IamRising

Hello all, I wanted to share with you my first AA meeting experience in the hopes that anyone apprehensive about going to their first meeting is put at ease a bit.

For reference, I am 22 years old, a college student, and live in a college town; however, the meeting took place in a building 20 minutes away. I chose that meeting because it was far enough away that I felt comfortable with the fact that I most likely wouldn't know anyone there. I don't fear that as much now after I've started going to meetings; I know anyone I see there is there for the same reasons as me, but anyway, for my first meeting, this brought me immense comfort.

So I go in and a few people say hi to me and not much more. I later found out that most of them thought I was a university student observing for clinical purposes, which is why they didn't welcome me in more thoroughly, ha! But the meeting was a split one. After the beginning readings, we split into a beginner discussion and I'm not quite sure what the other half was doing. In that beginner's discussion, I introduced myself, said I was an alcoholic, and shared that it was my first meeting ever and a bit of background on what brought me there.

I genuinely couldn't believe how supportive and welcoming they were to me. I received a 24 hour chip at the end, got a free blue big book and smaller red book, and I received several phone numbers. One lady gave me the list of meetings and wrote her initials by all the meetings she attended, and another lady did the same. One woman told me where I could start reading in the big book and that she'd meet with me at the end of the week and talk to me about it.

Overall, I felt so incredibly welcomed and hopeful. I actually went to a meeting the very next morning with one of the ladies, and I saw several familiar faces which was nice. At that meeting I met several more women, got more phone numbers, and more invites to meetings that they regularly attend. I've chosen a meeting for every day this week, and on some days I plan to attend more than one.

These meetings make me feel so at home. I have started looking forward to them actually. For once in my life I don't feel so alone; I relate so much to what everyone says and have so much hope for myself by hearing the other people's success. Yes, I'm typically the youngest female in attendance if not the youngest person, and while I was nervous about that at first, I'm realizing that it really doesn't matter.

Honestly, my only wish was that I had gone sooner. AA has given me immense hope for my future and my recovery. I'm so very excited!

skg

Incredibly uplifting--and TRUE in my experience, as well. Hope that there IS a way out; that people DO care; that I don't ever have to drink again; that I don't ever have to be alone again; that I can do what they did and get what they got! The MESSAGE OF AA: There IS HOPE.

Congratulations! Don't let anyone or anything stand between you and your chance for sobriety.

Beeraholic

Hi!

I just went to my first meetings this past weekend. I wasn't welcomed quite as personally but that is I am sure because both of the meetings I went to were Speaker themed.

I'm with you, I wish I had gone sooner. I got a lot more out of it than I expected to and will continue to go.

Good luck and thanks for sharing!

Berrybean

Glad it all went well, and that you have found some renewed strength and hope in the rooms.

Coldfusion

I am happy that you had a good meeting, because my sobriety depends on seeing success such as yours. Keep going to meetings, find a sponsor, and work the steps!

tursiops999

Well done on going to your first meeting! And thank you for posting your experience -- that may well help someone else to take the plunge. I'm glad you felt welcomed.

GhostFace

Thanks for sharing this.i always wanted to go to a AA meeting buy my fear of somebody I know seeing me always put me back. I'm also not too fond of sharing my life with strangers even though I do it hear lol.

Best of luck to you

Fly N Buy

In a short time period you'll be helping others and relating the message of hope you've found today - Good for you on your willingness to go..........well done!

Gottalife

A lovely post Iamrising. I was also 22 when I started this journey and In AA I found permanent recovery by following the suggestions in the Big Book. I am 58 now and have a pretty cool life.

The red book you mentioned, I wondered if it was the Little Red Book. If I remember my history correctly, in early AA there were a few scattered groups that were having phenominal success. Cleveland was one, the Mineapolis group another. The AA Grapevine asked the Mineapolis group to write up something to inform the other groups of what they were doing and how they did it. The result was the Littel Red Book.

I had heard mention of this book back when I was new, but I never saw it. Recently it was republished by a not for profit organisation and I managed to obtain a copy very cheaply through amazon. In conjunction with the Big Book, it is a very useful aid to recovery and it is good to see it in circulation again.

Dave42001

What a great post!! Kudos to you for going!! Hope you keep going back and check out other meetings as well! You made my day!! Love reading stories like this!! Keep up the great work! Remember this is not a sprint more of life long journey.. Really admire you for attending at such a young age, you have your whole life in front of you.. I wish I would have attended at your age, but I'm here now!! The program changed my life! The bottle would have killed me, I was that sick!!

IamRising

I've kept going back, that is for sure! In 9 days I've gone to 13 meetings, haha!
I've checked out SEVERAL different meetings and have figured out which ones are my favorite, but I genuinely have enjoyed most of them, if not all of them.

I have received dozens of phone numbers and have several women who've been checking in on me daily. They've truly welcomed me with open arms and I could not be more grateful. And today, I asked one of them to be my sponsor!

I am 12 days sober and everything's going amazingly; I couldn't be happier!

Music

It thrills me to read a story like yours. Makes me recall my first meetings, and you bring up a couple good points. I see a lot of comments from newcomers about how unfriendly meetings are. People at meetings see us for the first time and don't have a clue who we are unless we say something. Like you, I was so happy to be around happy people, I went to as many meetings as I could squeeze in. On the weekends I'd find an Alano club and camp out. My sponsor kept telling me to stick with the winners, so I'd find some winners and get stuck. You sound happy and excited like I was as a newcomer but like so many other new things and new surprises, unless I make an effort to keep things fresh, learn new things by going to new meetings and making new friends, this feeling can dim after a while. Remember, alcohol is cunning, baffling and powerful. The disease is called alcoholism, not alcoholwasm. No matter how long we're sober, every once in a while that thought of "I've been sober long enough to know, maybe I can have just one" creeps in so I have to stand guard at the portal of thought and stay vigilant about what my head is telling me. Keep your positive attitude, stay in touch and talk about what's going on not only at meetings but also one on one. Anything you used to do drunk, you can do sober and with twice the fun, and you won't have to worry about "did I have a good time last night"?

Ken33xx

Like you I very much enjoyed the meetings when I joined AA. I easily did the 90 in 90 days and rarely found them boring.

I found the member (even those I didn`t care much for... ) interesting and a group of us usually went out for coffee afterwards.

Dave42001

Your message just warms my heart!! What a treat at Thanksgiving time!! The program and the people in our fellowship in our home groups and around the world blows my mind!! Truly a gift from God as you understand him!!! Keep up the great work!! Enjoy your holiday!!

NoelleR

Well, mebbe just a wee little one.....

You've gotten a number of suggestions here; Music's are great. However, I'd just like to add one more.

When I was new, my sponsor's first suggestion to me was two-fold......:

1) to get at least two new phone numbers at every meeting I attended (seems you've got this one covered); and

2) to call at least three folks everyday.

Now, #2 was the more important one. Making the call was just the first part. What she actually meant for me to do was to 'talk' to these folks. In other words, leaving a message on an answering machine didn't count (guess that would include voicemail now).

She did grant me some leeway. I didn't actually have to have a long drawn-out conversation with these folks. I could just say, "Hi, this is Noelle, and this is one of my AA calls for the day," click.

She wanted me to be ready in case I was ever in trouble and needed help; so that heavy handset wouldn't seem so heavy.

...a little anecdotal evidence...on one of my calls, before I could hang up, the person on the other end said, "Oh, thank heavens you called; I'm really struggling here at the moment." It may be a selfish program, but it can be altruistic at times, too.

Keep up the good work...............

(o:

tursiops999

congratulations on 12 days, and on getting connected with others. Well done!!!

tomsteve

understandable to be afraid to see someone ya know at a meeting. however,more than likely theyd be glad to see ya ata place where you get help with the alcohol problem rather than see ya stumbling out of a bar.
Didya ever care if people saw ya stumbling out of a bar?
any chance ya ever poured your life out atta bar or to strangers when ya were drunk?
but you dont have to share your life. you can sit back and listen.

Bird615

Great post and a good reminder to make sure any newcomers to my own home group get a warm welcome. Thank you for sharing your experience!