Oct 21, 2011 | By Tim Stoddart

How Important is a Home Group? Do it.

12 Step Recovery

How bad do you want it? How bad do you want to stay sober? Are you really doing everything you can for your recovery? You can say what you want, but the proof is in the pudding. To measure your willingness, take a look at your actions!

One of the suggestions you’ll hear in any 12 step program is to find a home group, but what is the significance of having one? Until I actually got a home group, I didn’t understand how important it was. I went from meeting to meeting like a ghost making an acquaintance here and there. As Ben Stiller says…..

I still felt empty. I felt like an outsider, like I was intruding on other peoples turf. I was told that the most important thing for me to do was find a sponsor. After that I was told that finding a home group was next on the list. Finding a home group has been crucial to my sobriety. I had no idea how to feel at home in A.A. and truth is that I needed to suck it up and find a place that fit.

I looked for a place with people I could relate to, a place where I heard what I was needing to hear at that time. And when I finally found that place, I stayed for the business meeting and kept my mouth shut and listened to what the people with some time under their belt had to say.

I raised my hand to greet when they asked for greeters. Even sitting there with my hand up, I remember feeling like everyone was looking at me.  I knew that I wanted to jump into some service work, but it was uncomfortable to put myself out there in that way. Even at the time, I didn’t really understand what being a greeter would do for me. I mean, how important is greeting people at the door? It seemed medial. In fact a lot seemed medial to me in early sobriety. I just did what I was told, and eventually it started to make sense. It’s simple, find a home group and do service work. You will understand why in time.

After a while of greeting I got to meet new people coming to the meeting and established many friendships. I continued to be a staple at the door and go to business meetings, I continued to meet new people. As time went on I found myself to be someone that new comers to the meeting would approach. I was asked to speak and I was named intergroup rep. I feel at home there, I feel like I’m helping. I almost never miss my home group now and have a say in business meetings. Home groups are great for many reasons, whether it be to get involved and help the struggling new comer or finding a place in A.A. It’s not suggested for no reason. It helps.

At the end of the day, this has just been my experience. What is important, is that you make your own experiences. You need to find out for yourself, exactly where you belong. You can only find out by taking action. So do it!