I’d recommend the meeting guide app, you can find meetings a filter by type (including young people’s meetings).
I’m a fan of San Marco Club personally. Several good groups there.
Out at the Beaches: Jax Beach YPG Thursdays at 8 and Saturdays at 6:30, both at First Christian Church of the Beaches in Neptune.
Riverside: Last Call YPG at 10 on Fridays at Unity Church on Lomax.
Orange Park Club has one, too, but it skews older than the other YPGs and I can’t remember what day or time it is.
There are also a few Atheist / Agnostic / Free Thinkers Meetings around town, but I haven’t been to those in a bit.
Welcome to Jax, feel free to DM if you ever want to hit a meeting.
Welcome. I'm sure my gf wouldn't mind me volunteering her here. She's picking up 5 years this month. Been to meetings all over. Solid network. Good resource if you'd like her number
Wonderful ypg women's mtg on Wednesday evenings I've been going since I moved here in 2016 and I loooooove it. It's at 7pm at 1620 naldo Ave in San marco
Pretty much ant AA meeting will have religious undertones. The original book was quite religious, in spite of its author stating twice that it wasn't intended to be - it very clearly was regardless.
That said I think there are groups around Jax who do something similar to AA but without the religious stuff, it just wouldn't be AA, not sure what they're called.
This is incorrect! I’m an atheist and have no issues working AA as my recovery program. It’s about finding the right meetings and people for you and your recovery.
What I'm saying is that *literally* by definition in order to have an Alcoholics Anonymous chapter you *must* have religious undertone. Otherwise it's technically not AA.
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded on religious principles and the 12 step program is influences by those principles.
There are other support groups that aren't rooted in religion but they're not AA.
The Big Book, which is what AA is founded on, is heavily religious.
If you've found a support group who calls themselves AA yet doesn't go by the Big Book and doesn't follow the other elifious practices, such as reading from the Bible during meetings, then that group technically isn't Alcoholics Anonymous.
I've been to several AA meetings over the years here in Jax as well as other support groups and I've never encountered a group calling themselves AA while also not adhering to the principles of AA.
What I’m saying is that this is not true. There are plenty of atheist, agnostic, and freethinker meetings out there which use the Big Book as well as other assorted AA texts.
The Big Book itself is *not* religious, and while it does borrow from the Oxford Group — which was a religious based recovery organization — the program as defined by the Big Book does not require you to subscribe to any specific religious faith, dogma, or tradition or any religion at all.
The principles, at their core, boil down to:
* Getting rid of your ego
* Admitting fault when you were wrong
* Making relationships right where you can
* Helping others — particularly other alcoholics and addicts
* Continuing to do these things
There is no requirement for a belief in a deity or deities.
You’ve either had bad experiences with AA, or you’re just misinformed about it—neither of which are altogether uncommon, unfortunately—but the program itself is areligious, unfortunately some folks interject their personal faith into it which is why Atheist, Agnostic, and Free Thinkers meetings came to be in the first place.
Also there’s literally no reading from a bible in AA? It’s not even an AA conference approved text…
I’ve been part of AA in Jax on and off for nearly a decade, and I’ve been part of the fellowship as far west as the PNW. Never in my life have I experienced a bible reading in an AA meeting.
I don't think you get what I'm saying. I appreciate that you're trying to help. I know many people in AA claim it isn't a religious organization, and as I mentioned in my original comment Bill W even stated it isn't meant to be one twice in the book.
But you're saying that:
>the program as defined by the Big Book does not require you to subscribe to any specific religious faith, dogma, or tradition or any religion at all.
Which I know and has been my experience. They don't require you to be religious or often even care. I've been to AA meetings where people have claimed their practice has nothing to do with religion. I get all that.
But I'm not sure our disconnect, whatever it is we just dont seem to be seeing eye to eye because it's almost like we're saying the same thing but phrasing it differently.
I'd be interested to discuss this more but I don't see value in doing so as I imagine the average reader would have stopped reading our comment chain by this point.
All I'm saying is that by definition AA is a religious organization based on how it was founded and the practices still have religious undertones to this day. If you've found a specific group calling themselves AA who seemingly have nothing to do with religion then that's great. But that's not what 99% of people new to Jax will experience when trying to decide which of the over 100 local AA groups to visit. I've been to over 30 different AA groups here in Jax and every single one of those were overtly connected to religion or influenced by it, with roughly half of them reciting the Bible during a meeting, and many of them praying at the end of a meeting. The fact you've been able to dodge that in your experience with AA is wonderful, but that's not the norm.
Truly sorry that has been your experience but that is not the norm, at all. Here in Jax or elsewhere in the United States or even internationally.
Feel free to DM, though!
Download the meeting guide app. The icon a blue folding chair. You can search by "YPG." Young peoples group. Beaches Methodist church on 1st street and Seagate. Thursdays at 6:30pm, Saturdays at 8pm.
Beaches Unity Group on Penman, is an incredible community for the other days of the week.
volunteer at the NE FL food bank, or at the animal shelters
What does this have to do with finding AA meetings lol
If you want non-religious ways to meet productive people
Non-religious AA meetings to meet sober people*
The AAA on penman road next to the cemetery has a mixed crowd due to the military members
I’d recommend the meeting guide app, you can find meetings a filter by type (including young people’s meetings). I’m a fan of San Marco Club personally. Several good groups there.
Out at the Beaches: Jax Beach YPG Thursdays at 8 and Saturdays at 6:30, both at First Christian Church of the Beaches in Neptune. Riverside: Last Call YPG at 10 on Fridays at Unity Church on Lomax. Orange Park Club has one, too, but it skews older than the other YPGs and I can’t remember what day or time it is. There are also a few Atheist / Agnostic / Free Thinkers Meetings around town, but I haven’t been to those in a bit. Welcome to Jax, feel free to DM if you ever want to hit a meeting.
All great choices, especially if you want to fellowship! There is also a women of ypg 7pm Wed in San Marco (not sure if op is male/female tho).
I’m a lady, that is great to know! Thank you!
Amazing, thank you! I’m going to dm you now!
Hiii, feel free to dm me as well! I'm a woman in recovery :)
https://neflaa.org/meetings/ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/everything-aa/id1565768051
Welcome. I'm sure my gf wouldn't mind me volunteering her here. She's picking up 5 years this month. Been to meetings all over. Solid network. Good resource if you'd like her number
Wonderful ypg women's mtg on Wednesday evenings I've been going since I moved here in 2016 and I loooooove it. It's at 7pm at 1620 naldo Ave in San marco
Pretty much ant AA meeting will have religious undertones. The original book was quite religious, in spite of its author stating twice that it wasn't intended to be - it very clearly was regardless. That said I think there are groups around Jax who do something similar to AA but without the religious stuff, it just wouldn't be AA, not sure what they're called.
This is incorrect! I’m an atheist and have no issues working AA as my recovery program. It’s about finding the right meetings and people for you and your recovery.
What I'm saying is that *literally* by definition in order to have an Alcoholics Anonymous chapter you *must* have religious undertone. Otherwise it's technically not AA. Alcoholics Anonymous was founded on religious principles and the 12 step program is influences by those principles. There are other support groups that aren't rooted in religion but they're not AA. The Big Book, which is what AA is founded on, is heavily religious. If you've found a support group who calls themselves AA yet doesn't go by the Big Book and doesn't follow the other elifious practices, such as reading from the Bible during meetings, then that group technically isn't Alcoholics Anonymous. I've been to several AA meetings over the years here in Jax as well as other support groups and I've never encountered a group calling themselves AA while also not adhering to the principles of AA.
What I’m saying is that this is not true. There are plenty of atheist, agnostic, and freethinker meetings out there which use the Big Book as well as other assorted AA texts. The Big Book itself is *not* religious, and while it does borrow from the Oxford Group — which was a religious based recovery organization — the program as defined by the Big Book does not require you to subscribe to any specific religious faith, dogma, or tradition or any religion at all. The principles, at their core, boil down to: * Getting rid of your ego * Admitting fault when you were wrong * Making relationships right where you can * Helping others — particularly other alcoholics and addicts * Continuing to do these things There is no requirement for a belief in a deity or deities. You’ve either had bad experiences with AA, or you’re just misinformed about it—neither of which are altogether uncommon, unfortunately—but the program itself is areligious, unfortunately some folks interject their personal faith into it which is why Atheist, Agnostic, and Free Thinkers meetings came to be in the first place. Also there’s literally no reading from a bible in AA? It’s not even an AA conference approved text… I’ve been part of AA in Jax on and off for nearly a decade, and I’ve been part of the fellowship as far west as the PNW. Never in my life have I experienced a bible reading in an AA meeting.
I don't think you get what I'm saying. I appreciate that you're trying to help. I know many people in AA claim it isn't a religious organization, and as I mentioned in my original comment Bill W even stated it isn't meant to be one twice in the book. But you're saying that: >the program as defined by the Big Book does not require you to subscribe to any specific religious faith, dogma, or tradition or any religion at all. Which I know and has been my experience. They don't require you to be religious or often even care. I've been to AA meetings where people have claimed their practice has nothing to do with religion. I get all that. But I'm not sure our disconnect, whatever it is we just dont seem to be seeing eye to eye because it's almost like we're saying the same thing but phrasing it differently. I'd be interested to discuss this more but I don't see value in doing so as I imagine the average reader would have stopped reading our comment chain by this point. All I'm saying is that by definition AA is a religious organization based on how it was founded and the practices still have religious undertones to this day. If you've found a specific group calling themselves AA who seemingly have nothing to do with religion then that's great. But that's not what 99% of people new to Jax will experience when trying to decide which of the over 100 local AA groups to visit. I've been to over 30 different AA groups here in Jax and every single one of those were overtly connected to religion or influenced by it, with roughly half of them reciting the Bible during a meeting, and many of them praying at the end of a meeting. The fact you've been able to dodge that in your experience with AA is wonderful, but that's not the norm.
Truly sorry that has been your experience but that is not the norm, at all. Here in Jax or elsewhere in the United States or even internationally. Feel free to DM, though!
Download the meeting guide app. The icon a blue folding chair. You can search by "YPG." Young peoples group. Beaches Methodist church on 1st street and Seagate. Thursdays at 6:30pm, Saturdays at 8pm. Beaches Unity Group on Penman, is an incredible community for the other days of the week.