barb dwyer

I've the habit of saying hello to everyone when they walk in the door.
A bartender thing I'm going to hang on to.
If I've never seen them before,
I try to go over and chit chat for a bit, maybe get them a cup of coffee.
I've been doing that for seven months now.

Sounds like you're going to meetings where there isn't a club?
Or a coffee area?

Sometimes, you just gotta go up to them, you know?
'Hi, I'm *Serina*' usually does the trick.

At our group, it's a newcomers thing ... sponsors will set their sponsees to greeting, but half the time, they have to beat me to it...LOL

Raineydae

Hi Serena. I can totally understand the fear and anxiety you are experiencing and for me, getting to know people doesn't help it just makes me more anxious! For some reason, once I begin to feel I am getting on well with someone, I get the urge to run a mile and hide. What if it all goes wrong? Then I'll be even worse off than before! So I seem to have a whole bunch of undeveloped relationships that are pleasant enough but never move on! I can't pretend to give you much advice because I am still struggling and I always have. I agonised about going to AA meetings for a good 6 weeks after I stopped drinking beacuse I was trying to reduce anxiety not increase it! I felt sure that having to meet new people would drive me to panic!
However, that said, I am making meetings. I am still nervous but I try to remember that other people are nervous too, some more so. I hide it well, I think & people are always surprised. I have to really push myself to get involved socially in any situation though and perhaps that is just me and I have to accept it.