December AA Thread

[sunshine_gg]

December AA Thread

Merry belated Christmas!

TBH, the thought of drinking really didn't enter my mind over Christmas. Before, yes (big drama with adult(?) kids) but I got through it. I even got through the drama by employing a little bit of AA wisdom. When I tried to pin point why I was so upset and out of sorts, the word "expectations" triggered something I had recently read or heard in a meeting. So, I adjusted my expectations to what was in my control and suddenly, I felt a whole lot better. Funny, how that works

I missed Christmas Day meeting (I only go to 3 meetings a week - the 3 that are less than 1/2 hour drive away) but otherwise attended and was glad I did.

Have a safe and Happy New Year, if I don't pop in before. And, thank you for being here.

[Darkest Diamond]

December AA Thread

Hi To REteacher, BettyGirl, Sunshine GG and all AA ers,
Thought I must reply to this thread, brief history about me, I was sober for three years and three months about 10 years ago now, I did it with AA.

Since that time have had various amounts of sober time, but never more than a year, usually a lot less. During this last year my drinking built up to a frightening level, not just the amount I was drinking but the speed that I drank it. Even though I went to work every day I knew that at night and weekends I was drinking enough to kill me. I became very frightened.

Glad to say I am now back in AA and posting regularly on this forum. I need the face to face contact of AA but I also love this forum, will now start posting on the AA threads on here.
xxx

[retteacher]

December AA Thread

DD: First welcome! It's wonderful having you here. I too tried stop w/just MWO & just couldn't. With AA, I need almost daily meetings, service work, & a sponsor. I too relapsed in 2012. I was pretty devastated, as I had 3 years of sobriety. It's been a long road back. I also found that once I went back to drinking it was as bad as or worse than ever. The worst part of my drinking is not just the physical damage. It's the spiritual damage of living a lie w/my loved ones. I won't go back to that. Take care of your sobriety, & again welcome. Mary

[Darkest Diamond]

December AA Thread

Thanks for your lovely welcome Mary, I agree with you about the spiritual devastation of it all as well as the physical side, I too hate the secrecy around it, it is so much better to live an open life.

Here in London there is a wonderful choice of meetings which is great, lots and lots of meetings every night and every day too.....Great! Do you have lots of meetings in Massachussetts? (forgive me if the spelling is wrong!!)

Tonight I went to one of my favourite meetings which is a candlelight meeting which I love.

DD

[bettygirl]

December AA Thread

welcome DD, or should I say welcome back! :H

glad you are here and living honestly, it really is the only way to live! secrets kill us...I was a secret drinker, and it surely almost killed me...I almost wanted it to at times.

our thread is small and sometimes sparse, but we're usually around most days, so don't be shy.



peace!

[sunshine_gg]

December AA Thread

:hallo: DD
Welcome... glad you're here. We've had a couple of candle light meetings around Christmas -they're lovely! Nice, you get to enjoy them year round?

[Darkest Diamond]

December AA Thread

Betty Girl, thanks for your welcome, I am sort of glad this thread does not have lots of people as it is easier to keep up with and respond to people individually, the secrecy was certainly the worst thing about drinking for me, also the physical side of things, in the last year withdrawals got horrific!

Sunshine GG, thanks for your welcome, yes we do have candlelight meetings all year round, also Meditation meetings, Big Book meetings, Step Meetings and other types too. Also meetings are held regularly throughout the day and evenings too, usually up until midnight. Is this the same for where you are?

RE Teacher Interesting to read that you go to AA so often, I don't and at this stage I don't have a sponsor, I did have a wonderful sponsor, years ago but she moved abroad and then sadly she got altzeimers. This time round I will wait and see about having a sponsor, I am not sure yet.

To anyone out there that I have not personally mentioned, I am glad to have found this thread. I absolutely love this forum, but have found it hard to find a thread where I can feel really involved, some have so many people on that it is hard to keep up. I have been thinking about the differences and similarities between MWO and AA of course there are many. One thing I have noticed is that in my opinion on MWO abstaining is praised, even if there are "slips" or breaks the general trend of more and more abstinent days is praised. Whereas in AA if you "slip" you really start your sobriety journey all over again, people take continuous sobriety very seriously in AA. (Sorry if I have over simplified all this)

I think both approaches are valid, but I now see why AA is the way it is. I have seen people sober for a long time go back to drinking for a day/month/year etc...... during that time terrible things have happened.... worse case scenario death!

I feel I need both MWO and AA I feel pleased to have found a thread where I feel I won't get lost, feel "at home"..... love reading all the other threads too and learn a lot from them.

Thanks for being there,
DD xx