Would You Like To Share What The Topic Was At Your Meeting Today?

[aasharon90]

Hi, Im Sharon and Im and Alcoholic.

By the Grace of my HP and you people in these rooms i haven't had a drink of alcohol since 8-11-90. And for that Im truely grateful.

There are times and there will be day that I can't make a meeting.

Usually when i go to meetings regularly I would more often than not hear something I definitely needed to hear that day to help me stay sober.

Maybe there is someone here today in SR that hasn't made it to a face to face meeting or just can't get to one but would like to hear a topic that was shared at a meeting today. It could be something they needed to hear to help them get thru the day sober and clean.

I would love to hear what u heard today or just recently at a meeting.

Thanks for letting me share.

[Chance]

I haven't made it too a meeting yet today but after I go to one I will let you know OK..

[Josiol]

At my last meeting we talked about anger & resentment and how to deal with it. For me being early in recovery it was very helpful.

[Kellye C]

Won't go to a meeting til noon today but last night's topic was on expectations and how placing expectations on people, places and things is basically a premeditated resentment. We talked about how we are powerless over people, places and things and how trying to run the show and "expecting" people to "perform" to our standards just makes for trouble. It wound back around to step 3 and how we are not in control when we turn our will and our lives over to a HP. The shortened version of steps 1,2, and 3 was shared in context to this.

1. I can't
2. HP can
3. I think I'll let him.

Meeting night before last was on fear and then wound around to anger which we realize are intertwined. Most anger is based on fear (either that we're going to lose something we think is ours or gain something we don't want!).

I'll come back this afternoon and share the topic of today's meeting.

Hugs,
Kellye

[aasharon90]

That's cool you guys. Just from what I have already read has helped me tremendously. Kellye's post.... I can't
HP can
I think i'll let Him
made me remember i have that wrtten down on one of my meeting books from back home in Baton Rouge. It must have made a profound impact on me when i first heard it to write it down yrs ago. So thank u. : )

Josiol's post on resentments and anger.....in early recovery we learn that if we continue to harbor those resentments towards others that it will eventually kill us. It festers inside us and before u know it all we see is hatred. We are definitely not at peace with ourselves. So saying the Serenity Prayer helps alot as well as the 3rd Step Prayer. Instead of saying...I offer myself to thee...replace it with the person u resent the most and give them to ur Higher Power. Also pray for everything good for that person. Everything ud want for urself do it for them. Pray for health and happiness for them.

Vic, we'll be waiting on pins and needles to hear ur experience at ur meeting today. Sometimes i like it when the meetings are funny. When so many people are hurting inside, just to have someone to bring laughter and joy in the meeting helps them forget their own problems and relax for a moment and feel a sense of peace even if its just for an hour. : ) Maybe ur meeting will be a funny one. Fingers crossed....lol

Thanks for sharing and keep on sharing.

[Kellye C]

Sharon, my invitation to you to check out one of our meetings still stands. We're having a speaker meeting at 6:30 tonight and afterwards some of us are going to the dance in Dickinson. North Shore isn't that far away from you and I'd LOVE a chance to meet you in person. PM me if you get a "wild hair" and decide you'd like to visit!

Hugs,
Kellye

[aasharon90]

awwwww Kellye, that is so kind of you. : ) A dance...! what's that...lol

OMGoodness.... : ) Thank u for the invite but as of now I do have plans.

I will be honest with u....do u know where the Gallaria is? I have NEVER gone down there by myself. Oh NOOOOOO..! : ) I think fear of directions or not knowing where to go keeps me close to home. : (

After living here in Houston for 10 yrs and staying close to home, I have no doubt that I can tackle getting around Baton Rouge...NO PROBLEM.. lol

Anyway....maybe our paths will cross one of these days....call me a cab....lol
NOT..! lol

Ok, back to the topic.... : )

[CarolD]

Here is a meeting topic I find interesting..

Fantasy

Above all, we reject fantasizing and accept reality.
The more I drank, the more I fantasized everything.
I imagined getting even for hurts and rejections.
In my mind's eye, I played and replayed scenes
in which I was plucked magically from the bar
where I stood nursing a drink,
and was instantly exalted to some position
of power and prestige.
I lived in a dream world.
AA led me gently from this fantasizing
to embrace reality with open arms.
And I found it beautiful!
For, at last, I was at peace with myself.
And with others. And with God.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 559


For me... this was paramont to progress.
I "threw out the old" to find new me

[miss communicat]

This is agreat treasure of a thread. I hope it lasts a while. Thanks Sharon!

The topic at today's meeting for me was the 10th step, which, for me goes hand in glove with the 11th.

Highlights of Step 10 for me today:

1. When I was drinking/drugging, I couldn't even THINK of ANYTHING to take inventory about before I "fell asleep" at night, because I never actually "fell asleep" at night. I passed out.
2. Today I welcome the opportunity daily, to "take my psychological, emotional, and spiritual temperature". I need to stay aware of the imbalances in their formative stages, before letting them develop further.
3. I can identify when I am carrying around old baggage and drop it.
4. While in the process of taking stock of my blind spots (to the extent that I can "see" a blind spot clearly) and owning my part in EVERY transaction of the day, at the end of each day, I acknowledge even the smallest progress.

Then I sleep well.

Lots of helpful shares today. Thanks!

[Chance]

Hi everyone my name is Vic and I am an addict (alcohol is a drug). Happy to be here still clean. I haven't had to use since May 25, 2006 and for that I am eternally grateful.

The meeting that I went to was my "normal" AA Happy Hour Meeting that starts at 4:30 and usually goes til 5:30 and sometimes 6. Today's topic was the old familiar topic making up stories about people, telling lies, gossip, and how all of this stuff leads to stress. So many times, we do this stuff without even thinking about how this could effect someone. How hurt someone could be and it really is a waste of time.

After the meeting which was a great meeting, a guy pulled me aside, and told me that my NA Home Group, brought my name up at a meeting and that even though I wasn't there, the topic was on Vic. I used to say that as long as people are talking about me then they are in fact leaving someone else alone.

Well at first it didn't seem to bother me, but the more that I thought about it the more hurt that I felt. I had to even chair the meeting there tonight. Well it was really bothering me of what they were saying that I had to call my sponsor. Now my sponsor just had a pace-maker put in and I have felt like I shouldn't talk to him about what is going on with me, I don't want to overload him. I told him that when I called. First thing he asked was, did you ask who was saying what. I said yes but they wouldn't tell me. He assured me that what they were saying wasn't me, and that helped a huge bunch. He also gave me some advice on how to handle it. He said at the meeting, Introduce yourself, from now on and that is it. He said just look at everyone and smile He said that will get there goat.....

Anyway at the 7 o'clock meeting (isn't it something how God works) still a little upset, then that meeting was on acceptance. So I was really hurt by the words that supposedly people in the program belittling people. But I had to look at me, and my actions. I did that, I can still learn from them that they are probably not the people that I want to be. So with that I will close another day, even if my heart hurts and I would rather not feel right now, I know that if I feel what I feel, and embrace that is what I am feeling and it is real. Now I need to let it go to God.

So really gossip is a evil thing to have and today I am going to do my best to be the best me that I can be. Thanks for letting me share.

Love Vic

[aasharon90]

Hi im Sharon and im an Alcoholic.

Today was good with everyone sharing on what they heard at a meeting. To me i find this extremely helpful and informative.

I liked CarolD's passage she shared from the Big Book. Makes me want to go pull out my book and see if those words r really there... : ) Im sure they r no doubt. Where else would we find words of truth and wisdom other than the HUGE BIG BOOK... THE BIBLE.

Then MissC's post...on Step 10....CONTINUE TO TAKE PERSONAL INVENTORY AND WHEN WE WERE WRONG PROMPTLY ADMITTED IT.

Her share can go hand in hand with Vics post on what happened to him today. He promptly admitted his wrongs and will continue to work on not doing them anymore. We are not perfect and we remain teachable.

Some of us r SLOW LEARNERS...meaning ME.....and some get the point right off the bat. When we know enough is enough then we try for better.

Your right about not liking to be on the recieving end of the bad talks or jokes of other people. We should treat others the way we would want to be treated. This lesson doesnt always work, but we try to turn the other cheek and remember.... WWJD.

Thanks for letting me share.

[lulu70]

Originally Posted by CarolD

Fantasy

Above all, we reject fantasizing and accept reality.
The more I drank, the more I fantasized everything.
I imagined getting even for hurts and rejections.
In my mind's eye, I played and replayed scenes
in which I was plucked magically from the bar
where I stood nursing a drink,
and was instantly exalted to some position
of power and prestige.
I lived in a dream world.
AA led me gently from this fantasizing
to embrace reality with open arms.
And I found it beautiful!
For, at last, I was at peace with myself.
And with others. And with God.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 559

Thanks for that, Carol. I think I will get my book out and read that whole chapter. I really need it right now. I'm struggling right now. Been thinking a lot about drinking, but reading that really helped. I know I don't have to drink today. I have a lot of work to do. Tomorrow--a nice long walk, a talk with my sponsor, some reading, and a meeting. Perhaps I will even post about what has been going on.

Thanks for the thread, Sharon. I'll post tomorrow after the meeting!

[aasharon90]

Hi lulu....

Thanks for your share.

Do you know that a lady named lulu from back home in Baton Rouge was one of those first names i was to get to be as one of my Sponsors. So with you here....you make me think of her from home. I didnt chose her as my sponsor but i did make a recovery friend in her. : ) So Im glad u r here with me and others.

In early sobriety esp. when i left rehab.....i was on my own....i had been living in a controlled inviroment for 28 days then i didnt have that security any longer.

So.....I took the recovery tools handed to me...my Big BOOK and my 12 and 12 Step Book alnog with my little 24 Hour Meditation book....the Little Black Book. Those 3 I wore the heck out of. I mean i handled them on a daily bases as if they were attached to my hands and i couldnt let go. I even covered them in clear contact paper to perserve the cover. : )

I saw the "old-times carrying their books where ever they went....i didnt at first, then i took it to the BB studies and 12 and !2 step meetings to write notes in them. When people would read something and they would talk about it then i would underline particular passages.

Those books and the Serenity Prayer and things i heard at meetings i went to on a daily bases has kept me sober today, some 15 yrs later. Just one day at a time.

I knew i didnt want to drink anymore nor wanted to get back on that merry-go-round, so i took the suggestions of my sponsor and listen to the messages at those meetings and applied them to my everyday life.

We do go thru our ups and downs in recovery, but for me today...anyday down is soooo much better sober than any day drunk. Right?

Hang in there.

Thanks for all the shares and keep'em coming.

[aasharon90]

Hi, im Sharon and im an Alcoholic.

Just poping in to see if anyone went to an EARLY BIRD meeting to begin their day clean and sober? Early Bird Meeting was what they called one of the meetings back home in Baton Rouge. For me, im pretty sure I didnt go to that one mainly because it was TOOOO early for me to get to. : ) Maybe one later in the morning was better. : )

Enjoy ur day and I look forward to hearing about ur meetings today.

[aasharon90]

Hi, Sharon here still sober today.

Did anyone go to an interesting meeting today? Whether it be AA or NA or any kind. Or did someone new come in to the meeting...Pick up a Desire Chip? Or did someone go out and came back in to tell everyone that it still doesnt work out there? Or did someone bring something good to eat to share with the group? That would be something id do for my meetings...bring something good to eat to go along with the coffee. How was the coffee today? Good or too strong? lol

[Kellye C]

Hi Sharon. I went to our regular Ladies meeting last night and wow! I wasn't really thrilled about going and it was one of those that after it was over I was SO glad I did.

The topic was relationships. What was discussed is how we used other people to validate our self-worth, how focusing on others and their flaws, problems etc is a convenient excuse to not have to look at our own stuff, how we can so easily take our focus off of God and make other people, places or things our higher power and how that affects our sobriety.

The no relationship for 1 year thing came up and I relayed my experience with this as I got in a relationship at 12 days sober that lasted 18 months, ended horribly and was the single biggest threat to my sobriety and how I had to walk away from that relationship to keep myself sane and sober. I shared that I realized after the fact how much I had cheated myself out of in that first year and a half of sobriety by not focusing fully on me and my relationship with my Higher Power, how at times I made the relationship my Higher Power, and how my "picker" is still broken.

We got to hear from newcomers who have switched addictions and now have to get free from alcohol and now pills.

There were all levels of sobriety and experiences from so many walks of life and it was just an awesome meeting. To top it off the lady who founded our Ladies meetings put in a special appearance so we had the benefit of her 20 plus years of sobriety and special relationship with God to share with us on this topic.

It was so awesome. Plus we had homemade chocolate chip cookies!

I love this thread and I hope it will continue!

Hugs,
Kellye

[aasharon90]

Hi Kellye. Just reading your post gave me chills. Good ones tho. : ) I think it's the inspiration and hope you get when you hear someone sharing.

THANKS FOR SHARING kELLEY. : )

I too like this topic and hope it will inspire others to share what they heard at their meetings whether it be NA or AA or Al-A-Teen....We ALL have something important or inspiring to share whether it be just saying ur name and what u r to ur own ESH thru recovery or sobriety.

20 Yrs....WOW..! That is a wonderful accomplishment. I use to get so pumped when i would hear someone with many yrs sobriety. Then.....I would hear how someone else with many yrs went back out. WHY I would ask?

Why would u want to throw away that many yrs of recovery....or was it good sobriety or just being dry? Then I learned that NO ONE ...NONE OF US are EXEMPT from our DISEASE. There is NO CURE for our disease but rather we learn how to MANAGE it by following the few steps they provide to us in recovery. We manage our disease ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Just like if someone is a Diabetic. They will always have their disease but they have to make some changes in their lifes to manage their disease. CHANGE. None of like CHANGE. I know i don't. But i do know that it is NECESSARY if i want to stay sober, healthy and ALIVE.

Anyway.....going to meetings gives us hope, inspiration, courage that we can be happy in our disease if we walk the walk and not just talk the talk of recovery.

Home made chocholate chip cookies....I WANT ONE..! lol

I wonder what other groups have to eat at their meetings? hmmmmm

Just wondering. : ) or am I hungry?

Thanks for letting me share.

[bballdad]

Sharon,we had a good meeting on steps 6 & 7 and character defects

One member brought this up "do we have all our character defects removed?"

We brought out the book and read steps 6 and 7 and the 7th step prayer out of the big book and discussed it.

I mentioned when I got to step 6,I was looking back at step 4 only, the written inventory.That stuff was what I wanted and needed removed from my life.The bondage of self that kept me drunk and insane for yrs.
That part of my self has been removed.All those resentments,and those fears that runned my life has been removed.Fear still pops up as it does in anyone,but it does not terrorize me today.The immoral sex conduct I don`t do anymore,I have a new idea about sex today and am able to live up to it.
Those harms done to others-amends has been made.

While I agreeded step 4 didn`t cover my entire life,it is nessacery to continue on with steps 10-12 to cover what step 4 didn`t get.I did try to do a fearless and thourgh 4th step at the time,and as time rolled on,I realized other stuff needed to be dealt with.

it was a good meeting !

[CarolD]

My last meeting was simply awesome!!

Last week on here...we had a new member seeking help.
And there he was!!

It filled me with gratitude to be a part of
SR's recovery mission.

[Wonko]

Thanks Carol,
Yep, that newcomer was me! I tell you it really was a miracle. in the span of one week I was confronted by my wife (which was what I always told myself would be my cue to quit. [i.e. make it someone's elses fault I drank]), then I found SR which undeniably confirmed my alcoholism, then I met Carol online who lives in the same small town as I do!, then I went to my first A.A. meeting and met people who are actually like me and HONEST about it!
Been sober ever since. While not a long time, it is longer than I have been able to do in five or more years.
For the first time I have a desire to quit and have the tools and support, both God and alcoholics like me, to do it!
Thanks again SR for being here so my HP could use you to show me my insanity.
-shawn

[paulmh]

What became the topic tonight -

in fellowship, we don't come together to share our common problem. We come together to share our common solution.

[aasharon90]

Thanks u guys for feeding love, care, experience, strength and hope to this thread. I thought it had died out. : )

To me this place is a 24 hour meeting place. Even tho im long gone to lala land by 10pm the meeting here contiues on. Someone is always available to help another. Just keeping each other company in lonely times, sad times, difficult times...needing support, encouragement, sympathy, love , care, concern, a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen.

Face to face meetings or online meetings allow us to hear something that can comfort us or give us strength to carry on in our everyday lives.

Like Paulmh said...we're here and there to share a common solution to our problems.

Thanks buddy.

[paulmh]

Thanks for being here Sharon, and thanks for keeping me sober.

[aasharon90]

Has anyone hear anything interesting shared at a meeting today?

First the chairperson would ask if anyone had anything they'd like to share with the group today. Or if anyhting was bothering them or if no one spoke up then a topic would be thrown out.

When i woke up this morning and sat at my computer which is next to my back window looking out on the back yard, I spotted a RACOON. YIKES..! I have never seen a racoon out and about like that. Esp. not here in Hot Houston.

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM..!

I thought to myself first how awesome that was to see something so rare near my home. It was pretty if u ask me. Anyway....then i thought how great it is to experience things today wearing a "new pair of glasses". :Wgla That is something u may hear from time to time in meetings about after the fog clears then u begin to see things differently...like as if u are wearing a new pair of glasses.

I still find today even after being 15 yrs sober how amazed I am with life and all its wonders.

I mean when u slow down long enough to stop and smell the flowers or listen to birds chirping, or see a rainbow....or notice a new gray hair... oh noooo...or a freckle that may have been there all ur life but ur just now realizing it....

I am just amazed.

What do u think?

[aasharon90]

How awesome that is to see an Eagle. Just like seeing the racoon I was amazed at its beauty up close, but to see a Majestic creature like the EAGLE is like a gift to admire.

Hi im Sharon and still an Alcoholic.

If we get up in a meeting and tell something about ourselves in order to help the other person, we feel a whole lot better. It's the old law of the more you give the more you get. Witnessing and confession are part of keeping sober. You never know when you may help somebody. Helping others is one of the best ways to stay sober yourself. And the satisfaction you get out of helping a fellow human being is one of the finest experiences you can have.

What do u think?

Are you helping others?

Thanks for letting me share.