Cliques: Good and Bad.

When I first came to aa, I have to admit for the first few days I was on the outside but then again, I was a bumbling mess that could not put 2 sentences together. I don't blame anyone for not approaching me.

As time went on, I became a part of and started to get to know people along with gaining some social exposure. I have to admit it was nice and I really needed it. I had been alone so long that I did not even feel lonely anymore, it really was just me and drinking at the end.

Now onto cliques. There are lots of cliques in aa, most of them are at the homegroup level and pretty much run like the cliques in highschool. You will find cliques in old timer meetings, in young people meetings, in morning meetings, in night meetings, in old meetings and in new meetings.

Cliques when they serve the function of aa's primary purpose and message are a very good thing, basically when someone shows up that needs help the clique starts up and runs like an engine to help the new or old person when they need help. These types of cliques are harder and harder to come by in aa has been my experience in the last couple of years.

Most cliques I saw were more about socializing and in some cases 'hooking up'. When a clique does not serve the primary purpose and message, the home group usually becomes less than tolerable and then shortly thereafter by a long period of barely functioning with low attendance. Most cliques of this type I've seen were driven by addict ego, someone barely grasping service, unity and recovery but with enough drive to see a way to gain prominence and influence in the small ponds of aa. I would like to say that this change comes and goes but from what I saw the last couple of years, most were staying where in years past I would see a group of old timers get together and 'aright the course' to save their  home group. Sadly I attended too many meetings where I left when it became obvious that the meeting had little to do with recovery fellowship.

I hope I am wrong and this changes, even just a little. In my opinion, aa ought to consider less meetings and see about preserving the meetings they have that support and carry the message of hope and recovery.

Cliques when bad are truly bad on the other hand but will save that post for another time.