One of the reasons I put my city in my name is in the hopes of finding local people "who have what I want."
I came into recovery in another town and there were people I respected and admired at meetings. So I know they are out there. But at that time it did not occur to me that I needed to develop personal relationships within the program. I was very poor--I did not even have a telephone for most of that period. I remember once I did go out with people after a meeting and sat watching them all eat. It was hard to watch that when I was so hungry, so I avoided doing it ever again.
Looking back, I wish instead of the pressure to get a sponsor who would take me through the steps, there had been pressure to get someone who would guide me through other aspects of the program--someone who would go through how it all worked. Coming here I have learned a lot about 12-step programs that I did not learn in 8 years of meetings. If I had known all of this at the start things might have been different sooner.