Aggieland Recovery Round-Up

What is CA, or Co***ne Anonymous??

➡️ The only requirement for CA membership is a desire to stop using co***ne and all other mind-altering substances. ⬅️

In August 1982 co***ne usage and abuse was running so rampant throughout the US that the Beverly Glen Hospital in Los Angeles, CA took out ads in entertainment magazines offering help to those with co***ne, alcohol and drug dependencies. In just a few months the hospital program had 17 adults and 6 adolescent in-patients.

Allan Rosenthal, a psychotherapist at the hospital, and Chip A, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, then started a 12 Step "Co***ne Anonymous' meeting at the Beverly Glen Hospital. Chip re-worded AA literature and the hospital provided a room for the weekly free CA meeting, along with a small room with an answering machine for taking inquiries about getting help with co***ne abuse.

1 year after inception, CA in Southern California had more than 2000 members. 10 years later, there were over 2,000 registered service groups worldwide with 30,000 members.

Because many CA groups are autonomous and membership is anonymous, these statistics are unavailable in the mid-2020s. Still, it is estimated that there are just over 2,000 meetings a week worldwide.

The primary goal of CA is to provide a local, accessible, and comfortable community for substance abuse addicts to start and maintain their addiction-free lives. One mission of the CA unit for each member through the recovery period is to encourage self-supporting discipline, community involvement, and re-entry into active society after suffering from the disease of substance abuse. CA supports a goal of freedom from addiction as one of its traditions; related tenets focus on God, spirituality, and personal inventory to further support the CA mission of addiction-free living

The Hope, Faith, Courage motto is now part of the organization’s logo and summarizes the qualities each member learns to depend on to sustain an addiction-free goal.

📍 The first meeting of CA came to Texas in February of 1984. While there are not currently any active groups in the Brazos Valley, CA Online offers virtual meetings that run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 🤠

What is OA, or Overeaters Anonymous??

➡️ The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. ⬅️

The first meetings of Overeaters Anonymous were started in Hollywood, California in January 1960 by Rozanne S. after she attended a Gamblers Anonymous meeting and realized that the 12 Steps could potentially help her with her own addictive behaviors relating to food.

At the first meeting there were only 3 people, but membership surged rapidly after members appeared on a nationally syndicated television program later that year, sparking massive public interest.

During the 60s and 70s, fierce debates broke out regarding food plans. Some groups mandated strict, low-carb diets and excluded those who did not follow it. To preserve unity, the OA National Conference ruled in 1966 that OA as an organization would not endorse or promote any specific eating plan.

OA has since grown, with groups in over 75 countries meeting in person, over the phone, and through the internet. It estimates its membership at over 60,000 people in about 6,500 groups. OA has also published the book Overeaters Anonymous (referred to as the "Brown Book"), The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, For Today (a book of daily meditations), the OA Journal for Recovery, a monthly periodical known as Lifeline, and several other books

📍 Overeaters Anonymous in the Brazos Valley currently meets at noon on Fridays at the Church of the Nazarene in Bryan. Come check it out! 🤠

What is ACA, or Adult Children of Alcoholics??

➡️ The only requirement for ACA membership is a desire to recover from the effects of growing up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional family ⬅️

Adult Children of Alcoholics was founded in 1978 in New York by Tony A. and members of an Alateen group (a 12 Step program for children of alcoholic parents sponsored by Al-Anon). The new group focused on recovering from the effects of being raised in a dysfunctional family rather than the Al-Anon focus of being powerless over the effects of alcohol.

After a few months the fledgling meeting had dwindled to three or four people and was about to fold. Out of instinct and spiritual insight, Tony A. invited members of AA to join the little group, reasoning that some of them had alcoholic parents of their own. He was right. 17 AA members showed up for the next meeting of Hope For Adult Children of Alcoholics. At the following meeting there were 50 people. At the next meeting there were more than 100 people, mostly from AA. The somewhat radical Al-Anon meeting was on its way with a lot of help from some AA friends.

In 1984, the ACA fellowship voted to become an autonomous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions fellowship, using the AA-adapted steps.

However, Tony A. advocated for a departure from the AA Steps, believing that the AA-adapted steps created a vulnerability for adult children in Steps 8 and 9. In these amends steps, Tony believed, the adult child could be sent to make amends to violent or abusive parents still in denial about the harm they had rained upon the adult child. With the help of Don D., Tony A. wrote his own variation of the 12 Steps, which he believed more fitting for adult children and victims of abuse, publishing this version of the 12 Steps in his 1991 book “The Laundry List…” In the end, Tony’s version of the 12 Steps balances taking a “blameless” inventory of the parents with a focused program of self love and self forgiveness.

In ACA today, the adult child looks at the patterns of family dysfunction and is encouraged to talk about all aspects of the childhood in ACA meetings and with a sponsor or informed counselor. At the same time, the AA-adapted steps require the individual to inventory one’s self and to change destructive behavior. ACA members take responsibility for their behavior knowing that some of that behavior was handed off to them by their parents.

Today there are around 580 ACA meetings across the globe. Al-Anon meetings that have an adult child focus are not associated with ACA or ACA World Service Organization.

📍 Adult Children of Alcoholics met briefly in the Brazos Valley from 2018 - 2020. Unfortunately COVID closed the meetings and in-person meetings never successfully reformed after the COVID restrictions were removed. The closest in-person meetings are in the Woodlands TX where there are several active groups, and you can find many online and telephone meetings through the Adult Children of Alcoholics website. 🤠

Come for the ice cream, stay for the recovery 🍦🙌 We love having a good time and we love sweet treats.. so come join us and we won't judge how much syrup, sprinkles, and whip cream you add to your bowl 😜

Cloud 9 Sweets and Treats' mission is to create unforgettable experiences at community events, festivals, and fundraisers... and boy did they create an unforgettable experience at our last Round-up!! 🙌🍋 We are so excited to announce that Jamie will be back this year serving up her amazing Lemonade Smashers 🤠

Think you got what it takes? 🎲 Come show up your sponsor at our "friendly" Domino Tournament on Saturday August 1 at 9 pm 🤠

It is not too early to start planning your trip to the Aggieland Recovery Round-up! In fact... it's better for your wallet if you do it now 💸😉🤠

It's not finalized or perfect, but here is the work-in-progress schedule! 😍 And anyways, recovery isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress, one step at a time. 🤠⭐ Join us at the Aggieland Recovery Round-Up for a weekend of hope, healing, fellowship, and growth. No matter where you are in your journey, there’s a seat for you around the table.

Boots on, hearts open, and recovery first. 🤎🤠 The Aggieland Recovery Round-Up is bringing together fellowship, inspiration, and community for one unforgettable weekend in Bryan, TX. Come for the speakers, stay for the connection, and leave encouraged for the road ahead.

What is EA, or Emotions Anonymous??

➡️ The only requirement for EA membership is a desire to become well emotionally.

The first group of what is now Emotions Anonymous met on April 13th, 1966 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The group was started by Marion F after she saw a newspaper article that suggested the 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous could be used as a tool for recovery from emotional illness.

At the first meeting, about a dozen people were present. The following week there were sixty-five people present. And by the fall of 1966, groups were forming across Minnesota and spreading to other neighboring states.

EA officers were elected and permission was granted from A.A. World Services to use their 12 Steps and 12 Traditions in the new program. EA Articles of Incorporation were filed on July 22nd, 1971.

The Emotions Anonymous Book ("The Big Book"), still in use today, was completed in 1978.

An EA daily reader ("The Today Book"), a book ("It Works if You Work It"), and a workbook ("Welcoming the Spiritual Awakening Within You") have been published over the years and today EA has materials translated into sixteen different languages and used in more than thirty countries around the world.

📍 The first meeting of Emotions Anonymous in the Brazos Valley was on September 05, 2019, at the Brazos Club. The group met once a week, and after a few meetings the name "Recovery is Real" was chosen.

When COVID hit, the group went to Zoom, and has stayed there ever since. There are currently two local Zoom meetings and a step study every week. Our local EA is recognized by EA International. From what began as often an only two-person meeting now has many regular attendees, including some from out of state, and continues to flourish today. To find a local meeting, visit www.recoveryroundup.org/find-a-meeting 🤠