Seven years in Midtown: @alabamaamanda’s account

A personal account shared on Instagram, with a direct link to the original reel.

In the caption accompanying her December 20, 2024 Instagram reel, @alabamaamanda describes spending seven years in Midtown. She characterizes it as a group that used the language of recovery to exercise control. Her account makes a distinction she considers essential: she supports AA while condemning what she experienced in Midtown. Read her caption and watch the reel on Instagram.

The restrictions she describes

According to her caption, the rules included:

• Being barred from attending other AA meetings.
• Discouragement from seeking medical care or therapy.
• Restrictions on most medications and treating mental-health difficulties as personal or spiritual failings.
• Shunning people who questioned leadership.

She also alleges that older men acting as sponsors groomed and manipulated young women, including her. She describes continuing effects from the experience on her sense of herself, her relationships, and her faith. These are her descriptions of her experience, attributed here to her public post.

The distinction at the heart of her post

Her conclusion is direct: “AA didn’t fail me. Midtown did.” She presents her criticism as a rejection of the group’s conduct, while maintaining her belief in AA. Read her words in the original post.

That distinction deserves room in a conversation about harmful group experiences. A person’s criticism of a particular community does not tell us everything about their relationship with recovery. Listening carefully means allowing them to describe both what they value and what they believe hurt them.

For this site, her account also raises a useful question: what happens when asking a question, seeking another perspective, or making a personal choice carries a social penalty? Readers can consider that question without having to adopt the same language for their own experiences.

Watch the original reel

Watch @alabamaamanda’s December 20, 2024 reel and read the full caption on Instagram.

This is a text link to Instagram. The video is not embedded on this website.

If you would like to keep reading, explore Understanding the patterns or the resource library. You can also contact the site administrator to suggest a correction or share a perspective.

Source note: This post summarizes the reel’s written caption. It is not a transcript of the video or an independent investigation of the events described.