AA Thread

[Solitaire]

AA Thread

Hello from sunny SA!
Saturday morning here and I am off to our Big Book meeting at 9am, under a huge tree. We are 20 to 30 people on average....
I live in the midst of addiction: My 90yo mom is an alcoholic and my 2 sons "use". I watched Flight last night with an AA friend, and halfway through the movie, someone told me that my son is doing "liquid shrooms".
As I was watching Denzel Washinton's demise.... And what was my strongest emotion?
I AM POWERLESS!
So with that I wish you a lovely week-end! I see my sponsor after BB, so my Saturday is full of positive focus on my recovery.
Be loved,
Sol xxx

[retteacher]

AA Thread

Sol: You are powerless over what you son does. It's very difficult. We went through it w/our son many years ago. He's now clean & sober & a completely different person. He & your mother have their own HP & timetable for recovery. It's wonderful you can focus on your own recovery. This is where Live & Let Live and Let Go & Let God are meaningful. M

[porqoui]

AA Thread

Morning all...

Thanks for sharing your step 3 experiences with me.

Looking forward to my AA meeting tomorow. Missed last week due to being snowed in.

Life has been a bit hectic (could have used let go and let god if I'd thought of it) lately and just getting over a bad cold that really laid me up and devoured my energy.

Been saying the serenity prayer a lot lately, use that for everything in my life.

Have a great weekend all....PPQP

X-post :hallo: Mary

[jenniech]

AA Thread

hello!!
I go to AA meetings everyday. I haven't yet solidified what my belief is in terms of a HP....So, I am am sort of stuck in step 3. I love going to AA meetings because although I couldn't do this without MWO support, the meetings are irreplaceable because I am meeting other sober people who live near me. It is nice to have actual face to face time with people....
Anyway, thanks for keeping up the AA threads....I have had a few false starts in the past year and have been in and out of this thread....but I am determined to stay this time!

[porqoui]

AA Thread

:welcome: Jenni....me too, I'm commited to supporting this thread and our Mary

...plus I might learn something. I hear all the time that people consider the group their HP and it seems to be working out just fine for them. Whatever works.

My home group is a topic meeting. Step 3 is going to be my suggestion today...although with all the responses here, I think I got it figured out, now just need to do it. :H

Have a great day...PPQP

[retteacher]

AA Thread

Jennie: Many thanks for sharing. I'm a person who sometimes has to go through the motions (act as if) of firm belief in an HP. I am also on step 3 & have been saying the step 3 prayer on an almost daily basis. I really feel that some of it will sink in. I'm planning on taking step 3 w/my sponsor some time this week. I relapsed last summer after 3 years of sobriety. I had taken my own will back & felt that I could "control" my drinking. As soon as I took the first sip, the obsession clicked in, & I was right back where I had started. Please feel free to share here. Your thoughts are a valuable to us here. Don't worry about the false starts at this time...we've all had them.

PQ: I too have heard people use the fellowship as their HP. That works for me. I wouldn't be sober today wo/AA, so there's a miracle right there.

Have a wonderful day one & all.

M

[porqoui]

AA Thread

Morning all....

Didn't get a chance to suggest Step 3 at the meeting yesterday.

Instead, one of the topics was Live and let Live...very appropriate with my life struggles right now.

I find it uncanny that I always hear something that applies to me at every meeting. Guess that's why it works eh?

Turns out my sponsor is in the hospital. Not sure when that happened but she has been dealing with health issues. We'll see how things go for her before I bring up doing a "formal" Step 3.

Have a great day everyone....PPQP

[bettygirl]

AA Thread

good day everyone! dg, good to see you! glad things are good!

my third step was done with my sponsor and she actually had me write a prayer that worked for me, as i am an atheist. it was cool, i read it to her and we said it together, which is a powerful thing to do. it was also cool, because my sponsor is a "christ follower" (that's what she calls herself), and is very religious, but she supports my interpretation of higher power and encourages me to do what works for me, and so far it has!
i am at the end of step 4 (we did the columns like mary talked about), and i ma trying to come up with all the good traits i have...i find this to be the hardest part! low self esteem must be one of my main drinking triggers...it is just so hard for me to "compliment" myself...must work on that today.

peace!

[retteacher]

AA Thread

BG: Why is it that we're so hard on ourselves? I do that too. Perhaps if you ask your loved ones what they think you're positive attibutes are, some of it will ring true for you. You deserve tons of credit for getting through your 4th step, so put self-discipline, persisitence, & drive in your list of positives. M

[porqoui]

AA Thread

Morning all....missed checking in yesterday. Work all day and evening meeting. After a couple of replies on my daily thread it was lights out.

During one of my outpatient rehab stints the instructor made us give one positive attribute to everyone in the group, there was about 12 of us. She had flip chart paper up on the wall, one for each of us.

I was totally amazed at how people saw me. Had never even thought of some of things people listed. I took that sheet home, hung it on my bedroom wall and looked at it every morning. Maybe that's where I get my "look for the positive in things" attitude from. Ooooh, an aah haa moment!

Have a great day everyone....PPQP

[retteacher]

AA Thread

pq: What a wonderful experience. I hope you'll share some of the attibutes the others felt you had. And, yes, what a good idea to keep that around. I think we tend to be too hard on ourselves for the small mistakes we make.

This morning's meeting was on step 3. I heard so many good sharings which I can keep in mind when my sponsor comes over tomorrow to do step 3 w/me formally. I did get a chance to share this morning. I was able to talk about my relapse & taking my own will back last summer. Even though I've shared about my relapse in that group, I haven't done it lately. I needed to do that today, & serentipitously the sharing landed on me. I usually sit in the back & don't get to share there.

I had a couple of down days Sun. & Mon. I tried to stay w/my feelings but not wallow in them. Depression doesn't happen to me very often, & I don't think it's a good thing to try & deny my feelings. I came out of it yesterday...I'm much more myself today.

Take care one & all.

M

[porqoui]

AA Thread

oooh...that was so long ago I don't know if I remember any of them. :H

I totally agree with you about not denying your feelings. Did that for too many years.

Just wanted to ask if you saw your https://www.mywayout.org/community/f9...her-74340.html thread?

See you in the morning....PPQP

[bettygirl]

AA Thread

good points about looking at the positive stuff, i try to do that with everything else, why not myself?

yes, don;t deny the feelings or they turn into resentments!!!

i just wanted to share (since i haven;t been to a meeting in some time) that my family has gone through the ringer with some health issues that my husband has been having and emergency surgeries etc...i have really been grateful to be sober and present and able to handle all that has come our way. there is NO WAY i would have been able to handle it all if i had been drinking the last 159 days! i have been the driver (to seattle for dr appts and surgeries 130 miles each way), coordinator and nurse. i am glad to do it, and grateful to be able to do it. my husband has stood by m through all my self induced problems, i am honored to be there for him this time. also, because of learning how to handle my emotions a bit better in aa and with meditation, i have even been calm and positive through it all...be the change, eh? it seems to be working and we are on the upswing now.

hopefully i can get ,yself to my favorite meeting tomorrow night, we'll see! if not, oh well, i'll be ok and will make it to another one some other time.

peace!

happy birthday mary!

[porqoui]

AA Thread

Exactly BG...why is it so hard to see the positive in ourselves.

And talk about positives WOW....I am so proud of you. Isn't that what it's all about... being there in the moment...thanks for sharing that. Really puts things into perspective.

What a great post to read before bed....PPQP

[retteacher]

AA Thread

BG: I agree w/pq about the positivity of your post. It is so wonderful that you can be so fully there for your husband. Yes, they went through a lot of heartache w/us didn't they? I hope you do get to that meeting. You probably need one to give you the spiritual strength that is so necessary during times like this.

I just took my third step w/my sponsor. It was a very moving experience w/the tears in my eyes to prove it. I fully explained how the relapse took place. It was freeing telling that whole story. The we went through the step 3 chapter in the 12/12 reading the significant & meaningful parts. Then we lit a candle, held hands, & said the 3rd step prayer. I feel wonderful right now.

My next work will be working the 4th step around my relapse...the why & how of it. I know I'll learn plenty about myself.

Take care one & all. Remember, if I can do it, so can you.

Mary