Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

[mg72]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

This is the newbie checking in. I wrote on thread about a week ago. Today is my 50th day AF and my seventh week in AA. I received my 30 day coin(ugly red color) and look forward to getting my 60 day one. I did my fourth and fifth steps with my sponser yesterday and it went well. I am already seeing great benefits from not drinking and having my life open up in positive ways.

I have to go, my grandaughter and son just arrived. I will write more later and look forward to participating with all of you.

[one2many]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

I just want to thank DG for posting that this morning...it has really hit a chord with me and I am so glad I came here and had the chance to read it. I tend to get so would up with how others have wronged me...I am gonna "Take it easy"! Thank you DG!

So glad all is well Mary xxxxx What a relief it must be for you.

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

MG72: Congrats on your 30 day coin...they mean a whole lot. I can see peoples' faces light up when they go to the front of the room to receive them & hear the sincere applause. I know how wonderful I felt about getting them.

Last night's meeting was on step 5. It's really gotten me thinking about coming out in the open about the things that are bothering me. The more I do that, the better I feel. Sometimes I need time to process them, but in the end, I must find a way to be rigorously honest w/people. That doesn't mean that I'm going to take peoples' inventories. It means that I have to keep my house clean...get issues off my mind.

Mary

[Winefree]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

Mary, we read about step 5 at both the Thur night and Fri night womens' mtgs I attend. I'm not sure I understand it at this point. A couple of the woman talked about writing 40-50 pages about it. I can't imagine that. Will have to keep going and taking it ODAT.

Anyone else have any insight?

Winefree

[mg72]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

Winefree and Reteacher,
My fourth step was writing about people I had resentment or long term anger toward and also list of actions I felt guilty about. My list was two pages long and it took about an hour and a half to get through with my sponser. To write 50 pages is not something I felt was necessary. As I understand program we will continue to do fourth and fifth steps as we feel the need. At this point I think it was worth doing but I am not one filled with guilt or resentment toward others. The longer I am off of AL perhaps the more in touch with this process I will become. It did clear up for me some of reasons I drank and how it actually affected me negatively how I communicated and connected with people.

[Sheepish]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

Good news on your daughter Mary! And - DG- thinking good thoughts for Sister.
Have a good day.
-Sheep

[Winefree]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

Thanks MG, so glad to hear it doesn't have to be lengthy. I don't think I will have that much to write or talk about, but we shall see.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend. And a Happy AF Mother's Day to all.

Winefree

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

Hi all. I went to my first ever AA Fellowship banquet. It sort of reminded me of a wedding reception in terms of the location and the table set up and all of that. So this was a first for me being in that type of a setting without AL. I'm glad I went because every single sober experience where I used to be drunk is good for re-wiring my experience base. The speaker was pretty amazing. She grew up with so many odds against her it's not funny. Multiple addictions. Abandoned (after years of molestation by the males in the family) by her mother. Prison time. Death of her husband. And she's sober today and carrying the message. Whenever I feel a tad sorry for myself and think "why can't I drink???" a woman like this comes along who gets my eyes back on the prize - sobriety. If she can do it, so can I.

They did a sobriety countdown starting from the longest sobriety terms to the newcomers. There were several people there with over 40 years of sobriety. The newest newcomer was 24 hours. She was given a Big Book signed by everyone in the room. That was pretty cool.

My personal opinion is that many people make the 4th and 5th step work WAY scarier than it needs to be. "Fearless moral inventory." Not "fearful moral inventory." Facing up to the truth about myself and my past was such an important step to being free in my "today." Important to clearing the wreckage of the past. Please don't be afraid of it. Just dig in and do it with a sponsor just like the big book instructs. My own writing was maybe 5 or 6 pages. Some people write a lot more. The important thing IMO is to just do it.

I felt an AMAZING sense of relief after completing the 4th and 5th steps. I'm no longer burdened by secrets and baggage.

Well, I'm off to bed! Step Coach is speaking in another suburb tomorrow so a couple of us are going to hear him.

Have a great day / night everyone.

DG

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

It was great to go hear Step Coach speak. He has given so much back to the program of AA and helped so many people. I am grateful he was there to help me. I have heard him tell his story before, but I don't think he included this part before. His Mom and Dad divorced when he was very young. He had polio, which apparently was a Big Issue for his father (also an alcoholic). Step Coach recalled being about 3 years old and crawling because with polio he couldn't walk. His father would kick him and order him to get up and walk.

One thing that drove him through the doors of AA was 1) his wife threatening to divorce him and 2) not wanting his own son to grow up like he did - with an alkie Dad or no Dad at all. He didn't think he was "that bad" but his wife knew better. On his last night of drinking he put away 39 Bud Lights and 3 Special Exports.

I also got to meet Step Coach's sponsor for the first time which was nice. I had a good time riding with another girl who goes to the same meetings I do and getting to know her better. Turns out a couple guys who also go to the same meetings we do also went to hear Step Coach. It was very cool. I love knowing that wherever I go, I can find a meeting that will be familiar and where I will always be welcome.

DG

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

DG, thanks for sharing. You do have some interesting folks in your aa circle.
This is like we all get to participate in a BIG aa meeting.

[catch22]

Weekly AA Thread - 5/3 - 5/9

Hi Everyone,

Mary, glad to read that your daughter is ok. It funny they dont seem to make a big thing about given out chip.
Winefree reading your post about 40-50pages :shocked: but really made me laugh, i cant imagine that as well.
DG.... love reading your post never heard of a fellowship banquet.
There is someone that i want to ask to be my sponser, but im to scared to ask it feels like im asking someone to go out on a date.

I love my meetings on a saturday morning everyone there that share's is so honest, at the end this Big massive guy, shared and said how he was really proud of me and how i have work so dam hard to get where iam today on my recovery, i was :blush: ing but really taken back by surprise it really made me think the people in my fellowship how much they all mean to me.
I did share about cowgal and how i felt and also about the broken bottle of wine in work, when i started this lady was going home so she needed someone to stand next to the broken bottle so that no customers would have a accident..... well standing next to this broken bottle of red wine everywhere was very hard for me the smell really did smell nice plus it give me that really nice warm feeling inside me that red glow, i did started to get a craving, it remind me of that story hippie had share The brown botttle, anyway i started to imagine if i was a dog now i could lick that all up or if no one was around looking i just wanted to dip my fingers in it to just get a little taste.
Thank God the cleaner come and it was at the beginning of my work not the end.

Thanks for all sharing i do get a lot of out of everyones posts.