Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

[retteacher]

Everyone: I went to my regular Sun. night meeting last night. I think I'm going to join that meeting. It's in another part of the area from the other meeting I joined, & I really like the people. When I first started at that meeting, people recognized I was new & while they were friendly, they kind of let me go at my own pace as far as integrating into the group. I'm able to meet & greet now & feel good about that. There's another woman that made the change from Alanon to AA because she "discovered" that she was an alcoholic. I'm going to call her for lunch when I get back from Florida. I feel incredibly positive about the meetings I go to. Even when there are disruptive people there, I don't let it bother me. I see now that's part of the process for them. Again, I want to mention that I'll be in Florida the latter part of the week taking care of some things for my parents. Not to worry: I won't drink. Mary

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

DG: I just read you last entry into last week's AA thread (about traditions). I heard a member say that
-"The steps protect me from me."
-"The traditions protect the group from me."

It's hard for me NOT to believe in a higher power when I think that one person, Bill W., conceived of the steps & the traditions practically all at once in a flash in a hospital room during his final dry-out.

Mary

[Winefree]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

Hi Mary, good luck in Fla and I know you will be AF. You are doing so well.

I have been going to many different AA mtgs as well. I am finding I like the smaller meetings better because I am not intimidated and can finally speak a bit.
There is a large speaker meeting on Sunday nights that I am finding hard to attend. The majority of the speakers have been male and started their drinking careers in their teens. The jail experiences, accidents etc, just don't apply to me, so I find myself comparing too much instead of being able to identify.

Other meetings on the Big Book, discussion, woman's meetings, Living Sober and beginners meetings have all been good.
Can't stay on too long now, since I have a meeting at 7p.

thanks for starting this weeks thread.

Winefree

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

WF: I too like the smaller meeting. I went to a small women's meeting recently which I only attended once (it's right at dinner time). I'm going to try to clear my schedule to attend that instead of the larger, more male-oriented speaker meeting which occurs later Mon. night. I'm starting to speak a little. I do think I need to share, but I'm finding it difficult & I get nervous. I'm just trying to walk through the fear & do it.

All that said: last night's speaker meeting was very good. A woman spoke first. Her name happened to be Mary, & she was a teacher at one time. She was a functional alcoholic & never had an arrest or any other catastrophe. I could identify w/most of what she said.

At the meetings, I hear so much gratitude. Maybe, recovering alcoholics have an extra dose, because the simple facts that we are waking up wo/a hangover or can remember everything from the previous night or any of the other simple blessings of sober living are so appreciated now that we have them.

For those of you who are from other countries: yesterday was Memorial Day here in the USA. It has evolved into a day for bar-b-ques & parties. I know there was plenty of drinking going on. For me, it's very different. Having lost my first husband in the VietNam war, I usually stick close to home & don't even turn on the TV. Maybe that's how I honor the war casualties.

Anyhow, enough rambling. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Mary

[dill]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

Mary, I am so sorry for your loss. It must have been awful to lose your husband to the vietnam war.

Yesterday I was very reflective of what the true reason for the "holiday" was. I realized that many didn't give it a thought. I don't mean to be critical of them because I know that there were times in my life when the reason behind the day off was unimportant to me as well. I was just glad to have a day off.

Just wanted you to know, that I understood what yesterday stood for and I gave thanks and prayers to those brave souls.

[Preciouspinot]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

Afternoon everyone. I went to the Keys for the long weekend. The first time I have done that sober. We were a big group of friends and family and 2 boats. My mother in law was mad at me because she bought me a bottle of pinot grigio and i didn't drink it. She told hubby she was insulted. Just can't please everyone. I did continue to go to meetings while I was down there. The room was made up of "salty dogs"... a bunch of older fishermen but, they were all really nice. I am going to a women's meeting tonight at a room I have never been to before. There are so many rooms and meetings in my town there are tons to chose from and there is pretty much no excuse not to go.

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

Hello everyone! Life is back into full gear here after having more leisure time, and time to read and post more than usual for a couple days. That's the ebb and flow of life I guess! (Is it eb or ebb? Anyway...) Mary thank you for getting us started for the week! I'm not sure when you are leaving for Florida but I hope you have a wonderful and safe trip.

Mary I am very sorry for your loss during the Vietnam war. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you and for so many others who lost husbands / sons / fathers / brothers in that war and other wars. And now more women in harm's way as well. It sounds like you had a nice quiet day to honor his memory.

I can relate to attending different meetings to find what group suits you best. It's cool that different groups have a different "personality" and yet the agenda is always familiar. I have two home groups - LOL that covers 7 days a week! Both of them are relatively small so it's easier to get to know people and they both have a hearty attendance from old timers as well as a nice mix of newer people so it really is like going to "Sober School."

Today was interesting as I got home from an early afternoon hair appointment to find a message on my machine asking if I would be the speaker at a meeting tonight. My sponsor also left a message saying that she approved and encouraged me to do this. I was a bit stunned as I'm so new to the program but long story short, I ended up accepting the invitation and speaking at a meeting at the club where I go, but with a group where I have not attended any meetings thus far. (I'm more of a morning meeting person!) He told me I could pick any topic I wanted as the focus of my story so I chose The Promises as some really cool things have started happening in my life, just like the promises say. It really ended up being a good experience and apparently, there is value in our stories regardless of how far along we are in our AA programs. There was another girl there who is relatively new to AA and it was her first time at that particular group's meeting. She was nodding and nodding along with me and there were several specific issues (i.e. intense fear of relapse) that she said she really identified with. I was glad to have said something that made a fellow new person feel more "understood" in some way. The fellowship is pretty amazing - it really is.

I need to get my day wrapped up and get to bed! Just wanted to say hello to the AAers here. PP and Winefree and Mary, you are all doing so great. And hello Dill! Hi to anyone lurking - hope you will come and post with your questions. LOL - as part of my story I was honest about why I thought AA "wasn't for me" for such a long time - including the stories I had heard about door knobs as higher powers and stuff. We had a few laughs tonight too.

Happy trails all!

DG

[Popeye]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

Hello All.

Thanks for the great posts.

I didn't get to my Monday meeting this week. I was really tired (I have been for a few days now) and went to bed instead. I missed it. I enjoy the group. There's some really cool people there. I'm still finding my feet and am starting to actually get comfortable sharing some of my story, though I do catch myself talking too fast and stumbling over the words, but I'm getting better.
Still, I'm in a good frame of mind just now, and I have been for a long time. I'm happy that I don't drink anymore and it's not just for the novelty value. I decided around about the time I stopped drinking to make some other changes to my lifestyle. Nothing too drastic. I threw my TV out which to most of the people who know me is the greatest heresy imaginable. I was asked the other day, half jokingly, if I had joined a cult.

I can relate to PP's experience with her Mother-in-Law. I went to fix my ex-wife's uncle's TV yesterday. He asked me how I was doing with the drinking. I told him I was doing great then he offered me a couple of cans of beer 'just in case you want one'. I declined and he looked a bit peeved for a second, or it may have been a realistion on his part that I'm serious about quitting. They all know me as a hard drinker so it may take time for them to change their opinions...which don't worry me at all.
DG... I agree with you. There is value to everybody's story. There are so many ways to be caught up in drink, and so many different routes out. I've heard stories of sadness, violence, loneliness, self-deception, heartbreak, courage, humour...so many themes, and I can relate to so many of them on various different levels.
Hi there Winefree and dill.
Enjoy Florida Mary.

[gyco]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

good morning AA ers,kind of makes me laugh a bit,family that wept when we almost drank ourselves to death,being offended that we dont drink with them,or even hide when we do,remember , this is what we assume they think,,AA will always be close to my heart,my biggest problem is not stopping,its wanting to stay stopped,of late ive been reflecting on my early childhood,and the physical health issues i have today,a story i heard in treatment,us small guys when drinking or partially intoxicated.will always find the biggest guy in the crowd,to fight with,was i my own worse enemy,even in sobriety,the mental aspect is so defying,is it worth the drink,or the pain,good thread folks, gyco

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

Everyone: I'm going away for a week to help my parents. I'll look for meetings & will be fine. I'll be back toward the end of next week. Mary

[Popeye]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

Take care Mary.

[Preciouspinot]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

I heard something funny at a womens meeting the other day. A woman picked up a "blue chip" to signify 6 months sober and someone said the blue was to signify the blue skies ahead and not the blue lights behind you in the rear view mirror. :H

[Preciouspinot]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

Well, I did step two last night with my sponsor. I had to make a list of bad circumstances that I had gotten myself into due to alcohol/partying/ect and got out of the situation ok, unhurt,ect. It was to see that I got out OK because my Higher Power was there looking out for me. It was 2 pages worth of stuff. It was pretty scary looking at it all there in one place. 25 years of stuff.

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

PP that sounds like a good exercise! The one I did for step 2 was a little bit less specific. Still good to do, but I'm going to file away what your sponsor had you do for future reference. 30 years worth of those stories would be a lot of 'em. I'm lucky to be alive that's for sure. LOL on the "blue chip" story!

I haven't had much time to post this week but continue going to meetings every day. I feel that the meetings really help to keep me centered in some way. Not just about not drinking - I haven't had any strong drinking urges lately. (knocks on wood fast!) It's more about keeping my mind in the place where it needs to be - a good attitude of gratitude and the stuff of the serenity prayer. And stay out in the mental sun rather that in the dark shadowing places of my mind where AL is napping like mold.

Yesterdays meeting was really awesome. My sponsor is the chair on Thursdays so gave the lead. She talks very openly about her faith in God and savior Jesus, etc. She used some pretty strong God references from the daily reading in the 24 Hours book. This led to one of the "old timers" bringing up the critical importance of not turning off alkies in need by crossing the line from the spiritual to the religious. He was not criticizing my sponsor personally at all. He presented his point in a very PC way, considering the explosive possibilities when any discussion of religion comes up in a mixed group of people! I was amazed at the way people responded presenting their points of view about HP / God etc. in the context of AA. I spoke up too, so it wasn't just for the old timers to weigh in. LOL - this sort of discussion would never have happened when my Granny was alive because you just didn't talk about important stuff openly. But if my extended family ever DID try to have such a discussion as the one yesterday, I'm sure it would have ended in fist fights or tears or both. And that's without any booze to fuel the flames.

I'm really coming to like and respect these people.

DG

[Preciouspinot]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of May 25 - May 31

It is amazing how the meetings can really turn into something very deep and spiratual. I used to picture a bunch of drunks rehashing stories about being in the gutter. What i have found is a bunch of intelligent introspective people who feel and think like I do who are sincerely trying to grow spiratually and offer support. I feel like I am become a "real" grown up for once in my life....not just playing one on TV. I was always a pretty responsible person and a hard worker but, I have always felt emotionally and spiratually immature.