AA Thread - May

[Doggygirl]

AA Thread - May

Hi everyone! It's so good to come *home* to this thread!

bettygirl;1501394 wrote: what is it about meetings? I swear I could do AA with only meetings...there is nothing in "real life" like them. a group of folks getting together to talk about the most secret shameful parts of themselves, only to be met with the laughter of understanding! what an awesome thing.

........

now where in life does something that intimate and intense happen as you are walking to your car? I don't know about you, but it doesn't happen to me everyday. I LOVE those connections with people, and especially with folks who get where I've come from. I still have great connections with other people, but there is something special about an AA's connection to another AA...it's a club of misfits and seekers. I like that in a person.

I like that in a person too! AA really is an amazing place to explore deeply my issues getting along in the world. And learn to connect with people in a healthier way. And it's free. Amazing.

Grateful here for another sober day!! Glad you are all here.

DG

[retteacher]

AA Thread - May

DG: I ALWAYS love seeing your beautiful dog picture & read your words. I see it's your anniversary month. It's been such a privilege having you in this thread & in my life. Mary

[bettygirl]

AA Thread - May

dg coming up on 5 years!!! WOW! strong work, girl!

mary, I love that doggy pic as well...makes me smile.

det, that 4th step is a kicker, but it's a good one, eh?

well, I haven't been to a meeting since last Thursday! i'm getting itchy! it was my daughter's 15th b-day weekend, so that took up most of my time. it was simple and nice, but I did a lot of cooking and just spending time with her and her two best friends...it was lovely! missed this morning's meeting because now today, she's home sick from school! oh well, life on life's terms...I know i'm not going to drink!

peace

[bettygirl]

AA Thread - May

just realized, today is my 7 month birthday! 7 months is my previous "record". thank goodness this time I have a way to help myself maintain!

peace!

[Cinders]

AA Thread - May

Hello,

DG, What a wonderful achievement!! 5 years. :l:l

BG, My psychiatrist told me that the brain does not actually even start healing until about six or seven months after the last drink. Look at you, right there and ready to go. Keep on keepin' on!!

Had a good 12x12 yesterday. Step 1. How apropos.

Love,
Cindi

[retteacher]

AA Thread - May

BG: First: I LOVE your doggie picture! I had a beagle growing up, & we then got one for our kids when they were young...Lulu was her name. She's up in doggie heaven eating everything in sight right now. She was an absolute love...not too smart but mellow & loving. I'm right w/you on the anniversary. It's definitely reason to celebrate.

Cindi: So glad to see you here. I must remember the 1st step every single day. If I try to convince myself that I'm not powerless over alcohol, I will definitely drink. My relapse of last year is a perfect example. I started the stinkin' thinkin' of: "Maybe I'm not so bad." "Maybe I can control it." That kind of thinking led me right off the path & into obsessive drinking.

Last night's meeting was on the acceptance story in the latest edition of the BB. It contains so many wonderful concepts for me:
-Acceptance of my alcoholism...in fact acceptance of EVERYTHING...life of life's terms.
-The pitfall of expectations...which are resentments waiting to happen.
-Being the chief judge of everything that comes along.
-Trying to control the outside so that I can feel better inside...instead of vice-versa.

Take care one & all.

Mary

[cpn1004]

AA Thread - May

Good to see ya Cindi.
Hang in, don't give up.

[bettygirl]

AA Thread - May

hi all, hope everyone is well and sober!

mary, that is my girl lucy, she is a sweet pea! she eats everything in sight (an 8 lb bag of food that cost us $2000 to remove from her belly!), and is one of the loves of my life! we also share our house with "spike" a male beagle we adopted from the seattle beagle rescue about a year and a half ago...he has issues, but we love him! we also live with an old rat terrier named Louis who is my baby. I adore beagles! so cool that you know them...good dogs!

well, I haven't been to a meeting since Thursday of last week! life keeps getting in the way, and tomorrow I have to drive my husband to an appointment in Bellevue wa, so we'll be gone all day (we have to go to r.e.i and some other places too, of course!), so I won't even get to my book study tomorrow...oh well, i'm doing fine, and will get to one when I can.

thanks for being here guys, it gives me a dose of AA even when I can't do it "in real life"!

peace!

[Determinator]

AA Thread - May

Bett, hooooray for the big 7 months! that's freaking fab.

we had a lovely fellow get his 38 year chip yesterday. talk about humbling! it was amazing. and his wife chimed up and said: if Ted would have listened to me earlier he'd have 48 years sobriety! it was so funny we all lost it. those two are so cute.

recently I really enjoyed listening to an AA speaker CD with John Larroquette that was amazing. what a story.

ciao for now fabbies

[retteacher]

AA Thread - May

Deter: I think I knew John L was a recovering alcoholic. I didn't know about the CD. I just gave a 36 year medallion to one of our members last weekend. It was quite an honor for a really big accomplishment. I'm so happy to be sober today. I don't have to drink to feel good about myself. That's really something. Thanks for being here everyone. Mary

[Cinders]

AA Thread - May

Had a good meeting today, discussing how to approach the 12 steps from view point of a sponsor and as sponsee.

I got a sponsor today. She gave me homework to do before a 10:30 meeting on Monday. Reading in the book and writing about 20 instances of powerlessness over alcohol and 20 instances of powerlessness over life in general. Lots to do this weekend!!

Hope all are well.

Cindi

[bettygirl]

AA Thread - May

go cinders!

interesting about john laroquette...I remember him from "night court". ill check that out online.

so I finally made it to a meeting tonight! jeeze, a week si too long! but it's not like I was avoiding them, just didn't work out. there was a lot of talk about people stopping going to meetings and next thing you know, they're back out there. I don't want that to happen, so ill keep going. the meeting I went to is one where a group of men from the local mission come. its interesting because these are bottomed out hard core dudes...some of them are barely hanging on. it really shows what this thing can do to us if we aren't willing to surrender and participate in our recovery...scary stuff. I do not want to die drunk, but I especially don't want to live drunk!

peace!

[retteacher]

AA Thread - May

Yay Cindi! Those homework assignments will open your mind/heart to changes. AA isn't a program for the weak. It's a simple program but not easy.

I know, after my relapse, that I am powerless. It's essential for me to admit that at least once a day. I cannot think that somehow I can drink like a normal person. It's not possible. Likewise, I must: keep my internal house clean, have no alcohol in the house, stay resentment-free, & do the right thing in order to stay sober. All that is not easy, but I know I can do it.

Mary

[Cinders]

AA Thread - May

Mary, I am actually looking forward to working on the powerlessness exercise. Being a mathematician, I learn from pencil to hand to wrist to arm to brain. :-)

I am just going to throw out an observation and see what my fellow AA members think. There is another woman in one of my groups. She is my age. She is a child of the feminist movement. One of the men in the group is a very sweet, if somewhat ditzy man, who often refers to us women as girls.

The woman finds this horribly offensive and has mentioned it to him several times. I can tell he absolutely does not mean anything offensive or demeaning by using the word girls but she simply cannot abide it. Yesterday, she got up from the bench outside and went inside and I noticed every time he said something in the meeting she would stare at him with anger.

I am not going to say anything to either of these people, as it is not my business. I am not bothered by being referred to as a girl, or a lady, or a woman. Perhaps I should be but I always try to let trivial things pass me up.

Why I am bringing this up, though, is that I can see how pet peeves that we all have can create huge resentments in us. I am quite sure I have plenty of them and need to try to be aware of them so I do not let anger and resentment overwhelm me.

On another front, I posted in Monthly AF that today was a real blah day, feelings and emotion-wise for me. I was not prepared for that. I have been prepared for many things but not just a eh day. Sounds odd. I realized that I did not experience these kinds of day in the last few years because drinking days always ended up in some sort of drama.

Just another something to learn to deal with sober.

My all women's meeting today was wonderful. It always is. It is nice to share in a meeting without men there so we can discuss issues that we would not really want to share around men. I imagine men have the same kind of issues.

The meeting left me feeling serene and happy. No more blah today.

Love,
Cindi

[Determinator]

AA Thread - May

great job on sponsor Cindi!

indeed, being upset over pet peeves (and missing out on the potential joy of the moment) is an easy trap.

Bettie, ditto that, eternal vigilance is key!

today's noon AA meet we discussed humility. I think I have the opposite problem. I'm so self-deprecating that I take it to a twisted sick level where I see myself as undeserving of good things like happiness, health etc. I'm growing out of this thankfully. a little every day.

cheers all