It’s a year after Nicky’s death. Her sisters – Avery, Lucky, and Bonnie - are cleaning out her things while struggling with stressors, which for Avery and Lucky includes addiction. Lucky, a model since age fifteen who has been mistreated on the job, abuses pills and alcohol. Avery, now ten years sober, used heroin and other substances after breaking free from her role as a parent to her sisters, secondary to her parents abdicating their parenting responsibilities. It’s all particularly sad because Nicky, remembered as the best of the sisters, died from a fentanyl overdose, which she developed in response to painful endometriosis.
Despite their overwhelming family history of addiction, both Avery and Lucky at times found help through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step type programs.
AA is a worldwide network of peer-led support groups dedicated to helping people free themselves from addiction through an abstinence-based program. For many people who experience addiction, AA is instrumental in achieving recovery. AA meetings are open to anyone with a desire to stop, no matter who they are or how many problems their addiction has caused. Meetings happen frequently, are free, and are held in accessible locations.
People attending AA meetings can remain anonymous while benefitting from the support of a community. Attendance can be as often or infrequent as desired and needed. AA offers endless recovery-oriented books that many in recovery or considering recovery find helpful.
Here are tips to fully benefit from AA:
Go To Meetings: If you’re considering attending a meeting, you could probably benefit from it. Search for meetings at www.aa.org/find-aa.
Open Up To Social Support: Changing with others is more manageable than changing alone. Other AA members can provide mentorship, practical tips, and emotional support – if you are open to it.
Commit to Structure: Life with an addiction feels unmanageable. AA is organized to follow a predictable structure with easy-to-remember slogans. This straightforward approach sets people up for success.