Hugging at Meetings
Hello Guys!
I have 1 year clean and have been going to NA meetings twice a week over the past 5 months.
I enjoy the meetings and I feel like I do get something out of them, so I keep coming back, but I have always struggled with all of the hugging that occurs before and after the meetings. This may seem odd, but any type of physical contact with another person and especially with a stranger makes me extremely uncomfortable. I am fine with a handshake, but a hug causes immense anxiety and feelings of being violated. At the same time, I am able to "fake it till you make it" and go along with this gesture out of a desire to not appear like a weirdo. And at the end of the day I know that a simple hug will not cause me any great harm. But it is still extremely uncomfortable for me, and I feel that I have to subject myself to unwanted physical contact.
My question is how is the best way I can let people know this, that its nothing personal, but I would prefer not to be hugged. I have been trying this by extending my hand to do a handshake, but people do not get the hint and will hug me anyways. Its not that I am an antisocial psychopath, and I do desire to make friends and build relationships, I just feel uncomfortable when people hug me. The only person who I enjoy having physical contact with is my girlfriend of 7 years.
I would hate for this to be the reason I stop going to NA, but I cannot fake this anymore and I am risking my recovery because of all the anxiety and stress that I get from receiving unwanted physical contact.
Thank you for any advice.