Was at this meeting tonight. It's like all the anxiety just travelled straight into my brain\body.
This guy brought up a topic. After a few of us started sharing our experiences in dealing with the subject the guy started to get real uneasy and cross-talk, getting really defiant. I thought there was going to be punches thrown.
How do you deal with this? How do you tell someone that's been in the program 20 years, not knowing when he had his last, that things get better?
After the meeting the guy thanked me on the way out the door. I shook his hand and asked him if he'd come back more often. He said see ya tomorrow. God, I'm confused.
It's like part of me wants to help and another part of me knows that I'm powerless over other people. I can only offer friendship, or compassion, however you see it.
As for me, I'm kind of disappointed. I set aside most of the morning up until 4 pm to work on my fourth step and I only got as far as a list of names. I guess that's progress. Gotta put that damn pen to paper! You see it's the pens fault, not mine! I guess I have to accept the fact that it's not me and it's just the pen! LOL!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I'm kind of offended that since the time appears of when you post now that it isn't Central time U.S.
Yeah I'm that damn important!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And a little crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree 100% with Phil, and about having had my last drink, I sure Pray that that will be the case for me, one of my aspirations in life is to die, Sober.
Who knows what tomorrow holds, no one does, but nevertheless, this program being a daily Reprieve, just these little 24 hours in this day, it will always remain a condition of my Spiritual Condition, on any given 24 hour day.
The term EGO, comes to mind, Easing God Out.
There are many, many signs leading up to picking up a drink, the above would be the first, Easing God Out. The drink is ALWAYS the very last part of a Relapse into the Insanity.
Gorsky's Book on Relapse Prevention is a great tool, in understanding these signals, they are pretty glaring signals.
Even the thought scares the heck out of me, but I can relax and breath, cause I am Projecting now. Staying in a Humble and Grateful state of mind is also a safety area, working with others, is another, working on a Step, one more, Step 11, and Step 12 are very good indicators of how we are doing. And the Blueprint of that 1st Step, hopefully is and will remain ecthed in my memory and daily living.
What someone else is thinking, or expressing is none of my business. I need to remember that in every meeting I am sitting in. My own Sobriety has to come before Everything, and anything, person, place or thing.
Glad to see you get used to the some of the stuff, that is pretty baffling at times in the meetings.
However, this will always be a Disease to me that sits in wait, waitng for us to slip in our thinking. Will always remain a Huge Fear in me, and a Healthy fear, I believe.
Someone told me something a month ago, that is working, when I am listening in my opinion to something kind of "Wonky", in a meeting, keep looking at who is speaking and inside say the Serenity Prayer, in our minds and hearts, over again, until the person is finished.
Wow, it really does work, make me have less to throw in the Proverbial Garbage can as I leave the meeting.
For me i have to remain teachable ...if sombody has 24 hours or thirty years..i try and lisen
you never no who is going to say what you need to here....and sometimes a bad message is a good message ...somthing you dont want to be doing.......anyways i no little...thank's
i went to about three meetings in the last 3 months where they were Birthday Meetings.
And the one's celebrating the meetings were, firstly taking 3 or 4 cakes at different meetings, and they had people there that they had known for about 10 or so years, and the meetings I am speaking of were all around them. How they got sober at the same time, had formed a strong bond with each other, and that represented about 20 people in a room full of maybe 30. I did think after the meeting, Yicks, I need another meeting and then I heard from some old timers that they were having a "Cow" over this Cliquishness. What about the others in the room that were not a part of this little clan, or group of woman, it was not a woman's meeting. but I remained Silent about the whole thing, really, none of my business, really, But I watched 2 woman that had a heck of lot more time than this group, complaining, and complaining and complaining.
That to me was the Big Problem, in my head I thought, the meeting is OVER, why are you talking about what happened yesterday, or last week, how about MOVING on?
No, they just kept at it, wanted to have it brought to the attention of the GSR's, and I heard about 100 times, how this was not true A.A. , excluding half the room, in their celebration.
I simple stayed with, I'm Powerless, over what other's do and say. Simple stuff.
But this Post brought me back to some uncomfortable moments in the meetings, and more so, the talk after the meeting.
Thank you God, it is no longer a Burning issue with anyone.
