21 year old, second day sober
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada. About as far south as you can get
Posts: 4,768
Originally Posted by pearl1806 
hey everyone, just thought i would let you all know how my first aa meeting went. I was so nervous walking into the room, but i was greeted almost instantly which made me feel a little better. I introduced myself to the group, and saying I was an alcoholic was a bit scary, saying it out loud I mean because I have already acknowledged it to myself before. Listening to the other member's stories about courage (it was a topic meeting) was very emotional for me, there was something that each person said that resonated with me. I did share, not for very long, but I tried to articulate why I was there. Afterwards lots of the members gave me their phone numbers and i had a chat with quite a few of them, I feel much better about going to AA now and will go to another meeting tomorrow or the next day.
I am ending this day feeling far more hopeful than this morning, thank god
I am ending this day feeling far more hopeful than this morning, thank god
You are truly blessed to find AA at your young age. It will certainly save you years of grief and remorse.
I sat at a 4th Step table on Thursday that was led by a young lady 27 yrs old with about 6 mos sobriety. She was inspiring. I'm sure you will be as well shortly down the line.
All the best.
Bob R
Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Indiana
Posts: 145
God bless you Pearl. I wish I would have had the courage to go to AA when I was in my early 20's. I'm 48 now, having spent the bulk of the past few decades in a drunken fog.
FYI - I went to an AA meeting today at lunch (noon, 4 hours ago), and it was led by a young female in her early 20's. She too was very inspiring! You have made the right decision to give AA a try; your life will be far more productive if you stick with it.
Regards,
Johnny
FYI - I went to an AA meeting today at lunch (noon, 4 hours ago), and it was led by a young female in her early 20's. She too was very inspiring! You have made the right decision to give AA a try; your life will be far more productive if you stick with it.
Regards,
Johnny
Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 453
Hey Pearl,
Glad to hear things went well. And that you were willing to share at the meeting. Try to Dial a few of the numbers and check in with people. It's a great way to stay sober!
Keep up the great work!
Glad to hear things went well. And that you were willing to share at the meeting. Try to Dial a few of the numbers and check in with people. It's a great way to stay sober!
Keep up the great work!
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Albany, NY
Posts: 6
Hi pearl,
I'm a bit older than you (26) and I can feel your pain about how hard it is to be this young and realize you have a problem. I simply look at it as we caught this problem earlier than most. The few AA meetings I attended were filled with people who had lost their families, friends, jobs, etc. and everything in between. We hopefully won't be thrown into that kind of situation.
I just want to highlight a few of the sometimes not obvious benefits of not drinking:
-When I go out with friends for dinner or out to a sports bar to watch a game, I save SO much money by not drinking.
-Being a DD isn't so bad. Sometimes, drunk people are funny. And being the sober one makes you the authority on everything. You decide where to go, how to get there, and when to leave. And you can settle debates because you have the clear head. You don't need to be drunk to enjoy their company.
-In terms of school, sleeping til noon because you were out drinking til 3 AM is NOT something you will miss. Having a solid sleep schedule is amazing. You feel so much better.
-I've lost weight. Being this age I should be in the best shape of my life, and I'm getting there.
It's a bad comparison, but drinking with friends is like a sport. We can't play (read: drink) anymore... too old, too broken, whatever. So what can we do now? We can referree, coach, or commentate on TV. We will always be a vital part of the game and involved in it, we just won't ever suit up and play the field again. My point being-- You will always be able to hang out with your friends one way or another, because not drinking will ever hold you back from that.
I became an alcoholic in college too, but it took me a few more years than you to realize it and do something about it. I hope I'm stopping young enough where I haven't taken years off my life... even if I haven't, I'm glad that the remaining ones won't be one big drunken blur.
I'm a private person, and I don't tell many people about my problem. Tell your closest friends at some point. They'll understand, but don't expect them to bring it up. If you want to talk about it, you have to initiate the conversation. I still talk about drinking with people who don't know about my problem, but try to change the subject or let the conversation die as quickly as possible.
And a few cute excuses for not drinking socially: Exhausted, have to drive, and on a strict diet. Those three work in a pinch. I've been using the diet one for awhile, because let's face it, alcohol is liquid calories. 7 cals/gram, compared to 9 cals/gram for fat. 4 cals/gram for protein and carbs. I think about it ever time I relapse or consider drinking... alcohol is pretty close to drinking diluted olive oil. Yuck.
All the best!
I'm a bit older than you (26) and I can feel your pain about how hard it is to be this young and realize you have a problem. I simply look at it as we caught this problem earlier than most. The few AA meetings I attended were filled with people who had lost their families, friends, jobs, etc. and everything in between. We hopefully won't be thrown into that kind of situation.
I just want to highlight a few of the sometimes not obvious benefits of not drinking:
-When I go out with friends for dinner or out to a sports bar to watch a game, I save SO much money by not drinking.
-Being a DD isn't so bad. Sometimes, drunk people are funny. And being the sober one makes you the authority on everything. You decide where to go, how to get there, and when to leave. And you can settle debates because you have the clear head. You don't need to be drunk to enjoy their company.
-In terms of school, sleeping til noon because you were out drinking til 3 AM is NOT something you will miss. Having a solid sleep schedule is amazing. You feel so much better.
-I've lost weight. Being this age I should be in the best shape of my life, and I'm getting there.
It's a bad comparison, but drinking with friends is like a sport. We can't play (read: drink) anymore... too old, too broken, whatever. So what can we do now? We can referree, coach, or commentate on TV. We will always be a vital part of the game and involved in it, we just won't ever suit up and play the field again. My point being-- You will always be able to hang out with your friends one way or another, because not drinking will ever hold you back from that.
I became an alcoholic in college too, but it took me a few more years than you to realize it and do something about it. I hope I'm stopping young enough where I haven't taken years off my life... even if I haven't, I'm glad that the remaining ones won't be one big drunken blur.
I'm a private person, and I don't tell many people about my problem. Tell your closest friends at some point. They'll understand, but don't expect them to bring it up. If you want to talk about it, you have to initiate the conversation. I still talk about drinking with people who don't know about my problem, but try to change the subject or let the conversation die as quickly as possible.
And a few cute excuses for not drinking socially: Exhausted, have to drive, and on a strict diet. Those three work in a pinch. I've been using the diet one for awhile, because let's face it, alcohol is liquid calories. 7 cals/gram, compared to 9 cals/gram for fat. 4 cals/gram for protein and carbs. I think about it ever time I relapse or consider drinking... alcohol is pretty close to drinking diluted olive oil. Yuck.
All the best!
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