Sky -- It sounds like you are thinking of support groups that are run by a facilitator with training in social work, psychology, running groups, etc., the kind of group one might find being offered by an outreach organization.
12 step groups are more like Psych Central. Everyone is equal. In AA, the leader may be scheduled for only one meeting, and will appoint others to read the steps, principles, promises, and other traditions that may be particular to that group. Leaders are there to serve, and there is a principle that covers that, too. Then there is sharing, rather like a Quaker meeting. A saying of the labor group known as the Wobblies in the 1930s was "We are all leaders here." And that's pretty much what a 12-step meeting is like. We are leaders, learners, and seekers.
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