In this episode, I speak with Mikey J. from Our Mostly Agnostic Group of Drunks (OMAGOD) located in Orlando, Florida, and now meeting online every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00 pm Eastern. Mikey takes us through the history of the group and what they learned about hosting online AA meetings.
Key Points and Topics Discussed
- The history of OMAGOD and their online meetings.
- How to keep a secular AA meeting from drifting into discussions about religion and gods.
- How to handle Zoom bombers and keep the meeting safe.
- Tips s for celebrating anniversaries online.
- How to help newcomers in a Zoom meeting.
Memorable Quotes
I had been sober in AA for about 8 years, all in traditional AA, and every time I saw the god stuff, it didn’t register, I just ignored it. Then I came out as an atheist, and this was my support group, my family, everything to me and they slowly started turning their back on me. – Mikey J.
It never occurred to me that other people who don’t believe in God would have a problem in AA. – Mikey J.
I still love going to meetings, especially out of town. One thing that I think is important is that we remain neutral about God. – Mikey J.
We are a really good meeting where the God topic just doesn’t come up much. – Mikey J.
Resources
Link to more online secular AA meetings
AABB Episode 5: A Conversation with Mikey J.
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