Recovering alcoholics are finding regular meeting spaces in VR.
Horizon Worlds, VRChat, and even Resonite are host to regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings where people meet to discuss their “problem with alcohol” and seek sobriety.
Physical meeting spaces already offer a sense of anonymity in the loosely-organized AA network, which has grown its membership under the principle “anonymity has proved one of the greatest gifts that A.A. offers the suffering alcoholic. Many would not attend their first meeting without it. Attending an AA VR meeting, on the other hand, allows a “suffering alcohol” to “do something about their problem drinking without having to face another person. “
One organizer of many of the meetings in VR suggests hundreds of people have been put on the road to recovery from their attendance to these meetings, from among thousands attending the sessions over the last five years.
“Virtual AA meetings began in AltspaceVR in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a much-needed space for connection and recovery when in-person meetings were shut down. The organizer told me that meetings in Horizon Worlds began around the same time. After Altspace shut down, meetings moved to VRChat where community growth continued. Also, there have been attempts to set up meetings on other platforms. A new Resonite meeting was started recently. This shows the continued experimentation and interest in different VR platforms for sobriety support and fellowship within immersive environments. In order to respect the privacy of all involved in this article, the Alcoholics Anonymous Network has chosen to not identify the source. We’d love to hear from anyone who has found meaning in their VR experience. You can also
share your thoughts. Anyone can post in our comments below. This is to prevent sending everyone to these places directly from this page. If you’re looking for these groups, you can find them by searching the respective platform at the listed time.
Monday 8 pm ET – The Friends of Bill W Center – Horizon Worldsreach outTuesday 8 pm ET – We Agnostics World – VRChat
Wednesday 2 pm ET – The Friends of Bill W Center – Horizon Worlds
- Thursday 10 pm ET – The Friends of Bill W Center – Horizon Worlds
- Friday 8.30 pm ET – AA Resonite Recovery – Resonite
- Saturday 8 pm ET – AA World – VRChat
- Sunday 5.30 pm ET – We Agnostics – VRChat