AA Chips

[Anonymous]

AA definitely helps people and I also don't understand why people bad mouth it. Millions of people have been helped. Might not be everyone's cup of tea but having a support network of sober people is definitely better for getting sober than going at it alone.

As for the OPs question - sure, they would. All he would have to do is raise his hand when they ask if anyone has been sober for 24hrs or has the desire to become sober. He could have relapsed recently or he could have felt weird grabbing a month chip at his first meeting where he probably didn't know anyone. Either way, they give those chips out at the end of meetings so he likely sat through a meeting...which is good.

[Anonymous]

Please don’t take the AA haters on here to heart. AA works for some people, not for others. Take what you want and leave the rest. There is a lot of value when you open your mind, even when it’s “not for you”. It’s also not a monolith - there are groups that fit pretty much anyone, if you’re willing to go look for them.

To answer your question:

Anyone can pick up a white chip (24 hour) at any time. It’s for the desire to stop drinking, and partly represents “one day at a time”, which is 24 hours. I’ve seen old timers who are having difficulty take it, or people who are recommitting. Usually, it’s for the person wanting to stay sober, or having their first 24 hours.

AA is self reporting, so someone with 70 days could take their 30 day and 60 day chip if they wanted them now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please don’t take the AA haters on here to heart. AA works for some people, not for others. Take what you want and leave the rest. There is a lot of value when you open your mind, even when it’s “not for you”. It’s also not a monolith - there are groups that fit pretty much anyone, if you’re willing to go look for them.

To answer your question:

Anyone can pick up a white chip (24 hour) at any time. It’s for the desire to stop drinking, and partly represents “one day at a time”, which is 24 hours. I’ve seen old timers who are having difficulty take it, or people who are recommitting. Usually, it’s for the person wanting to stay sober, or having their first 24 hours.

AA is self reporting, so someone with 70 days could take their 30 day and 60 day chip if they wanted them now.

Also wanted to add… *some* groups don’t readily give out the 30/60/90 days chips to newcomers unless they are the home group. That’s not every group, but I have seen it where some old timer groups hold on to chips.

Also if your husband is new to AA, he may not know he doesn’t have to just take the newcomer chip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A 24 hour chip is given to anyone who commits to be sober. They don’t have to be sober, but they have to commit to becoming sober.

That said, AA has MANY problematic aspects and has a higher failure rate than individuals quitting cold turkey. There are alternatives, such as the SMART program. A lot of addiction/alcoholism is also self-medicating for untreated PTSD, depression, ADHD etc as well. Just to note all of that for you.

That’s total bullsh*T. There is no way that AA’s successes or failures could ever me measured since it’s 100% anonymous and answered to no one.

Carl Sagan said AA is the greatest achievement of the 20th century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would AA give a 24 hour chip to someone at their first meeting who reports having been sober for a couple of months? Is the 24 hour chip a first meeting thing?

I know better than to trust anything DH says with regard to alcohol or recovery so am looking for some other source for this information.

This isn’t determined by a committee or something. They say “if you have one day of sobriety, or the desire to be sober today, come up and get a 24 hour chip.”

You have problems here that are not about the chip.

Op here and I agree that there are problems, including total lack of trust. We are working on it.

What I’m wondering is, if he went to an AA meeting and said “I’ve been sober for 70 days” it seems odd for them to say “welcome! Here’s your 24 hour sobriety chip!” Or coin or whatever it is.

But I think I hear what you’re saying that it’s a lot less formal than that. Thanks.

If he went to a meeting and identified himself as having 70 days he would be invited to take a 60 day chip in the meetings I have been in. He would not be handed/offered a 24 hr chip. On the other hand, if he said that was what he wanted, it would be given.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would AA give a 24 hour chip to someone at their first meeting who reports having been sober for a couple of months? Is the 24 hour chip a first meeting thing?

I know better than to trust anything DH says with regard to alcohol or recovery so am looking for some other source for this information.

This isn’t determined by a committee or something. They say “if you have one day of sobriety, or the desire to be sober today, come up and get a 24 hour chip.”

You have problems here that are not about the chip.

Op here and I agree that there are problems, including total lack of trust. We are working on it.

What I’m wondering is, if he went to an AA meeting and said “I’ve been sober for 70 days” it seems odd for them to say “welcome! Here’s your 24 hour sobriety chip!” Or coin or whatever it is.

But I think I hear what you’re saying that it’s a lot less formal than that. Thanks.

If he went to a meeting and identified himself as having 70 days he would be invited to take a 60 day chip in the meetings I have been in. He would not be handed/offered a 24 hr chip. On the other hand, if he said that was what he wanted, it would be given.

All that to say: if you’re wondering whether he relapsed, the answer is probably yes. If he told the truth about it in a meeting that’s at least a basis for hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AA definitely helps people and I also don't understand why people bad mouth it. Millions of people have been helped. Might not be everyone's cup of tea but having a support network of sober people is definitely better for getting sober than going at it alone.

As for the OPs question - sure, they would. All he would have to do is raise his hand when they ask if anyone has been sober for 24hrs or has the desire to become sober. He could have relapsed recently or he could have felt weird grabbing a month chip at his first meeting where he probably didn't know anyone. Either way, they give those chips out at the end of meetings so he likely sat through a meeting...which is good.

There are a couple posters here who are extremely offended any religion or services associated with religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would AA give a 24 hour chip to someone at their first meeting who reports having been sober for a couple of months? Is the 24 hour chip a first meeting thing?

I know better than to trust anything DH says with regard to alcohol or recovery so am looking for some other source for this information.

Have you tried Al-Anon for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AA definitely helps people and I also don't understand why people bad mouth it. Millions of people have been helped. Might not be everyone's cup of tea but having a support network of sober people is definitely better for getting sober than going at it alone.

As for the OPs question - sure, they would. All he would have to do is raise his hand when they ask if anyone has been sober for 24hrs or has the desire to become sober. He could have relapsed recently or he could have felt weird grabbing a month chip at his first meeting where he probably didn't know anyone. Either way, they give those chips out at the end of meetings so he likely sat through a meeting...which is good.

There are a couple posters here who are extremely offended any religion or services associated with religion.

Which is not a reason to hate AA, as there are secular, aetheist, and humanist groups that don’t bring any religion into it.

[Anonymous]

I'm in AA, sober for over 30 years. I've never taken part in an official survey, so my success couldn't possibly be counted in any official tally of AA success.

It's free. Can't hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 24 hour chip is given to anyone who commits to be sober. They don’t have to be sober, but they have to commit to becoming sober.

That said, AA has MANY problematic aspects and has a higher failure rate than individuals quitting cold turkey. There are alternatives, such as the SMART program. A lot of addiction/alcoholism is also self-medicating for untreated PTSD, depression, ADHD etc as well. Just to note all of that for you.

But AA indisputably works for a huge number of people. THEY certainly aren’t being hampered by any “problematic aspects.” Why do you feel compelled to deride it based on your own selected statistics that other statistics disagree with? Are you in recovery? If not (indeed, even if you are) where do you get off trying to take life saving options off the table for other people.

And as for “[a] lot of addiction/alcoholism is also self-medicating for untreated PTSD, depression, ADHD etc.,” none of that is going to improve while the person is still drinking.

DP and my possible recovery status is none of your concern or business. Perhaps the poster "feels compelled" to speak out about other alternatives to AA which yes, is very problematic. People are allowed to have different opinions about precious AA.