About Us
The Robber's Roost Men’s Group is a group of recovered alcoholics who meet regularly to carry the Alcoholics Anonymous message to those who still suffer.
Our members come from all walks of life. Some are wealthy and some of us are broke. Some come from fine families and others grew up on the streets. We have cops, firemen, investors, mechanics, doctors, truck drivers, and lawyers. We have the bank president, the bank teller, and the bank robber.
Some of our members have been sober for over 50 years, and some have only a few hours.
Our group meets every Friday night at 7pm, year-round, including holidays. You can find us at the Wildwood United Methodist Church, 300 Mason St, Wildwood, Florida 34785.
History
According to Wikipedia, The Robber’s Roost was an outlaw hideout in southeastern Utah used mostly by Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch gang in the closing years of the Old West.
The original Robber’s Roost AA group was started in 1998 in Vista, California by Scotty A., Pete H., Billy B., Jack L., Horatio G., Albert G., and Kip C. The guys wanted something more hard core and true to the original AA message found in the 12 steps.
In the beginning, to attend a Robber’s Roost meeting, a member had to be invited by their sponsor. The meetings were first held in Scotty’s living room, and then in a tent in his backyard. The meetings were not published in any meeting guide. The meetings were grounded in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Members were expected to be solution oriented, not just whining about their problems. Over time, the meeting moved to a hall in the mall and various other venues. Today there are regularly over 100 attendees weekly in San Marcos, CA.
Word about this hard core AA meeting in California began to spread and charter meetings started to pop up around the country. There are currently about seven different Robber’s Roost groups meeting regularly.
The Central Florida Robber’s Roost meeting was started with the idea that through service, we could carry the message to more alcoholics in need.
The Central Florida Robber’s Roost Meeting was started in 2018 by Oscar H., Mark D., Paul G., Ed Y., and John H. The first several meetings were at Paul G.’s house. For a few months, we met at a little bakery in Wildwood. Eventually we ended up at the Wildwood United Methodist Church where we have stayed for several years. Today we carry the AA message to around 75 members every week.