Attending first AA meeting
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 261
Attending first AA meeting
I will be attending my first AA meeting since 8 months ago. It starts at 7pm tonight and although i'm not scared of the meeting itself, i'm scared that I wont be doing it right. I still woke up this morning with cold sweats but at least i'm getting more than an hour of sleep at a time. I also went to the gym today, went to the bank and even got a haircut. On any given sober day, these tasks would be easy, however, when i'm drunk none of these things ever get done.
I will update how the meeting went.
I will update how the meeting went.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
I'm really pleased to know of your progress Joe
I've been concerned about your de tox.
and just shared on your earlier ODAT thread...
Forward we go...side by side.
I've been concerned about your de tox.
and just shared on your earlier ODAT thread...
Forward we go...side by side.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 261
I keep seeing ODAT, what does that mean? Yeah, my detox is doing a lot better. This forum has really been comforting during my detox. It is almost like having a counselor side by side. Plus, reading the stories and other posts have inspired me and gave me hope that I need to do this.
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: uk
Posts: 2,548
joe..........how you doing mate.
Snatching bits of sleep is great......you get the vivid night mares?
Think carefully about going to the gym.......remember your body is under real strain at the moment with withdrawal..
an aa meting sounds just the ticket.............dont put yourself under pressure..just go and listen......look out for a big book sponsor.
someone that can guide you through the steps.......as outlined in the book.
keep putting that sweat back in the system....water ..water....and more water........
then come and tell us how the meeting went ..
Snatching bits of sleep is great......you get the vivid night mares?
Think carefully about going to the gym.......remember your body is under real strain at the moment with withdrawal..
an aa meting sounds just the ticket.............dont put yourself under pressure..just go and listen......look out for a big book sponsor.
someone that can guide you through the steps.......as outlined in the book.
keep putting that sweat back in the system....water ..water....and more water........
then come and tell us how the meeting went ..
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Ontario
Posts: 806
Originally Posted by Recovery1983 
I will be attending my first AA meeting since 8 months ago. It starts at 7pm tonight and although i'm not scared of the meeting itself, i'm scared that I wont be doing it right. I still woke up this morning with cold sweats but at least i'm getting more than an hour of sleep at a time. I also went to the gym today, went to the bank and even got a haircut. On any given sober day, these tasks would be easy, however, when i'm drunk none of these things ever get done.
I will update how the meeting went.
I will update how the meeting went.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 261
I have good news and bad news.
Bad news- I went to the place that they were holding the AA meeting and it was at some Baptist church. When I finally got there, the place was empty. I couldnt find a single car and none of the lights were on. I've never been to this place before but I chose this place because the other one that I attended in the past didnt suit me well. So I ended up just coming home and cooking myself some dinner and probably just going to watch tv until I fall asleep. Another idea that popped into my head is that someone on here suggested that I read the first 164 pgs of the big book. Maybe i'll do that instead.
Good news- There is a meeting tomorrow at 6:30 am at the place that I didnt like but I'll give it another try. Plus, there is another night meeting tomorrow at 8pm at another location. I definitely want to check that out and see if I like the people over there. The other good news is that I didnt drink today.
Bad news- I went to the place that they were holding the AA meeting and it was at some Baptist church. When I finally got there, the place was empty. I couldnt find a single car and none of the lights were on. I've never been to this place before but I chose this place because the other one that I attended in the past didnt suit me well. So I ended up just coming home and cooking myself some dinner and probably just going to watch tv until I fall asleep. Another idea that popped into my head is that someone on here suggested that I read the first 164 pgs of the big book. Maybe i'll do that instead.
Good news- There is a meeting tomorrow at 6:30 am at the place that I didnt like but I'll give it another try. Plus, there is another night meeting tomorrow at 8pm at another location. I definitely want to check that out and see if I like the people over there. The other good news is that I didnt drink today.
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Join Date: Mar 2010
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Walkertall- If it were that easy, I would have done it a long time ago after my first few problems. Someone on here made a very good point. They told me that even when I was 10 months sober, I still went back. During that time, I was perfectly sane yet I still went back. I'm a 27 year old male that goes to school. I see people enjoying alcohol all the time and it always tempts me as to why I cant be one of those people.
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 261
Hello all, I just went to my first AA meeting at 12pm today. It lasted for 90 mins which I felt was a little too long but it's okay. I did not share my story but I just listened. One person who shared today seemed to stand out to me. I related to what he said and he seemed to have a lot of wisdom about the program. I'm a bit shy when I am in new surroundings but I knew I needed to do it right this time. When he was pouring the coffee for everyone, I asked him if I could have a quick word with him after the meeting. Outside, I asked him if he could be my temporary sponsor for now. After reading some of the posts on here about people asking for sponsors, I was expecting the response of "no." To my surprise, the guys said "yes" and we exchanged numbers. He asked me, "when do you get up every morning?" I told him 8am even though I probably dont get up that time. He said call me every morning at 8am. I agreed and we parted ways. This is my first sponsor, even though he might not be permanent. I'm excited!
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Ontario
Posts: 806
Originally Posted by Recovery1983
Walkertall- If it were that easy, I would have done it a long time ago after my first few problems. Someone on here made a very good point. They told me that even when I was 10 months sober, I still went back. During that time, I was perfectly sane yet I still went back. I'm a 27 year old male that goes to school. I see people enjoying alcohol all the time and it always tempts me as to why I cant be one of those people.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Ontario
Posts: 806
Originally Posted by Recovery1983
Hello all, I just went to my first AA meeting at 12pm today. It lasted for 90 mins which I felt was a little too long but it's okay. I did not share my story but I just listened. One person who shared today seemed to stand out to me. I related to what he said and he seemed to have a lot of wisdom about the program. I'm a bit shy when I am in new surroundings but I knew I needed to do it right this time. When he was pouring the coffee for everyone, I asked him if I could have a quick word with him after the meeting. Outside, I asked him if he could be my temporary sponsor for now. After reading some of the posts on here about people asking for sponsors, I was expecting the response of "no." To my surprise, the guys said "yes" and we exchanged numbers. He asked me, "when do you get up every morning?" I told him 8am even though I probably dont get up that time. He said call me every morning at 8am. I agreed and we parted ways. This is my first sponsor, even though he might not be permanent. I'm excited!
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 261
I just want to thank everyone on this board. I think I am done with the physical alcohol withdrawals. I have been on my feet and working on my new routine for two days now. Although psychologically i'm not feeling my best, I at least know that i'm working towards the right direction. This time will be even better since I have a plan and i'm sticking to it. There is a church not too far from me called Saddleback church and my parents have been trying to get me there since last year. They liked the church because it has a "Celebrate recovery" program and I dont think it would hurt to go check it out. Of course I will also be attending an AA meeting tomorrow. Going to do the 90/90 and see where it leads.
Again, I am very thankful for the people who have responded to my threads and have given me such encouraging words. Not only did I hear encouragement, but I also learned some new things about myself and the true meaning of being powerless over alcohol.
I wish I bumped into this website last year but I think maybe my higher power needed me to go through what I did so that I can truly grasp this alcoholic situation. When I was sober during those 10 months, I had many doubts about why I couldnt be a normal drinker. I just followed the motions and basically just didnt drink. Now, I have a whole new perspective about it. I give much more credit to what addiction can do. It can manipulate, it can infest and it can infiltrate your mind. Basically, it is like playing chess but you always lose. I am done with playing against this substance. I've learned the hard way that I will never win.
Today, after I came back from the gym, I called my best friend and I told him everything that has happened after the relapse. I told him that I just want his support and I thought that he deserved to know what has happened and what I'm doing. There was a lot more said but for the sake of the reader, I'll keep it to the point. The one thing that stuck out was that he told me that I'm the type of person who only does it his way. Other words, I like to be in control. He questioned me what I would do if my sponsor wanted me to do something that I didnt like. I told him that I have tried my ways and everything has failed with consequences. There is nothing more I can do except set my pride aside and just follow instructions. As I say that now, the word humility is truly resonating in my head. Again, I want to thank you all and I will be on here forever.
Again, I am very thankful for the people who have responded to my threads and have given me such encouraging words. Not only did I hear encouragement, but I also learned some new things about myself and the true meaning of being powerless over alcohol.
I wish I bumped into this website last year but I think maybe my higher power needed me to go through what I did so that I can truly grasp this alcoholic situation. When I was sober during those 10 months, I had many doubts about why I couldnt be a normal drinker. I just followed the motions and basically just didnt drink. Now, I have a whole new perspective about it. I give much more credit to what addiction can do. It can manipulate, it can infest and it can infiltrate your mind. Basically, it is like playing chess but you always lose. I am done with playing against this substance. I've learned the hard way that I will never win.
Today, after I came back from the gym, I called my best friend and I told him everything that has happened after the relapse. I told him that I just want his support and I thought that he deserved to know what has happened and what I'm doing. There was a lot more said but for the sake of the reader, I'll keep it to the point. The one thing that stuck out was that he told me that I'm the type of person who only does it his way. Other words, I like to be in control. He questioned me what I would do if my sponsor wanted me to do something that I didnt like. I told him that I have tried my ways and everything has failed with consequences. There is nothing more I can do except set my pride aside and just follow instructions. As I say that now, the word humility is truly resonating in my head. Again, I want to thank you all and I will be on here forever.
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,385
Recovery, just an FYI....Saddleback is the church wehre Pastor Rick Warren is pastor. He wrote the best seller The Purpose Driven Life. Also, Celebrate Recovery was started at Saddleback by an alcoholic. It's focus is different than AA in that it has people working on 8 recovery principles that deal with "hurts, hang-ups and habits." It is not exclusively for alcoholics. They do have a web site that you can check out.
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Humble, tx
Posts: 82
Congrats
Way to go! I don't even know you, yet I'm so proud of you!
I'm a codependant, alanon, in other words, I suffer from the family disease of alcoholism. I find hope, strength, and courage in your post!
I'm a codependant, alanon, in other words, I suffer from the family disease of alcoholism. I find hope, strength, and courage in your post!
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 261
I drove 30 mins today to go to my sponsor's home AA for a meeting. I liked his home group a lot. There were an amazing 76 people that showed up. I was really nervous and I hoped that I wouldnt have to share but I really enjoyed listening to everything. The topic today was humility and for the first time, I really related to that word.
It wasnt physically my first time in the AA walls but it was mentally my first time. The other times that I was in there, I thought I knew everything. My ego and my pride prevented me from getting the help that I needed. Even when I thought that I was in there and being humble, I wasnt. Like I said before, my friend pointed out that I always did things the way I wanted. On any other day if he said that, it would go in one ear and out the other. However, now I understand that was the way I acted in the AA rooms. Not being humble and no humility. When I did it that way, which was my way, it absolutely did not work. I could continue to keep trying my way but I'm just afraid to see what the consequences will be this time around. Have I hit my bottom? I really dont know but i'm tired of finding out. I have made it a conscious effort to leave out my ego and my pride. That is it for now because that is all I have learned so far.
It wasnt physically my first time in the AA walls but it was mentally my first time. The other times that I was in there, I thought I knew everything. My ego and my pride prevented me from getting the help that I needed. Even when I thought that I was in there and being humble, I wasnt. Like I said before, my friend pointed out that I always did things the way I wanted. On any other day if he said that, it would go in one ear and out the other. However, now I understand that was the way I acted in the AA rooms. Not being humble and no humility. When I did it that way, which was my way, it absolutely did not work. I could continue to keep trying my way but I'm just afraid to see what the consequences will be this time around. Have I hit my bottom? I really dont know but i'm tired of finding out. I have made it a conscious effort to leave out my ego and my pride. That is it for now because that is all I have learned so far.
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Scottsdale, AZ, one big happy dysfunctional family!
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Sounds like recovery is going pretty well for you Joe, you're making good progress. I highly recommend the Celebrate Recovery program. I attend CR meetings at a local church in addition to my program of recovery in AA. The CR workbooks are very helpful in "peeling the onion", helping me to dig deep into my past and the root of my addictions.
Check out the Celebrate Recovery website, and yeah reading the Big Book, especially the first 164 pages is a great idea.
Check out the Celebrate Recovery website, and yeah reading the Big Book, especially the first 164 pages is a great idea.
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