Dave42001

It’s summer finally and a lot of good old friends I’ve met in AA come in town to visit family and stop by our group/ club to have a cup of Joe and shoot the gab with everyone and catch up with old friends. Its wonderful!!!

The “Meeting before the meeting”! I was told in my first weeks of recovery to go to the meeting early and stay after and we still hear it often but was such a HUGE part of my early recovery.,

Any thoughts? Good stories etc!! great to see old friends that are in town for summer it’s always great to see another brother or sister in recovery and catch up, Priceless!!

August252015

Dave- I admit I've never really been one for the meeting before the meeting. And, probably not nearly enough, the meeting after the meeting! I know it is wise advice and so many benefit from it

I've made friends that I've taken to talking to and seeing outside of meetings. So I guess, we meet "around the meetings"!

Making a support system is so fun- I don't know that I've noticed a seasonal component, but sounds fun indeed.

Thanks for being one of the first posts I saw this morning (being up far to early) and such a positive one!

Tommyh

I was told to come early and stay late,and I did for many years
a meeting before, during and after the meeting
3 meetings for the price of one

those are some of the best meetings I ever had.I remember going down for our 8 pm speaker meetings early and they would be 8-12 people in the back room,talking,drinking coffee and smoking.The coffee maker usually got there at least 2 hours early on Fridays and Sundays and had a 100 cup coffee pot ready around 6:30
after the meeting,some of those guys kept me in the kitchen telling stories and jokes and the coffee pot was finally cleaned up around 11.I finally figured they was trying to keep me there till the liquior stores closed

the coffee was the first thing on, last thing off

he did that for most of 35 years! That guy was a coffee making legend!

now a days, some people drag in late or leave early
they miss out of some of the best part of the fellowship.
one more thing,some of em won`t go a mile futher than nessacery to get to another meeting,go figure!

we used to have only 4 meetings a week here and the old timers grabbed all us new guys and we piled in one their big cars and they plugged in a AA tape and we went to a "out of town" meeting...30-50 miles away..Had a good meeting in the car,one when we got there,and another on the way home.Thats how those guys was raised in AA,go to plenty of meetings and take new guys with you and they told me to go buy a big car,why?To carry drunks to plenty of meetings

DayTrader

Depending upon the meeting I'm at, it's pretty common for anywhere from 25% to 75% of what's discussed at a table to be totally contradictory to the AA program. I suppose it's helpful to some ppl though - especially the non-alcoholics who are there.

The "meetings" I've been to before and/or after the formal AA meeting though..... it's almost never that I hear these same contradictions. Probably because those who understand it's imperative to share the program with others, the same ppl who are actually trying to work all the principles in all their affairs..... they're usually the ones who show up early or stay late to talk to the ppl who new or just searching for a solution.

Tommyh

those early birds and late stayers I mentioned was mostly old timers

my experience too DT

DayTrader

yup, mine too. The bull-$hitters are usually just there for themselves so they don't usually think they have the time, but definitely not the inclination, to go early or stay late to help someone else.

SoberCAH

Coming early, making coffee, cleaning up and staying late were crucial to me early on as I was trying to learn the sobriety lifestyle and meet the local AA members.

I also went out for a lot of after-meeting desserts early on.

One of the reasons I don't hang around out front after meetings these days is the preponderance of smokers.

I don't care to hold my breath just to talk to someone.

I also don't stand around afterward if it's cold outside.

I'm good to grab a bite of food afterward in a smoke-free restaurant and continue the meeting there.

Gottalife

The meeting before can have one pitfall. If we get too wrapped up in talking to old friends, we can miss the new face. I like to arrive early, but appoint myself greeter with the sole task of spotting the new guy and making them feel welcome. I remember how important that was for me.

I travel a lot and surprisingly often I get to the new guy before anyone in the actual group has noticed his presence. I know they don't intentionally ignore people, but it can feel quite disconcerting for the newcomer, and straight away we have begun teaching them bad habits.

48heath

I used to get to the meeting as it started and dash out immediately it ended.

My first sponsor decided it would be good for me to do the washing up!

Nowadays I always arrive early and stay talking afterwards,I always give my phone number to the new ladies,we all do in our meetings,the newcomer is always warmly welcomed.

Also love the car journeys to and from meetings with other AAer’s,great for discussing the Programme.

I love the fellowship.