All meetings, where one alcoholic can speak the "Language of the Heart" to another are a blessing. But some prefer, or are especially blessed by, certain types of meetings.
Mine right now are Big Book Studies. It is the first time that these types of meetings have hit the top of my list. There is just something about the no-nonsense approach to recovery as outlined in the book, and that I never have to question the merits of what I hear from that book. It is helping to interest me in reading the Book in between meetings also. I am eager to get to my homegroup next week, and study it again with my "homies" (home group members).
Which type of meeting is your current favorite?
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~~"It's hard to be hateful when you're grateful."~~
I'm with you, Joni. We have a Monday morning BB study where we each read a paragraph or two & then share on that or anything else we may feel if there's need. It's a beautiful meeting & really helped me to find my voice & get to know me in recovery. It's a focused group & I learn so much from what my fellowship have to say about their journey with the program & literature & ES&H. It's quite a small & intimate meeting though any meeting can feel like this too depending on the honesty &/or solution in people's shares. I love it when we get the stalwart individuals hyping & piping up about how mad they were before & how the program sorted their heads out. I really enjoy that. Gives me such hope cuz this alky is still on the verge of figuring our that I'm not a bad person trying to be good but a sick person trying to get well. I also go to a Step meeting on a Wednesday & a women's meeting on a Tuesday. I try to but if I don't get to any other meetings I know that these are the absolute minimal staple to keep me mindful of my program & the principles to exercise as much as I can. I have to remember to keep contact with my Sponsor too because she knows my story (4&5) & can understand my process & progress still more than anyone though I've learned not to rely solely on her but to love all my fellowship here, in meetings & by mobile whether call or text. I've been 'preoccupied' of late but it's all been good stuff & learning. I'm also grateful that A.A. has taught me the meaning of a Higher Power & I'm able to cultivate this in working my program away from meetings too. I always have to remember where my grass~roots have grown from & attending Step or BB meetings is a good way to practice this. Thanks for helping me to share about this too, Joni. It's a great question you've asked. I went to 4/5 meetings a week for my first year but cut back because I was using them to avoid getting on with my life too. I didn't want to have a life where I couldn't function without a meeting that day so I've made a routine & I stay vigilant doing what I need to when I need to. I'm grateful to A.A. & want to learn how to give back too. Speaking of which, when I've sorted my hours at work so that I'm just working nights instead of ad hoc all over the shop, I'll be able to settle at or set up a new home group & make some tea. About time! Washing dishes isn't enough for me ;) Danielle x
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
Hi Joni: Big book studies are my favorite also. I attended my weekly BB/12&12 meeting today. It is what we call a brown bagger noon meeting. I recently moved from the rough part of town to the other side of town. I got sober at this group in Kansas City. Every meeting is either a BB, 12&12, speaker, or As Bill Sees It meeting. My new meetings across town are topics but I generally speak from the literature. I Try to find something good in all meetings but I miss the raw nature of my original home group-Paseo Group. All of my CA groups are from the BB. I guess we need it. "We can be informed, but I have to be careful not to be misinformed or to misinform. That is why strongly believe in the basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous. God Bless MikeS
Due to my work schedule (4am-12noon) I get to my HG's 12o'clock (a few mins late of course). It holds it all. Monday is OD, Tues is BB study, Wed is CD, Thursday is 12x12, etc. So I get a bit of it all.......What a blessing.
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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
BB book meeting are good, I go to two pretty regularly, But I truely love all the meetings. I have become so comfortable in them. It is like going to a famally reunion. I recieve so much E,S, and H out of them all I know that I would not be sober with out them.
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Don't wait for your ship to come in... Swim out to it!
I love Big Book study. We have 3 meetings a week, and every Wednesday is Big Book study!
When I went to rehab back in '86, we had a quiet unassuming old fellow named Frank who volunteered at the rehab. He brought Big Book study to the center once a week.
Attendance was not mandatory, but I never missed a single meeting.
I was like a sponge, soaking up every bit of information that I could get.
I was desperate for a better way of life.
I credit old Frank for starting up my love for the Big Book.
I have long since worn out my first Big Book (3rd edition), and I have to confess, I had a heck of a time adjusting to a new book AND the 4th edition! I don't like change! LOL!
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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguements and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
~Herbert Spencer
Hi All: I pretty much mix it up. We have a zillion meetings around here! Im still at the point where I go to a least one meeting a day..... Sun: 12 step Mon: Open discussion Tues: home group-open discussion Weds: 12 step/big book, which usually ends up as a discussion (all women and tons of fun!) Thurs: 12/big book Fri: lead Sat: whatever strikes my fancy.....
Whats nice is, except for weds, you can choose between all 3. Im amazed at the number of people that attend these meetings....Usually 40-150 people! Where did all us drunks come from!
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"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
