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Welcome, Young People
ICYPAA, the International Conference of Young People in AA celebrated its 50th Anniversary in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma over the 4th of July.
Listen to audio coverage of the event!
For more information on ICYPAA, International Conference of Young People in AA
Getting sober and staying sober isn't easy at any age. Most of us alcoholics are convinced that we are different, that we are too young or too old, too smart or too savvy to have a
problem with drinking; we couldn't possibly be drunks.
But, after hearing other people's stories, we discover that no one is immune to suffering. Other people your age have felt the same soul-searing pain and the desperation.
Here are a few stories that might help you decide.
In the Middle of a Miracle
"For some reason, I just started thinking about my first year of
sobriety and remembering details. I am coming up on my twenty-first biological
birthday and my sixth AA birthday.
"Yes, I sobered up at age fifteen, and if you're wondering when I started
drinking, it was when I was eleven." Read more >
Here are more stories that might help you decide.
A surfer cuts through an undertow of anger.
Earth to Stand On
"I am seventeen years old, and I recently graduated from a public high school, although I've also been to a military school, continuation schools, and group homes. I have two years of
sobriety and I was able to stay sober in most of these places." Download PDF
What it was like, what happened, and what it's like now.
Happy Birthday -- You're an Alcoholic
"I had my first drink at age eleven, but even before then I can remember feeling that I just didn't fit in. Read more >
Don't Call Me Young
"The last thing I wanted was to be seen as a 'young person' in
AA when I came in at twenty-seven. I was one of those who wanted to be forty years old with ten years of
sobriety in the first week."Read more >
Progress Not Perfection
"I started drinking at the age of twelve. My weekends were filled with parties and
driving around with friends getting drunk . . . . Today I try to live the AA program, one
based on action and honesty."Read more >
Where to go from here?
Learn more about alcoholism and young people in the "Youth Enjoying Sobriety" section of the AA Grapevine’s Digital Archive. Also browse
all of our other departments and topics that are pertinent to anyone getting and staying sober.
The Grapevine ran special sections on Young People in Sobriety in our September 2005 and 2007 issues, as well as March 1998 and 1992.
Also find out more about ICYPAA, International Conference of Young People in AA. ICYPAA has groups throughout the country and world. On a local
level you can search for ICYPAA and your state or city.
For example: New York, NY NYCYPAA
or Southeastern Conference of Young People
Read a sample from Grapevine's recently published book.
In Our Own Words: Stories of Young AAs In Recovery
You might also want to check out AA's pamphlets:
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Caps in the Air
"When I got sober, I was a junior in high school. I didn't know how to stay sober
among my old partying friends. I went to meetings and heard people say,
'Get rid of old playmates and play places.' I didn't know how I was going to
do that. I couldn't change schools.
"My old friends realized I wasn't going to party anymore, and I became isolated and
lonely. Occasionally, one of my classmates got sober, but it didn't last long. I listened to
people talk about what they watched on TV, and I thought, What's wrong with them?
Then I realized that I was the one who was different.
"I spent my nights at meetings and at the local coffee house afterward. AA and its
love and guidance helped me get through my loneliness. As I approached graduation,
I was fearful -- I thought about all the parties. My home group threw me the biggest
party ever. When my name was called at graduation, the noise that my AA friends made
was unbelievable. I thank God for the people in the Fellowship; they loved me when it
felt like no one else did. By the time I left school, there were at least thirty people who
cared about me and wanted to spend time with me. So far, by the grace of my Higher
Power, I've never had to drink again."
Cheryl, Florida, Sept. 2007
If you have read a good Grapevine story for young AAs, please let us know. Also, let us know what else you'd like on your page.
Email: specialprojects@aagrapevine.org
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