My Early AA Thoughts

[Guitarista]

My Early AA Thoughts

I'm not a religous man Mary, but i'll say a prayer for you.
D.G. Great post. I got as far as the first paragraph, when i felt that familiar desire for sandwiches, and a cuppa, to settle in for the assault! I haven't been to an AA meeting yet, and am doing well on my own, and with all the info/support here, and through '3d' friends. But, i have been considering it over the months, just for that extra, and 3d support. I'm feeling strong, and going great, but i'm also well aware that we must be vigilant, and the more tools the better, so to speak. And while most of my friends drink of a w/kend, and i'm fine with socialising in an al environment, it would be only a plus, to expand my network of non drinking friends. Thanks again for sharing, and be well everyone!..................G.

[Accountable for Me]

My Early AA Thoughts

With me being a female, I always found it more confortable to have a female sponsor. Waaaay back in the day.

Do you think the sex of your sponsor could help more in someone's recovery? Mary, let us know how it goes for you.

Has anyone heard of LifeRing? We have a few meetings in our city; and one right in my neighbourhood on Wed. nights. It is quite interesting from what I read in the flyer that I grabbed at my therapist's office this week.

There are no 12 steps. No long winded 'war stories' about what happened in your past with alcohol or drug abuse, etc... You do not need to label yourself as an "alcoholic" or "addict" to participate. (which I think is great in many ways because I know, myself I don't like to be labeled).

It's basic philosophy is summarized in three words: Sobriety, Secularity, and Self-Help. I guess you get a self help workbook as well in which you can do in the group or on your own. There is so much great info in this pamphlet. You can find out more information on their website which is based in Oakland, California at LifeRing Home Page

I am going to go to the meeting on Wednesday. I don't mind the AA thing for the sake of meeting other people who are working on sobriety, etc... but like many other's the 'old school' way of thinking about alcohol kind of depresses me. I will let you know how it goes.

[Accountable for Me]

My Early AA Thoughts

Oh, and I should say that it is anonymous as well. They also pass a basket around and it is run by volunteers who have a certain amount of sobriety. It is like going to an AA meeting; just a different twist on getting/staying sober. No religion, etc. as I said in my post above.

[A Work in Progress]

My Early AA Thoughts

AFM, I took a look at the LifeRing stuff on their website, a while back, and I thought it looked as if it had some very solid materials. A bit like SMART Recovery (online); both those organizations have a good strong focus on helping people (in specific ways) to work with thoughts, emotions, etc. I think that's really important.

If anyone's interested, just google "LifeRing." There are good materials on the website.

If they had meetings in the city where I live, I'd be inclined to try them out (SMART, too).

[Accountable for Me]

My Early AA Thoughts

That is good to hear, WIP. I am going to try it out on Wed.

From what I have read about SMART, it does sound similar. It is worth a shot anyway!

[narilly]

My Early AA Thoughts

God?

AAthlete, DG, Mary, everyone: At the first AA meeting I was at (this time) a lady was sharing and she said "pray to God and ask him to help even if you don't believe in God, just do it anyway because you know you are supposed to. It will help. It does work."

I thought that was great because I wondered about that myself. So that is what I do. I pray just because I know I have to. I think it does make me feel better. Lets see what happens.

Even if AA helps in some way, it is worth it. I find the MWO stuff to really help me. Together they both are good.

Thanks for listening.

Narilly

[Marshy]

My Early AA Thoughts

Very interesting thread, DG.

AA is definitely something I feel I "ought" to try but haven't yet made it to a meeting. I think the two big barriers for me are:
1. Fear! Just plain scary walking into a meeting and maybe having to speak in front of a bunch of strangers. Ugg.
2. The religion thing.

But I'm hearing such positive things about AA lately that I know I should try it.

Thanks for the reminder.

Narilly - if someone told me I ought to be praying, I'd be straight out of the door! I'm very glad it's working for you but that's one of the preconceptions I have about AA that has been putting me off.
But we're all very different in our views and outlooks and I suppose that's why people say "take what you need and leave the rest".

[Marshy]

My Early AA Thoughts

Narilly - if someone told me I ought to be praying, I'd be straight out of the door! I'm very glad it's working for you but that's one of the preconceptions I have about AA that has been putting me off.
But we're all very different in our views and outlooks and I suppose that's why people say "take what you need and leave the rest".

[Guest]

My Early AA Thoughts

Interesting thread, I too dabble in AA, but find much of the meeting a time waster, and boring. But I enjoy the group and the personal stories.

And as you say, the value of discourse with real life people, I had a very nice experience today at my yoga class. A woman who is in my AA meeting, at yoga this morning, asked me if a had a bicycle. She was making friends with me. I was so very cheered by this. It has made me happy all day. She is someone I have known of for a long time (30 years) but never befriended her because I knew she did not drink. She told me today she is finding herself without many friends, just people moving away, and all, so I felt "needed". It really has made me feel cheerful and looking forward to the start of a new friendship.

Yes, there is much I do not care for, but tomorrow on Sunday morning, I will go to the 9 am meeting. It's cozy and there are nice people. Take what you like.

A funny aside about being afraid of speaking, a few weeks ago a friend drove me to a meeting in a town nearby but not really my "community" for a meeting. I walked in and their speaker for the night did not show and I was invited to be the "chair" (the speaker)I thought about my answer for a few minutes and decided, "Why not?"

It was a really great experience. To sit and share your story with people who really listened, in real life.

So these are all light notes about AA, no God for me, just the energy and ebb and flow of our beautiful earth....

:rays:

lanter:

[Doggygirl]

My Early AA Thoughts

oceanaocean;554496 wrote: So these are all light notes about AA, no God for me, just the energy and ebb and flow of our beautiful earth....

:rays:

lanter:

That's the view of it I'm taking. While I have know idea who or what is in orchestrating things here on the planet, I can acknowledge that the world around us is an amazing and miraculous place. How do the spring daffodils know when to come up every year? That sort of stuff. And I surely know that when I am drinking, I am holed up in my house alone with my bottle, and I am NOT out there in the world around me serving any useful purpose at all.

One of the main AA points about this, as I understand it really, is to acknowledge that *I* am not the center of the universe. It might be God or it might be something/body else, the the world does NOT revolve around me. As most or all of us have long since figured out, problem drinking at the level I did it is a very self centered activity. Planning it, doing it, recovering from it, repeat. To hell with everything and everyone else. So that's where I'm focusing.

Just as an aside, I also go to a SMART meeting weekly. For those who haven't checked out the SMART program, it's all laid out in the toolbox at SMART Recovery? | Help with Alcohol, Drug, and Other Addictions. Smart offers something different from both MWO and AA. I find all of these approaches quite interesting. Being a student of sobriety is better than being a drunk. For me anyway.

I am trying to look around me and find the people who have achieved what I want to achieve - long term sobriety. How are they doing it? There are different ways and I don't mind learning about all of 'em.

Good morning to all and happy Sober Sunday!

DG

[gyco]

My Early AA Thoughts

hi everyone,good post dog lady,i didnt comment yesterday,i believe i wanted to here more opinions on the AA way,to my understanding there were other ways b4 AA,just not a s recognised,and yet the only reason AA was recognised was it had to do with very wealthy people,and then a president of the US of A stepped in,history,the wealthy man s desease,bill was a very intellectual man,but he couldn't master Al,until he and another man.bob,who by the way was a very religious man,hence the the arrogance of bill,again read his history,he was addicted to everything,ooops even women,history,hence came the AA way,read the bible,if not for bob,would never of been made,i assume,when i also read doggies thread,she didnt say she was called a lier,she assumed cause of a gesture made by someone,or perhaps, a comment ,by someone else,think about it,if you ve ever been in treatment,or should i say a good treatment center,if you only learned one thing,it would be addicts,which we are,are chronic,deceivers of the truth,did you drink,no,yes, or maybe, hahahha,i didnt write this to offend,AA is but a way,just like we had Al when we drink,AA will always stay in the closet,like AA said,that is why we only use the 1st name,my last meeting a member with 4o years sobriety,said,he was at a loss,he introduced himself as john smith,the reason being,in his words how would a new comer no who hes talking to if there were 10 john s s in the room,made sense.you have to find what works for you,this is not a debate.some people just cant drink,easy eh, gyco

[Cinders]

My Early AA Thoughts

One of the main AA points about this, as I understand it really, is to acknowledge that *I* am not the center of the universe. It might be God or it might be something/body else, the the world does NOT revolve around me. As most or all of us have long since figured out, problem drinking at the level I did it is a very self centered activity. Planning it, doing it, recovering from it, repeat. To hell with everything and everyone else. So that's where I'm focusing.

DG,

First off, I am back and in the saddle again after my pity party the other day. Thank you for caring. :l

Secondly, I am immersing myself in AA. Totally for the time being because so far nothing else has worked. I see so much long term sobriety and my sponsor has 7 years of sobriety, herself. It seems to me that I sure can learn from her!! My home group is filled with wonderful, caring people.

Thirdly, You will note that only the first step deals with alcohol. The rest are there to help us stay sober but also learn to become better people. Addiction sure does make us self-centered. It is good to get out of that place and see the world and live in it. Helping others, and not constantly thinking of ourselves and our next

I believe that is one of the character defects AA talks about. Yes, I want to become a better person. I want to become a happy, serene, sober person. Able to take on the stuff that life throws at me.

I will do whatever it takes.

Yesterday, my sponsor had me get on me knees and say the Step 3 prayer. It was strange, we read it together. She told me when she first got here she just did it and had no idea who or what God is. She said she found God through working the steps. But she said "The 12 Steps are an action plan. Just start doing the steps."

So, yes, I will pray daily - it worked for me yesterday :-) - and I will simply take the suggestions that my sponsor gives me. Why? Because she is sober and I am struggling.

This week, my assignment is to work on Step 4. I have to write down my resentments (current ones) and who/what I am resentful against, as well as what those resentments cause in my life.

I can see where resentful feelings can keep us in the drinking mind set. So, I will do it and I will do it as best I can. At the end of the week, we will go through them and she will show me how to get rid of them.

I am pretty excited, actually. It is good to be doing positive things to stay sober.

Hippie, NA is a good program, too. Here where I live it is not a good group, or I would have looked into it myself. I am a vanilla alkie but addiction is addiction. I am so grateful you found a good group. :l

Love,
Cindi

[retteacher]

My Early AA Thoughts

Cindi: So good to see you share here. I think working w/a sponsor makes all the difference. I'm working accepting life as it is...not wanting to change it or to escape from it. All I can change is myself. As far as God: I've been using "a power greater than myself" which could easily include MWO or some kind of universal spirit. I'll be calling my sponsor today & reporting on what I read & wrote about. Mary

[Doggygirl]

My Early AA Thoughts

Cindi it is good to see you back in the good fight! I love this part of what you said:

I will simply take the suggestions that my sponsor gives me. Why? Because she is sober and I am struggling.

I have thought a lot over the last week about how critical I was of AA when 1) I had never checked it out first hand and 2) I was drinking out of control every day. I'm sure I won't agree with everything because I rarely do in any subject matter LOL! But I was being real jerk in my judgements under the circumstances considering my own position. So off I go in a more open minded way.

Mary, I am so glad to see your post too and I am very interested in hearing more about how you decided that the person you ended up asking would be a good sponsor, and how things progress. I know nothing about how any of that works.

DG

[Seacailin]

My Early AA Thoughts

Hi Everyone
Just thought I would "chime" in as I am an AA participant too. I began in AA in 1989, but I didn't have a drinking problem. I had a "back" problem. I needed to get people off of my back. I did not drink for 10 years, but no thanks to anything I did. I went back to AA after jail time, and long term rehab, and I really worked the Steps with a sponsor and took "most" of the suggestions. I stayed sober for a year and a half. I made the mistake of getting into a relationship with another AA. I ended up smoking marijuana to escape from relationship problems, and when he found out, he joined me and before you know it, we were drinking and our relationship went right down the tubes. We were together for 3 years. He had 8 years of sobriety when I met him and I carrying some guilt about his going back out. I am now back in AA and have a sponsor. We are starting Step One together this week. I get really nervous at the meetings, but that is getting better as I get to know people. I know that if I stay home and isolate, I will drink again, so it is good to get out and spend time with people who truly understand our affliction.