need advice asap

[StandFast]

Hi, I have gone to my first AA on Monday, went to one on Tues, none on Wed and will go tonight.

A new friend in recovery said that I should go every day for at least the frst month.
I am 49 yo and don't think that I can afford another year of drinkiing.. physcially, financially, emotionally..

not that I drank alot, just enough for me to spend all my money and make bad decsions.

What is your experience tell you? What are the pros and the consequences if I fail to go?

[best]

I just read this today from a wise man who has been clean and sober for a bit now...

Originally Posted by Toad

I only need one meeting a week, but I go to several because I never know which one it is.

Seven days without a meeting makes one weak.

The more you go, the more you can learn.
The more you go, the less time you have to be visiting bars or sitting at home thinking you can have a drink.
There is only one meeting you need and most time we find out it was the one we didn't go to.

[Music]

I was told early on that if I'm at a meeting with my new friends, talking about AA, staying sober and working the steps, I'm less likely to drink. I didn't want to drink really bad, so I spent as much time as I could at meetings with my new friends, talking about AA, staying sober and how to work the steps. I haven't had a drink since, so I guess it was good advice.

[cmc]

It takes time to break old patterns and create new and more healthy habits.
Most people I know who start out in AA do 90 meetings in 90 days, and have been glad they did.
I attend Alanon but when I started out, I attended 5-6 meetings a week...only one being Alanon and the others were open AA an NA. It helped me more than I can say.

[Freedom1990]

Here's what my experience tells me. We have 3 AA meetings a week in the small town where I live.

When the stinking thinking starts in and maybe I'll take a night off and not go, or I have a headache, or there's a tv program I like to watch, I look at what I have on a sticky note beside my computer.

1 day = 24 hours
7 days = 1 week = 168 hours

1 meeting = 1 hour of my time (approximately)
3 meetings per week = 3 hours of my time

If I attend all 3 meetings that week, that still leaves me 165 hours to take a night off, have a headache, or watch a tv show I like!

[Miss Pink]

Heard recently in a meeting:

Many meetings, many chances
Few meetings, Few chances
No meetings, NO chance.

keep on keeping on!

[1cor13]

What are the pros and the consequences if you fail to go to meetings? What has the last 49 years of your life looked like?

[nandm]

I did 90 meetings in 90 days when I first started this program and I am still here after almost 7 years (March 13).

Currently I go to my homegroup once a week, as well as at least one or two others depending on the week. So I attend between one and two meetings a week and I still know that it would not hurt me at all to attend more.

I have learned that meetings are a place where I can recharge and sometimes I need my batteries recharged more often than others as some weeks take more out of me than others.

Meetings serve several purposes:

• a place where a newcomer can come to start the program
• a place for fellowship
• a place to learn about the Big Book
• a place to learn about the Steps
• a place to learn about the Principles
• a safe place to be
• a place to share experience, strength, and hope
• a place to recieve experience, strength, and hope
• a place to be of service (taking trash out, emptying ash trays, serving coffee, etc..)
• a place to call home, where people call when they see your are not there to make sure you are ok
• a place to celebrate recovery
• a place to celebrate gratitude
• and the list could go on endlessly

I guess the point of what I am trying to say is that meetings are an integral part of my sobriety. But of course they are not all of my sobriety. I have to balance meetings with every day life, working the steps, working with newcomers, work, school, etc.....

[Barto]

Pardon my ignorance, but I don’t fully understand the question. Why do you want this information? Do you have other commitments that must be factored into the equation?

[Latte]

When I think about not going I remember that even if I don't get a benefit (which is very rare) someone else might get one from me being there.

[StandFast]

I just got back, and I will continue as much as I can for the next month. I learned alot today about my denial and still have not gotton step one. But the more I listen the more I see my real sefl.

Tomorrow, today i will not drink. I will work out, sleep, meditate,a nd got to church. I want to feel again like I did 3 week ago.

I am fighting for the rest of my life and nobody or no thing will get in my wayo. Being sober is the most important thing in my live right now.

[best]

So going was a good thing I would think?
Did the going answer your question better then any of our posts?

Sure feels good when you come home learning more then you knew before leaving the house.

Good for you.

[CarolD]

Early on....I thought of meetingns as classrooms for sober living.
The more I attended ...the quicker I learned.


Congratulations on your new adventure!

[Signal30]

Well it's only an hour out of your day. You get advice that will save your life, if you choose to listen. Oh, and it's free, putting a dollar in the basket is a small price to pay for the suggestions that are priceless. But even that's optional.


Tom

[Tazman53]

When I was getting ready to get out of detox they had been telling us over and over again "If you want a chance to stay sober go to at least 90 AA meetings in 90 days and get a sponsor!" I was talking with my counselor and told him "I will go to AA meetings and get a sponsor, but there is no way I can go to 90 meetings in 90 days, I am married and work full time!". He said okay, I can understand that. Lets make a deal, just spend as much time going to meetings as you did drinking, okay?". Well he had me there, I actually did more then 90 meetings in 90 days with ease!

The reason that rehabs and the like suggest 90 meetings in 90 days is studies have shown that to establish a habit or to break a habit normally takes about 90 days.

I am very thankful I made that commitment, because I doubt very seriously if I would be sober today if I had not.

[StandFast]

I have gone 4 of last 5 days and plan to go evey day with a coule of exceptions during the work week.
I guess, I am like a lot of new people and keep bouncing from "I need this" to I am not a real drunk. But the realiaty is my life has not worked out as planned for a lot of reasonss, one may be drinking and casual drug use (rarely did coke other the weekends).

But going to the meetings and listening (haven't shared yet) I keep thinkg WTF That was me, andd that is exactly me, and oh yeah I forgot that was me- --you get the idea.
So, today I am going, thankful I didn't wake up with a hangover, waste 100 bucks, lost my car, and drove ui. Today I will go to meeting, be prodcucitve and read the bb.
Okay, I want to be a non drinker, lose the thought of drinking
Thanks

"Zero is the easiest number for me"

[CarolD]

I'm going at noon today .

then will join others for lunch and fellowship.

Perhaps you would consider
asking another guy to join you for the same.

It's a good way to form new non drinking connection.

Keep in focus...your doing great!