Tribes of the Recovering Community

~ Jason Schwartz

img_20130926_164743It’s pronounced ick-ee-paw and it’s the International Conference of Young People in AA.

The International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous (ICYPAA) was founded for the purpose of providing a setting for an annual celebration of sobriety among young people in AA. Since its inception, a growing group of people, who at first would not consider themselves as “young people,” has become regular attendees. The number of young people suffering from alcoholism who turn to AA for help is growing, and ICYPAA helps to carry AA’s message of recovery to alcoholics of all ages. This meeting provides an opportunity for young AA’s from all over the world to come together and share their experience, strength, and hope as members of Alcoholics Anonymous. AA members who attend an ICYPAA return home better prepared to receive young people who come to AA looking for a better way of life.

There are now YPAA groups and events throughout the country and the world.

Getting sober at 19 years old, I was convinced that I was to be be consigned to a life that was boring and glum. For all the dysfunction associated with a bunch of young alcoholics organizing social events, YPAA events were very important to me.

More Posts on Young People in 12 Step Groups:

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.