everyday for the past month I have walked out my front door intending on going to a meeting, but chickened out and walked right past it to the beer store.
Today I got up the nerve and walked in the door. I have never been so scared in my life, but I cant wait to go back tomorrow.
How does the sponsor thing work? How do I go about obtaining one?
Good for you, sounds like you stepped into the fear. And it's great to hear you are going back tomorrow.
Did anyone at the meeting give you their phone numbers?As far as the sponsor...there is an AA pamplet on sponsorship... if the group you are going to has a literature rack, there might be one in there. As you sit and listen, there will be someone who you relate to, someone who has some time sober, someone who has worked the steps...someone who has what you want, it needs to be someone of the same sex as you that you ask to be your sponsor, or you can ask someone to be your temporary sponsor. A sponsor guides you through the 12 steps, is someone who will meet with you, usually on their terms, and is someone that you can be accoutable too. They will share how it was for them when they were drinking, what it was like when they got sober and what it's like now.
It is suggested you get a sponsor as soon as possible. But you don't have to do this tomorrow...just keep going to meetings and you will know when the time is right.
Please keep coming here and let us know how it's going. You took a big step today and you will never regret it.
I walked out right when the meeting was over, I guess until I did some reading on here that I didnt know people hang around a bit and socialize afterward. Ill have to do that tomorrow.
I think that's great! You made your first meeting! I didn't stick around to socialize at first either. I'm the kind that puts my toe in the water first, and then my foot, and then up to my knees. I don't just dash in and dive.
Don't be in a rush to get a sponsor. Rose is right to attend some meetings to get to know poeple. some can sound really charming at first. It is also recommended that you consult with the leadership as a kind of background check on the person you might have in mind,,, or to get a list of recommended people. I also agree with Rose about seeing what literature there is. The basics are a Big Book, and a '12 Steps and 12 Traditions' book, and then there are supplementary pamphlets and books. The chairperson is usuall a reliable person to ask questions when a person is new.
Let us know how it goes,,, k?
amanda
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do your best and God does the rest, a step at a time
Wow, you went by yourself. That's great. You have a lot of courage. I had a neighbor that had taken me to my first few meetings. Then, she dropped me like a Bird that just kicked it's Baby Out of the Nest to Fly for the First Time. Nobody had to kick you, except yourself. I admire you.
Suggestion: Listen and don't be scared to share. Even if it's just introducing yourself as an "Alcoholic" and that you are new. Keep it Simple.
Julie Dene
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A Head Full of AA and a Belly Full of Alcohol does not mix. I tried.
That first big step, walking into a meeting, is no small task, so give yourself a lot of credit for that! Congratulations!
I agree with what has been written, you dont need to have a sponsor immediately, making some personal contact is pretty important. When the meeting begins, it is the custom of AA to ask if there is anyone in their first thirty days. If you raise you hand and just give your name, and then stay for a while after the meeting, someone or several people might approach you, and welcome you. Making some sort of personal contact, getting a phone number, or just asking some questions, might cut through that sense of isolation that most of us come in with.
It was great to see that you wrote, how frienghtened you were in the beginning, and how you cannot wait to go back. Great in the respect that it turned around so fast for you.
The first meeting, and all the literature, and the suggested reading, and the Steps you will see on the front wall, can be a little over-whelming, that's where the Easy Does It slogan comes in.
But you took that huge first step, you walked through the door.
Looking forward to you coming back and telling us how the meetings are going, and letting us know how you are doing.
This MIP Forum is a great asset to the AA program, and it is a site where you can be as interactive as you want. You can get to know some or a lot of us, its your call. But we are here to fellowship with each, and offer support to you, and just by Posting, you are now one of us too. Looking forward to getting to know you.
There is a lot of Experience, Strength and Hope on this site, just as you will find in AA Meetings.
Well done I only have a few days since my last 'slip' but without AA I am sure I woyld be drinking now! A sponsor is an individual thing but an invaluable help if you connect! Good Luck.
I absolutely dont want a drink after I leave there, but Im no dummy, I know that feeling will creep back. Since I know it worked for yesterday, and today, I know I want go tomorrow. I think I lucked out on the group I found, its a little different then the large meetings I was ordered to attend in 1994. They are mostly no bullshit older guys, and few women. We dont hold hands when praying, no standing up and everyone saying "HI SO SO AND SO!", and being a small group there are no limits on talk time, and no one seems to mind if someone goes 10 seconds or 10 minutes.
