Young People Active In Service

My name is Irma P from Vilnius, Lithuania, and I am an alcoholic. I used to think that I am alcoholic because I am Lithuanian, but at my first English-speaking meeting in Stockholm I realised that alcoholism is an international disease. I got sober at the age of 23 and I have been sober since then. As I like to say, I grew up in AA and I always have a safe home because it does not matter where I live: I always have AA. 

Today I am responsible that young people can find the same safe place in AA. When I came, some people would interrogate me about how much I drank and they did not believe that I could be an alcoholic. At the age of 23 it was important to learn, to play and have fun and I found that in Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous (YPAA) meetings and conventions. People were listening to the same music, watching the same movies and we all had the same interests as young people everywhere: how to find a partner, where to study - personally, I was very concentrated on making a career for myself. I returned to AA because I had fun there, not because they suggested a new way of life. Only gradually and with a proportional amount of pain was I adopting what you had - 12 Steps, 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts. Today I am a sober woman with dignity and respect for myself and others. 

What I like about AA is that we are always looking for ways to get closer to the suffering alcoholic. We have a variety of stories in the back of our Big Book, we have meetings at different times during the day, we have topic meetings, newcomer meetings, hearing impairment meetings. I find it surprising that from time to time I still have to defend YPAA meetings and conventions. Personally I find a lot of opportunities for service among young people in AA because these kids need examples and guidance. I have just finished my service as Regional YPLO at Continental European Region. I think what we can all do best is go to our business meetings at regional or intergroup level and empower young people into service, creating a safe space for them in any shape or form whether that is a YPLO position, YPAA meeting or local convention.

My homegroup is the YPAA meeting in Vilnius which will be celebrating its eleventh anniversary this January. It is a bilingual meeting, so we all do service in welcoming English-speaking members. Our group members participate in organising YPAA conventions in Baltic countries. In 2018 we invited young European people in the AA community to come to Vilnius and we had around 400 participants, food trucks, one of the best parties and a lot of sobriety. Our group is the only group in Lithuania suggesting sign-language translation and is probably one of the safest groups for LGBTQ people. If Lithuanians can do it, everyone can!

Irma P, YPAA Meeting, Vilnius