Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

[Unwasted]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Mary, you still go almost every day? Wow. That's a strange concept to me......do you still feel like you "white-knuckle" it to some degree? Or, do you just enjoy the fellowship that much? I'm actually very happy to know this because it gives me a barometer. I've been feeling kind of vulnerable -- not exactly like I'll pick up, but more just kind of empty. I really hope to meet some people I can relate to who don't drink. Thanks again for your post.

I came back to edit this post - you know, I think I could really benefit from going every day, or nearly every day. I'm going to give that some thought and maybe try it out to see how it fits!

[Bean]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Hey everyone

I just posted on another thread so then I thought, wth, may as well drop in and say hi here too! All is well in my world. Just shy of 5 months sober and doing great.

Unwasted, I know exactly how you feel. It's a strange, flat plateau I find myself on too after being sober all this time. I don't want to drink but I am missing some sense of fun and excitement. Tonight my brother told me he feels exactly the same way, as he was drinking a bottle of wine.... so that confirms to me it's not the booze or lack of it that's the problem.

Next mission: get out and have some fun. It doesn't have to be at an AA meeting though I do find them quite enjoyable and a bit of a laugh. From what I understand, this 'empty' feeling is completely normal at this stage. So I'm just going to quietly ignore it till it goes away!

Have a great weekend all.
Bean

[Unwasted]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Thanks Bean. I know I definitely need to create something in my life to fill the void and it's good to hear from you that it's part of the process. I appreciate your responding. I also read your post on Tipps' thread, and found it very helpful. :l

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Hi all. Bean it's awesome to see you and congrats on 5 months!! :yougo: PAWS can last up to 2 years, so give yourself time. Life can be fun again without booze, I promise!

Unwasted, if you get around to enough meetings, you will definitely meet people you "click" with. There are people from every walk of life imagineable around the tables.

Got some sad news today. A woman I met around the tables a couple years ago died this past week. She had a very hard relapse maybe 18 months ago. One of my sponsees went to try to help her - I know I posted about it - it was a first have view of why it is suggested we never go alone for that type of work. This woman was a nurse. Professional and successful until alcohol took her down. After that relapse I never saw her back at the meetings, so I suspect she may have died an alcoholic death. She was only in her 40s. I and many others reached out to her but all she wanted was more alcohol.

I am sad to know that alcohol has claimed another life. I am also reminded of the cunning, baffling and powerful nature of addiction. I don't know if I would make it back from a relapse. I don't want to find out. Time to shore up my program.

Will be spending some time tomorrow afternoon with some of my girlfriends from AA. I'm really glad for the fellowship.

DG

[Unwasted]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

DG, I'm coming up on 4 months sober and it really helps me to hear the time frame you just mentioned. It's like going in the hospital for a procedure.......having someone give you an idea of what you're going to encounter is much less scary than being told nothing. I research like a fiend trying to find out everything I can about addiction. I read voraciously on the subject. If I know that in x time I'll feel or experience x, it helps me! Of course we're all different but still.......I've heard of PAWS. I'm going to read about it. Thanks.

So sad about the woman who died - I hate alcohol!

[4theboyz]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

At last nights AA meeting the chair asked if anyone had a topic they wanted to discuss or had a desire to drink they wanted to share...I had both and raised my hand. I was humbled by the group of people who chose to stay in my group and discuss their own experiences with early sobriety. It helped me immensely to hear and reinforce my resolve with their struggles and little victories over our challenges.

I left there feeling more confident to face these cravings that are bent on testing my resolve to stay sober.

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Unwasted - I'm like you - love getting my hands on information!

4tbz - reading your post made me think about how very alone I thought I was for so many years as my addiction evolved. What a shock (and relief!!!) to find out that the thoughts and fears and experiences I had were shared by so many others. I find a lot of comfort and wisdom and hope hearing how others got through all the various challenges on the path to being happy joyous and free. If they can, we can, right?

I am currently exploring a lot of really deep issues I have with my family and my relationships with my parents especially. The tools of AA have given me the courage and humility to look honestly and these very raw and personal issues, and a way to work on resovling them. I'm grateful.

DG

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

UW: No, I don't feel like I'm "white-knuckling" it any more...not that I'm complacent or take my sobriety for granted. I don't go long wo/a meeting:
1. I really like them.
2. I always learn something from them.
3. I've made close personal friendships w/people in them.
4. I'd probably relapse if I didn't go to them...they keep me sober.

It does seem odd, even to me, that meetings have become a way of life. At first, I went because of sheer survival. Now, I go because they keep me on course.

As far as that flat feeling: I don't remember if I've had that. I get so much more enjoyment out of life sober than I did drunk! I socialize w/people in program where there is no alcohol served or consumed. I socialize w/old friends who drink normally. Both are fine w/me. I don't envy the social/normal drinkers, because I know I cannot drink that way. I don't wish I could drink along w/them, because they aren't having more fun than I'm having completely sober.

DG: This program does bring us face to face w/our issues. I must admit that it's kind of scary. Good luck.

mary

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Greetings all. I came to AA with no DUI's, no lost jobs or any of that. Of course I tried to find the differences among everyone at first. It took me some time to "hear" all the similarities. One test question I always ask myself, "can I go into a bar and drink two beers?" No, I can't. I could drink a dozen but not just two. So I think I will keep going to meetings and working the program.

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Phil: Good question. I couldn't drink one glass of wine. M

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Me? One glass of wine? It's never happened. Ever. Not even in my much younger years.

DG

[LibraryGirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

I don't know many people who do go into a bar and only have one drink. In fact, I don't know any. Do you think people who don't drink much, don't often go to bars/pubs? In the circles I used to hang with, one drink and no more meant you were pretty much a non-drinker, lol. I guess I used to hang out with alcoholics, although none of them admitted it.

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Hi Library girl. That is a really good question. When I look back on my drinking history, I see a lot of things that I did not see clearly at the time. One thing that is GLARING to me now is how I purposefully sought out other heavy drinkers. I didn't WANT to hang around people who were non-drinkers or light drinkers. I wanted to hang out with people who drank like me.

So over the years, my circle of friends changed. As I progressively drank more and more, I progressively sought out others who drank like me.

Was everyone I hung out in a bar with an alcoholic? No. Lots of people go out and "tie one on" occassionally. Everyone I hung out with didn't go to the bars every night like I did (before I stopped going to bars and just got drunk at home alone). But I knew the Monday crowd, the Tuesday crowd, the Wednesday crowd, etc.

As a non-drinker today, I do not enjoy going to bars. ITS BORING. This tells me exactly what a bore I used to be. Getting drunk, repeating myself, acting stupid, etc. etc. No thanks. I find it difficul to watch drunks like I used to be. Ugh. I suspect that's why we don't see too many non or light drinkers in bars.

DG

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

There're are 2 bars I pass when I go to my AA meeting place. When I look in (from a distance), I see a kind of murky haze, & a bunch of people standing outside having a cigarette. Is that somewhere a mod drinker would want to be...especially on a nice Sunday afternoon? And it probably smells as bad as it looks. What a waste of time! M

[Unwasted]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 5 - Mar. 11

Hi Everyone,

I went to two meetings yesterday. It felt good to be with people who get it. I'm going to try lunch out with one of the groups next Saturday. Still assessing, but I think it's all good.