Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

[retteacher]

Many thanks to all who congratulated me on my 3 years sober. I does feel like an accomplishment, & I'm very proud of myself.

I know there is so much about AA that is daunting to a brand-newcomer or a prospective member. However, in the beginning, I tried to remember that I could NOT get sober on my own, & that kept me coming back to AA. I also remember that one of the things the program recommends is to take what you like & leave the rest. It's not a cookie-cutter program. We don't all walk in lock-step. We can think for ourselves & tailor the program to our own needs & beliefs. The steps are mere suggestions.

I've found that for every AA member there is a unique philosophy & set of beliefs. We're all individuals & there is no loss of identity upon joining AA. For that I am thankful, because I'm an older person & worked hard to establish my own personality, philosophy, & ethics.

Again, thank you all for your good wishes. I pray you all will accomplish what I have & more.

Mary

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

sausage: I hope you see this message...I know you come to this thread occasionally. I don't get around the whole forum the way I used to. I can certainly identify w/the relapsing. I did it over & over. Thank Goodness you got committed again to sobriety. I've heard over & over from people who relapse that it's a hard road back. It just takes one drink to set the ball rolling again. If there is anything you'd like to know about AA, I'd be open to you PMing me or asking right here on this thread. AA was the only way I could get sober. I had tried & tried & even MWO didn't do it for me. I still value MWO greatly, but I needed the face-to-face contact w/other alcoholics in order to get sober. Good luck. Mary

[Unwasted]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

Mary, I appreciate all the information you've given us here about AA. I'm going to keep attending meetings and am feeling the benefit of them already. I think Allswell from another thread I frequent might give AA a try. I mentioned this thread also.

Have a super day everyone.

[SAUSAGE]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

Hi Mary, I am going to start reading back over some of the previous weekly AA threads as I would like to learn more about AA and I think this would be a good place to start. I have looked at their website also and read some of the info they provide on line. As you will see I have sent you a PM also.

Unwasted - glad you are feeling the benefit of meetings already, I will keep following this weekly thread.

[catch22]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

:illbeback:

[catch22]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

Am back !!

Hi every1
I did a step 7 chair last night what i knew about step7 and how it works for me,What i thought over a year ago has changed for me..
S7... Humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings. How i work my shortcoming are my behaviour if i prayer for my shortcoming to be removed but if they are not removed it means i have not accepted them , not ready,, so i go back to step3 then do step 4 person name, step6 my character defects (Attitudes) what was effected e.g was i angry, selfish dishonest, fear ect. Step7 the exact nature of my wrongs ( turn it around), where i play my part in my behaviour. Humbly is getting honest with myself. Also i realise for awhile now that my shortcomings are a short supply of my Patience, Tolerance and Accepeance. The sooner i accept that i recongnize it, the sooner i can better myself. Am not sure if this is the long way round but it works for me.

Hope every1 is well and Take Care.:l
P.S I did my half marathon on sunday cant believe it,,, thats what AA and my soberity has given me freedom ! x catch22 x

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

Hi all! I love the posts on this weekly thread - all of them!!! Mary, you have such a compelling story. It can be difficult for people like me - a middle class woman living in a decent suburban home with a husband, etc. - to see that I am alcoholic. My image of an alcoholic, and of AA was NOT reality. Not for a long long time. I like that you are here every day demonstrating for the MWO community that women like us CAN be alcoholic and ARE alcoholic and that there is a solution.

I am so grateful I finally walked through the AA doors. I try a lot of different meetings. I LOVE a handful of them, like most of them, and would never go back to a few others. People are people. Mary I like what you said about AA's all being unique individuals. That is so true, and sometimes easy to foget amid the "isms" that are heard so consistently in meeting rooms everywhere. The important thing is that we all give what we can, and take what we need to stay sober. Whatever that is for each of us as unique individuals.

Sausage, I'm so glad to see you reading/posting. What have you got to lose, right?

I'm off to pick up some Al-Anon brochures for an upcoming health fair at school. Have a good day one and all!

DG

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

I too am so grateful to have walked through the doors of the AA rooms. I wouldn't be sober today wo/AA. Mary

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

I don't come here as often as I used too, but I still get something from you all.
Thanks for being here.
So far with my 2.25 years in AA, I have learned that everyone works their own program.

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

I am coordinating volunteers for an upcoming community awareness event about the growing heroin problem in our area. My volunteer recruitment efforts yesterday afternoon took me to a 3/4 house for people in recovery. They invited me to come in at the start of their house meeting. Their big living room didn't have the 12 step poster hanging on the wall or anything, but there was a big rendition of the circle with the triangle inside, and another "Friends of Bill" with an arrow pointing down the hall.

There was a time when of course I had no idea what those symbols meant. Yesterday it gave me peace inside - those symbols just meant I am among "my people" - people I have something significant in common with - no matter our differences. Those symbols always make me feel so at home.

Phil - good to see you!!! I love watching you continue to rack up sober time and get on with your life. I remember your posts from 2.25+ years ago. I am so happy for you!

DG

[AMELIA]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

Hello All,

Belated congratulations on your 3 years Mary! That is a wonderful achievement.

I haven't been on here reading for a while. Lots going on with work & am feeling a little overwhelmed.
Keeping up with my meetings though (doing my AA 'banking') and keeping in touch with my sponsor.
Been feeling lots of anger and resentment (huge amounts) over the last week or so.

I have also had 4 relapse dreams within a week! My sponsor seems to think this is good & that it's my subconscious releasing stuff...I'm not too sure.
I reckon it could be my subconscious inadvertently telling me to look after myself better & find healthy ways to deal with my stress.
I realise I have to be very vigilent when I feel like this. Am reading the passage on Acceptance from the BBook & trying to think about living in the solution - rather than the problem.

Really happy to see that these weekly AA threads are busy at the moment. I will make some time later to come back and read properly.

Good to see you on here too Teardrop - congrats again on your 1/2 marathon xx



Amelia

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

Catch - I love all that you wrote about Step 7! And then I somehow missed your PS about the 1/2 marathon! Congratulations!!!!!!!

Hi Amelia - it's great to see you. I'm sorry to hear you are going through a stressful patch. Learning how to TRULY take care of myself in a healthy way, rather than overcommitt, get resentful, and drink (my pattern for many years) is a real process. Learning to say "no" is a really important thing I'm trying to focus on, and I'm not good at it yet!!! I'm enmeshed in a volunteer thing right now that I should have considered more carefully, and then said "no" too. But at least I'm learning to recognize that it is MY responsibility to say "no." Not the other persons responsibility not to ask me! So at least my resentment level is far lower and next time I will be more mindful!!! Anyway...I hope your stress passes soon. Banking is a great idea!

DG

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

I'm doing OK...getting ready to go down to FL to see my mom. Please do not worry about me there, as I've got a meeting list & will go to meetings. Mary

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

retteacher;1287982 wrote: I'm doing OK...getting ready to go down to FL to see my mom. Please do not worry about me there, as I've got a meeting list & will go to meetings. Mary

Travel safely mary.

DG

[SAUSAGE]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 26 - Apr. 1

Hi - interested I finding out more about AA. Hope you don't mind me asking a question?

I know every meeting is different, ( so this is a bit of a silly question) but at a " typical" AA meeting, have most people stopped drinking and have a certain amount of AF time under their belt be it a day or 2 or many years? or are some people still unable to stop and still drinking? Also is it unusual for someone to join later on, when they've already achieved some sobriety without AA for a few months or even years?

Many thanks
Sausage x
Day 35 ( achieved without meds, just by willpower and a lot of support from people on MWO, to whom I am very grateful. I have also recently started to look at the SMART recovery program on line.)