Music

Hi Brian. I drank every day, so when I started in AA, I went to a meeting every day, more on the weekends. My sponsor told me I would have to work as hard at not drinking, as I did at drinking and somehow I found an excuse every day to drink. The people I see fail most often in AA are the ones who make excuses for not going to meetings. Bad habit to get into. So my question to you is, how bad to do you not want to drink?

Brian316

Wow. Thank you for all the input folks! It's very valuable. I have tended to average about 5 a week so far. Miss 2 days one to be with my daughter, the other to have dinner with my sponsor at his house. I was short this week with the holiday and was alright day 1, but day 2 I started becoming irritable, cynical and a little angry. Almost a pre-spree mood for me. It worried me a bit so I posted here. We haven't started the steps yet but I have some pretty heavy matters in my life right now so I wonder if he may be waiting until some things become more permanent for me. I am definitely hitting my Friday night group tonight!

LadyBlue0527

I did 1 a week for a few weeks and then did 2 a week for a while. I pretty much know when I need to go.

GracieLou

Yep, I get that too. I call it "getting squirrely"

When I get that way I know I better get my butt to a meeting and get out of myself. For me, it means I am doing way to much thinking.

I do have a schedule but if I get squirrely then I go whether it is on my schedule or not. I drank everyday so I can can get to a meeting everyday if need be.

Music

The Big Book describes us as being nervous, irritable and discontent between bouts of drinking. So, if you're experiencing those feelings, a meeting is a good place to be.

Brian316

Thank you all for the input. Once again I am glad to hear I am not the only one!

Tamerua

Congrats on 63 days!

I was told to go to as many meetings for as many days as you would have been drinking per week. I drank 3 to 4 days a week, so I hit that many meetings a week. Sometimes more... rarely less but the weeks that I don't get to at least 3, I'm really crabby.

1newcreation

Did 2-3 thus 90 in 94(working then). That's what formed my strong foundation to not slip plus was told if I want more i gotta do more.
Make time also for service work
Best wishes in new yr

NoJimmy

I tend to do 3-4 a week, enough to stay well connected.

deeker

230 in my 1st 90 days. Now about 2 -3 a week. Gave me that foundation and I was ready.

Carlotta

I did as close to a 90/90 as possible meaning that I tried to go to meetings every day during my first three months. There has been a few days where I did 2 meetings and a few days I did none.
This is not a requirement from AA, the program is the steps period but for me it was a good way to get in the habit of going to meetings and also explore the fellowship. Doing a 90/90 gave me an opportunity to meet and get to know people and also to explore different meetings so I could see which ones I clicked with and which ones were a no no for me.
I did not go all fanatic on it either, when I got sober I just decided I would try to do a 90/90 and do my best to go to a meeting a day but if I could not..oh well life happens.
Now I do 2-3 meetings a week. I have a commitment to secretary once a week so I have to go at least once but I genuinely like my home group and the people there so going is kind of a treat rather than a burden.

Tamerua

I thought about this some more, I just got a year and I went to a lot of meetings over this last year and I've seen a lot of newcomers come and go and never come back. I hope they all found other meetings that suit them but I do know a few just went back to their old lives (drinking). A couple of suggestions that I was given were not to hit as many meetings as possible but to make sure you never leave one meeting without know when and where your next one will be and to be of service at the meetings. Make coffee, help clean, track a phone list, be a greeter, etc.

Brian316

Thanks for the inputs people! Deeker 230 in 90 is amazing. I would like to do more sometimes, but sometimes it feels like I dilute the message from my first one if I go to a second one that same day. Others though if one meeting is kinda "eh" and I do a second, the second is usually great. My first couple weeks I was doing 8 or 9 a week. Fortunately though I have found 3 places where the meetings are almost always good so I tend to stay with those lately. I used to love to explore different bars tho too so I suppose there would be nothing wrong with branching out.

22NGONE

I did the 90 meetings in 90 days thing... and it turned out I went pretty much every day for my first year. Good luck.

Db1105

I came into AA in my late teens, and since I'd been kicked out of school(s) and unemployed, I went to a couple a day and hung out at an Recovery clubhouse in between for the first four months. Then I finally got a job and started on my education so I got to a least one a day for over a year. The meetings were eventually decreased as I started entering scociety.

Service work also played an important role in my recovery. First getting a Homegroup, making coffee, cleaning up, etc.etc. hanging out at the club also got me to tag along on a lot of Twelve Step calls. I found I got out of AA what I put into it.

breath

I'm a little shy of three years. I was a daily drinker, so I go to @ least 7 meetings a week, split between Al-anon & AA, yet not necessarily 7days/week. I also find that service in both organizations is equally important to MY program. I also attend mindfully; taking what I need and leaving what I don't.