Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

[mauritiusdodo]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

thanks pingu, I will thinking of going to a big book study group tonight

[pingu1997]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

You are lucky you can get there. One of my issues is that I can't cos of the kids and work....it's a struggle any day except Sundays and my lethargic arse doesn't want to sit through desperation meetings then. All our meets seem to be chair and share. I like the name drunkalogs lol

[mauritiusdodo]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

At the group I attend they have Monday Speaker, Thursday big book and Friday step meeting. They are all in the evenings, I can't get to any meetings in the day and don't really want to go on a weekend when my dh is home although I might try one just to see

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

Good discussion here. There is a point for some people when AA just clicks. Also, there are other ways to get sober including MWO which has worked for many. M

[Guitarista]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

pingu1997;1354737 wrote: Thank you from me too
I want to consolidate my sober life but I can't admit to being unmanageable powerless or desperate. If that's what I have to do then thats a massive step back for me and I'm not prepared to do it

Hi Purple pants,

Ok, forget powerless. How about the concepts of acceptance and surrender? Have you explored your potential relationship with these 2 themes? Accept we have a serious problem and don't fight it, surrender to it. Acknowledge and ACCEPT. What do you reckon of that?

Also, gratitude thinking versus deprivation thinking. There's some cool stuff in the first few pages of our toolbox thread on this subject. Will power is too difficult and won't hold, so we need to take action to go for a mental shift in our mindset.

Rock on you purple legged legend

Hi Mary!

[pingu1997]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

Guitarista;1355260 wrote: Hi Purple pants,

Ok, forget powerless. How about the concepts of acceptance and surrender? Have you explored your potential relationship with these 2 themes? Accept we have a serious problem and don't fight it, surrender to it. Acknowledge and ACCEPT. What do you reckon of that?

Also, gratitude thinking versus deprivation thinking. There's some cool stuff in the first few pages of our toolbox thread on this subject. Will power is too difficult and won't hold, so we need to take action to go for a mental shift in our mindset.

Rock on you purple legged legend

Hi Mary!

Yep I'm totally there on the acknowledge and accept. I think I found out today that the person I met is a very hard core aa person who does everything by the book and uses all the aa words. Apparently they arent all like that. Apart from still feeling shite the whole aa story is making some more sense

[TheSunFlower]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

Many sponsors will tell you not to talk during your first 30-90 days. Listening is good. But, a friend of mine in the program said if you do not talk....then nobody gets to know you. So I started opening my mouth and babbling a few words out at each meeting. This truly was a turning point, because people felt like they got to know me a bit. And then they started to reach back out to me. EVERYONE has been where you are.....regardless of how far down they went. The emotions are the same.

That said.....I realized my sponsor is all of 25. I can't decide if this is good or bad. We can not share the same experiences as I am a mother of 2 young boys. But, I do like that we strictly talk steps.

I agree with Mary...the fellowship is what helps the most. But, you have no fellowship if you don't let them get to know you a bit. Even if its just a bit a blabber. With my bit of blabber, I find myself getting to meetings earlier and staying later.


I have a friend in the program....and she was talking about how boring her life has become. I was was like what? I get to hang out with drunks and drug addicts....hear their stories...the meetings I go to always stay on topic....so I don't consider what I hear a drunkaloge....more them sharing their experience. Really, I can't handle any more excitement than that in my life

For me the steps are important....as I work through them....I can feel like I am making progress. But, in reality.....today is not like the Bill W. days. They would work the steps in a matter of days.....not months. I do not want to rush through them.....but, I feel like I will not get relief of this disease until I do. And I always hear..."what step are you working on"....ALL of them.

I am not nearly through the steps, but worked them before. And over the weekend I was able to help someone.

My biggest frustation is finding a good sponsor. There are so little women in the program here with decent time....and if they do....they already have enough sponsee's. Honestly, I can see how this program is easier for men than women. When 90% of the room is men....

[mauritiusdodo]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

I arrived slightly earlier than usual last night and hung around outside, I got chatting to one lady and then another spoke to me after the meeting so I feel a little better, I really enjoyed the big book meeting after initially finding it a little strange, I didn't take a turn reading as I didn't feel comfortable doing it, I am not really one for speaking in public which worries me a lot about the whole thing, I am really not sure I will ever dare speak up and share :blush:

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

I am not one to speak out naturally in groups. Yes, I was a teacher, but children & adults are 2 different things...especially when speaking about myself. However, I do share at meetings. It gets easier as I go along. The AAers call this type of fear "self-centered fear." I certainly have had that all my life...fear of what people might be thinking about me. The more I push through the fear, the less potent it becomes.

It's great to see this discussion here. I try not to overthink the whole powerlessness, surrender, HP, conceptual part of the program. It is what it is & has worked for me. Yes, finding a woman sponsor is difficult. I'm a grandma, & there are few older women in my groups. But, I did find one finally. I just tried to trust that the right person would come along.

Last night there was the threat of severe thundershowers, but I decided to go to my meeting anyway. Turns out that there were just a few light showers, but the meeting only had 3 of us in it. We read "how it works" from the BB...the whole chapter. Then we each had a turn to share. It turned out to be a wonderful meeting.

Each time I go to a meeting w/low expectations (too small, too big, too many dudes, etc.), I find that often the meeting is much better than I anticipated. That's what happened last night. I got so much out of last night's meeting.

Thanks everyone for sharing.

Mary

[mauritiusdodo]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

RE I could manage speaking up in a small group of say five and you are right I do always feat what people think of me!

How is the weather there now? I heard there was a tornado in New York?

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

The weather here is warm, humid, & a bit stormy.

I'm secretary for my groups...i.e. I take notes at business meetings. We ask for chairs at the end of every meeting. We only ask that they have at least 6 months of sobriety.

M

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

I get something out of every meeting. That is I have yet to regret attending a meeting. I always leave feeling better than when I went in.

[mauritiusdodo]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

Morning all, I am thinking of attending a meeting this morning, it's in the next town and is a big book study, i need to keep focused today

[TheSunFlower]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

Mauri just realized today is your day 1 and happy birthday!

[mauritiusdodo]

Weekly AA Thread - July 21 - July 29

TheSunFlower;1356078 wrote: Mauri just realized today is your day 1 and happy birthday!

Thanks, it is my day 1 but my actual bd is Monday, we were just supposed to be celebrating it today, we aren't now though as my son is ill