In this podcast... we confront and smash the following myth:
Myth: AA meetings are secret.
- Some AA meetings are known as "closed" meetings which are private (not secret) affairs open to those who would prefer to keep their membership private.
- The second type of AA meeting is called an "open" meeting which is open to the public. This is where an AA member, and often an Al-Anon member, shares their stories as a way of educating the public on how they have recovered. Al-Anon was founded 70 years ago for the families and friends of alcoholics to give them the means to recover themselves.
- In fact, very little is not disclosed in the fellowship of AA. It is a 501C3 not-for-profit organisation that has its books open to the public for inspection and is obliged to file tax returns and provide a full accounting on an annual basis.
- The idea of secrecy stems from the days when there was a stigma associated with membership in AA, and there still is to an extent. We feel that every AA member has the right to privacy, and even though I can disclose my membership, I have no right to disclose yours.
Although the idea of AA being a "secret society" is a myth that still lingers, our responsibility as AA members to share the truth endures as well.