACA groups tend to focus on understanding the specific behavior and attitude patterns we develop while growing up.

Attendees working the Steps begin to see more clearly that which is positive and healthy in themselves.

Experience, strength, and hope is shared among attendees.

Each meeting and each meeting group is different. Many will be a good fit for you, some will not. Try a few.

In meetings we: found hope, found out about recovery, learned about awareness, and learned about 're-parenting' ourselves. We practiced expressing hurts and fears and got rid of shame and blame. We learned we could be successfully responsible for the solution to our problems. We let a bit more joy, serenity, and happiness into our lives.

We learned that 'group consciousness' could be a powerful help. We learned new lessons from old experiences. We found effectiveness. We raised our consciousness of reality, awareness, love, acceptance, and more.

We became better livers. 

 

Democratic Meetings

Here are a few hints on how to create and carry out effective democratic meetings

An effective democratic meeting:

~ must be of, by, and for its participants. It should be as free as possible from the influence of outside powers.

~ ought to be held in a safe place. An important attribute of a safe place is that i provide space which is neutral.

~ ought to be designed and redesigned to meet the needs of the participants

~ may be best when participants first listen well to members with the best dialogue skills and appropriate specialized knowledge

~ has leadership roles and/or officership roles that are kept to a minimum and are widely shared.

~ at the very beginning there ought to be teaching and study time to learn and practice dialogue skills, methods, and techniques; and  also time given to the learning of the vocabulary of the business at hand.

Important notions to consider keeping in mind during the first meetings include:

` address all comments to the group as a whole rather than to an individual,

~ practice respectful good manners,

~ avoid judgmental statements or comments; there are no good or bad opinions, values or statements,

~ listening and understanding are your main purpose,

~ accept that other believe to be true that which they say; they intend to be honest

` speak from your own experience,

~ respect the goodness and equality of each participant.