Why Do Into Action Members Attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)?

CAN I WORK THE STEPS FROM ANY 12 STEP PROGRAM OF MY CHOOSING?
You may, but only as long as you're also working the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Our house members have a minimum number of AA meetings they must attend per week. As long as they hit that quota, they may go above and beyond and hit as many other 12 Step group meetings that they wish. That same quota of meetings can also be partially met by attending religious services (like church), counseling, IOP and other court ordered meetings.
BUT WHY AA MEETINGS SPECIFICALLY?  (Skip this page if this isn't an issue for you.)
  • Our homes are in Oklahoma City and Edmond. And in our opinion, (and we mean no disrespect to any other 12 step group,), we simply feel that in OKC and Edmond that AA is a much stronger program, with more meetings, and more/longer/healthier sobriety. In many parts of rural Oklahoma, NA is not only often a stronger program, but is sometimes the only program available. But our homes are not in rural Oklahoma.
  • If all the different members attended different 12 step groups, then we would not have the strength of cohesion that allows us to foster stronger sobriety within our house.
I'M NOT AN ALCOHOLIC, I'M ADDICTED TO DRUGS, SO I CANT ATTEND AA CAN I?
First, we recommend that you first visit this page if you feel alcohol is not inlcluded in your 'drug' problem.

​Next, we do not see primarily identifying as an addict as any real hinderance towards attending AA for several reasons:

1. Perhaps the idea can be summed up with the fact that while some may argue that when the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states that, "we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, and powerful." that is stating that AA "only" deals with alcohol and more specifically, absolutely does not deal with drugs. But it cannot mean this narrow interpretation because quite simply, the Big Book deals with many topics, symptoms, and character defects ranging from drugs to sex to selfishness in it's primary text (meaning, "without even counting the stories in the back").  So rather, we feel that the book is instead saying, "It may be cunning, baffling, and powerful, but we know how to put it in it's place!"

2. Further, the Big Book clearly states that the use of alcohol is "but a symptom" of the disease, just as drug use is a symptom of the disease or the "ism". 

2. Alcohol is a drug according to the definition in Merriam Webster dictionary:  
Drug: something and often (but not always) an illegal substance that causes addiction, habituation, or a marked change in consciousness

3. Both founders of AA mention their drug use in their Big Book stories (which we also see as a good reference point of how much one should discuss "drug" use. (but notice they do not focus on drugs, which is a good example of about how to keep focused on a single 'ism' so that AA may remain strong.

4. And to those who say "drugs" can't be discussed in AA meetings, then why does the founder of AA talk about drugs in his own story in the Big Book of Alcholics Anonymous?

5. "Open" AA meetings are not limited to strictly "alcoholics" and there are plenty of those if you really have an issue calling yourself an alcholic.

6. Tradition 3: The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. Not "swear you are truly an "alcoholic" and that "drugs" may never enter the conversation.

7. And finally.... If AA theoretically dealt solely with alcohol, then AA members who refrain from drink can clearly shoot heroin, smoke weed, pop pills and still be considered sober, correct? Of course they would not consider you sober. Why? Because it's all the same thing... A symptom which leads to death, jail, or abject misery, destroying your life and others in the process of which only a spiritual solution may be of help in overcoming.