I am trying to stay clean and thought that instead of sitting in meetings this might be the way to go. It seems like when I go to meetings in person I run into an old friend and one thing leads to another and it just doesn't work for me. I am not sure how all this works so I hope I can figure it out. Just wanted to say hello to everyone. If someone could e-mail me or get me on yahoo messenger and let me know how to get started I would really appreciate it. Thank-you.
this is a great start, meeting are inmpotant, i would sugest you go even thou you dont want to, you need to get a sponcer at these meetings and work the steps.good luck wagon
Meetings and this board are a very small part of this spirtual program. You have to want to stay sober (this is A/A) for yourself. Keep ccommin back I'm glad u r here!
Online recovery is only a supliment to Face to Face meetings, Only by swallowing our pride standing up in a room of strangers and proclaim "I'm Bob and I'm an Alcoholic" can we start to tear down our troublesome ego and get relief from our disease.
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Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like no one is watching.
I understand that the face to face meetings are important. It's not that my pride stands in the way, I have never been able to speak in front of a crowd. Maybe once do this, I will get more comfortable in a face to face meeting. Thank you for your help!
If your uncomfortable with public speaking (and who isn't) then here is a great start. Here is where I started my recovery. Here is a good place to get familiar with the concept of being totally honest with people that are total strangers.
However I do attend meetings and find them vital for my recovery. Do you have a copy of the Big Book of AA, it's worth getting and you can get a one for very little on Am*zon.com
Welcome and best wishes to you.
Chris.
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"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -- Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989"
I appreciate the help. I think I do have a Big book somewhere. I know need to put my heart into this 100%. It is really the first time I've decided to do this because I am just sick of it. Any other time I usually had something hanging over my head, or apologizing to someone. I will get it going. I know I need to go to face to face but I will make my way. thanks again.
I'm glad to see you here. I think about how someone takes the time to look up AA on the net shows there's the desire to stop drinking inside. It's a step towards sobriety. I went to meetings for a very long time without speaking. I would volunteer to read, and even that would be hard, I could hear my voice quivering. I'd help clean up after meetings. I got to know the people that way, just chatting before and after meetings. But I listened and listened. Eventually I was comfortable enough to say a few words. It took awhile. Nobody gave me any grief about being too shy to share. Then, something big and painful in my life came up, and my mouth opened. When I was ready to share, I did. When I felt I had something to give, then I did. You never know, when someone new comes in, you may only say twenty words, but those words may be the very thing that newcomer needed to hear. Nobody expected anything from me at those meetings, apart from just being there and being, hopefully, sober. I think the anticipation of having to speak was much worse than actually talking. I remember how often I'd sit there, and I'd hear the topic, and then I'd listen, get myself all geared up to say all these wise words, then they'd get to me and I'd say " Hi, I'm Chris and I'm an alchoholic. Thank you for having me here, I'll just listen tonight". LOL, there went my big speech. My heart would be pounding, and my mind would just go blank. I found out after awhile that sitting there getting it together to lay my pearls of wisdom on the table, that I was so caught up in that, I wasn't hearing what others were saying. I was building the perfect speech in my head. So, I stopped expecting myself to speak, began really listening to the wisdom at the tables. When I was ready, it just happened. It took a long time. Don't pressure yourself to speak if you aren't ready, you'll be too busy being nervous to hear what's being said, if you're anything like me. We're all so fearful when we come through the doors that sometimes we forget that every single person sitting there has been exactly where we are at. I learned so much just by listening. Then I got this sponsor.......Wren
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i found god in myself/and I loved her/i loved her fiercely--Ntozake Shange
Hi Mike, and welcome to the Miracles In Progress (MIP) site.
I agree that this board is a great help, but also believe that I need the face to face interaction with other AA'ers, not even the meetings so much as contact with another AA friend, (or better, sponsor), to call when you feel the addiction trying to crawl on your back again.
You took the words right out of my mouth. I did sit there fumbling around in my head trying to get the guts to even open my mouth and rehearse my great wisdom of words. Then the quivering voice just trying to say my name. I am so glad I'm not the only one. I really did miss anything anyone was saying leading up to me. I will take your advice and stop worrying about me saying anything until I'm ready. It will make things alot easier. It is a hard thing to face my problems, but I know it is time. Thank you!
I came to this site in January looking for help in my 40th or so attempt on my own to try to end my 30 year addiction to alcohol. I liked reading the posts and they did help me and I made it 10 days, which was the longest I had gone without drinking in 13 years. I really didn't want to go to meetings, I'm a not so gregarious, very private sort of person. Not a hermit mind you but I too was uncomfortable with the idea of going to an AA meeting. I didn't know what to expect.
What I found was as much as I've used forums and the internet to educate myself about hobbies or whatever I was looking for, nothing can take the place of people who share the same crippling addiction as you relating their ups and downs, their fears and what has worked for them to get their life back on track. Its the emotion in their voice and the expressions on their faces that can never be duplicated on a computer screen. And they really care about you and they know that it took a big leap of faith for you to come to a meeting.
No one expects a newcomer to share with a pefect polished presentation. And as a newcomer they perfectly understand if you just want to attend the meeting and listen, actually some think its better for newcomers to listen a lot more than talk.
All this is related to you by a person who today has been sober for the last 14 days! Yup, only 14 days but I've been to a meeting every day of those 14 days and I more optomistic than ever that I'll make 30 days then maybe 6 months and if I really work at this with AA a year and then......? But right now I'm just concentrating on 24 hours at a time and its working for me.
Best of luck to you and it really does work if you work it
I really do understand about going to meetings. I think I was looking for an excuse and hoping someone would say this would be all I needed to do. I stayed sober 2 years about 5 years ago, but I was facing felony D.U.I. charges and did not want to go to jail. I took antabuse because I knew I would not drink taking that. I didn't either. I didn't go to meetings though, and those 2 years I was a miserable sober person. I understand and will get started on the meetings.
Just wanted to say hello to you, Mike. Sounds like you heard what you didn't want to hear. That's okay though, happens to me all the time. I hope you get to some meetings and give them a chance. You just might be amazed! Take it easy.
