Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

[retteacher]

Hi Everyone: I'm starting this a day early in case I don't have time tomorrow. Last night's "Burning Desire" meeting was very special. First, I gave a 4 year medallion to a really good friend in AA. She's someone that's been very helpful to me. Giving the medallion was as wonderful as receiving one.

The discussion centered around depression & the holidays. I was surprised at the number of people in the group who suffer from depression. I think that alcoholics use booze as a self-medication. I personally don't suffer from depression, but I could identify w/the isolation theme which also came up during the discussion. I can keep myself very busy in lieu of calling someone or going out to a meeting. This is something I have to watch out for.

Making connections w/people in my groups is very important for my growth in the program. I'm a naturally shy person, so it's easy for me to isolate by doing things: cooking, baking, crafts, reading, etc. Those are all positives, but when they interfere w/my connecting w/others, I have to push myself to reach out in some way.

I hope everyone is doing well. A special greeting to Chief: I hope you can find a meeting that you like.

Mary

[Choochie]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

I'm a naturally shy person, so it's easy for me to isolate by doing things: cooking, baking, crafts, reading, etc. Those are all positives, but when they interfere w/my connecting w/others, I have to push myself to reach out in some way

Mary, this is me too - really content to do my own thing. I've been pondering - is it better to reach out and force yourself to be with others? Is the isolation part of why we drank? Still trying to figure all this out.

Thanks for posting it.

xx,
Choochie

[Korlan]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

New to the forum

First of all - thanks Coochie for directing me here. First read and again, I totally identify. I am an absolutel isolationist by nature as well. If I have a responsibility to be there, I will, but generally at home reading, and in the past drinking. Thanks for the post guys, no meetings till tomorrow.

Karen :new:

[Choochie]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

K - so glad you've joined this thread and have decided to go to a meeting.

xx,
Choochie

[j-vo]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

I, too, can isolate myself very easily. Haven't had time much to do that and have been keeping very busy trying to get shopping done and preparing for xmas.

Welcome K! Nice to have you here. Have you been in AA long? How is your experience with it?

I'm trying to find a temporary sponsor. I called someone last night but she hasn't returned my call. I think I may give her another ring tonight.

Mary, hope you have a great time at your Holiday party!

Tomorrow I'll go to a speaker meeting to see a woman I graduated from H.S. with lead. She's been in AA for approx. 7 years. She's in my homegroup.

Have a good start to the week.

[Korlan]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Hi guys, I started with AA about a month ago, and I now have a home group and a sponsor. I try to hit at least one meeting a day. I've gotten to about 34 meetings so far and only one I didn't like. It was an all women's group - really cliquey. But that's the only one. I can no longer imagine having a friend who wasn't in the program, it's a world full of real and honest people who care about each other. I always say that there isn't a person in there who doesn't want to help me. I was off sick and I had people worried sick that I had given up - that's caring! On my second read through the big book and our study starts in the New Year. LOVE IT It's changed the way I look at people and the world. I couldn't ask for better.

Karen:h:h

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Just wanted to pop in and say a quick hello and welcome Karen to the thread! :welcome:

Mary, thanks for giving the new week a kick start! Your telling of giving the coin made me smile!

j-vo, I know changing sponsors is difficult. I spent a lot of time flip flopping between figuring out how to blame my first sponsor for why it didn't work out, and then blaming myself for why it didn't work out. What I learned from the experience is that something like that can just "not work out" and that's all. I am stronger today about not feeling a need to blame myself or others so long as I know I have done my best. And it sure sounds to me like you have done your best - that is all that matters IMO. How exciting to be looking forward to learning from someone new!!

Chooch, when I read your post on the other thread about your second meeting, I could just feel the rush of emotions you must have felt when you shared about your husband. :l One of the things I like about women's meetings is that women really tend to understand each other's need to share about emotional personal stuff. I can't even count the number of meetings where I've cried. Somehow I just end up in a very real, raw state at AA sometimes. It's a good thing, even though it can be draining on occassion. All part of the honesty and not "stuffing" everything (and then drinking over it).

Dance, I love reading about your journey. I'm so glad you post here! You always give me a different perspective on things.

Hi lUCKy (did I capitalize that right??? I don't think so!!) and all others from the other thread and yet to come on this one.

I've been "heads down" all weekend getting our stuff moved back upstairs. Was without computer for most of today. I'm grateful for all my texty and phone friends from AA when I'm without a computer!!!!!

It's supposed to get down to 0 tonight and only a high of 9 or something like that tomorrow. So I may be another day without a meeting. Thanks to all of you for being here!

DG

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Chooch: It's much better for me to reach out to others. I drank alone & being alone is a very comfortable feeling. So, now my work is to break out of the comfort zone & reach out there to others...especially newcomers who might need someone to talk to. I have enough alone time in the evenings.

Take care one & all. It's very gratifying to see newcomers to this thread. Please don't hesitate to come here daily & share.

Mary

[j-vo]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Hey all,

Karen, again, welcome. Glad you can post about your experiences in AA. I can really relate when you said it has changed the way you look at people and the world. AA has had a great impact on me as far as being able to see the good in people, caring for them, and my relationships just getting better.

DG, I tend to overanalyze things but all I've felt today was peace. I haven't felt this way in over a month. I had such a relaxed attitude for a Monday, so productive, worked well with my students. The way I'm feeling inside means so much to my daily encounters. It's extremely hard for me to hide my feelings and control my actions when I'm not feeling peaceful. I need to feel this more.

I talked to my new "temporary" sponsor last night. We had a long chat about some of my background, and she had asked me what I expect from a sponsor. It was a good conversation, as I'd not experienced this with my former sponsor. I felt really good about it. At the end of the conversation, she said she'd agree to be my temp. sponsor. She's 22 years sober. She has a son who's just gotten out of rehab and he, his wife, and son have just moved in with her and husband.

It's very cold here! Snow is coming. Have a great, warm night.

[GoAwayCabernet]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Hey everyone,
I finally got to an AA meeting tonite. Yaaay!! Enjoyed it thoroughly. Topic: Helping Others. Got a real Kick In The Ass during the last 5 minutes when the one holding the meeting (what do they call that person?) decided to share. Like a drill sargeant, he spoke of how important it was to share, whether you had years of sobriety or just two weeks. Ironically, I have two weeks. Not to mention I sat through the meeting, debating whether or not to share. He went on to say how we might not realize it, but someone in the meeting might need to hear something we have to say. It kind of reminded me of this website; how daily we each say things that we all relate to. Or how the newcomers see themselves in each of us. And it made me that much more grateful for this site. And I've also made myself a promise that I will share at the next meeting; no matter how emotional I might feel or how much my pounding heart feels like it's going to rip through my shirt!

[GoAwayCabernet]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

PS What exactly is a "Speaker Meeting"?

[Korlan]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Different Kinds of Meetings

Hello everyone! Hi GoAwayCabernet - we have a bunch of different meetings so I'll summarize
Open vs closed = An open meeting anyone can attend and a closed is limited to those who wish to quit drinking
Speaker vs Discussion = A speaker meeting usually has a speaker from another group who shares their story for about 20-30 minutes. They always have "something" in their story I identify with
Discussion meetings - there are all sorts. Some take one step and a discussion point from the floor, and the round the table and everyone says something about the point, maybe describing an issue they're having or how they've surmounted one. Great information, and you can pass if you just want to listen
Another meeting type I like is when they split up, I went to one tonight where they split up, Steps 1-3 and sponsorship in one room, a "step of the night" which progressed week to week, and another room for Newbies.
I find I get something different out of each. Hope that helps! Not sure if they're the same everywhere - but I'll betcha they are

Night All and Happy Happy Wednesday!
Serenity - Courage - Wisdom
Serenitatem - Fortitudinem - Sapientiam

[dancelot]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Good for you GoAway!

Many times I get a lot out of what newcomers say. You never know who will relate to what you say, or when what you say may be just what someone else needed to hear. That's one of the coolest things about AA.

A speaker meeting is where there is a designated speaker, who speaks the whole hour (at least around here). I have heard in some places there may be more than one. It's a sit and listen. I like them if I'd like a meeting but am not into talking or am tired. There's one here I need to check out again. The guy that always chairs it brings all kinds of great baked goodies his wife likes to test out, so she makes something different (always wonderful) every week. I went to a speaker meeting on a different day one week, and was disappointed that the same guy didn't run it (no cake or brownies).

We had a fabulous meeting on Saturday, one of those that just makes you feel so great when you get done. I went to a Christmas party Saturday night, and it was so good to be in such a positive place already. I had a wonderful time.

I had another great meeting tonight. It's a women's group and is usually pretty small. I always look forward to it. It is such a great feeling to have a place I can call "home." Not that many months ago I couldn't have said that. This was the women's group I used to not like. It's good to feel the progress I've made. Sometimes it's quite subtle - one day you just notice it's there, or maybe more like something negative has been replaced with something positive. The thing I've gotten out of this particular meeting is the ability to truly be myself, and be honest with others.

This is carrying over into other areas of my life, ever so subtlely. I find I'm able to be myself without feeling uncomfortable for doing so, even where it is a case of standing up for myself or publicly disagreeing with someone. That's a big one for me. It used to be shut up or censor myself to avoid trouble at all costs, or just general avoidance of any confrontation. Then I'd get resentful, and next time something came up, feel backed into a corner and either lash out or feel depressed and powerless. The new way is much improved!

Welcome to Karen too! It's nice to see newcomers here - any other lurkers feel free to share too! Hope everyone's having a great week! :h

[GoAwayCabernet]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Thanks for all the input!! So is the person up front conducting the meeting referred to as the "chairman" of the meeting?

[dancelot]

Weekly AA Thread - Dec. 13 - Dec. 19

Or the "chair." Same thing I guess.