Hi sprman24,
When I went to my first al-anon meeting, I cried all the way there, I just walked in (late) and took a seat. I didnt have a clue what the meeting would be like. I listened to a few people 'share' whilst everyone else just listened. Eventually I was asked if I would like to speak and I just said that I had an alcoholic husband and thats what had brought me to the meeting and nothing much more. I was made to feel very welcome and everyone came and said hello at the end of the meeting over a cup of tea.
I enjoyed the structure of the meetings and the fact that people got to speak without being interupted by others, something my husband and I hadnt been able to do for a long time. It didnt take long to settle in and I found that I prefered the 'topic' meetings the most. It all felt a bit alien to begin with and I worried about 'sharing' and even planned what I would say as a build up to going. Al-anon and recovery definitely have their own language but it really does help and is worth while going to. My life improved dramatically, once I started recovery and I highly recommend it.