How Court-Ordered Alcoholics Anonymous Works

How Court-Ordered Alcoholics Anonymous Works Addiction Alcohol Use Drunk Driving Print How Court-Ordered Alcoholics Anonymous Works Steps to Help You Through This Process By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Updated on September 19, 2019 Alina555 / Getty Images More in Addiction Alcohol Use Drunk Driving Binge Drinking Withdrawal and Relapse Children of Alcoholics Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery If you find yourself facing court-mandated attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) meetings, you probably have questions about what is going to happen next, especially if you have never been to A.A. before.?? You may be wondering what exactly takes place at an A.A. meeting, how the meetings work, and how you are going to prove that you attended one since its an anonymous program.?? Court-Ordered Into Alcoholics Anonymous Most people find themselves court-mandated to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as a result of a  drunk-driving conviction.?? In addition, A.A. may be  ordered for other alcohol-related convictions, as well as certain domestic violence situations. Due to prison overcrowding and the high cost of incarceration, alternative or diversion programs such as A.A. will sometimes be offered instead of jail time. Besides A.A., other program options a person may receive include: Entering a professional drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilityUndergoing professional counseling or therapyAttending an  alternative support group program that is similar to A.A. That said, many offenders end up in Alcoholics Anonymous simply because its the only treatment option?? that is free and its usually the most available of the options, with meetings in virtually every city and town. Steps to Attending Court-Mandated A.A. Meetings   In most states, the court itself does not send people directly to Alcoholics Anonymous. Typically, you are first sent to a probation officer, counselor, or a caseworker who will oversee your participation in the alternative sentencing program. The program consists of five steps:?? Step One: Take An Alcohol Screening Test One of the first things the caseworker will do is give you an alcohol screening test to evaluate your drinking patterns. Its worthy to note that these screening  tests usually dont ask directly how much you drink (likely because its common for people to downplay their alcohol consumption). Rather, these tests ask about the consequences of your drinking, like whether you have ever missed work because of alcohol use. Understanding Alcoholism Step Two: Determine the Number of A.A. Meetings The officer of the court will look at the results of your screening tests and try to determine the level of your drinking. He may decide that you dont have a drinking problem at all and that you just made a mistake. Alternatively, he could suspect that you have an alcohol use disorder.?? The number of meetings you will be ordered to attend will be based on the officers  evaluation. With that, you may be ordered to attend anywhere from one meeting up to 90 meetings in 90 days.?? In cases of repeat offenses, you could be ordered to attend even more meetings. Step Three: Getting Your Card Signed After telling you how many meetings you will need to attend to meet your court obligation, your caseworker will provide you with a piece of paper on which you will list the days of the meetings you attended, as well as the times and places. You will carry that piece of paper, sometimes referred to as a card or slip, to each and every meeting. There will also be a space for a signature from someone at the meeting (generally the person in charge, called the chairperson, or the groups secretary)  to confirm that you actually attended. Occasionally, you will find a meeting that does not sign slips. The practice of signing slips is a bit controversial inside A.A. groups. Some members feel it violates the groups traditions against promoting itself with outside entities. But the main reason many groups vote not to sign slips is because they simply do not want people in their meetings who were forced to be there. Rather, they want people who have a desire to be there. It might be helpful, therefore, to ask someone before the meeting if their group signs slips. Most meetings marked on the local where-and-when schedule as open meetings will sign slips. Step Four: Attending Your First Meeting Its important to keep in mind that A.A. is anonymous. You will not have to give your full name to anyone, and you will not be required to say anything at the meeting at all  if you choose not to do so. A.A. is a mutual support group, so there are no counselors or therapists there to question or interview you.?? Going to Your First 12-Step Meeting In addition, if you have disabilities, transportation restrictions, or other reasons that may keep you from getting to a meeting, some jurisdictions will allow you to participate in online A.A. meetings to meet at least some of your court-ordered obligation. Not all jurisdiction do this, though, so make sure you check first before attending an online meeting. Moreover, in terms of getting your slip signed, there are some online meetings sites that will email you a confirmation of attendance after you attend the meeting. Step Five: Turning in Your Signed Cards Once you have attended the number of A.A. meetings that you were ordered to attend, and you have your signed slip to prove your attendance, you will turn the slip into your probation officer or caseworker for validation. Typically, there will be other requirements you will need to meet before completing your court obligation, but you will have finished the rehab component of the sentence. A Word From Verywell Some offenders look upon court-ordered A.A. attendance as just another chore they must complete, and they simply go through the motions. But many others have found that the experience changed their lives, even if they were resistant initially.?? In fact, many have found long-term sobriety and a completely different lifestyle because they were once court-ordered to go to A.A. Hopefully, you can find this silver lining, too. How Alcoholics Anonymous Works