Showing Up Drunk For A Meeting..... I am curious as to what your groups do if someone shows up intoxicated?? I have seen everything from 100% support to actually getting thrown out! This women the other night told this disheveled intoxicated older man that "winos" were not aloud at this club!! Duh, this is AA I think everyone is a "wino" in some form or another. I gave this women a tongue lashing and was nearly asked to leave the club myself. I figure for now on when this particular women shares I will get up and "freshen" my disgusting coffee. |
If the drunk is quiet....no action is taken Another member will get the coffee for the drunk and make sure a meeing list is provided. Disruptive drunks...asked once to respect others If this is not done.... Then 2 members...same sex...escourt outside for sharing. If they fall asleep...we wake them to lock up tucking a meeting list in their hand. My group rarely has wet drunks for some reason. |
All i know is..ain't no B kicking my ass out of a meeting If i see anyone try to kick anyone out of an AA meeting.. they'll get a tasted of me too..becuase if i had to witness or have a taste of thier BS...far is far. Yes..I do understand that drunks can be disruptive in meetings sometimes, but never the less..it is what is it some people...totally disgust me, talk all kinds of BS.. I guess all of the traditions just went over her head. maybe common sense didn't click into her totally well of a program yet.. Ah...I went to AA so maybe I can sober up...not get sober then go to AA.. if i can get sober before AA...then what's the damn piont of going to AA. People didn't tell me to "keep coming back no matter what" without reasons.. obviousely...i was still drunk for months and months attending AA.. |
I have never went to a meeting drunk but my dad sure has. |
I agree with Carol, as long as there's no disturbance they're just as welcome as anyone else. After all, "The only requirement for AA membership is the desire to stop drinking". AA has shown me how to practice love and tolerance. That's all I need to know in regards to others. |
You do not have to do anything if the drunk is quiet. If he is disruptive a couple of the other members can take him outside for a "side meeting". You cannot tell a drunk he is not welcome at an AA meeting. |
Make sure they have a ride home without driving themselves, I've done that more than once. |
Bull@$IT Those without sin may cast the first stone.......... Jackasses |
Good job Tiburon, I went to my first AA meeting fall down drunk, as best as I recall I was welcome, I found out this past Wednesday that the BB I thought I had bought at that meeting was actually given to me! I remembered the speaker at that first meeting for some reason and was talking to him after the Wednesday night meeting about my first meeting, when I said "Some how I bought a Big Book" he laughed and said "No you didn't! I gave you one!" we both had a good laugh. "A desire to stop drinking" there are an awful lot of sober alcoholics today that attended a lot of AA meetings drunk before they got sober. As with others here, as long as they are not making trouble they are welcome, if they are making a stink then a couple of folks of the same sex take them outside the meeting and they have a mini meeting. I have not seen any one taken out yet..... I have heard a few snoring during a meeting though! LOL |
The only requirement for membership is a DESIRE to stop drinking. |
we had a guy pretty drunk show up at an alanon meeting. he was being roudy, so a few guys took him out and walked him a few blocks to our alano club - we never saw him again, but based on the stuff he was saying - everyone thinks he thought it was an aa group.. |
Wet Drunks at meetings Thanks for the post Tiburon, Personally I love to see active drunks at meetings, great place for them to be in. We have a guy in my home group who can't or won't stay sober, I don't know why, every Friday night he wil go up and get a chip, sometimes, it's a 1 month, sometimes 9, it really depends on his mood I guess, A few weeks ago, he got up and got an 11 month chip, fell over at the podium, got back up, and yells "This program really works!" Good stuff! The only difference between us is that I had a defense against the 1st drink, the wet ones remind me of what I once was, and could easily be again, if I rest on my laurels. As far as getting up while the women who seems to be the "judge" of the club speaks, why bother? Why stoop to petty bullsh#t? People in meetings irritate me all the time, I pray and talk to another drunk about it afterwards, if I'm really disturbed I'll write 4 column inventory, pain in the butt, but it always set me free. Good Post, thanks for the reminder. |
The other week two members were called by the general service office to do some 12th step work. They brought this wet drunk to the meeting, unfortunately they guy couldn't get through the reading of how it works. He got belligerant, and they had to escort him outside. There is something powerful about seeing a wet drunk in a AA meeting. There is no reason for any AA member to be mean or cruel to a wet drunk. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. That is one of the 12 reasons WHY it works. Who am I to deny someone the opportunity to be given the gift, that I have been so freely given? Does this look like the country club? I didn't think so!!!! |
Showing Up Drunk Our group is in a small community. We run three meetings per week and the group over the past few days has been grappling for the first time with someone showing up really drunk. One member brings this person even though 3 meetings have been disrupted. The group conscience is following Tradition 3 of course, but is electing to have a meeting to deal with the disruptions. The conconsensus so far is pointing toward taking the person out of the meeting and having a "side" meeting with them. All members are supportive of this person, but noone's sobriety can be jeopardized by lack of respect for what is transpiring at the meetings. Thank you for your comments...they are very helpful |
I've been to a meeting completely hammered before. I was drinking all day and night and following in to the next day and somewhere along the lines I called my sponsor.... He came and sat with me a bit and said lets go.. So he took me to a meeting. They even let me share at the meeting lol, atleast until I started to drunkenly ramble on, thats when I got cut off with a "thanks for sharing, get with me after the meeting and keep coming back". |
When I went to meetings drunk the people were kind and said nothing about it, and treated me as if I was in my right mind. So, I'll tolerate anyone in any condition who is not disrupting my meeting. If they do become a royal pain, then they get booted because they are not as important as the group. They are great visual aids for everyone. |
Its an AA meeting, who do you expect to be there? |
Originally Posted by stugotz
(Post 2917834)
Its an AA meeting, who do you expect to be there? |
Tradition 3. "The only requirement for membership is a desire to STOP drinking." I have escorted drunks INTO meetings and will continue to do so. I need to remember where it is I come from. |
sofarsogood...glad you found our experiences useful....:yup: Welcome to our recovery community :wavey: |
I just saw it happen at my noon meeting. A man showed up drunk and very upset. After he shared about what had happened, everyone was nice and said, "welcome back". Then 2 people took him into the other room and briefly talked to him. Then they all came back and sat down. Some people gave him a hug. He seemed to feel a little better after the meeting. It was really moving. He was crying as he shared and said he didn't know where else to go because all he knows is he's safe in the rooms of AA. I think everyone's heart broke for him. |
How sad... |
You know I think that is a major way to blow a good opportunity for everyone involved whether drinking or not... |
Originally Posted by Tazman53
(Post 1368089)
"A desire to stop drinking" there are an awful lot of sober alcoholics today that attended a lot of AA meetings drunk before they got sober. What's next, a set of qualifying questions to determine if someone is properly sober physically, mentally, and spiritually? .....no better place FOR a drunk than an AA meeting. I have a couple friends who find it disrespectful but I'm workin' on them. ;) |
There was a member of my group that was sober a long time, but went back to drinking, and has been showing up at meetings totally intoxicated. This happened last night. He came in half way through, and couldn't keep his balance...almost fell many times, and kept stopping himself from vomiting. It was pretty bad. What I observed was people watching him. The men especially watched him. At one point he left to smoke and came back in finding a new spot to sit. One man pointed him back to the original chair where his belongings were. I could see that these men had their eye on him, knew what was happening, and were going to take control. I am glad, because it made me quite nervous. Like I didn't know what to do. It is sad to see someone that once held a secretary position, and was sober for months, maybe even a year, so intoxicated. Maybe I needed to see this. What a difference. I think of him today, and hope he will be able to stop this. :( |
Originally Posted by Veritas1 Maybe I needed to see this.( ;) |
I remember several decades back, the two women-they were big-dragging a guy out from a snowbank, partially underneath a car, dead drunk and into our AA club. Last time I saw the guy he was sober, and definitely grateful, and he even confessed to having a vague recollection of me. I told him that we'd met before then related the story of our first encounter. |
I'd been to about 2 years of AA meetings and hadn't seen anyone intoxicated. Then there was this huge noise outside the door one night and a guy showed up drunk with a couple of suitcases and a garbage dumpster. He lived on the street. He showed up 5 minutes before the meeting was over. Everyone was very polite and asked him to come back sober. They showed him a lot of respect and care and unfortunately he didn't come back. I hope he does some day. |
Originally Posted by GrouchoTheCat
(Post 1368122)
The only requirement for membership is a DESIRE to stop drinking. |
The disruption created by one drunk in an AA meeting pales in comparison to the disruption created by a sober person whining about their sick hamster. I'll take the drunk anytime. |
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