Going to my first meeting tonight - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

E_Dili · 10-06-2006, 04:42 PM

I relapsed recently (for 5 days; thank god I cut it short before it got worse) and decided it's time to check out AA. I'm going to my first meeting ever tonight and just wanted to know what to expect. What should I know going in? Should I be prepared to share my story? I've skimmed over the Big Book a bit (and have been lurking in SR for a few weeks now reading everyone's stories).

I want to get this recovery back on track and ditch alcohol for good.

**CarolD** · 10-06-2006, 04:46 PM

Here you are...

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-about-aa.html

Good for you!!

livefortoday · 10-06-2006, 06:39 PM

Congratulations, you are about to take the hardest step of your life......and the one that can be the most rewarding. For me, i had to really hit the bottom hard before I madi it into my first meeting. I was a nervous wreck (not to mention shakking and somewhere between hungover and still drunk, God, what an awful feeling that was!). After that first meeting, I stayed around the rooms for two weeks , and stayed sober. Then I made a concious decision to pick up again. I thank God every day now that I made it back to AA just a few months later and now have a little more than five years of continuous sobriety. OK, that being said, the link Carol sent you is a great one. I have been to meetings in several states and though the format changes from place to place, it doesn't change much. The meeting is typically opened with a prayer (we are not religious, do not let this offend or scare you), then someone may read the 12 Steps (these are "the program" you will hear about) and/or the 12 traditions and/or other excerpts from AA literature. The chairperson may ask if htere are any newcomers or anyone coming back from a relapse or may not. if they do and you're comfortable raise your hand and tell them you are new. This will usually garner a bunch of phone numbers for you to call when you feel like taking a drink, or just to develop some relationships with people who don't drink (I personally didn't know any of those! lol!). This will also help in eventually finding a sponsor. The meeting could be a speaker meeting, a topic (discussion) meeting where someone brings up a topic and anyone who wants to can share on that topic, a combination of these two, a Big Book meeting where the Big Book is read and discussed, a step meeting where the group studiers and/or works one of hte steps, or a million other variations of this theme. The meeting will typically be closed with a prayer. I guess, upon typing all this, what you can expect at an AA meeting is a group of drunks, like you, who don't want to drink today and who have found a way to stop. The meetings will vary, but this will always stay the same. I was told to do 90 meetings in 90 days and this helped because I went to different meetings until I found one where I was comfortable. Good luck and Welcome! tk

fraankie · 10-06-2006, 08:31 PM

keep it simple
go to the meeting
listen
get a few phone numbers
go home
go to another meeting the next day
listen
........................................

best
fraankie

E_Dili · 10-06-2006, 09:19 PM

Meeting went great. What a diverse bunch of people! Already met some awesome characters (they perked up when I told them it was my first, heh). Gonna check out some other ones tomorrow.

Hope · 10-06-2006, 09:24 PM

Hey~

I'm so happy for you! I'm really glad that you went..... meetings help so much and you get to meet some great people. That's cool!

Pink Cloud 2 · 10-09-2006, 01:59 PM

good job E Dili
welcome to the wonderfull family of A.A. I hated my 1st year, but I was going for my wife not me (and still drinking) now I'm coming up on 2 years and love the people, the growing, my wife and yes even myself
keep coming, it works

jmhs002 · 10-13-2006, 05:18 PM

Nice job! Keep going back. AA changed my life and taught me how to live without alcohol.
JMHS

fraankie · 10-13-2006, 09:30 PM

so
how's it going??????????????????????????????/

KarenOskie · 10-14-2006, 07:34 AM

I don't know what it is about AA, it seems almost like magic. I tried everything to stop or control my drinking before going back to AA, and nothing worked. Now I have 40 days. My sponsor says it's the power of the group, and being accountable to someone other than myself, and working the steps, which gets me hooked in to my Higher Power which is all that will really keep me sober anyway. Thank God for AA.

10-06-2006, 04:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
E_Dili Recovering Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bay Area Posts: 26	Going to my first meeting tonight I relapsed recently (for 5 days; thank god I cut it short before it got worse) and decided it's time to check out AA. I'm going to my first meeting ever tonight and just wanted to know what to expect. What should I know going in? Should I be prepared to share my story? I've skimmed over the Big Book a bit (and have been lurking in SR for a few weeks now reading everyone's stories). I want to get this recovery back on track and ditch alcohol for good.

10-06-2006, 04:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
CarolD Forum Leader Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Serene In Dixie Posts: 34,835	Here you are... http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-about-aa.html Good for you!! __________________ Each Day Sober Is A Victory!! Joy In AA Recovery!

10-06-2006, 06:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
livefortoday Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hilton Head, South Carolina Posts: 37	Good For You! Congratulations, you are about to take the hardest step of your life......and the one that can be the most rewarding. For me, i had to really hit the bottom hard before I madi it into my first meeting. I was a nervous wreck (not to mention shakking and somewhere between hungover and still drunk, God, what an awful feeling that was!). After that first meeting, I stayed around the rooms for two weeks , and stayed sober. Then I made a concious decision to pick up again. I thank God every day now that I made it back to AA just a few months later and now have a little more than five years of continuous sobriety. OK, that being said, the link Carol sent you is a great one. I have been to meetings in several states and though the format changes from place to place, it doesn't change much. The meeting is typically opened with a prayer (we are not religious, do not let this offend or scare you), then someone may read the 12 Steps (these are "the program" you will hear about) and/or the 12 traditions and/or other excerpts from AA literature. The chairperson may ask if htere are any newcomers or anyone coming back from a relapse or may not. if they do and you're comfortable raise your hand and tell them you are new. This will usually garner a bunch of phone numbers for you to call when you feel like taking a drink, or just to develop some relationships with people who don't drink (I personally didn't know any of those! lol!). This will also help in eventually finding a sponsor. The meeting could be a speaker meeting, a topic (discussion) meeting where someone brings up a topic and anyone who wants to can share on that topic, a combination of these two, a Big Book meeting where the Big Book is read and discussed, a step meeting where the group studiers and/or works one of hte steps, or a million other variations of this theme. The meeting will typically be closed with a prayer. I guess, upon typing all this, what you can expect at an AA meeting is a group of drunks, like you, who don't want to drink today and who have found a way to stop. The meetings will vary, but this will always stay the same. I was told to do 90 meetings in 90 days and this helped because I went to different meetings until I found one where I was comfortable. Good luck and Welcome! tk

10-13-2006, 05:18 PM	#8 (permalink)
jmhs002 Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Minneapolis MN Posts: 404	Nice job! Keep going back. AA changed my life and taught me how to live without alcohol. JMHS __________________ " We stood at the turning point. Half measures availed us nothing."

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10-06-2006, 08:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
fraankie Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: brooklyn, new york Posts: 1,395	keep it simple go to the meeting listen get a few phone numbers go home go to another meeting the next day listen ........................................ best fraankie

10-06-2006, 09:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
E_Dili Recovering Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bay Area Posts: 26	Meeting went great. What a diverse bunch of people! Already met some awesome characters (they perked up when I told them it was my first, heh). Gonna check out some other ones tomorrow.

10-06-2006, 09:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
Hope Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3,300	Hey~ I'm so happy for you! I'm really glad that you went..... meetings help so much and you get to meet some great people. That's cool!

10-09-2006, 01:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
Pink Cloud 2 Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: norwalk,ct Posts: 48	good job E Dili welcome to the wonderfull family of A.A. I hated my 1st year, but I was going for my wife not me (and still drinking) now I'm coming up on 2 years and love the people, the growing, my wife and yes even myself keep coming, it works

10-13-2006, 09:30 PM	#9 (permalink)
fraankie Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: brooklyn, new york Posts: 1,395	so how's it going??????????????????????????????/

10-14-2006, 07:34 AM	#10 (permalink)
KarenOskie Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 174	I don't know what it is about AA, it seems almost like magic. I tried everything to stop or control my drinking before going back to AA, and nothing worked. Now I have 40 days. My sponsor says it's the power of the group, and being accountable to someone other than myself, and working the steps, which gets me hooked in to my Higher Power which is all that will really keep me sober anyway. Thank God for AA.

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