Newcomers at AA?

[Mark75]

What did we look for, what did we think was gonna happen at our first AA meeting?

[tomsteve]

i was lookin for a way to not take another drink and kill myself. i had no clue what was gonna happen in AA, but i knew what was gonna happen if i didnt do something. i found what i was lookin for and have bene happily trudging the road ever since.

[Veritas1]

I went looking for hope and help.

I can remember hearing someone read The Promises.

The reading was very inspiring to me.

I can remember running to the woman who read the promises and asking...."What was that you were saying about?!"

Hope and help....I think that's what I was looking for.

[awuh1]

I was very fortunate because my first meeting was at the request of a relative following his detox and request for support. I can only imagine my fear of going 20 years later if I had not gotten this ‘taste’ of AA long before I needed it. When I first went (on my own accord) I expected to find some people who knew what I had been going through and were willing to help, and that’s exactly what I found.

Great topic!

[Mark75]

I knew about AA because my father had taken me to a meeting almost 30 years before I walked into my first one. And my father's favorite topic of discussion, for the 26 years he was a member before he passed, was AA, LOL... hmmmmmmm, maybe he thought it was something I should know about, just in case, LOL.

I was afraid I'd see people that knew me, that was my biggest fear. I was also afraid that I'd have to talk. Turns out neither was true.

I found a nice sunny room, it was Saturday morning. A whole lot of friendly people, an old timer there gave me a donut and a meeting list...

[wow04]

My first AA meeting I was 14, went with my rehab group. I was the youngest one in there and was scared.

When I went back at 18 I was still the youngest one there, but it was different because I wanted to be there. I was scared to talk and my head was down most of the meeting. It might have taken me 3 years to get it, but I am forever grateful of the love that was in that room.

[ebshot]

I'm new to the program (33 days sober). I went to my first AA meeting on my first day of sobriety. I was sat through the meeting shaking and crying. I think the biggest thing I was looking for was hope. I needed (and still need) hope that life can and will be better. I'm looking for the happiness that a lot of people in the rooms have.

I love hearing the Promises. I read them often and cannot yet fathom them actually happening. Hope, happiness, peace. Those are the top three for me.

[Jeni26]

I was desperate. My drinking had got to the point of making me physically ill. I was filled with anxiety and remorse. I couldn't stop and I planned where and how I would take my own life. Suicide became my only plan as I couldn't see a way out.
I phoned someone from AA who talked to me and understood.
I had no idea what to expect at my first meeting but I didnt have any option but to give it a try.
The first person I spoke to grasped both my hands and told me he was so happy to see me there, that this program would save my life. It was what I needed to hear. And it has.

[phoenix]

I was terrified.Was one of those people who lingered outside until the last possible moment and then snagged a chair near the door.Lots of the meetings were big and we counted off into several smaller groups.I'd "cheat" and still get a spot with a clear shot at the door.I had lived on the road most of my life and it was hard to come in...but I was that desperate person reaching for something like a drowning person...

phoenix aka Tinker

[AlwaysGrowing]

Originally Posted by Mark75

What did we look for, what did we think was gonna happen at our first AA meeting?

Painted my face, put my bloody finger print on this paper, had me hand over all my money.. WAIT!!! That was X-File rerun last night!!!

I was too FU with racing thoughts the first time.

AG

[Hexipuff]

I went to find support and assistance. I was desperate for help, any help.

I found so so much more than that. I found, love, hope, motivation, a life plan, a programme to follow and friends that really understood what I felt without me having to explain or feel guilty.

I was very nervous but I walked in 10 minutes before the start. A lady greeted me, made me a coffee and welcomed me. She introduced me to the group and I was told that I was the most important person in that room that day. That day, that hour I felt a weight lift from me and I felt I had come home.

I still feel the same way over four months later.

I was given my BB, a list of meetings and several telephone numbers and most of all my life back

[bbthumper]

Thank God AA is not what I thought it was when I went in. I thought it was a group therapy session in which you reported whether or not you drank that day or week or whatever. I thought the best Id get is to just not drink anymore. THat's great, but it would have never kept me in AA. Just not drinking could drive an alky nuts. AA gave me a way to sobriety and soooo much more.

[muvinon]

I knew what to expect since I'd been in another program and to open AA meetings. Still didn't make it one whit easier.

[Fallow]

I had been released from the county the night before. I was too scared and nervous to know what to expect. Just figured it was time to get sober before the other shoe dropped. Met some nice people, got a Big Book, phone list I never used, and started to plant a seed of recovery.

I'll never forget this guy telling me that he started coming to AA and that he hadn't woken up in a jail cell since.

[Justfor1]

I went with a sheet to get signed. I was forced to go to a outpatient treatment who made me go to 3 meetings a week. I thought it was very strange & that it was a cult. I was overwhelmed with the suggestions & advice I was given. I learned I could sign the sheet myself, graduated the 6 week program and quickly relapsed for 8 years.

[2granddaughters]

Originally Posted by Mark75

I knew about AA because my father had taken me to a meeting almost 30 years before I walked into my first one. And my father's favorite topic of discussion, for the 26 years he was a member before he passed, was AA, LOL... hmmmmmmm, maybe he thought it was something I should know about, just in case, LOL.

I was afraid I'd see people that knew me, that was my biggest fear. I was also afraid that I'd have to talk. Turns out neither was true.

I found a nice sunny room, it was Saturday morning. A whole lot of friendly people, an old timer there gave me a donut and a meeting list...

I feel like I know your father.

All the best.

Bob R

[Tommyh]

my first AA meeting

I wasn`t looking for anything but for it to end so I could go drink

I wasn`t ,the least bit interested in anything they had to say

[spryte]

I had a really long post composed for this but it got lost in cyber-world.

The high points, hah, as they were:

My first AA meeting freaked me out and scared me off.

3 years later, my second AA meeting did not freak me out nor scare me off.

It is impossible for AA, as an organization, to be everything to everyone.

But, and this is an add-on from my earlier, lost in space post, it IS possible to serve coffee at EVERY meeting. And that is a good thing.

[paulmh]

I had three "first meetings", separated by about 13 years. The last one I'm glad to say that desperation had made me open - but I don't think I had any expectations.

[PaperDolls]

My very first meeting. Age 16ish.
I was hoping to find out how to drink ..... better.
In reality, I think I wanted someone one to swoop me up and fix me.

15ish years later I finally got sober.... so there were lots of other firsts after that.