HUNDREDS OF young recovering alcoholics from all over the world arrived into Citywest in Dublin yesterday for the second annual European Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous conference.
It is one of the largest European conventions for people in recovery from addiction and the single biggest event of its type ever to be held in Ireland, with numbers attending expected to surpass 1,000 by Sunday evening.
The aim of the conference is to show young people that it is possible to celebrate recovery from addiction and that others their age are going through the same process.
Over the course of the weekend, workshops, talks, nightly entertainment and a range of activities from yoga classes to outdoor pursuits will be on offer.
While AA meetings targeted at young people are relatively common in the United States, they are less so in Europe.
It was because of this that Jay – a 40-year-old recovering alcoholic originally from the United States but now living in Stockholm, Sweden – organised the first conference last year.
“Sweden hosted three Sweden young people conventions that were Sweden and Scandinavia, and after the last one we talked amongst ourselves and I said why don’t we start Eurypaa [European Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous].”
Held in an old brewery converted into a convention centre, the event in Stockholm was deemed a success and it was decided to make the convention an annual happening.
Although described as a young person’s convention, many older recovering alcoholics were present yesterday in Dublin.
“We call it a young persons convention but really there is very little difference from AA convention to AA convention. Young people in Alcoholics Anonymous are not separate,” explained Jay.
However, as a convention primarily for young people, this weekend’s event in Dublin is unique in certain ways.
“We want to make sure that people know that you are never too young if you need help with alcoholism, you are never too young to go sober,” said Jay.
“In a young persons convention you won’t be disrespected – every once in a while [in a regular AA meeting] you will get someone saying ‘I’ve spilled more than you’ve drank’.”
Jay maintained that above all else, events like this one were about showing young sober people that they are not alone.
One story he told about the convention in Sweden last year was of a group of Lithuanians who came because they did not believe there were other young people out there who wanted to become sober and had to see for themselves.
“There is some young lad . . . that is looking at his half Guinness and saying I’m sick of this – he is thinking about AA but he is thinking that it is all old men on park benches.
“If he could see this he would know there is a whole other life there for him.”
According to Jay, there is nothing in Irish culture that poses a particular stumbling block to getting sober.
“The local challenge in Ireland is simply that they don’t label meetings as young people meetings.
“It is not harder for Irish to get sober just like its not easier for them to be alcoholic. I love that there are pioneers in Ireland. I think that that is such a cool cultural thing,” he said.
Some Irish people attending yesterday believed that being a recovering alcoholic in Ireland brought with it unique pressures.
“To me the AA is quite old-fashioned here. It seems so much more acceptable elsewhere,” said Niall (24) from Wicklow.
“That stigma is still attached in Ireland at the moment. It seems so much more socially acceptable in America – a lot of people see it as a religious thing here.”
AA convention: In their own words
I wouldn't tell anybody in Ireland . Old friends of mine that if I was to say it to them they would try and convince me out of it and they would try and convince me to have another drink. It probably reflects their insecurity as well – Niall (24) from Wicklow
Because I have got somewhere like this and places like this to go it enhances my recovery. The difficulty for me [in staying sober] is triggers – relationships, things like that that I ran away from in the past, they would be my triggers – Jackie (54) from Edinburgh
I hope to meet a lot of nice people and to get a new sponsor because at the moment I have none. I want to connect with people to see how AA is getting on in other cities, to enjoy and find more recovery – Tina (40) from Frankfurt
The culture in Ireland is a little bit different but a lot of the stuff is the same, a lot of young people do the same thing and the recovery is the same. The AA message is the same wherever you go – Alli (21) from California