Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

[JingleJo]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

bettygirl;1418002 wrote: people ALWAYS say things that annoy me, jingle! i just do the old aa cliche' and "take what i need and leave the rest". it's a good thing to remember that alcoholics are kind of f-ed up people (yes, including us!), some more that others, and not everyone is going to have the best delivery for their advice. i don't think they meant any harm, but i know what you mean! maybe we could use some of this thread as a venting place for what gets to us in meetings...it's also always a good idea to look at why something irritates us and what part we are playing in that feeling. sometimes it's all about how we are hearing something.
anyway...what do i know!

it's not perfect, but it is working better than anything else i've tried to quit drinking! hang in there and try other meetings. i like to go to a few different ones so i get a lot of different perspectives. there are the more well-to-do meetings, the downtown meetings, the alano clubs and serenity hall mettings, each with their own vibe.

peace!

Good idea to use here as an AA venting place when needed, altho I think I might just be having some teething problems being a newbie and all. Will see how I find it in the weeks to come.

As for the cliche of taking what I need and leaving the rest - yeah, I think I'll need to focus on this and not see AA as an all or nothing resource, but more of a toolbox that I can acquire some useful tools from :-)

x

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

JJ: I really try to only give advice when it's asked for. And yes, there's a lot of dumb stuff that is said/done at AA meetings. It's a lesson for me to go w/the flow. Things can't always be the way I'd like them to be. I'm over-sensitive & stew about perceived criticism. That's just another lesson for me to learn. I don't have to take myself so seriously. Bottom line: I couldn't get/stay sober wo/AA...I need it, warts & all.

Phil: Wow! Brazil! I hope you're getting around & seeing some sights. Portugese is such an unusual & beautiful language. I wouldn't have had any idea of how to get through the steps wo/a sponsor. And yes, I'll be doing the steps for the rest of my life. I just heard about a conference-approved book called "Drop the Rock" which is about steps 6 & 7. Those usually get short shrift but are very important.

And yes, I went to see "Flight" w/my husb. It was pretty realistic...our whole AA community is abuzz about it. I too find that hard as he tries, my husb doesn't understand the disease aspect of alcoholism. If someone told him to stop drinking for health or any other reason, he would stop wo/blinking an eye. You can't make a mod drinker out of an alkie, or vice versa.

Last night's speaker was a dry drunk for 15 years when he joined AA. He got into as much or more trouble while abstinent as he did during his short drinking career. His sobriety date was set when he joined AA, not when he stopped drinking. The program is so much more than just not drinking. It's about how to live right.

Mary

[bettygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

LOVED flight! i had no idea what it was about and my teetotalling husband wanted to see it...i thought it was a guy flick about pilots et all...we were both in tears at the end as it was in the first couple of weeks of my sobriety that we saw it.

aa is definately a tool in the toolbox. i am learning to use it, mwo, exercise, service to others, and some buddhist teachings that really parallel aa teachings to help me on this life long journey.

i went to two awesome meetings today. i don't know if it was my state of mind or what, but they both just ROCKED!

i found a buddhist group that meets every wednesday (not aa, just a study group). unfortunately i can't go tonight, but i am going next week, and am really excited about it. i'm not sure which tradition they are, but they welcomed me wholeheartedly when i inquired.


phil, if you need to talk, we're here...although i would go to the beach or something, if i were you!!!

peace!

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

BettyG, have you heard of the book "The Tao of Sobriety"?
You might enjoy it.
Thanks to y'all for being here. No beach time for me, just work.

[bettygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

no, but i will look it up, thanks. i am really into "the 12 step buddhist" by darren littlejohn right now...good stuff...lots to learn.
peace!

[JingleJo]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

bettygirl;1418670 wrote: no, but i will look it up, thanks. i am really into "the 12 step buddhist" by darren littlejohn right now...good stuff...lots to learn.
peace!

I've ordered this off of Amazon :-)

[JingleJo]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

retteacher;1418331 wrote: JJ: I really try to only give advice when it's asked for. And yes, there's a lot of dumb stuff that is said/done at AA meetings. It's a lesson for me to go w/the flow. Things can't always be the way I'd like them to be. I'm over-sensitive & stew about perceived criticism. That's just another lesson for me to learn. I don't have to take myself so seriously. Bottom line: I couldn't get/stay sober wo/AA...I need it, warts & all.

Yeah, I think it's important for me to focus on going with the flow and not getting too hung up about things that don't quite sit right with me or annoy me a bit. At the end of the day, I'm gonna cross paths with a huge amount of people at AA meetings over time and of course that's going to include people who have different morals, principles, values, outlooks to me. So, I guess it's going to be an ongoing lesson for me. I'm defo going to keep at it tho x

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

I try to remember that AA lit teaches that when I'm annoyed, upset, uncomfortable, etc. about something/someone, there's something I have to change in myself. I as an alcoholic don't have the luxury of "justifiable anger." I have to admit that's a bitter pill to swallow, but it means my sobriety is in jeopardy when I have a resentment. It's not easy being a recovering alcoholic. M

[bettygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

cool jj...i think i'll have to read it a few times to really use it properly. it does fill in some of the cracks i find in aa (for me).

dg, hope all is well with school!

[bettygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

hey guys! just had to come here and share...i just got home from a meeting that was so cool. lots of new people, out of towners, old timers, newbies (like me!), and all the other folks in between. it was one of those symbiotic, flowing, fun, uplifting but poignant, there's a smile on my face when i'm driving home kind of meetings. it was definitely spiritual food, and i am sort of on cloud nine from it. feels better than any drunk i've ever had, that's for damn sure. i was in need of a meeting like that after some trying ones in the past week. the ebb and flow finally came together and it all worked for a great meaningful experience. i get something out of every meeting, they can't all be like this, but when one comes around, i like to share!

peace!

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

Friday's AM meeting is chip/medallion day. It's lovely to experience the sense of celebration. The reading was about climbing the mountain of life rather than taking the easier/softer way of drinking. M

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

Last night was about step 6. Excellent sharings...I'm struck that it is only in AA that I hear people talk about shortcomings & character defects on a regular basis. In the real world, there's very little of that discussion. I guess everybody has to give the impression that they're perfect. As always, I'm seeing life's lessons in what has happened, namely the relapse. It's my lesson in humility. Mary

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

BettyGirl,
I'm a little jealous. I was supposed to be back in Texas today, but work has got in the way. I'm still in Brazil and won't get back to my home group until Wed or Thur. Yikes!
That will be the longest I have gone without a meeting in over 3 years.
Meetings with my home group are an anchor for me.
I'm okay, just missing the fellowship.
Thanks to y'all for being here.

[bettygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

oh phil, i can imagine that it is hard...i have only been in aa for 2 months now, and i am realizing that i need that contact everyday. hang in there...in the meantime we are here, and feel free to pm me if you need to talk.

i think you are the same phil that has been here for quite a few years, am i right? i used to come to mwo under the moniker "peacenik"...yep, i finally found aa, and it is working so far and for today.

today was another good meeting...i wonder if it's the holidays bringing more people into the rooms, or if it's just the ebb and flow of things...interesting.

i do believe i have decided to ask a woman to be my sponsor, and i am going to a book study on wednesdays...i will also start the buddhist studies class on wednesday evenings...as i told my husband, i am going to put out at least as much effort into staying sober as i did into drinking/hiding/deceiving everyday!

peace!

[bettygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

a good friend of mine is in his last days due to brain cancer, and i am finding myself feeling so humbled by his wife's sharing through caringbridge.com their last days together. it is truly heartbreaking as they have 3 kids and he just turned 40...he was only diagnosed 2 years ago...i am grateful that i am sober and able to be fully present for family and friends who are going through really hard times. they deserve my full attention, even if it isn't in person, but through meditation and prayer.