By Becky McBoom

“Shame dies when stories are told in safe safe places” 

-Ann Voskamp

As the end of this program comes into view, I wanted to take a moment to talk about a key part of my moderation and abstinence journeys: Community. I absolutely would not have made the progress I’ve made if I didn’t have a strong community of MM members behind me. They have supported me through my weakest and lowest moments as well as celebrated my small victories and major milestones. I am blessed to have many non-MM people in my life who support me, but there is nothing like the support of people who are walking the same path and have been where I have been.

Your challenge for today is to pick one MM community to join. Please explore the list below and decide which one (or ones!) might be a good fit for you.

MM Support Communities

Zoom Meetings– Our online Zoom meetings are a great place to get real time support. We host about 125 meetings a month. There are general meetings as well as meetings for specific audiences such as Millenials, women, men, LGBTQ+ folks, and those who are abstaining from alcohol.

Private Facebook Group– Our private Facebook community uses the networking power of social media to create a welcoming, supportive community for those looking to moderate their drinking. Members are able to see each other’s profiles, but all posts are private and within the community itself. This allows members to share freely, offer support, and virtually meet others who are a lot like them.

Listserv– A listserv is a method of communicating with a group of people via email. You send one email message to the list’s email address, and the software sends the email to all of the group’s subscribers. Our listserv members are active every day, seeking support, offering words of wisdom, and encouraging each other’s goals through weekly rosters.

Core Groups– Once you have been a part of MM’s other online communities for a few months, enough to get a feel for the basics of moderation, MM Core Groups are a great way to get additional support from a small group of like-minded people. We will have you fill out an application form so that we can match you with 3 or 4 others with similar backgrounds and moderation goals. Then we hook you up by email so you can connect and decide the best way to communicate going forward. Different groups use email, texting, group chats, or video meetings—whatever works best for the group.

MM Absers Private Facebook Group– The MMabsers community is a subgroup of MM members who have chosen abstinence from alcohol for an extended period or as a permanent lifestyle. Anyone who is abstaining from alcohol for any amount of time, or considering permanent or long-term abstinence, is welcome here! Our private Facebook community uses the networking power of social media to create a welcoming, supportive community for those looking to moderate their drinking. Members are able to see each other’s profiles, but all posts are private and within the community itself. This allows members to share freely, offer support, and virtually meet others who are a lot like them.