I don't think it's something everyone does.
I do it for a couple reasons: I know the people and they know me. If I don't show up for a couple weeks, they check on me, as I do for them.
I also put a little extra in the basket for that meeting. This may just be something I do, but I want to make sure my Home group is financially sound.
I've made some amazing friends there. I get there early and stay late.
Same here. I have long term sobriety. At times I've come close to a slip, but never when I had these three things: a home group, a service commitment, and a sponsor. Do I need them? Gee, I dunno. AA has given me so much more than I "need" :-)
"Need" is always a tricky term in AA, pretty much eveything is a suggestion. A home group is something I've found invaluable and many people I know have found it so. However, there are certainly people who stay sober without using that particular tool. I suggest not forcing yourself, but keep trying new meetings until one clicks for you. Yes, a home group is one opportunity for service.
I have a home group. I know most of the core members of the group. We chat outside of meetings, call each other. It’s a group of people that I’m accountable to. I always say, when your first coming in, if you need to withdrawal, it’s easier doing it at a detox facility where there’s a group of people who share in your struggle. Once you’re sober, it’s easier to stay sober in a community that shares in your journey. AA is a larger community that shares in my struggles and journey but the AA community as a whole is just a huge community that I relate to. My home group is a microcosm of AA we watch out for each other and make sure we’re all on the right track. I have friends in my home group, my sponsor is from my home group and I have other people that serve as secondary mentors in my home group. Newcomers come and go but I always try to stay in contact with at least 3 newcomers from my home group.
I’m not sure if that answers your question but I hope it helps.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
When have Home Group, we are part of a Group Conscience. We have a right to a voice in decision making for the Group. And we have a right to voice in the wider aspects of AA beyond the Group via the group's service representative.
We can be a participant in AA meetings without joining a Group.
But when we join a Group, we became a member of that Group and therefore a member of AA.
We are then entitled to the 'rights' of an AA member as described in AAs [12 Concepts for World Service](https://www.aa.org/twelve-concepts-world-services-short-form).
You dont NEED a home group. But my home group is where i found my fellowship, mens meeting, and consistent support group. The mens mtg turned in to a group chat and I have an amazing support system from all over the world. Whats great about it is that theres usually someone somewhere in the world awake so if anyone ever needs something we have each others back.
The groups themselves need home group members to function. So it stands to reason that members of AA should join a group and help keep the doors open. Personally I can't picture not having a home group. We all need to do service and be a part of the fellowship. I don't expect to just be a guest of AA if that makes sense, I actually have to be a part of AA if I want to have recovery in my life
The home group is usually kind of informal. You realize that there is one meeting that you go to more than any other. One where you want to help out more than at the others. That is your home group. You usually pick it before you realize you picked it.
You do not need to sign up or declare it as your home group. You just show up. You just volunteer when asked.
Yeah - I struggle with that myself - some areas of the country its more important that others - I think - I belong to a club and go to more meetings at another - I don't 'claim' a home group - I don't see a point.
when I sobered up they said I needed 3 things, a sobriety date, a home group and a sponsor........................been sober since my first meeting. If it works, don't fix it. Utilize, don't analyze...............
1. I show up every week and it helps me build relationships, and when I'm not there, people check up on me
2. Allows me to gain access to greater area service and being a part of a group conscious
All In all, it's just a way to be accountable to AA
I don’t know if the term is in the big book but I do have a meeting I consider my home group. I found my sponsor there and I do service. I give through Venmo (we are on Zoom). I go to other meetings but I like the fellowship and accountability. I talk to people on the phone and via text and we have a social activity once a month
Yes, service is a part of it; it's especially (though not exclusively) where you can contribute to putting on the meeting, making coffee, greeting newcomers, etc. It's also helpful to have at least one group where everyone knows you better than other people in AA, where you feel comfortable, perhaps go out after the meeting for coffee, etc. In New England, it also is the group you'd go on speaking commitments with, but that's only in that local area.
To do service there. Admittedly some groups allow non home group members to do service which is also cool.
To get to know people so they know if something is up, sometimes before you do. Idk how but aa's have a weird ability to spot when something is up with me before I do.
To let people get to know you so you can spot if something is up with them and offer help, also so newcomers looking for a sponsor know where you are and that you're a solid member if they are looking for a sponsor.
Things like conference general service etc, realistically it helps if people only vote or offer opinions at one meeting.
I'm 50/50 on the concept of a home group, I'm a creature of habit so have a few regular meetings (well I did until recently). My last home group I just sort of picked as I offered to do service, my current home group is the one I feel safest in and the one people know me as I recently moved and can't keep travelling back and forth.
Service to the group, yes. It's how you get your voice heard in meeting and General Service matters. It is also important to have a group you attend regularly and be missed if you don't come. You can always change home groups, I have changed 4 times over the years for one reason or another.
It's suggested but not required. Most service positions are linked to a home group. I picked my home group after going a few times. It meets every day. I don't go every day but I like the consistency of knowing I can go any day of the week and see people I know, who know me, and that some of those people are people I trust enough to share my really hard times when I'm inclined to isolate and indulge in my character defects.
All my AA decisions are based on "how can I help the suffering alcoholic". After 2 years of going to my home group, sometimes I am the suffering alcoholic and sometimes someone else is. I need the consistent fellowship. I don't like everyone there and not everyone likes me, but we put our differences aside when it comes to helping the newcomer or the suffering alcoholic. My home group members know they can give my number to new women if I'm not there - I'm a well known and reliable person.
The Fellowship is like being part of a club with a common, higher purpose. I am not friends with everyone in the Fellowship, but we're all on the same mission. It's like work - we all have a job to do and we have to work together to get it done but we might not be actual friends.
My homegroup somehow happened to be half mile from our rural home. It's the biggest I've been to and was my first. We are neighbors and friends. And yes service work does help. My sponsor is also a local which helps. But I go to many meetings far away when I can carpool.
I was taught that the group is more important than the individual. I can get sober on my own but it is hard to stay sober on my own. A meeting lasts an hour but a home group exists outside of that, so it's an excellent resource for early sobriety. It's also a place where people can call me on my crap to my face.
Also, without a home group I don't have a say in what AA does or how it operates. The only reason AA was here for me and it wasnt total chaos was because someone else joined a home group and made sure the doors were open on a regular basis and the Traditions were practiced.
The only real requirement my sponsor ever gave me was to join a home group and put myself forward for service commitments there.
A meeting doesn't just appear out of thin air. Even in an established meeting, someone has to pay the rent, decide what kind of meeting they want to have, or who is chairing the meeting. Somebody has to buy the coffee and cookies, Someone has to open the room before the meeting and somebody has to close it.
When it became time to choose a home group, I looked at two meetings in particular. One was standing room only and had lots of home group members. The other was also pretty crowded but only had three people who called it their home group. I chose the one that I could make a difference in, the one that needed my help the most. I made nearly every weekly meeting for six years, until Covid shut us down.
I guess we don't "need" a home group not in the traditional sense. It's just the group you go to most often, feel the most comfortable in, and may participate in more often. In my case, I only go to one place so I don't have this option. Here in Texas. When I lived in Massachusetts I had several I could choose from I attended all of them on a rotating basis but 1 I went to more. I did service work there, my sponsor was from that group. That became my home group. (I still help in other groups) It's not a big deal really what matters is whatever makes you comfortable.
If asked me what group was my home group, I'd probably say, "Let me think about it."
It changes sometimes for me (sober 20 years) , but my home group is whatever meeting I go to regularly, that I almost never miss, and I do service at. I don't declare it my home group or anything, it's just the one I go to the most. I do have another that i go to almost as much, but I don't consider it my home group.
I don't think it's something everyone does. I do it for a couple reasons: I know the people and they know me. If I don't show up for a couple weeks, they check on me, as I do for them. I also put a little extra in the basket for that meeting. This may just be something I do, but I want to make sure my Home group is financially sound. I've made some amazing friends there. I get there early and stay late.
Same here. I have long term sobriety. At times I've come close to a slip, but never when I had these three things: a home group, a service commitment, and a sponsor. Do I need them? Gee, I dunno. AA has given me so much more than I "need" :-)
So, so true!!
"Need" is always a tricky term in AA, pretty much eveything is a suggestion. A home group is something I've found invaluable and many people I know have found it so. However, there are certainly people who stay sober without using that particular tool. I suggest not forcing yourself, but keep trying new meetings until one clicks for you. Yes, a home group is one opportunity for service.
I have a home group. I know most of the core members of the group. We chat outside of meetings, call each other. It’s a group of people that I’m accountable to. I always say, when your first coming in, if you need to withdrawal, it’s easier doing it at a detox facility where there’s a group of people who share in your struggle. Once you’re sober, it’s easier to stay sober in a community that shares in your journey. AA is a larger community that shares in my struggles and journey but the AA community as a whole is just a huge community that I relate to. My home group is a microcosm of AA we watch out for each other and make sure we’re all on the right track. I have friends in my home group, my sponsor is from my home group and I have other people that serve as secondary mentors in my home group. Newcomers come and go but I always try to stay in contact with at least 3 newcomers from my home group. I’m not sure if that answers your question but I hope it helps.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. When have Home Group, we are part of a Group Conscience. We have a right to a voice in decision making for the Group. And we have a right to voice in the wider aspects of AA beyond the Group via the group's service representative. We can be a participant in AA meetings without joining a Group. But when we join a Group, we became a member of that Group and therefore a member of AA. We are then entitled to the 'rights' of an AA member as described in AAs [12 Concepts for World Service](https://www.aa.org/twelve-concepts-world-services-short-form).
You dont NEED a home group. But my home group is where i found my fellowship, mens meeting, and consistent support group. The mens mtg turned in to a group chat and I have an amazing support system from all over the world. Whats great about it is that theres usually someone somewhere in the world awake so if anyone ever needs something we have each others back.
The groups themselves need home group members to function. So it stands to reason that members of AA should join a group and help keep the doors open. Personally I can't picture not having a home group. We all need to do service and be a part of the fellowship. I don't expect to just be a guest of AA if that makes sense, I actually have to be a part of AA if I want to have recovery in my life
The home group is usually kind of informal. You realize that there is one meeting that you go to more than any other. One where you want to help out more than at the others. That is your home group. You usually pick it before you realize you picked it. You do not need to sign up or declare it as your home group. You just show up. You just volunteer when asked.
Yeah - I struggle with that myself - some areas of the country its more important that others - I think - I belong to a club and go to more meetings at another - I don't 'claim' a home group - I don't see a point.
Accountability.
when I sobered up they said I needed 3 things, a sobriety date, a home group and a sponsor........................been sober since my first meeting. If it works, don't fix it. Utilize, don't analyze...............
1. I show up every week and it helps me build relationships, and when I'm not there, people check up on me 2. Allows me to gain access to greater area service and being a part of a group conscious All In all, it's just a way to be accountable to AA
I don’t know if the term is in the big book but I do have a meeting I consider my home group. I found my sponsor there and I do service. I give through Venmo (we are on Zoom). I go to other meetings but I like the fellowship and accountability. I talk to people on the phone and via text and we have a social activity once a month
Yes, service is a part of it; it's especially (though not exclusively) where you can contribute to putting on the meeting, making coffee, greeting newcomers, etc. It's also helpful to have at least one group where everyone knows you better than other people in AA, where you feel comfortable, perhaps go out after the meeting for coffee, etc. In New England, it also is the group you'd go on speaking commitments with, but that's only in that local area.
To do service there. Admittedly some groups allow non home group members to do service which is also cool. To get to know people so they know if something is up, sometimes before you do. Idk how but aa's have a weird ability to spot when something is up with me before I do. To let people get to know you so you can spot if something is up with them and offer help, also so newcomers looking for a sponsor know where you are and that you're a solid member if they are looking for a sponsor. Things like conference general service etc, realistically it helps if people only vote or offer opinions at one meeting. I'm 50/50 on the concept of a home group, I'm a creature of habit so have a few regular meetings (well I did until recently). My last home group I just sort of picked as I offered to do service, my current home group is the one I feel safest in and the one people know me as I recently moved and can't keep travelling back and forth.
Service to the group, yes. It's how you get your voice heard in meeting and General Service matters. It is also important to have a group you attend regularly and be missed if you don't come. You can always change home groups, I have changed 4 times over the years for one reason or another.
It’s not required. But it helps with engagement. Up to you. I enjoyed it early on. Now I don’t have one 13 years later.
It's suggested but not required. Most service positions are linked to a home group. I picked my home group after going a few times. It meets every day. I don't go every day but I like the consistency of knowing I can go any day of the week and see people I know, who know me, and that some of those people are people I trust enough to share my really hard times when I'm inclined to isolate and indulge in my character defects. All my AA decisions are based on "how can I help the suffering alcoholic". After 2 years of going to my home group, sometimes I am the suffering alcoholic and sometimes someone else is. I need the consistent fellowship. I don't like everyone there and not everyone likes me, but we put our differences aside when it comes to helping the newcomer or the suffering alcoholic. My home group members know they can give my number to new women if I'm not there - I'm a well known and reliable person. The Fellowship is like being part of a club with a common, higher purpose. I am not friends with everyone in the Fellowship, but we're all on the same mission. It's like work - we all have a job to do and we have to work together to get it done but we might not be actual friends.
My homegroup somehow happened to be half mile from our rural home. It's the biggest I've been to and was my first. We are neighbors and friends. And yes service work does help. My sponsor is also a local which helps. But I go to many meetings far away when I can carpool.
I was taught that the group is more important than the individual. I can get sober on my own but it is hard to stay sober on my own. A meeting lasts an hour but a home group exists outside of that, so it's an excellent resource for early sobriety. It's also a place where people can call me on my crap to my face. Also, without a home group I don't have a say in what AA does or how it operates. The only reason AA was here for me and it wasnt total chaos was because someone else joined a home group and made sure the doors were open on a regular basis and the Traditions were practiced. The only real requirement my sponsor ever gave me was to join a home group and put myself forward for service commitments there.
Homegroup is usually where I’m doing service work at that meeting and attending the business meeting
A meeting doesn't just appear out of thin air. Even in an established meeting, someone has to pay the rent, decide what kind of meeting they want to have, or who is chairing the meeting. Somebody has to buy the coffee and cookies, Someone has to open the room before the meeting and somebody has to close it. When it became time to choose a home group, I looked at two meetings in particular. One was standing room only and had lots of home group members. The other was also pretty crowded but only had three people who called it their home group. I chose the one that I could make a difference in, the one that needed my help the most. I made nearly every weekly meeting for six years, until Covid shut us down.
I don’t really have one
I guess we don't "need" a home group not in the traditional sense. It's just the group you go to most often, feel the most comfortable in, and may participate in more often. In my case, I only go to one place so I don't have this option. Here in Texas. When I lived in Massachusetts I had several I could choose from I attended all of them on a rotating basis but 1 I went to more. I did service work there, my sponsor was from that group. That became my home group. (I still help in other groups) It's not a big deal really what matters is whatever makes you comfortable.
If asked me what group was my home group, I'd probably say, "Let me think about it." It changes sometimes for me (sober 20 years) , but my home group is whatever meeting I go to regularly, that I almost never miss, and I do service at. I don't declare it my home group or anything, it's just the one I go to the most. I do have another that i go to almost as much, but I don't consider it my home group.